I guess I really love basses, but I do not want too many at home.
I settled for 4 max right now. Even that feels too much at times because I really use 2 of them live 90% of the time, but I feel it's a nice compromise.
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Only One Bass?
- Thread starter Dr. Cheese
- Start date
I settled for 4 max right now. Even that feels too much at times because I really use 2 of them live 90% of the time, but I feel it's a nice compromise.
Of the six basses I own I love each for different reasons and wouldn’t really want to part with any of them. That said my two Wals get the large majority of the love and, of the two, my ‘85 Custom Series Wal gets the more attention. It’s been my clear #1 since I bought it in around ‘93.
That said, if I did for some reason need only to have one bass I can’t imagine a situation which it couldn’t excel in or where I’d not feel totally at home playing it. It’s my #1 so if only one then the choice is simple.
Only ever owned one other bass - and I sold that one after I got the Wal back in 93.
That said, if I did for some reason need only to have one bass I can’t imagine a situation which it couldn’t excel in or where I’d not feel totally at home playing it. It’s my #1 so if only one then the choice is simple.
Only ever owned one other bass - and I sold that one after I got the Wal back in 93.
I think I could get by with just one passive PJ (4 string for comfort, 5 for versatility) but ideally I’d like a second to cover more ground - active 5 string jazz. Pedals give me everything else I need.
EdwardofHuncote
I Still Dream of Jeannie
- Aug 21, 2013
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Woody, whutsat fireglo one with the gold pickguard? Custom mod? I haven't been lurking on the RIC thread lately...
EdwardofHuncote
I Still Dream of Jeannie
- Aug 21, 2013
- 6,648
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- Disclosures
- I privately own and operate a local musical instument repair shop.
I don't ever play these 'only one' games... I simply can't pick favorites.
This is an interesting point, however, it seems to me that many hardcore pro's, Jaco, Jamerson, Nathan East, pretty much play one instrument their whole careers (in East's case, its just variations of his Yamaha's he has played for 30 years). It seems that oftentimes prodigies master a particular instrument and then don't like to switch it up a much.
I got lucky on mine- I worked for a shop and custom ordered it at a discount. For about 10 years all I had was my fretted and fretless L2500. I agree that this was ideal. But now I'd drop them all for my Carl Thompson. But I gotta keep my 78 Jazz because I have to tune that down a half step and use both in one band. Can't retune my bass between songs... And then there is my upright which has become my main bass by default because the bluegrass band plays out so much. And I have to keep the electric upright as a back up because it fits on small stages better and after 4 days of hours long practices on the upright, the electric upright is so easy on the fingers...
I'm not getting rid of my P Bass either. And don't get me started on pairing down my amps and cabs... Can I just say I don't have GAS anymore? BEANO works great! (Basses Equipment Always Ncites Opulence)
Yeah I took liberties with 'N', sure me
I have often thought, everything I have done on bass for my whole life, I could've done if I had just stuck with my Yamaha bb5000 that I got when I was 17 lol, and maybe also fretless sterling that I've always regretted selling. The 40-50 basses I've owned since selling that Yamaha haven't made much difference to my gigs or studio work lol.
I noticed that too. In the case of Jamerson or even Jaco, there were not as many good options then, but there are other factors as well. I think truly great bassist’s are too busy becoming great to worry too much about their gear. I also think great players develop a connection with their instruments that is much deeper than players below their level experience.
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Totally agree. Jamerson and Jaco also played a P and J, which have stood the test of time, but more importantly, were able to get the tones they needed using those basses. Once they had their sounds, they never deviated. That's part of what makes them great I think. Just like how Louis Johnson is inseperable from a Ray in my mind, or Larry Graham with his Moon, or even Sting with his 51 P. Sting's bass tech says the 51 is the only bass he ever wants to play and sting is worth 300 mil and can afford whatever he wants lol.
I think I would be pretty damn content with three basses. A smoking P, a killer J 5, and a killer fretless. Nothing you couldn't do with that mix.
