Owned 10 basses or more? What is your experience?

[frankieC]

Presently....

1968 Hofner 500/1. (purchased new)
1968 Gibson EB3, walnut. (purchased new)
1969 Epiphone ET-285 bass. Presently being refinished & refitted with new electronics. (gift)
1972 Ric 4001 Fireglow. (purchased new)
1989 Rickenbacker 2030 Hamgurg white (gift)
2006 Squire (Cort) 5 string dark blue metal flake. (purchased new)
2008 Carvin B50 fretless 5 String, active with Fender/Carvin electronics, oil finish. (purchased new)
2013 SX Ursa (P Bass) Natural Ash/Curly maple neck & peg head, maple fret bd. (purchased new)
2013 Fender Deluxe P (MIM) Seafoam Grean Pearl (purchased new)
2013 Xaviere AEB Natural (purchased new)


I no longer use the Hofner to gig with.

 

[AMJBASS]

I've had a ton over the last 10 years. Probably in the 80 range. Never more than 3-4 at a time. I always think about one that I strongly regret selling. A Benevente Single Cut 5 with an ebony top that I bought from Adrian Garcia. It was clear, growly, light weight, looked awesome, killer feeling neck. I must stop thinking about it...

 

[georgestrings]

Yeah, you know I used to play a 5-string exclusively (hence my screen name), and played various genres and played a lot of gigs (still play a decent amount), but I found that I really didn't need the 3 extra notes if I can drop the E to D on a four string.

Yeah, drop D won't cut it for a fair amount of the stuff I play - but I enjoy playing 4 strings more, and have some really nice ones I love to play - so, I typically gig both 4s and 5s...

To each their own, though...


- georgestrings

 

[georgestrings]

Let's see:

'76 Fender P
'09 Highway One P
'06 Deluxe P Bass Special
'08 Am St Jazz
'08 MIA Hot Rod Jazz
'10 EBMM Sterling 5 HS
'06 MM SUB Sterling
'04 MM SUB5
'03 MM SUB4
'06 Gibson T-bird
90's Peavey Foundation 5
Dean Playmate AEB
SX Vintage Series P Bass

I have owned well over 100 basses - probably closer to 150, without much risk of exagerration... I just picked up the SX yesterday, for next to nothing - I'll probably fix it up and flip it, like I have my last couple of parts basses/beaters...


- georgestrings

 

[kerrycares]

Ernie Ball
Fender
Fodera
F Clef
F Bass fretless
Ibanez
Ken Smith
Kinal
MusicManFender Geddy Lee Jazz
Fender Steve Bailey 6
Ken Smith BT Black Tiger 5 Wide Neck
Atelier Z 6
FBass BNF5
FClef Vintage 5
Fodera Emperor Deluxe 5
Fodera Emperor 5
Fodera Monarch 4
Fodera Imperial 5
Reverend Justice 4 string
Samick ABG
A bunch of Ken Smith basses
A bunch of Fender Custom Shop basses
A bunch of Musicman basses
Fender Marcus Miller 5
Pavel Jazz Pro Deluxe 5
Tobias Toby 5
Lowend LEJ5
Lowend LEJ6
Lakland Skyline Deluxe Fretless 5
Yamaha John Patitucci 6
Yamaha Acoustic bass guitar
Exotic 5 string
Juzek upright
EUB(s)
Peavey
Guild 5 string
Washburn
Godin
2012 Fender Deluxe Jazz V
Eastman Busseto Upright
Fender Mustang
Midi bass and a bunch of stuff i've forgotten.

Well over 100 , now I play two electrics and one upright.
Fender 5, Kinal 5 and a Juzek.
A lot of fun, a lot of learning, cheaper than drugs ,i think ....lol

 

[JimB52]

