Only One Bass?

[Robscott]

For me, this is a certainty.

I am a responsible adult in most aspects of my life. I permit myself one luxury. I own a crap-ton of basses. I've always said that if I had to have one, it would be one of my Fender P basses. Today, though, I'm not sure that is still true. I have a Dingwall Super P that is absolutely perfect for me. On the other hand, I have a D-Roc that is built for 100% pure fun and sounds like what I imagine the bass version of Mjolnir would be. On the other hand, I have an L-1000 that gives me all the P-bass vibe I thought I could only get out of a P bass. On the other hand, I have at least five Fender P's that are all great in their own way. On the other hand, my Spector has the best rock, pick tone imaginable. On the other hand, my G&L ASAT is almost as fun as the D-Roc and sounds almost as good as the Spector. On the other hand, when I want a five string, my Warwick Thumb is pretty hard to beat, but on the other hand my Afterburner I sure gives it a run for its money.

I guess it is good to have a lot of hands.

Sounds like you need to buy a Music Man. And maybe an upright

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Really? Just demoed it a lot at the store?

Yes, I loved it, but the price was quite high, and I felt I would play my five strings more.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

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!

That sounds like me because Pedulla is now defunct.

 

[micguy]

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.

Good for him. Yes, clones of his bass is available as a production bass, but, as in any model of anything, his particular bass (fancy woodwork and all) was custom made for him - he specified everything on that bass (and then it was copied for everyone else). It's not like he decided to pull a Squier P off the rack and play only that.

I have basses I made - just for me. They're one offs. Despite the fact that my basses might be thought of as "expensive" by some folks, the amount of money I have in all my basses combined is comparable to a modest, Asian made upright piano. Bases are relatively cheap as musical instruments go.

 

[arbiterusa]

That sounds like me because Pedulla is now defunct.

I thought my example might resonate with you. Mine's a Steinberger. Same problem. I don't know if you gig, but if you do, I'd sure be looking for something else other than the Pedulla to take out.

And believe me, that sucks! My Steinberger is just as much a part of me as my arm, but I can't justify taking a bass worth over five grand - one that can't be replaced AT ALL - out to a gig that pays a hundred bucks. I just can't. I've made my peace with the cheapies (they're actually really nice basses) but they are just not the same, and I know that you know exactly what I'm talking about.

 

[dave64o]

I'm not as much of a collector as some people on TB, but I have five and I do play all of them at home, at rehearsals, and in basement jams. While I admit to giving only two of them gigging time, I like them all and don't want to give up any of them. It's a large enough collection to be fun to play and it's not too large that I don't have the space to keep them or the time to give them all some playing time.

But, if there was a need for me to reduce that down to only one, it's a no-brainer. My Stingray 5HH wins overall, factoring in overall tone, tonal versatility, neck feel, playing comfort, how well it fits into my playing situations, and looks (yes, looks are also a factor for me, deal with it ).

That's not saying anything negative about the others, especially my L-2500, which is a reasonably close second to the Stingray. But, for me, that one is still the clear winner.

 

[Mike Sorr]

If I could only own one bass it would have to be my Fender Deluxe Jazz FMT, if only because it took me ten years to get it back after I foolishly sold it.

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Actually I need to correct myself. I NEED to own two basses: The Fender FMT for the reasons I've already stated, AND my Musicman Sterling 4HH because my wife got it for me as an anniversary present and she'd murder me in my sleep if I ever sold it.

 

[fishdreams]

With you on that, @Dr. Cheese . I'm playing the fretless Martin Keith in my avatar 95% of the time (I travel for work and always bring it-if anyone needs a boutique quality instrument that takes 2 minutes to take apart and travel with stress-free, talk to Martin), and I have a fretted version on order now.

Those 2 will do all the heavy lifting - there's a handful of other basses around the house that I occasionally pick up for fun, or a specific sound (Danelectro Longhorn with flats, for example)

 

[engedi1]

I thought my example might resonate with you. Mine's a Steinberger. Same problem. I don't know if you gig, but if you do, I'd sure be looking for something else other than the Pedulla to take out.

And believe me, that sucks! My Steinberger is just as much a part of me as my arm, but I can't justify taking a bass worth over five grand - one that can't be replaced AT ALL - out to a gig that pays a hundred bucks. I just can't. I've made my peace with the cheapies (they're actually really nice basses) but they are just not the same, and I know that you know exactly what I'm talking about.

I feel you. Yet imagine how upright players feel hauling their $35000 175 Prescott bass around for a $100 jazz gig lol.

 

[TrevorR]

...now it's worth a crapton of money and can't be replaced, so I can't take it out anymore...

Funny, that’s an approach I’ve never personally bought into. My Wals would cost more than 12 times what I paid for them to replace (!) and yet I’ve still used them on just about every gig I’ve done over the last 25 years... from theatres to crappy pubs, to marquees in back gardens to flatbed lorry stages in fields, to clubs, to prisons, to church... a bit of care, sensible precautions and generally treating them with respect and they’re no more the worse for wear now than they were back then (notwithstanding the lightest of playing wear). I’d hate to have a bass that suits me and is my number 1 for feel and tone and then never really put it through it’s paces.

And no, there’s never been a gig where I’ve sat there stressing all night that they might get up and walk away...

 

[Geri O]

I've participated in a similar thread somewhere before, but my Mike Lull M5V is the only bass I will ever NEED. And it means more to me now than ever, if that were even possible, and for the obvious reasons we all know by now. Life will be positively awesome if I never have another bass besides my Lull.

I keep a fretless around and keep trying to get better with it.

I also WANT another MM Stingray SR5, but maybe I'll get around to getting another one. Or maybe I won't.