Have 3 right now. Did try to sell one when I bought the 3rd to only have 2, and just keep one 4 and one 5 string, but I tried to sell a $700 5 String bass with a $100 hard case for $350 on marketplace and it just didn't get any interest and I sure wasn't going to drop the price any more than that and give it away.
It's not even about the money; just an insult to the instrument itself to go any lower than $350 and even that seems too ridiculous for what a great bass that one is and was still pretty new and in mint condition when I tried to sell it (Soundgear 505 with tons of tone).
If someone put a gun against my head and said I could just keep one, I'd keep the cheapest of them, an Ibanez Soundgear 400, my first brand-new bass; about 24 years old or so now. The one I play the most though is my newest, the Schecter SLS Elite 5 which has tons of tone options (pictured in my avatar).
All that said, my mind is beginning to change as I get older. When I was young, I played crappy basses and could only have one at a time and never picked them well because I didn't have a great budget so bought used stuff with action that felt like 1" and warped necks, etc. After I bought the SR400 in about 1996 or 1997, it was my only bass until about 3 years ago when I bought the SR505. Then I added the SLS about a year ago.
Now that I can afford more and really appreciate better quality since I've had it, I could see myself hoarding basses. As others have said, I don't really have any other vices and am pretty responsible otherwise. I have a friend with 17 motorcycles; I'm starting to think that's not so crazysince that is his thing.
So I think I need a Dingwall multiscale 5, I need a PRS, I need a Fender Jazz and probably a Precision, I need a Warwick, I need a Rick 4003, I need a Spector and probably some other stuff I'm not really aware of yet. I also need a Taylor Accoustic 4 string and probably a Fender as well. And then there's the entire list of short scale that I completely need to get into. There needs to be a Gretch in there somewhere too.
It's not even about the money; just an insult to the instrument itself to go any lower than $350 and even that seems too ridiculous for what a great bass that one is and was still pretty new and in mint condition when I tried to sell it (Soundgear 505 with tons of tone).
If someone put a gun against my head and said I could just keep one, I'd keep the cheapest of them, an Ibanez Soundgear 400, my first brand-new bass; about 24 years old or so now. The one I play the most though is my newest, the Schecter SLS Elite 5 which has tons of tone options (pictured in my avatar).
All that said, my mind is beginning to change as I get older. When I was young, I played crappy basses and could only have one at a time and never picked them well because I didn't have a great budget so bought used stuff with action that felt like 1" and warped necks, etc. After I bought the SR400 in about 1996 or 1997, it was my only bass until about 3 years ago when I bought the SR505. Then I added the SLS about a year ago.
Now that I can afford more and really appreciate better quality since I've had it, I could see myself hoarding basses. As others have said, I don't really have any other vices and am pretty responsible otherwise. I have a friend with 17 motorcycles; I'm starting to think that's not so crazysince that is his thing.
So I think I need a Dingwall multiscale 5, I need a PRS, I need a Fender Jazz and probably a Precision, I need a Warwick, I need a Rick 4003, I need a Spector and probably some other stuff I'm not really aware of yet. I also need a Taylor Accoustic 4 string and probably a Fender as well. And then there's the entire list of short scale that I completely need to get into. There needs to be a Gretch in there somewhere too.
So perfect haha
Swap out the J 5 for a short scale headless 5er and I agree.
Nope! I blame my sentimentality for holding on to my original 2 fenders and the increasing quality/decreasing price of production instruments for the growing stable. Also, hasn't happened to me yet, but a producer might tell me I need a P for a studio date. I hear that happens all the time!
If you have too many of these damn things, you stop owning them and they start owning you. I play a bunch of different instruments, and it's honestly a hassle to handle the half-dozen basses I keep on hand.
You still liking your Caprice? I was inspired buy your post and plan to get one as soon as my Stingray five sells. I loved your clips and its the beefy/cutting tone I'm looking for. Once the Ray sells, the caprice will be my only bass, plus an old Peavey P bass i have clunking around (plus my upright of course) and I'm thinking the caprice will be versatile enough for almost anything I need to do, while I'm saving up for a Jazz 5.
