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One Bass Bassist?
- Thread starter Dr. Cheese
- Start date
I have 8. I don't "need" more than 1. It would be healthy to get to 3 or 4, but painful to get below 3...... 1 headless for travel, 1 ABG and 1 EB (all fretted 5ers). I would definitely want at least 2 so that if 1 needs work I wouldn't be "bassless".
I use this method too, but with one exception: I also bring as close to a duplicate of "the one," in case of trouble.
Years ago I heard Billy Sheehan talking about the benefits of playing the same bass all the time, in the same position when sitting or standing, to develop really accurate muscle memory. While I don't try to emulate his playing style, this philosophy always made sense to me.
I've been down to a single bass for the past two years (which is got almost exactly 2 years ago when the pandemic started).
Once I started playing it, I instantly loved playing it. I had one other parts bass that never came close. So guess what! I pulled it apart and sold the parts.
It's a white frost G&L SB-2T fretless. I'll take a picture when I'm home.
Once I started playing it, I instantly loved playing it. I had one other parts bass that never came close. So guess what! I pulled it apart and sold the parts.
It's a white frost G&L SB-2T fretless. I'll take a picture when I'm home.
Dear Dr Cheese,
A bass with rounds. A bass with flats. A bass to thump. And one to slap.
As long as you've got the room, and the ability to do so without hardship why not enjoy the variety and nuances of what you have.
No you can't play them all at the same time but you can change them up day by day or week to week as to what your current fave is or are.
Enjoy these times and your life. Play what you want and when. You've given of yourself and deserve this. Ya Man.
Rezdog
A bass with rounds. A bass with flats. A bass to thump. And one to slap.
As long as you've got the room, and the ability to do so without hardship why not enjoy the variety and nuances of what you have.
No you can't play them all at the same time but you can change them up day by day or week to week as to what your current fave is or are.
Enjoy these times and your life. Play what you want and when. You've given of yourself and deserve this. Ya Man.
Rezdog
My approach exactly. I recently saw an opener (10 song set) switch basses TWICE during the set. Both 4 string fretted. Killed any momentum the band was getting while achieving nothing positive in terms of tone. Oh, and probably drove the sound man nuts.
I played for many years with a well known mandolinist who is now in his 80s. When we met I was astonished to learn that he had only owned one mandolin since the Kennedy administration. I asked him why he only had one mandolin and without missing a beat he responded "Well, I only have one wife..."
I only got four because they’re three takes on one model, and two of them the spare parts for don’t exist. Things break down eventually, maybe not in my lifetime but two are already very old. Likewise I got one for recording and one for going to jams, the other two are good in their own right and I play them regularly but they’re backups!
I own about a dozen basses. I play them all at rehearsals and gigs, but it's always only one bass per night. Two if I need a fretless.
I have two: one in my practice room and one in the living room. Only need one more, for the toilet..
Interesting thread. As a recently converted guitarist and a bit of a “hoarder”, I gotta say that I do love owning multiple instruments, for different feels and sounds. I gotta say I find this even more with basses than with guitars. While I usually had a stable of around 7-8 electrics, I mostly did that for collecting purposes…when playing I usually reached for one of my 2 or 3 current favourites. With basses if anything I find even more of a reason to own multiple, especially if dabbling in different types of music. A J sounds just so different from a P which sounds just so much different from a Stingray which sounds just so different from a Ric…I enjoy having all of them! And then there is the whole rounds vs flats thing - again I enjoy having both. And I haven’t even experimented with fretless or 5’s yet!
skyline_01
Endorsing artist: Nordstrand Audio, Tsunami Cables
Spoiler alert, I am not reducing my collection to one bass, but I no longer want a large (5+) collection anymore. The reason is that looking back over five or so years, I usually favored one bass. I remember taking as many as three basses to church, and wasting time switching between basses. It was just easier to play one and be done. When I was mainly using Pedulla, it didn’t sound good being slapped, so I did not slap so much, and nobody cared. I mainly play my Super 5 now, and I still don’t slap so much.I still think it is good to have a few basses around to change up sometimes or if one has issues. I still like option of fretless, but unless it is a program in which the it is decided I need a different bass for a given song, I am taking just one, and if it is active, a few batteries.
If it's a paying gig, I always bring two basses. Strings break, things quit working, yadda yadda.. I don't want to be the reason the gig goes badly.
John
I'm very happy to be at two basses. One is too few, and three is too many. I was at three for years, couldn't decide which to sell, so I decided which I needed to keep and sold the other two, haha. Then used my phenomenal intellect to determine what I needed to buy to be happy at two basses.
