One Bass to do it all?

[TrevorR]

This is my "one bass to rule them all". Owned it since 1993 and never found a situation where it couldn't ace the gig. I love this bass and it sounds and feels perfect to me. Of course that doesn't stop me playing my other ones too! LOL!

 

[overit]

My one bass now is an MTD Kingston AG5. Previously it was my 1981 G&L L1000. My gigs changed from rock tribute to more r&b. Did my G&L work for r&b? Sure, I got the gig auditioning with it, but for the catalog of songs, a 5-string with two pickups Provided even more versatility than the L1000 had.

 

[AudioTaper]

I don’t think I ever can or will (knocks on wood), but if I had to shed all but one, I think I’d keep my Sandberg TM4. In passive with the rear pickup in single, it’s a killer jazz, compete with all of the pickup blend tones. Neck pickup soloed is a smoking P-like midrangey grind. Rear pickup soloed, and it’s either burpy jazz or aaaaaalmost but not quite Musicman (really it’s own thing, a slightly more polite MM). Put it in active, and it’s all these things, but bigger, nastier, and more “modern,” if you get wacky with the EQ.

Thanks for this awesome rundown, it's been hard finding some of the answers for my TM4 questions.

 

[Eilif]

I could fulfill the musical requirements of every gig I have with a Squire P-bass.

I could do the same with my Carlo and enjoy every gig, and get rid of the rest of my stable, though I'd miss my fretless.

I used to have 11 electric basses and I've come to more moderate solution between those extremes. I'm currently down to 6 basses and I might even get down to 5. 3 (will be 4 shortly) all have similar necks and scale (shallow P-bass feel, 35" scale 4 stringers), the other two are my first bass (a Modded MIM P that I still gig) and a T-40 I use only for recording.

 

[troy mcclure]

The sound is your fingers... however your brain also has to engage. I find a P bass sits in the mix the best in most situations.

 

[Holdsg]

I'm pretty much set on the Sadowsky P/J format being my #1.
I happen to own 3. A Verdine White 4 (jazz body), A Verdine White 5 (just cuz), and a Metro 4 (P body).

I still like and own a single coil P, for certain situations, like old country, and still own my acoustic Breedlove, and the Beeg Girl (my Upton upright).

so for me, one bass won't do it, but I'm close.

 

[Passinwind]

Recently, I found that I had a hard time getting my Pedulla to sound the way I wanted it to when rehearsing for a church concert at the end of the month. My Sire really sounds great for the music, but it is bothering me that my main bass is not working out. Now that I know the songs better, I am going to practice them at home on the Pedulla and use my Pentabuzz at the next rehearsal. I think of how many great players have had careers on one bass, and I feel that I should be able to carry out my humble take on one bass too. In fact, I really want to let some basses go. Probably just keeping my Sire, Peavey Fury, and Pedulla. I do have another bass on an extended layaway and selling off my Carvin may take care of that. Four basses is still a lot of basses, but I want to use the Pedulla at least 75% of the time. If my Peavey had not only cost me $65, I would probably sell it too.

Knowing how much you love slap and urban gospel, I can't really see how a fretless is going to be a long term 75% thing for you. Unless your tastes and therefore wants and needs change, of course. Personally, I still have to make myself pick up my one fretted bass once or twice a week, but I always enjoy it when I do.

Anyhow, I'm currently at 4 and eventually I'd like to get to two BGs and a good upright.

 

[FrenchBassQC]

I have tried to take that route not long ago and I'm too picky for this I guess... I need all of my basses, one for this and another one for that and another one for this maybe or maybe that one because the wind is eastbound ....

 

[jd56hawk]

If I've said it once, I've said it one hundred times...without counting all my posts, I'm guessing it's going on sixty or seventy, anyway!
I've sold 30 basses in 6 years but this one isn't going anywhere.

 

[fishdreams]

The can-do-it-all bass. Martin Keith.
(Not that I don't dig the BB300 I just acquired for $71,- too....)

 

[Smooth_bass88]

Recently, I found that I had a hard time getting my Pedulla to sound the way I wanted it to when rehearsing for a church concert at the end of the month. My Sire really sounds great for the music, but it is bothering me that my main bass is not working out. Now that I know the songs better, I am going to practice them at home on the Pedulla and use my Pentabuzz at the next rehearsal. I think of how many great players have had careers on one bass, and I feel that I should be able to carry out my humble take on one bass too. In fact, I really want to let some basses go. Probably just keeping my Sire, Peavey Fury, and Pedulla. I do have another bass on an extended layaway and selling off my Carvin may take care of that. Four basses is still a lot of basses, but I want to use the Pedulla at least 75% of the time. If my Peavey had not only cost me $65, I would probably sell it too.