1969 Started out with a no name Japanese Fenderish bass. Horrible.
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After a brief interlude with a Kalamazoo bass, I moved on to Fender.
Mid 70s - Telecaster bass, modified.
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Tried MusicMan. Have a Stingray and a Sterling HS. They are great basses, but I can't get used to the tone. I had fun with the Bongo, but sold it to buy a Lakland 4-94.
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Played various Fender Jazz basses. If I'm not sure what to expect, I bring a Jazz.
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Preferred the Jazz playability, but I like the Precision tone better.
1970 P Body with a '66 Jazz neck. Old reliable. A blues machine. Best neck ever.
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Also tried the Fender Roscoe Beck. A very good bass. incredible tone options. I'll never sell her.
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I am very impressed with the Lakland basses. The Joe Osborn in my favorite Fender clone.
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Also like the Lakland 4-94 quite a bit. Very versatile, and sits in the mix really well.
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Been playing a Lakland Decade lately. Very hot pickups. Good live or in the studio.
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Have a couple Hayman 40/40s. Nice basses, good tone.
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I've also had a Gibson T-Bird, 2 Les Paul Basses and a Bass V. Wound up selling them all. Had a Variax, which was a novelty that quickly wore off. Have had a Ricenbacker for 10 years, but rarely play it.
I guess I like Fender and Fender-type basses the best.

 

[WalWarrior]

Um....yeah. I think I need to start parting with some of these soon.

Current Bass Guitars
1961 Hofner Cavern Bass
1963 Fender Jazz stacked knobs
1971 Hofner Beatle Bass
1975 Fender Precision Fretless
1977 Fender Jazz W/ Audere JZ3 Pre
1978 Music Man Sabre
1979 Music Man Stingray
1980 Spector NS2 Brooklyn
1980 Spector NS2 Brooklyn
1983 Steinberger L2 (just purchased, on its way!!!)
1985 Mouradian CS-74
1988 Warwick Bubinga Thumb
1990 ZON Sonus Custom
1990 White Warwick Thumb Custom Shop Prototype stage II with RED side LEDs
1990 Wal MK 1 (Black) the black "Geddy Lee"
1992 Pedulla MVP
1992 Washburn AB20 Acoustic
1992 Alembic "Mark King" Series 1
1994 Greg Curbow Exotic Petite 5-String
1995 Greg Curbow Exotic Petite 4-String
1996 Greg Curbow Exotic Petite X33 5 String
1995 Tung Bass #2 (Wing Bass 5)
1996 Yamaha TRB6 string -
1996 Wal MK 1 (RED) Poly
1997 Fender Precision Deluxe (USA) -
1998 Warrior Custom 6 string
1998 Wal MKII (RED) the red "Geddy Lee"
2000 Greg Curbow Dinky Jazz
2002 Lakland Jerry Scheff Skyline 4
2004 Status S2 -5
2005 G&L L2000 Custom
2005 Ritter Roya
2006 Electrical Guitar Co T6061 Aluminum 8 String
2006 Fender Jazz Aerodyne (Japan)
2007 USA Lakland 44-94 w/ Chisonics (built for Ed Friedland)
2007 Taylor T5 Acoustic Electric Hybrid
2008 Lakland Decade DPLE III w/Chisonics
2008 Status MK Retroglide-Bendwell, Front&Side LED
2009 Status PreSpecial - John East Pre
2009 Rickenbacker 4001 C64S Maple Glo
2009 USA Lakland Jerry Scheff Signature 4
2011 Rickenbacker 4003 MB
2011 Doug Rowell YellowSub#2

I love all of these instruments. They are awesome!

 

[drummer5359]

Hmm...

I thought about it for a minute and I have owned twelve basses, currently at eight, soon to be seven.

I play my two P-basses the most, the sound and feel are just right for me. Honestly, I bought most of the others on a quest to figure out what I really liked. My 60th Anniversary P is my forever bass. it will never go anywhere.

I have a jazz, it's a 2011 American Standard with a maple neck. It's a great bass. It's light, it has a comfortable neck and it's beautiful. But I just don't like the sound of a jazz as much. I play it, but not as much as I should. When other bass players are over my music room for practice they seem to reach for this jazz a good bit. I got it for a good price, so I'll hang onto it.

I have a 1972 Telecaster bass. A bass player cousin of mine bought it from the original owner in 1975. We did a LOT of gigs together with him playing this bass. In the late 90's he bought a Jazz bass and this got a lot less use. A year and a half ago he was downsizing and I bought it off of him. It is a family piece at this point, I'll never get rid of it. It does play nice, and sounds great. It weighs as much as an old Buick. For that reason, it doesn't get played as much as it should.

I have a Schecter C-4 XXX. I bought it cheap, the stripper inlay neck amused me and it plays great. It still gets played a bit. My 15 year old bassist niece was here this past week and she loved the way this bass played. The inlays made her laugh. It will likely end up being her bass someday.