I have one and I am strongly considering selling the more expensive of the two to have those funds freed up to pursue other hobbies and interests. It's increasingly difficult to justify more than one.
I also understand potential for having one backup, so I may sell it and replace with something used for 1/5th the price.
I also understand potential for having one backup, so I may sell it and replace with something used for 1/5th the price.
I have 4 now - a full 3/4 size DB that I mainly play at home for practice, an Eminence EUB for gigs, a P bass for gigs, and a short-scale Gretsch that I keep on the back of the car for upright-only gigs for backup (I had a bridge snap once).
I started to play bass again in Nov/Dec 2020. I walked in to my local shop to pick up some strings and some tidbits for my nephews stocking.
I went home with a tribby SB-2. Amazing. Nicer than the school bass I played throughout high school. Figured out a lot on this guitar, and tried lots of strings. But, being my mother tongue is guitar/pedal steel/slide, I was still fretless curious.
Same dealer called me to say there was a beat up Dean he took on a trade I should check out. Enter new bass #2. Awesome, lightweight (semi-hollow) and super nice feeling neck. My ideas of loving fretless based on my slip-sliding guitar experiences were correct.
2 basses within 4 months. Uh oh.
I’ve got a buddy who is also an avid guitarist, and also works construction/hvac. For various reasons he ends up having gear fall into his lap here and there. (clients give him gear after they’re chatting, finding gear in places scheduled for demo/infill). Where he’s a southpaw, I inherit all his RH finds. Enter the 5 string Washburn in dire need of a neck shim.
So I was up to 3, and shopping for a short scale (still want a MM).
BUT THEN… I needed a 1 foot midi cable. So I went to that local shop (this is a v small town… <4000 residents), and they didn’t have my cable.
But they did have a 2013 AmStd Jazz Fretless. I couldn’t put it down, and so went home and mulled it for 2 hours. Posted a bunch of gear, and started begging my wife. Lol.
2 days later, I had sold my first 2.
Im really thankful that they got me playing again, and excited about a lot of things. Working my musical brain in different ways.
After posting a NBD photo on my socials, a buddy messaged me to say his band is looking for a bassist; once Im out of covid jail I’ve got an audition!! It’s a country/classic rock band, and they’re pretty busy playing dances and festivals. So I’m excited by the possibility.
I might scoop a mexi jazz with frets, just in case… but once I fix up this Washburn, it’s going for cheap to someone else to get learning.
So while I didn’t get to the collections of some (not counting my baby-size guitars), I did follow that bell curve a bit. And now I’m back to one single bass that I play for everything.
I went home with a tribby SB-2. Amazing. Nicer than the school bass I played throughout high school. Figured out a lot on this guitar, and tried lots of strings. But, being my mother tongue is guitar/pedal steel/slide, I was still fretless curious.
Same dealer called me to say there was a beat up Dean he took on a trade I should check out. Enter new bass #2. Awesome, lightweight (semi-hollow) and super nice feeling neck. My ideas of loving fretless based on my slip-sliding guitar experiences were correct.
2 basses within 4 months. Uh oh.
I’ve got a buddy who is also an avid guitarist, and also works construction/hvac. For various reasons he ends up having gear fall into his lap here and there. (clients give him gear after they’re chatting, finding gear in places scheduled for demo/infill). Where he’s a southpaw, I inherit all his RH finds. Enter the 5 string Washburn in dire need of a neck shim.
So I was up to 3, and shopping for a short scale (still want a MM).
BUT THEN… I needed a 1 foot midi cable. So I went to that local shop (this is a v small town… <4000 residents), and they didn’t have my cable.
But they did have a 2013 AmStd Jazz Fretless. I couldn’t put it down, and so went home and mulled it for 2 hours. Posted a bunch of gear, and started begging my wife. Lol.
2 days later, I had sold my first 2.
Im really thankful that they got me playing again, and excited about a lot of things. Working my musical brain in different ways.
After posting a NBD photo on my socials, a buddy messaged me to say his band is looking for a bassist; once Im out of covid jail I’ve got an audition!! It’s a country/classic rock band, and they’re pretty busy playing dances and festivals. So I’m excited by the possibility.
I might scoop a mexi jazz with frets, just in case… but once I fix up this Washburn, it’s going for cheap to someone else to get learning.
So while I didn’t get to the collections of some (not counting my baby-size guitars), I did follow that bell curve a bit. And now I’m back to one single bass that I play for everything.