I do the vast majority of all my gigs with one bass (Lakland 4460/passive/alder/rosewood). This bass absolutely does it all. I’ve done everything from 80s hair metal to 70s folk rock and everything in between. Sounds great fingerstyle, with a pick, and in every pickup and tone knob setting. My secondary bass (62 P bass AVRI) I keep tuned down a half step only because a couple of the artists I work with tune that way and honestly it’s just easier.

Once you find “the one”, you simply never ever have to worry about what bass to use, leaving you more time to focus on making music.

 

[Ryan L.]

From country to rock to funk to you name it...this one covers it all for me. The green one has Aguilar 5J-70’s pickups and Audere 4 band preamp in it, the champagne one behind it in this pic is all stock so far (it’s my backup bass so far). I don’t gas for basses any longer.

 

[Joebone]

I'm still planning to mess around with alternate electronics, but a Lakland 55-94 is poised to do it for me, and I play in wide range of styles (no metal, but otherwise tracking rock, latin, jazz and folkloric elements from over the last 70 years). I otherwise have had great results with a Carl Pedigo build (in avatar) like the 55-94, but 34" and with a John East preamp and Seymour Duncan NYC soap bars, each with coil tapping like the MM on a 55-94. However, I'm pretty confident that 35" is my future, so that fine Pedigo axe is increasingly sidelined - I'd love to duplicate its electronics on a 55-94, or perhaps develop a 55-94 with Chisonic or other Darkstar-like pickups, and go passive.

That said, there are a number of dual-pickup basses that can cover a LOT of ground...including the venerable J-bass. I'm pretty big on the MM Stingray with doubled pickups as an example.

 

[nostatic]

After a lot of experimentation I've settled on four - its not a bad number. If I had to I could cover everything with the YYD, but the 6'er gives me extended range that I want on some gigs, the Rob Allen gives me fretless and the faux upright vibe I want on some gigs, and the Player gives me "the look" that I want on some gigs.

 

[backin82]

I've said it once, and I'll say it again (and again, and again... until no longer valid). My Lakland (Skyline) DJ5 checks all the boxes for me. It is perfect for everything I do, and I literally feel like I don't need anything else. I still have my very first MiM Fender Jazz bass, but all others have been sold due to lack of use.

I've considered trying to get my hands on a Lull PJ5, but for now my DJ5 is absolutely killing it in every setting.

 

[MobileHolmes]

Personally, I could cover everything I need to do on the J type in my profile pic (Active preamp). But I have 8-9 basses and don't plan to get rid of any. They all have their own personality that sometimes I like, and it is worth more to me to have them then to have the money I could get for them

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Knowing how much you love slap and urban gospel, I can't really see how a fretless is going to be a long term 75% thing for you. Unless your tastes and therefore wants and needs change, of course. Personally, I still have to make myself pick up my one fretted bass once or twice a week, but I always enjoy it when I do.

Anyhow, I'm currently at 4 and eventually I'd like to get to two BGs and a good upright.

Slap has really declined in Gospel over the last twenty years. The young players on Gospel Chops don’t slap that much.

 

[gorneyg]

I've narrowed it down to my Sadowsky...and my other Sadowsky...and one of my Wilkins and my Valenti.
Oh...and my Suhr...wait...and my Performance and my...oh...never mind.

 

[Passinwind]

Slap has really declined in Gospel over the last twenty years. The young players on Gospel Chops don’t slap that much.

Thanks for clarifying that Anthony. The Gospel players I know slap like crazy (and are mostly not all that young), but I've seen them in an actual church setting. But you still love slap in other contexts at least, don't you? I enjoy listening to it when done really well, but no one has ever asked me to do it in my more recent playing contexts.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Thanks for clarifying that Anthony. The Gospel players I know slap like crazy (and are mostly not all that young), but I've seen them in an actual church setting. But you still love slap in other contexts at least, don't you? I enjoy listening to it when done really well, but no one has ever asked me to do it in my more recent playing contexts.

I still slap, but very little in church these days.