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Moving - how many basses do you really need?

#41
I’m currently planning for a move as well, though it’s about two years out, and I’m doing the Swedish Death Cleaning thing in the meantime. I’m using this move as an opportunity to start over in a minimalist fashion, so I’ve been giving this topic a lot of thought, and I’ve come to the conclusion that my personal bare minimum is two: one fretted, one fretless.

I’ve aimed to keep my total collection capped at six, although there were a few times where I’ve had as many as eight. Currently, I’m at five, and one is likely to be sold sometime this year, with no plans to buy more. Of these remaining four, two are fretted, two are fretless. Two are a matching fretted/fretless pair of semi-custom basses that I will never separate. Of the other two, one is very light and practical and the other has sentimental attachments and is really fun to play. It’s going to be hard to thin the herd any further, and unless space demands it, I’ll probably keep them all. It is tempting, however, to stick to the discipline and keep only two.
 
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#47
I moved from Seattle to Upstate NY and sold so much stuff for that move. Including a double bass and a US peavey. The double bass sold for less than the price of a case, so that was a no brainer. The peavey I wasn’t particularly attached to, though I occasionally wonder if I should have kept it. I did keep my acoustic guitar and trumpet.

Now I’m pretty rooted and it’s hard to imagine going through all that again. I have several guitars and one bass I’m partial to; I’d say my minimum now is 3-4 stringed instruments.
 
#48
It's hard for me to consider selling what I have, but playing both guitar and bass, and recording, I've kept a number of instruments. It's about 10 total at the moment.

I could sell off one of the acoustics and one of the electrics to get it down to 8, but I'm happy with my 3 basses: I feel like they each serve a different purpose.

1. '94 Olympic White Squier series J
2. '02 Agave Blue MIM P
3. JMJ Mustang
 
#51
I own 5 basses, but only need 2. . . . a Precision and a Jazz.

The other 3 were brought when I was searching for a back-friendly bass that I could comfortably play for several hours. They are very light, but didn't meet other requirements and will be sold soon.
 
#53
The answer is and always will be 1. Just 1. You can’t play more than one at a time. Just like a vehicle you only need one. What you’re trying to accomplish with the bass/vehicle depends on the type of bass/vehicle you purchase and use. For most music and simple 4 string bass is sufficient. For some types a more advanced (more strings/flexibility) may be needed. Do you need a pickup truck or will a compact car do?

With the amount of technology, effects, processing, and pitch shifting available you can pretty much do whatever you need with one bass these days. Everything else is a want. I’m not throwing stones, I own a dozen basses. That’s because I want to, not becasuee I need to.
 
#54
Kerem Koseoglu said:
My personal slim-down philosophy is to have one bass per string type I like + a cheapo for the road / backup. Currently:
  • My flat bass is a Fender P; laid-back low-mids.
  • My nickel round bass is a Fender J; all-around scoop.
  • My steel round bass is a Sadowsky M; modern high-mids.
  • My stunt bass is a Sire M7 (possibly with experimental strings).
Obviously, I could slim-down even more to my active J, but I like the versatility - each bass makes me play a little differently.
Click to expand...
I like this philosophy!

I’ve got:
Upright w/ Spiros
Fender P w/ flats
Lakland J w/ nickel wound
U Bass w/pahoe

However, I think the Lakland sits in the mix better with steel rounds so therefore I need an EBMM 4 or something with nickels instead!



megarat said:
I’m currently planning for a move as well, though it’s about two years out, and I’m doing the Swedish Death Cleaning thing in the meantime. I’m using this move as an opportunity to start over in a minimalist fashion, so I’ve been giving this topic a lot of thought, and I’ve come to the conclusion that my personal bare minimum is two: one fretted, one fretless.

I’ve aimed to keep my total collection capped at six, although there were a few times where I’ve had as many as eight. Currently, I’m at five, and one is likely to be sold sometime this year, with no plans to buy more. Of these remaining four, two are fretted, two are fretless. Two are a matching fretted/fretless pair of semi-custom basses that I will never separate. Of the other two, one is very light and practical and the other has sentimental attachments and is really fun to play. It’s going to be hard to thin the herd any further, and unless space demands it, I’ll probably keep them all. It is tempting, however, to stick to the discipline and keep only two.
Click to expand...

Then there’s this.

I could get by with just my upright and my Fender. But the 5 is a handy tool in the box for all the cover gigs and transpositions often required. And the UBass is perfect for vacations and late night practice.
 
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#55
dangomez66 said:
What models are the 2 sparkle Fender basses? Nice collection!
Click to expand...
Thanks. Both are Fenders. The red Jazz bass is a Chinese Modern Player (refinished) and the Lavender P bass is an Adam Clayton sig.
fgh.jpg
 
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#56
I’ve moved quite a bit, including from one coast to another, so I understand the desire to thin the herd. I have four basses and would prefer to keep them all. I could boil things down to just two basses - a Fender MIA P Deluxe and Warwick ProLine Corvette - but then I’d be out my five-string (Ibanez SDGR655E, which was discontinued) and my short-scale, a G&L Fallout Tribute.
 
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#57
I play a pair of old P basses and they cover everything I do these days. One is a PJ with rounds and is my workhorse for every gig. The other has flats and is a backup and "second option" if needed. I use to have 13+ basses, but always gravitated towards the PJ, so I sold them all off.
 
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#59
Argali said:
Thirteen is wild! I’d love it if you listed them all.
Click to expand...

Yes, it was!

I have had more come and go over the years, but 13 was the most I had at any one time. I sold these because they weren't getting played:

'73 Fender P
'78 Fender P
'73 Fender Musicmaster
'66 Gibson EBO
'05 Gibson Thunderbird
'22 Gibson LPJR DC Bass
'71 Ibanez EB3
'79 Yamaha BB2000
'98 G&L L5500

I kept these:
'69 Fender PJ - my workhorse and #1
'07 Fender Marcus Miller Jazz
'07 Fender Jaguar Bass - my dad bought this and the MM Jazz on my 16th birthday...very lucky kid!
'98 Yamaha TRB5II - my first good bass when I was 14 and the only 5 string I have loved.

Then I used the funds from the basses I sold to by a '65 Fender P in Lake Placid Blue, which is my #2 :) I keep the Jazz, Jag and Yamaha stored in a safe place and they do get played from time to time. The Yamaha more so, because it's a killer bass. I was playing in an afro-peruvian/salsa band for a while and it was perfect, but now I'm mostly doing blues, rock, country and Soul...the P basses rule supreme!

I feel so much lighter mentally not having to decide what bass to bring and trying to keep up with the maintenance to keep them all playable. I do miss some of them, particularly the Musicmaster and the EBO, but I don't regret flipping them to buy the '65...it's a special bass.
 
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