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Only One Bass?
- Thread starter Dr. Cheese
- Start date
This. Absolutely this!
Like @Discount Saint, I played one bass for years, a CIJ Geddy Lee Jazz. I went to Long & McQuade to get new strings in 2016 and walked out with a Gibson SG bass. I never gelled with it, but it opened the door to the fact that there were so many other basses I could play. I bought a Dimension 5 Deluxe the next year, then over the next three years went through a ton of basses, including another CIJ Geddy, a USA Geddy, Hagstrom Super Swede, Ibanez SR1300, Music Man Caprice (x2), American Standard Precision, Reverend Mercalli 5, L2000, LB-100, Kiloton 5 Fretless, L-2500 and BB2015x.
I've been working more on my Minimalist progress, so I've been able to move many of these along and am currently down to three. I set myself a rule that I now play only 5 string and that I must have block inlays (other than my fretless which has no lines). These strict specifications seem to have helped as very few basses seem to have both of these.
G&L has become my go-to brand, and the L-2500 has become my main player. I've got a custom order on the way (someday) and then the current one will move along.
Currently I'm reconsidering my "rule" about only fivers now that I've become more proficient with 5 strings. I'm considering a G&L JB and/or a Matador.
I have 3 basses,one of them is the L2500.I could be happy with one but I will let go of the other two only if ill have to.
There is something about the Ill have one instrument and be all about the music notion but it doesnt have to be so.
On the other hand I been gassin for a jazz bass and stumbled on a utuber that had all the gear in the room I wish I had but when he started playing I said to myself,man he cant play,I dont wont to be that guy all gear no skill.
There is something about the Ill have one instrument and be all about the music notion but it doesnt have to be so.
On the other hand I been gassin for a jazz bass and stumbled on a utuber that had all the gear in the room I wish I had but when he started playing I said to myself,man he cant play,I dont wont to be that guy all gear no skill.
I got down to one, but that's mostly because it bothered me to have things that I didn't use all the time. I'd like to have a 4 string, just because I grew up playing them and they're fun to play, but when playing with others, it's always handier to have a 5er. Similarly, I really liked my Tony Franklin fretless, but there really weren't many situations where I needed a fretless. Lastly, I've owned some 12 strings (double octave courses) that were fun to play, but really impractical in most situations. So, I have one.
I have only owned one bass at a time and just bought what I thought was my last and final bass, Precision Ultra. I've only used flats but the new came with rounds and I love how they sound with half the music I play. So thinking about a second bass for flats.
setting rules is a good idea. I have a 34 inch fender style bass only.
I will never sell my jazz bass which was a gift from my family, i know i'll always need a 5 string lying around and I always want my P bass. The music master was a find and just a collection thing, and the fretess as to make myself "more well rounded"...not that i ever practice it or play it haha
I've read where Jeff Berlin tours with ONE bass, even when he flies to Europe. I think this is crazy, cause of Airlines just to name one risk, but he's like, its never been a problem.
That looks like it could be a cool bass. Shame someone spilled stuff all over it, though. ;-)
I was a one-bass owner for 25 years. And it was a fretless. And then the company quit making them, now it's worth a crapton of money and can't be replaced, so I can't take it out anymore. So I had to get a cheap and easily replaced bass to gig with.
Now I am a eight-bass owner. And they are still, every one of them, all fretless.
Just do it, man!
They do have music stores in Europe, from what I remember - a backup isn't that far away. Besides, he's a jazz guy - I'm pretty sure his touring budget is quite a bit less than AC/DC's - sometimes you gotta economize where you can to keep the finances in the black.
Billy Sheehan, for example, suggests to practice a lot with the same instrument:
"As soon as you run into a problem with your bass don't go to another bass. Solve the problem! "
All good points, but he's super devoted to playing his crappy cort bass only, I've not seen him play anything else in years and years, so you would assume he would be super bummed to have to get a loaner bass. BUt I think he comes from a school of 'its all in the hands and ears' anyway
My position is I need enough basses that I can have a few different "vibes" - if I'm playing music that's aggressive, I need a bass that can do that. If I'm playing music where it's just hold down the bottom and stay in my lane, I need a bass that can do that. I need 5 string and 4 string basses, and I need a fretless (I have a regular gig where that is just the ticket). So, I'll never be a 1 bass person, but I'm always working to have as much diversity as I can in a relatively small herd.
If his Cort is indeed "crappy", any loaner would be an upgrade - thus no bummer at all. Maybe that's an intentional strategy.
HE swears its awesome, but that's been his shtick for 30 years, playing only the cheapest production 20 or 21 fret 4 strings he can find so show us all how much better he is than us with $3000 basses lol. part of his 'charm' if you will. Of course, he is better than all of us, but he could dial down his ego a tad. In anycase, not meaning to start a Jeff Berlin side thread, but he is a great example of a master player with one bass.
It’s an ‘04 Laredo 4004,that i bought about 8-9 years ago. It belonged to John Luke, who had Dane Wilder customise it. (Moving pickups to same positions as a 4002, adding VVTT harness w/ coil taps for each pickup,and cutting a custom ‘57 4000 style pickguard to cover all the surgery.)
After i bought it, I further customised it by exchanging all the chrome hardware for gold.
I’ve used it recently to record some tracks for an upcoming Monogroove album.
I’ve found my sweet spot at two basses. I’ve owned three at various times before, and I actually don’t like having three.
My 4-string P bass and 5-string StingRay cover everything I could ever want. If I HAD to choose only one, it would be the 4-string P bass.
My 4-string P bass and 5-string StingRay cover everything I could ever want. If I HAD to choose only one, it would be the 4-string P bass.
This is sort of how I feel about my L2500...sure G&L is still alive and well, and still cranking out L2500’s....
But mine is one of the first that rolled out of the factory with a 4-piece flame maple neck and 4+1 headstock. The body is also a slightly different shape than the current model, so it is essentially irreplaceable.
Not that I gig any more at this moment, there might be a time that I do somewhere down the road. This is why I am going the Jazz V route. The L2500 will never leave my house.
If I contract G&L to build another just like this, they will either day NO or charge me a LOT of frickin’ money...
