Owning one bass.. are those days over?

[D Bopp]

I like having my own bass museum inside my house to look at them on my walls

But I fantasize about downsizing and just having one bass. Well, maybe one day.

 

[Gougedeye]

I won't get down to one, but I'd sure like to get down to four, maybe five.

I agree, but in reality, if I get down to 10. it'll be a miracle!

 

[Ostie]

So, like, having 7 basses is okay? Asking for a friend…

 

[chris_b]

Thanks to CNC, production lines and Asian manufacture, it's easier to own multiple basses these days. Generally people have more disposable income than they did in the 60's (when I started out), so owning many basses isn't a big deal.

I only had 1 bass for the first 25 years and even though I can now afford any number, I'm a player not a collector. I have 2 basses, a Sadowsky RV5 Jazz and a Mike Lull PJ5, a #1 and a backup. In reality they are both #1's.

That's as much choice as I can deal with!!

 

[TTPbass1]

Actually have 8, but will keep 4 and sell the other 4. I have realized that I can do everything I need with a 5 (Lakland 55-02), a P with flats, a P with rounds and a Jazz.

 

[GregT]

If you play live music, it is good to have two, even if one of them is just an old beater you keep in the trunk as a backup. If I play my Precision, the Musicmaster is in the trunk. If I play the Musicmaster....well, you get it.

 

[Jigmay]

My days of “only one bass” ended when The Dudepit came online!

Actually, it ended when I after 8 years of playing I got my first and only upright at 19.

I’m a “buy and hold” type and still have three basses from my teens. Thanks to the TB “desire machine” I’m up to 8 basses. I only need two, upright and electric.

 

[roccobass]

@LadyLoveStingRay5
@FishDub

Same here regarding the fretless.
I actually have 4 basses. 3 of which are fretless (includes my upright) and one fretted. These are my essentials. I do play them all. Each one has a different sound. I don’t want redundancy.

At home I rotate the practice schedule so’s to stay familiar with the sound of each and if any issues are developing.

I don’t think having one bass is a thing of the past. It’s a matter of choice as well as need. Enjoy what your doing and how you’re doing it!

 

[BassBrass]

I play all my basses (and horns) because they are just too durn pretty to ignore, so I have no idea what that feels like, but if you take a look at the world it's obvious that there a lot of people happy with one bass, one good whatever. I played one trumpet one bass for years until I started buying and selling cornets on ebay. I kept around 6, not all playable, the 50s Conn Conquerer is a beast (not good), but it was someone's only horn at some point.

 

[Danny O Danny]

My collection expanded during COVID. Buying, selling and trading basses was an enjoyable hobby that kept me engaged, since I wasn't playing any gigs. After COVID, and after moving to a smaller house for retirement, I've been intentionally reducing the collection. I'm down to seven basses: my two beloved early 80's Ibanez Roadstars (which I'll probably always keep), two fretless basses (an Ibanez and a Sandberg), two fretted Jazz basses (a passive Fender and an active Atelier Z) and my NS Design electric upright. Each one does something different, which is especially useful when recording. Could I get by with fewer? Sure, I could get by with just one (and it would probably be the upright or a fretless), but I don't have to.

 

[2thAche]

yes

 

[Port]

I own three, which is two too many, for me anyway.

 

[Jeff Hughes]

Keep the others in cases, and when you feel the urge to shop for new basses just take out one of your other basses and revisit why you own it in the first place.

 

[Clark Westfield]

Just crested over 5, with #5 being something I can leave at office at work.

5 seems to be a good number for now.

Then comes #6.
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All 5 of mine are in a daily rotation.
Always fresh fingerprints on all basses.

 

[boombloom]

I am just itching to move 15 basses but I am just too lazy. So they remain in cases in the closet. I could get by with 3 but that's just a pipe dream.

Exactly the way I feel. Maybe we should have our own Talkbass "I have too many basses" group. I bet there are a lot of us. I have a bunch of Wishbasses that I love but I never play them and there's just not a market for them. I certainly have some factory built instruments that I never play as well.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

As I stand here and practice with one of mine, which I love, I look at the other 3 and say “why have them if they’ve not been played in months?” Is it similar to babies with pacifiers? I can totally get by with just one like many famous did back in the day and still do. But every time I think of letting the other 3 go, I chicken out lol..WTH

Yeah. It's perfectly fine to own one bass. One bass (any bass) can be used 100% for any kind of music, and do the job perfectly. As long as your bass sounds like a bass, you'll sound like the bass player.

Having multiple basses is just a sign of love and interest. If you feel like you'd benefit from the cash by letting the others go, let them go. You'll get more down the line.

I've had 15 or so come and go (Well, be born in my bedroom, and go). Right now, I've got my pj, and my jazz bass. I've got another being built for me at the moment.

It's gonna be sweet guys. That thread is coming.

 

[el murdoque]

I like the Idea of having one bass. While playing the bass is only a hobby for me and by no means a way of earning a livelihood, I nonetheless play for money. People hire me to show up on time and play the required amount of bass for the occasion, then they give me money and I leave.
My view on a professional attitude towards that requires me to own at least two of everything. Two cabinets, two heads, two cables, two basses, two straps.

No matter what will break on a Sunday morning, I'll be there at six, with a set of equipment that will see us through the gig.

 

[TheLowDown33]

You can own one bass just fine I’m sure. If you predominantly remain in one genre, you could do it pretty easily. I’m a working pro (have a day job though) and I’ve settled at 5 - five with rounds, five with flats (also direct backup for above), fretless six, four with old labellas and an upright. While nobody has ever hired me explicitly because I own something, I regularly get complimented on my musical choices because it is my job as a musical consultant to know what the client is going for and provide for them. Sometimes that’s Marcus Miller, others it’s Jamerson. You’re not going to cover those two effectively with a single bass, so I have a few to always have the appropriate tool for the job.

 

[Shepsdad]

I have 4 basses currently, and I’m sure that number will go up in the future. I also have 20+ guitars. Some haven’t been played in a year or more.

For me, I like having them around, and don’t plan on ever selling or trading any. A lot of my stuff has a story or particular time frame attached. I couldn’t afford much when I was younger, and I regret selling the gear that I once owned but “had” to get rid for whatever reason. About a decade ago, I vowed that I would never sell off any of my guitars or gear again, and I’ve stuck to it.

I even added a room onto the house so I could free up space in my music room.

 

[BassToGoGo]

This is interesting... My boss has a large collection ( I work for a builder), somewhere around 100 instruments. The majority are stored in cases. He has been at it for years and in the past would never dream of letting them go but now he has decided that it is time, he has started going through them and selling them off. His reasoning is he wants to remodel his home and put some money away. I would of never imagine that he would do it. There are a few that he will keep.

His other point is to make some much needed room in the shop, one room is dedicated to storing them. they take up a lot of space.

Me, I have three and that's all I need. I see others that I would like to have but there's really no reason.