more basses = less skill?

[dvh]

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.

Unless the whole band, instrumentally and vocally, is going to nail the sound of the originals does it really matter? Will anyone in the audience say "Hey, only the bass tone sounds like the original song...."

 

[MultiScaleMale]

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.

Exactly. I can't tell you how many times I've had someone come up after a show and told me that they thought the original was played on a 60's spaced Jazz, not a Stingray.

(I'm just being sarcastic, not really busting on you.;-) )

I'd like to think that I can tell the difference between bass tones and I play a game when I go down to our local lakefront during the summer to listen to bands. Name That Bass. One time I swore I heard a P bass and it turned out to be an upright. What's the point? Nothing wrong with being prepared, but you could probably take one bass and nobody would care. Sometimes I think the upright is more of a visual than audible necessity.

Strangely the tone I hated the most from all of the lakefront shows was from a local big, big name.

 

[dvh]

Sometimes I think the upright is more of a visual than audible necessity.

As a DB player I know this to be true....

 

[klejst]

I do not think having a lot of basses decreases your skill, although each brand or type of bass will be different. Have more basses, more power to you especially if you play all of them. I have tried many kinds of basses over the years. It's how I found what kinds and brands of basses I like and don't.

 

[edpal]

I do not think having a lot of basses decreases your skill, although each brand or type of bass will be different. Have more basses, more power to you especially if you play all of them. I have tried many kinds of basses over the years. It's how I found what kinds and brands of basses I like and don't.

True that! I love the look of a Rick, can't stand the skinny, thin neck (to my hands), glad I got to try one at a gig rather than buying one and taking the loss on resale. And how the heck is a P bass of any construction going to sound like my Waterstone Ozone 12? And though I have a "few" basses", I really love the sound out of the $127 Vesta 5 string I bought off ebay - so do my bandmates. Just wish it was 6 string, like the p.o.s. Washburn Classic I have spent $450 turning into a really sweet instrument (tuners, bridge, pots but not pickups).

12 string Waterstone [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Or try getting this King's X sound without the 12 stringer (yes, I bought a Hamer also...the Waterstone's going to ebay next week).

 

[Brad Johnson]

Exactly. I can't tell you how many times I've had someone come up after a show and told me that they thought the original was played on a 60's spaced Jazz, not a Stingray.

(I'm just being sarcastic, not really busting on you.;-) )

I'd like to think that I can tell the difference between bass tones and I play a game when I go down to our local lakefront during the summer to listen to bands. Name That Bass. One time I swore I heard a P bass and it turned out to be an upright. What's the point? Nothing wrong with being prepared, but you could probably take one bass and nobody would care. Sometimes I think the upright is more of a visual than audible necessity.

Strangely the tone I hated the most from all of the lakefront shows was from a local big, big name.

 

[Korladis]

A good player will sound pretty good on any bass that's at least playable. The idea that you should only play one is silly. We all have our preferences, but there's nothing wrong with being flexible.

 

[OOTB68]

As far as Im concerned, these guys are morons. Theres no reason why you should or shouldnt have a type or quantity of gear, and anyone that says otherwise is just feeding their idiosyncrasies.

+1000

 

[Sav'nBass]

So I was talking to a few very skilled bassists the other day (one of them records for esperanza spalding!) and they both said you Shouldn't have more than one bass. The exception being if you play a fretless and a fretted.

The logic behind it is if you play more than one bass you'll never be amazing at playing one of them. You should get to be "best friends" per say with your main bass and the better you know it the better you'll play. ..............

So my question is this. Does having more than one bass hinder your playing. If you have 2 basses should they be of the same builder or brand?

First off I think this poll is far too limited in it's choices to even adequately address the issues raised in the initial premise. FWIW though .. I think that's a silly notion and just a bunch of big headed posturing.. no matter how good these guys are or who they play with. There is always going to be someone better, someone worse or someone just as good/bad as any bass player around.. If anything I'd think that playing on different instruments will make you a better player in the long run because you would get more comfortable on different instruments of different sizes, shapes, weights & neck lengths etc ... The whole notion went out the window for me from the bolded part of the statement.. and tegardless to how may basses you may own .. you can only play one at a time. Two at the most, and if you can do that .. then more power to you..

 

[OOTB68]

guess nobody told Entwistle

Or the late great Allen Woody

 

[babebambi]

So I was talking to a few very skilled bassists the other day (one of them records for esperanza spalding!) and they both said you Shouldn't have more than one bass. The exception being if you play a fretless and a fretted.

The logic behind it is if you play more than one bass you'll never be amazing at playing one of them. You should get to be "best friends" per say with your main bass and the better you know it the better you'll play.

I countered this with "But victor wooten playes like a billion different fodera's including 6 strings and fretless" (I know his fretless isn't fodera) the reply was "Yes, but he only does the vic thing on his 4 string"
Another point brought up is people like Justin Raines. He has 2 basses, but there both MTD's and probably setup identically.