I started out in the early seventies with a cheesey kid sized Tele Star (Teisco) bass. I traded it for a drum set over thirty five years ago. I saw it's twin on ebay and bought it as a lark. This one is as awful as the first one. It hangs on the wall as a reminder of how far that I've come.

I have a 1995 EBMM Stingray. This bass is my go to active bass. I like it's growl and it's neck. The sound of my P basses make them my favorite. This Stingray is next in line.

I had a Jackson JS-40. It was a nice bass, I shipped it off to my niece in California two years ago, she plays it daily.

I briefly had a really nice American Peavey Dyna. It was well made, sounded great and played well. It was just really heavy, so I sold it to buy something else.

I bought a Squier VM Precision TB because I always liked my cousin's Tele bass. When I ended up buying my cousin's Tele bass I sold the Squire to a young local bassist. He LOOOOVES that bass. I still see him gigging with it regularly.

Lastly, I have an American made Peavey Fury. My niece's eleven year old son wants a bass for Christmas. I'm giving him this one. It will give him a great start.

 

[K-Funk]

I've owned over forty basses, the most I've had at once was about eleven, eight of which were fretted Warwicks that all sounded and functioned nearly identically. By that point, I realized that this childish, universal attitude of "Ha ha, it's just GAS" is really just a cover for legitimate hoarding issues, so I sold everything and since then have limited myself to no more than two basses and two amps at once, ever. Definitely feels relieving and clean to know my voice and what I need to project it. An instrument is nothing more than an auxiliary larynx, so find what works and apply it. My tonal Zen happens to be in the form of a Carvin LB76F and my new Trace HexaValve- my first amp after years of DI. I also have a Warmoth J-style fretless that serves as a backup (came in handy when my Carvin's output jack bit the dust).

 

[3rdWatch]

Ok, so I've had a few:
3 rickenbacker 4005s
Rickenbacker 4002
Rickenbacker 4001
Rickenbacker 3001
3 Rick Turner Renaissances
3 Fender performers
A couple of Gould B301s
Ovation Magnum
A couple of 70sFender pbasses
60s Fender Telecasts bass
Pelosi 5
Stambaugh 5
US Masters 4 & 5
Carvin LB40, w Carvin LB 70s, Bunny Brunell
Chrome Ritter Seal
Hondo Longhorn
62 Gibson EB0
Wendler ElectroAcoustic
2 Charvel Surfcaster acoustics
Numerous Ibanez, Peaveys, Squiers

Of then all, I wish I still had the Hondo Longhorn, Rick 4001, Fender Performer and Turner Renaissance...
I love the look of the Rick 4005 but the neck and tone was inferior to the 4001

I still have and primarily play the stambaugh 5 and the Charvel acoustic

 

[AudioDwebe]

Ernie Ball
Fender
Fodera
F Clef
F Bass fretless
Ibanez
Ken Smith
Kinal
MusicManFender Geddy Lee Jazz
Fender Steve Bailey 6
Ken Smith BT Black Tiger 5 Wide Neck
Atelier Z 6
FBass BNF5
FClef Vintage 5
Fodera Emperor Deluxe 5
Fodera Emperor 5
Fodera Monarch 4
Fodera Imperial 5
Reverend Justice 4 string
Samick ABG
A bunch of Ken Smith basses
A bunch of Fender Custom Shop basses
A bunch of Musicman basses
Fender Marcus Miller 5
Pavel Jazz Pro Deluxe 5
Tobias Toby 5
Lowend LEJ5
Lowend LEJ6
Lakland Skyline Deluxe Fretless 5
Yamaha John Patitucci 6
Yamaha Acoustic bass guitar
Exotic 5 string
Juzek upright
EUB(s)
Peavey
Guild 5 string
Washburn
Godin
2012 Fender Deluxe Jazz V
Eastman Busseto Upright
Fender Mustang
Midi bass and a bunch of stuff i've forgotten.

Well over 100 , now I play two electrics and one upright.
Fender 5, Kinal 5 and a Juzek.
A lot of fun, a lot of learning, cheaper than drugs ,i think ....lol

Hmmm....nope.

I think in your particular case, drugs would have been much cheaper.

Impressive collection.

Cheers.