 

[Blaze Barlow]

my 1981 Gibson Victory Artist will always be my number 1...but only play it out on special occasions...my 2001 American Fender Jazz bass gets the road work..I did add seymour duncan quarter pound pickups and Babicz bridge and it really sounds sweet..I have another Fender Jazz bass for backup and its a MIM...

 

[The Ryantist]

I could absolutely get by with one bass. I currently have 3 but have only played 1 for the last year - my passive 5 string PJ that I built. I'm holding onto a Bongo 5 in case I need a modern active hi-fi sound, and I'm holding onto an EBMM Sterling 5 HS that I can't decide if I want to use the neck for another build.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

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! "

It is great listening to Billy Sheehan to hear how systematically he approaches the bass. It is no accident that he became maybe the greatest Rock bassist ever. To be honest, my greatest regret was was selling my old Rickenbacker that bought in 1978, back in 1985 or 1986. That bass was really part of me. I kept my DJ5 almost long enough to get that feeling of connectedness, and I am getting there on my Pedulla. As much as I love basses, I really feel missed out by not keeping a bass for a decade or two and really becoming at one with it.

 

[LBS-bass]

Gah. If I HAD to only have one, it would be the 4 string American Elite Jazz I'm holding in my avatar. But to cover all my possible sonic needs, I would have to think about trading that for a five string model with the same construction. I have a five string Am Elite Jazz that is made from different woods and it sounds nothing like the 4 string. It's nice, but I prefer the Ash/Maple one. So I'd either have to give up playing five entirely, or give my my number 1 bass. Not sure I could do it. I play the five string infrequently, but two may be as low as I could go.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

I thought my example might resonate with you. Mine's a Steinberger. Same problem. I don't know if you gig, but if you do, I'd sure be looking for something else other than the Pedulla to take out.

And believe me, that sucks! My Steinberger is just as much a part of me as my arm, but I can't justify taking a bass worth over five grand - one that can't be replaced AT ALL - out to a gig that pays a hundred bucks. I just can't. I've made my peace with the cheapies (they're actually really nice basses) but they are just not the same, and I know that you know exactly what I'm talking about.

I will keep playing my Pedulla. I am 60, and if I am still playing in twenty years, it will be a huge blessing. If I were 30, I would maybe see things differently.

 

[EdwardofHuncote]

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.
View attachment 3723227

Thanks! I did recognize the mods, and suspected the pickguard was there for that reason, but didn't remember the bass. Fireglo is my favorite of all the finishes, and a 4004L would push the magic button. You get an extra like!

 

[Yellow Bang66]

I am pretty sure, I am not going to be a one bass owning player, but if I were to drop down to one, it would be my Pedulla. The more I think about it, two basses, a fretted and fretless are optimal for me. I will probably end up with four, but realistically, at four, at least one will be neglected a lot. I guess I really love basses, but I do not want too many at home.

I made mine swith my P/J Fender jazz bass special, took a "little" tweaking! but it truly is the Best of both worlds! I can get a killer p Tone, and that Jaco thing too,and a lovely growl!!
Yeah took some tweaking around, but what fun would it be if it didn't? plus i love modding my bass, so what? I'm very happy with it! Once I finally got it dialed in "eureka!" heaven at last! very hard( detailed)to explain, but I really don't want to spill the beans...it took a great deal of trial & error, and research. plus I don't feel like giving up the ghost so easily... "just do this..." and Viola! Killer tone!
I would love to say just buy this pedal and set it like this... or replace the capacitor with this one& this pot.....and use this technique.... but thats my recipe! or use this preamp

 

[fjbass78]

Easy choice
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you'll need another with a tort guard!

 

[kosmicwizard]

You should really check out F basses, I love them in natural, but they look incredible coloured as well, often you can still see the wood grain through the colour sprayed over it. :O

I was a one-bass player for most of my bass player career. I always played a 5-string exclusively, and I always just had one, although I switched it out a few times. At one point, a few years ago I treated myself to a brand new Fender Dimension, American Deluxe V HH, all the bells and whistles, and figured that would do me for a long time.

Then one day out of the blue my bass enabler just gave me a set of cool strings (La Bella black tapes) for a 4-string, and something in my brain went "Well, I guess I need a 4-string to use with these strings now". I had always been a fan of Reverend, so I went ahead and bought a used Reverend Decision on eBay, strung it up with my black tapes, and I realized that I really enjoyed having the option of both a 4 and 5-string with me, and that became my norm.

Over time I got to really enjoy the passive PJ sound of the Decision, so I thought "Well, maybe I should find something similar in a 5-string so that they match up a little better". So I bought a Yamaha BB1025X on Reverb, and those two became my bass team.

But then my bass enabler started bringing Dingwalls into his store, and a Ferrari red NG-2 caught my eye, so I ordered one. But while I was waiting for that to arrive (took over a year) I happened upon a Reverend Rumblefish J5 that looked really cool, so I ordered that and did a bunch of modifications to it, which were cool.

Right around that same time, Musicman came out with the Caprice, and I tried one out at the same store, and damn, it was sweet. A buddy of mine bought two of them because he had planned to swap necks and then he ended up not swapping them and he sold me his white Caprice, and I put a tort guard on it, and I love this thing because it sounds awesome and plays like a dream.

And then my NG-2 arrived, and I upgraded it to an NG-3, and now my bass Team is my NG-3 and Caprice, and I own 6 basses.

And a few weeks ago I put a deposit on D-Roc.

So what I'm saying is that I have a problem, and it all started with one dealer giving me my first hit of 4 strings for free. The drug dealer business model really works!