So my question is this. Does having more than one bass hinder your playing. If you have 2 basses should they be of the same builder or brand?

I know there are alot of one bass threads, but I couldn't find one like this

I am sure this guy sucks ...
http://www.thewho.net/whotabs/gear/bass/bass.html

 

[peledog]

This thread = really?

 

[mcblahflooper94]

This thread = really?

+1. Look at John Entwistle, have you SEEN his collection?? He owned like every bass known to man, and then some (customs)

 

[Marko 1]

As for owning one bass:

I can see how having one bass, or same basses would make one more familiar with it, but dang that would be boring to me.

A big part of my enjoyment is rotating somewhat different basses, and if I play less-well because of it, I don’t really care.



As for playing multiple basses on the same gig:

My covers band, only one guitar, bass and drums (lotsa vocals), plays Classic Rock, Country, Blues and Oldies, and I couldn’t imagine switching basses to get a certain sound/tone/whatever, I pull it off with one bass, and I know nobody (including me) really cares.

 

[lpdeluxe]

I think this poll is way too simplistic. I have basses that do it all, for me, for a period of time, then I get another, different, one, and I go off in a new direction. Case in point: my AV '57 P was the ultimate one. Then I found a Godin A5 fretless, and new challenges arose. I DO find that, when I'm not playing so much, I start thinking about acquiring a new bass, but I'm playing quite a bit these days, so that's not an issue. I know that I don't like to accumulate instruments: ordinarily, when I get a new one, an old one goes bye-bye -- but at the moment, all my basses are in regular rotation, so I'm not making any changes.

 

[bread903]

My mom's driving sucks(she still can't park backwards very well even though she's been driving for more than 20 years), but she drives a 20,000 dollars vehicle.
I drive a 7,000 dollars tiny car, but I own numbers of Fodera and Ken Smith basses.

Love me!

 

[totallyfrozen]

I don't know that having more than one bass necessarily hinders your development as a bassist; however, I was reading an article recently. It was an interview with Lee Sklar and he said (I'm paraphrasing and summarizing) that he's not a gear head and doesn't care for having all sorts of basses and gear. He also basically said that he's not impressed by bassists that have lots of basses and gear. He said that he has one Dingwall that he plays now. Otherwise, he will play whatever bass the recording studio has lying around.

So I think that shows 2 things:
1) A good bassist doesn't need amazing gear in order to sound amazing.
2) A good bassist isn't limited to only being able to play well on ONE specific bass.

Lee Sklar has been gigging and/or recording DAILY--Yes, he said DAILY--for the last 42 YEARS!
I think that cat knows what he's talking about.

 

[bass12]

I'm pretty sure Marcus Miller has said the same thing (about sticking to one bass). From a certain perspective it makes sense to play the same instrument all of the time. Muscle memory is an important factor in a lot of performance, as is knowing one's instrument's sonic capabilities/limitations and general idiosyncrasies. To switch from, say, a Fender to an MTD will require a "switch" where muscle memory is concerned - and that can be a drag (it is for me, at any rate). I can see how this would be more of an issue for "virtuoso" players who play a lot of fast and complicated passages. Most bass playing, however, doesn't require such a level of virtuosity. For the "working bassist" it is generally more important to be able to "suit the song" tonally and be able to please whoever is writing the cheque, and that often means being comfortable playing a range of basses.

 

[edpal]

The logic behind it is if you play more than one bass you'll never be amazing at playing one of them. You should get to be "best friends" per say with your main bass and the better you know it the better you'll play.

So my question is this. Does having more than one bass hinder your playing. If you have 2 basses should they be of the same builder or brand?

I agree that familiarity on one instrument will probably let you be you best on that one. But a second one of the same builder/brand is just going to be a spare, so it doesn't even factor into this question. Having a fretless makes me better at fretless, and yes, does take some practice time away from my main bass. Ditto for the 12 string bass. Since I don't have to be totally amazing on the main one, I think being great on #1 and good on the others is a reasonable trade off. Instruments are like watches,guns,fishing poles, whatever - you can own as many as you want, means nothing other than you could afford them. Some people suck on the one and only they own. Some will suck on all 10 they own. GAS is also a way for some musicians to spend their money on something moderately useful.

Fairly useless thread, IMO. Answers nothing.

 

[spade2you]

Yeah, there are those. But most musicians seem to be more Type B or C. So they operate like youngsters that think they are gonna be a pro ball player: lots of people with plenty of talent, not many get to play out consistently in decent teams, let alone make it to the top. Many guys who really would enjoy another ax(might invigorate them...or force them to face what a slacker they are) would rather get another pair of Oakleys, another leather jacket, another bag of weed, chase more tail than they can possible handle. I just wanted to stress that some of the one ax guys have painted themselves into that corner by themselves. I drive an uncool vehicle so I can have extremely cool instruments.

Despite being a Type B or C, many seem to try to be a Type A, at least in attitude. I always find it an interesting that musicians who hate the rules of society seem to invent rules in a band such as the idea that more gear=less talent.