 

[snyderz]

I've had over 40 in the 12 years I've been playing. Probably like most I went through about 30 in the first 5 years, just out of curiosity, and trying different tones and playability. Everything from Fodera to Modulus to Warwick, Stambaugh, EBMM, RIC, Gibson, Fender, and G&L. Now down to 5 or 6, but have settled in to passives. SB-2 is my #1, but have a Jazz, P, and PJ. Seems like I mostly shop in the under $500 range now, mostly parts basses, and experimenting with different pickups. No real GAS these days, but I look at the classifieds DAILY just out of habit!

 

[GM60466]

If I had to do it all over again I would own
Hofner - Beatle or Club
Wal MK1
Fender Pbass

 

[NecroticImbecil]

I can't recall how many I've owned. I'm not even sure how many I currently own. I don't have a favorite, though I do have an A team and a B team. The Bs are used for backup or left at the drummer's house where we practice.

The A team basses are not just excellent basses, but works of art or technological marvels.. I have one fretless, one 5, and one 8 string but several 4 strings. I didn't set out to collect them, but it most cases the prices were as great as the basses.

The fretless and 8 do not suit all songs. The 5 has an alternate tuning, and I never stopped feeling "at home" on a 4.

My rationalizations for keeping several 4 strings:

Alembic Exploiter - versatile for its simple controls, has that aggressive Alembic twang but turn the filter down far enough and you're in Reggae territory. Looks cool. A bit of a challenge to play, thicker neck than I like. When I win the lottery I'll have one made with thinner neck.

Steinberger L2 - sounds great. Surprisingly "woody" and Fenderish. Hardly ever needs tuning, easy to transport. Tone is so clear and even across the strings it seems like there's a compressor/expander in there somewhere.

Peavey Midibass - not a bad sounding bass on its own, nice thin Peavey neck. Plus, it's a Midibass. Maybe the tech has caught up or surpassed it, I don't know. It works well enough for me and I couldn't afford another bass->MIDI system.

Mouradian CS-74 - plays great, looks great, sounds quite good but really comes alive when picked. Ergonomics as well as tone make it seem the bass was made for it. Still fun with fingers though.

Tobias Basic - sounds awesome. Closer to the L2 than the others. Amazing neck. Beautiful bass, elegant but simple.



I've briefly considered selling one, but couldn't decide which. I also know that the first 3 are rare, while the other 2 essentially irreplaceable. My income is a fraction of what it was in my bass buying days so even if I was lucky enough to see one again I couldn't afford it. I haven't yet gotten so desperate for money that I would suffer the insult of selling in this market for pennies on the dollar.

 

[Maxdusty]

56? Wow that is almost hard to imagine! Sound fun, which ones surprised you?

Been playing for 30 years, but in the last 2 years decided to start a new hobby of hunting for unusual basses or good bargains. I consider bass playing separate from this new diversion and to be honest with you, I'm getting exhausted from it. lol. I didn't have 56 at the same time, most I've had at one given time during the 2 years was something like 25. It has been fun though and have learned a lot about the quirks and personalities of the particular bass guitars.

Best surprise, it would have to be a bass I picked up for $80. Surprising because of the value. It's a Riverhead Spector - it's a particular Riverhead model that I've never seen before , I believe it's the only one in the US (I've seen Jupiters, Phantoms, Unicorn etc. all great sounding basses in their own respects). It's as lawsuit as they come- the body of the bass is the curved Spector NS2 in shape , circuitry and pickups are Alembic for this specific model (EMG for other Riverhead models), badass bridge- a weird duck of a bass but very nice. Definitely worth more than $80. If you see a Riverhead bass, definitely give it a try, it might surprise you - it's a high end MIJ bass, the brand is no longer being produced, Bacchus is now one of the new brand names for the manufacturer, Deviser/Headway.
There's a Riverhead Jupiter on Ebay right now, not sure if it's priced too much - I've posted on the Jupiter website to try to get an idea. Tempting, though.

