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more basses = less skill?

will only 1 bass make you a better player?

  • Your playing will be the same no matter how many basses you own.

    Votes: 582 94.5%

  • Playing more than one type of bass will hinder your abilities.

    Votes: 27 4.4%

  • if you have more than one bass they should be the same brand so they feel the same.

    Votes: 7 1.1%
  • Total voters
    616
#221
dvh said:
How many DB's should a player have? One with an ebony board and spruce top and sides, another with stained maple board laminate sides but solid top, another one cedar top......

Consider also that many of them will simply rent rather than travel with their own.

If EB's were as precious as DB's Talkbass threads would dwell more on technique and musicality instead of constant gassing for instruments that are only marginally different from what's already owned.

IMHO.....
Click to expand...

This forum is dedicated to gear. What else should we talk about? Isn't there a "technique" forum or something around here?
 
#222
bunkaroo said:
Actually, no. What makes one "better"?

How do I know I'd be better if I just used one bass? My point is you can't quantify it. I think there's a large assumption being made here that through some kind of symbiotic existence with one instrument a musician will somehow perform in a way never thought possible. In reality, practice makes perfect, regardless of the instrument. Inspiration is key, regardless of the instrument.

So, if using only one instrument inspires someone to be a "better" player, great. That is obviously not the case for everyone.
Click to expand...

Since this whole topic is based on the word "better", why pick my response to question that word?

If we can agree on that practise makes better, whatever that means to someone, so does playing just 1 bass. And that doesn't equal playing more basses makes anyone a bad player.
 
#224
Menno said:
Since this whole topic is based on the word "better", why pick my response to question that word?

If we can agree on that practise makes better, whatever that means to someone, so does playing just 1 bass. And that doesn't equal playing more basses makes anyone a bad player.
Click to expand...

Don't take it personally - I didn't mean to target you specifically. You were probably the last reply I saw that made the point I wanted to quote.

But again, I don't agree that it automatically follows that playing one bass makes you better. Practicing is a known and widely accepted method of improving your skill. That's not debatable IMO. But in 23+ years of being a musician, I have never encountered a situation or individual that made me think having just one instrument would improve my skill.

And the thread started as a way to debate if more basses make you worse. The thread title says it all. I think many here are aware of the true motivation of a comment like that, but we're debating it nevertheless. And the poll speaks volumes on the topic.
 
#225
WANTED.gif


edit: I see now having read back through the enormous thread that the above has already been posted. I leave it here though as it sums up my opinion on the matter :)
 
#228
I get their point. I've often wondered this myself. Getting to know a particular instrument inside and out, becoming familiar with all of it's idiosyncrasies from day to day, so that you can build up muscle memory and skill makes sense. Lots of famous bassists are known for playing one particular instrument as their "main" one. I think you can have multiple basses and play them, but I would think if you stick to one in particular it would take less thought, and you could just let the music flow rather than thinking about the instrument itself.
 
#230
There are 2 types of people who will own a lot of basses.

1 - Collectors

2 - Tone Freaks

I am the latter.

I am always searching for that bass with the perfect tone. Or the bass with a certain distinctive tone that makes it fun to play.
 
#231
Ric5 said:
There are 2 types of people who will own a lot of basses.

1 - Collectors

2 - Tone Freaks

I am the latter.

I am always searching for that bass with the perfect tone. Or the bass with a certain distinctive tone that makes it fun to play.
Click to expand...

Though another way to be a tone freak is to own a single, rubbery old P-bass and pull the sound every which way with effects...
 
#232
I have 3. One for recording, one for gigs, and the other I drag around with me. Each serve a purpose. Funny that the cheapest I record with, I like the mid priced for live and the other, which is still cheap, a atk200, I use it for practice.
 
#234
I believe I am equally proficient on my 08 MIA Jazz as I am on my unknown year p bass copy. If I had more disposable funds I would probably have a few more basses and would probably be equally proficient on them. I am by no means claiming to be a good bassist but I think a bassist skill level is completely independent of the amount of gear they own and for that matter the kind of gear they own.
 
#235
I've got 5 basses, and my skills are the same. I've got 14 years of experience and i get a wee bit better everyday. but Overall, i just have many basses for lots of reasons:
1- Sound, different sound suits different bands.
2- Feel, sitting, standing.
It all comes down to what you prefer. Out of all my basses, i always go back to my trust worthy partner in crime: My precision bass copy. Heavy, great fast neck, thick cut through sound studio and live.
 
#236
I think that if a bassist can own 20 basses, and knows the insides, outsides, sweetspots, tone settings and string setup for each, and can show each one a good bit of loving, then why the heck not. I do personally know some "Gearwhores" who literally buy gear, and talk a big game, and cant play for crap, but I think if you can be a gearwhore and each one of your basses has a purpose and unique-ness to it, then the more power to you.
 
#238
I understand the idea of becoming familiar with one instrument. However, playing different instruments has enabled me to change my style or approach depending on the instrument I'm playing. I find having different basses has inspired me in ways that the same one wouldn't have.

I still have favorites, but I enjoy trying new ones. I find it's best to make such important decisions myself and not let other's influence me.
 
#239
My aim is making music, and I create and build that music with tools called instruments. I will use as many as I deem necessary to get out what needs to get out as I make it for me, no one else :)

But for the life of me, I don't see how playing guitar, bass, and keyboards makes me a more rounded musician but owning more than one bass could possibly harm my bass playing ability. To paraphrase Ralph Wiggum, "It's unpossible!"
 
#240
I'm being asked to sit in with a group on Saturday night and they've given me a list of songs they intend to play. (It's kind of roots-rock from the mid-50s through the mid-60s.) In listening to the originals, I hear at least three very distinct bass sounds: upright on some; P bass type sound on some; and aggressive J bass (in fact, I know they were various brands) on some.

If I show up with one bass, I won't be able to cover all three kinds of sounds. I'd rather show up with three basses, since I understand that my role is to cover these sounds, which won't be possible with any one bass.

If they later tell me just play one, so I'm not switching, that's fine too. But I like to be prepared.
 

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