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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
#161
I know several double bassists who adhere to this idea - and I can see it more for a double bass than an electric bass. There are so few "markers" on a double bass that you really would have to spend a lifetime getting to know a really nice one inside and out, and the time spent would serve you very well. And borrowing a bass from someone else just isn't ever going to be the same.

Me, I have 25 electric basses, and they all play and sound different. Some bands I take the Epiphone Rivoli, some bands get the Fender Jazz V, some bands get the Zeta Crossover, some bands get the fretless, and some the P-bass. Whatever bass I choose, my personal tone is always there, married with the unique tone of that particular instrument; it's like dancing with different women from time to time. But I do have my "A-bass" (the Jazz V) that covers just about everything I'd ever need it to cover (other than fretless stuff).

I think the point of the opinions registered in the OP was that "more basses won't make you a better bassist; spend your time practicing instead of your money on more instruments", even if they didn't say it in so many words. And if that's indeed where they were coming from, there's merit in that concept.
 
#163
I played one bass for the better part of 15 years (a Fodera six string fretted). I now own and play about 15 different basses and do not feel my technique has been hampered in anyway. In fact, since all my basses sport different electronics, different woods, different strings and in the case of my fretless basses different fretboards, my sonic pallet is much wider. In fact, I would go so far to say that out of the bunch, I don't have a "main" bass, rather I tend to decide upon which one to play depending upon my mood and what sound I'm going for.
 
#164
Welp, my 2 cents... I own 3 basses at the moment, a dirt cheap J/J, a semi-cheap Cort Action 4 P/J, and a not-cheap Cort C4H (which has 2 bigassed soapbar pickups).

The reason for that being that the Corts allow me different sounds, and the cheapie is just for lugging around when I'm visiting friends or going to some random birthday party and it's part of the entertainment given that most people I know play acoustic guitar so.. yeah.. fun times(tm).

If anything, owning different basses has given me a better understanding of the fact that a given sound is not necessarily a function of the bass, but of the player, but it is easier to get a certain sound out of a certain bass.

Since all of my basses differ at least a little in weight, shape, and neck feel, it also improved my muscle memory it seems, since I can grab any of them and play, without having to "adjust" to it.

Other than that the only thing that is not so good is that the decision which to grab is sometimes a lengthy process, which is why currently the cheap Cort and the cheapie J/J are hanging out with friends who wanted to see if playing bass is something they want to do (yes yes, spreading the gospel...), so I'm now not stuck in this 30 minute decision process :P
 
#165
Xavier Zed said:
IMO its mainly hobby players and anyone frequenting TB mostly collectors, and tinkerers of bass. You need a main bass that you know in your sleep, that the thoughts from your brain are transfered effortlessly without thinking straight to your hands. I player a Fender P (50's style) and Jazz. Two very different necks but I know them all so well. How, to setup, tone, where on the neck or body to play like a wife, you only need one.

Bass players like most people love a little variety in life but usually end up with one,

Most people on this site are searchers and usually the last place they look is inside themselves. My tone comes from me, how I play and adjust my bass and amp. Most of the famous players you know are so for their playing and mostli for one model or type of bass.
Click to expand...

Of course, some of us have been playing so long that we like to use different tools to express what's "inside ourselves". I don't feel that a bass is in control of me, I'd like to think that I'm in control of the bass - whatever bass I'm playing at the time.

Different necks, different shapes, different tones... It all inspires me to go places I may not have otherwise. IMO, it's all about exploration. BTW, I owned a single bass for the first 15 years of all the years I've been playing, and I started in the early '70s.

And no, I don't need different basses to create, I use them as an optional tool and to just have fun. If I'm not having fun, I'd rather do something that makes real money. Probably not music.
 
#166
Great response, audiomitch.

When I read the title of this thread it made me think of a picture I have saved to my desktop. It is of Anthony Wellington with his entire fodera collection. Quite a high number of basses, yet I don't know of many people more skilled on the instrument than mr. Wellington.
 
#170
metalstorm said:
I think the idea is that you should worry about practicing more than gear. A concept that is lost on some folks.
Click to expand...

True... but many people don't worry about gear to the point of barely knowing anything about the instrument they play. I've had people marvel at the way some of my basses play and theirs could play better if it weren't for the not very good (being diplomatic) setup on theirs. That could easily be changed if they understood the direction most bass guitar adjustments go in... either this way or that way.

Not exactly all that complicated.

The point is to learn your instrument. Saying you need to learn it on or stick to playing just one bass is silly. Basses can be different and inspire you to play differently on each of them. So why put yourself on self-imposed lockdown from enjoying other fun basses because of a very poorly thought out edict? It's like a vow of chastity and you're single, not religious and stranded on the Isle of Nymphs.
:D

In case anyone hasn't figured it out, you can't really "master" the instrument... even if you only play one.
:cool:
 
#171
Brad Johnson said:
True... but many people don't worry about gear to the point of barely knowing anything about the instrument they play. I've had people marvel at the way some of my basses play and theirs could play better if it weren't for the not very good (being diplomatic) setup on theirs. That could easily be changed if they understood the direction most bass guitar adjustments go in... either this way or that way.

Not exactly all that complicated.

The point is to learn your instrument. Saying you need to learn it on or stick to playing just one bass is silly. Basses can be different and inspire you to play differently on each of them. So why put yourself on self-imposed lockdown from enjoying other fun basses because of a very poorly thought out edict? It's like a vow of chastity and you're single, not religious and stranded on the Isle of Nymphs.
:D

In case anyone hasn't figured it out, you can't really "master" the instrument... even if you only play one.
:cool:
Click to expand...

Now you've played bass before... I can tell!
 
#177
I have noticed some issues when switching bass types. All of my basses sound and different, and that influences where I play a given line. For example, the feel between my G&L L2500 and my Pedulla Thunderbass are completely different, and influence where I play certain lines (1st fret vs. 6th fret, etc.). Further, between all of them, they all sit differently on a strap, etc.

I get the best results if I practice for a few weeks and rehearsals prior to gigging with any given bass. Switching right before a gig messes me up a little bit. Not enough to be noticed, but enough to know that something is *off*.
 

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