 

[Bass Fund]

Fender American Standard Precision 1995
Fender JP90
Alembic Essence
Alembic Distillate

 

[G On Bass]

I have owned many basses over the last few years, cheap and expensive. A partial list:
Carvin Icon 5P fretless
Carvin SB5000 Fretless
Reverend Mercalli (x2)
Carvin B50 fretless
2010 Carvin SB5000
2009 Sadowsky RV5-PJ
EBMM MusicMan Stingray 5
MIA Fender P/J 5
MIA Fender P w/Geddy Neck
Rickenbacker 4003 FireGlo
OLP 4 string (defretted)
Washburn T25 fretless
Gibson EB5
Lakland 55-94
Lakland 55-57
Lakland LOG Bass
Lakland 55-60
Lakland JO5 CS
Lakland JO5 P/J
Lakland DJ5
Lakland 55-02 (4 different ones!)
Lakland Decade Prototype
Univox Coily
SX Jazz
SX P/J
Douglas WEB 846 fretless
Squier Precision Deluxe PJ
Squier MIK P Bass
Squier Deluxe Active Jazz
Spector Euro 5
probably more that I have forgotten...


Despite the list, I own no 'back up' basses and never saw the point of duplicating the same bass or tone. All the ones I own are in regular rotation in their respective genres.

What it all came down to:

- Go-to bass: Wilkins Roadtested PJ5. There just not much else like these out there. It's hard to describe, but if you've played one, you probably know what I mean. This bass is first call for practicing, writing, learning songs and the main bass for my Classic Rock project. It's got an Aggie OBP3 and wears Light Gauge Sadowsky flats or Wilkins Roadtested Nickel strings.

- Carvin B50 modified with Wilkins P5 pickup. My passive P for Rock/Blues.

- Carvin B25P and a Carvin B25 Fretless. My 2 main basses for my Jazz/Jam Band Project, though 85-90% of that project is fretless. One has Circle K's and nails that modern sound, the other Chromes (fretless). The fretless also sees time with the Classic Rock bit.

I do believe that I am now 'set' and will not be looking to add or sell anything anytime soon (though I may commission some ridiculous coffee-table looking bass in a couple of years from Pat). Between these, everything I need is covered and I've tried enough of most everything else with a couple grand of some of these to know that there's nothing that is really going to be that much better for me.

 

[GIBrat51]

I think I have 15 at the moment (or is it 16? Haven't counted in a while). I've never sold any; I'm always sure what I want, before I buy. Reason is, I deliberately set out to make a collection (hate that word; it implies just having them, and I play all of mine); I sat down and decided what I wanted, either by name or type; and have spent the last 10-12 years acquiring them (I'm a lefty, so some of the ones I want are very hard to find). When I'm done, I'll have 20.

I have to agree that strings do get expensive, and it's hard to keep track of what strings are on which bass. Seems nerdy to write that stuff down, but.... Fortunately, most of them sound the way I want, with the same strings; just changes to the amp settings (which are also written down). Also, maintenance can be a pain. I rotate mine monthly, 2 at a time, for playing and upkeep. But, it is fun, and changing basses makes me play different stuff, too.

Oh, almost forgot. My favorite? Since I got it 4 years ago, it's been the '73 Rick 4001. Might be replaced by the Gibson Thunderbird I picked up last week. Time will tell...

 

[neo 7]

I currently own 7 basses. Here's what I like:

short or medium scale
skinny necks
no neck dive
passive
single pick-up
P pick-ups
pickguards so I can install a thumbrest
in-line tuners
input jack on front

I have a lot of love for my Mustang. My GAS these days is to get 2 more Mustangs and get them painted. One in black, and one in competition orange.

My Fernandes breaks about half of these rules, but it's still a bass I won't ever sell.

 

[wmheilma]

Sure enough I have owned ten! I have four now. My experience is this..
Don't miss my Gibson EBOL. (Do miss my 68 SG though.) That Gibson was rare due to the classical guitar style headstock, but it was muddy sounding, had neck dive, and three neck twisted terribly in just two years.
I miss the music man sabre from 1980 even though that neck warped too. I loved my fretless G&L from 81.
Don't miss the fretless Guild pilot at all. It was very unremarkable.
I love my Bluebond 6 strings and I miss Dale still to this day.
Truly dig my fretless 6 made by Chris Murphy. (where did he go anyway?)
The Modulus Q6 from 2002 is incredible!
After 35 years of playing....
I have learned to look for good balance, comfortable neck shape, stable neck construction, and after all the years Bartolini pickups are still my favorite especially old ones from when you could still talk to Bill or Pat on the phone.