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Owning one bass.. are those days over?
- Thread starter FishDub
- Start date
I only have one bass.
I think about getting others but I know I'll never play them so I just stick with what I have.
I think about getting others but I know I'll never play them so I just stick with what I have.
I play my Flea Roadworn Jazz and L2 mostly..the others are an XL2 and an 80s Tune maniac. I think its just preference at this point..
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It sure has..between buyers complaining after full disclosure AND shipping costs.
I believe that having to develop means of getting good sounds on different instruments builds flexibility. I also know that, for me, changing instruments makes things "new" for me, and I practice a lot more as a result - with just one bass, things do get "old" for me. More practice is always a good idea.
If what you do works for you, then it is good. But for me, yeah, I need a few different instruments.
For me, there is another rationale that doesn't apply to most people. I studied the Physics of musical instruments in college, and spent over 40 years developing audio gear. An electric instrument is both. Having the skills to optimize my instruments, I am constantly experimenting with ideas, and over time that has resulted in instruments that work much better for me than what you can get off the rack. You can't make progress in such endeavors with one thing/prototype - you need multiples, so you can keep one good thing intact, and experiment (and eventually compare) it with an idea which might (but doesn't always) make a better thing. For that, I definitely need multiple basses. This has given me multiple basses that work better form me than anything off the rack. Again, having a bass that's exactly what I want makes me want to to practice more....
My wife is quite OK with me having multiple basses, and I can handle the maintenance of a few easily. Multiple significant others, neither of us would be happy about.
For years I had one--and it did what I needed, although I did think about getting another.
But until I decided to try fretless I never found the one to be my second bass.
Then I did--and now I have 2
There are possible candidates for #3--but who knows--since I mostly play for fun and at church (Which is fun too) those 2 do what I need from a bass--and there are these other things called--expenses--they keep me from getting a third one.
But I have netted giveaways for a bass--maybe I'll win one some time.
But until I decided to try fretless I never found the one to be my second bass.
Then I did--and now I have 2
There are possible candidates for #3--but who knows--since I mostly play for fun and at church (Which is fun too) those 2 do what I need from a bass--and there are these other things called--expenses--they keep me from getting a third one.
But I have netted giveaways for a bass--maybe I'll win one some time.
I think it all depends honestly...
are you a weekend warrior? a professional touring musician? studio musician?
do working mechanics only have one tool? nope they have many for different applications
for some musicians it's the same...
A jazz bass for this, a Precision bass for that, double humbuckers for this, flats for that, different tunings for this etc...
at one time i owned over 30 basses these days i'm down to 8...and i have a favorite for stage, a favorite for studio...etc. depends on the kind of music i'm playing etc.
i do have 2 of the same model for stage use just in case but beyond that it's basically which is the right tool for the job at hand kinda thing
can you do it all with just one? Maybe but I don't think so
just my humble opion...and as you YMMV...
are you a weekend warrior? a professional touring musician? studio musician?
do working mechanics only have one tool? nope they have many for different applications
for some musicians it's the same...
A jazz bass for this, a Precision bass for that, double humbuckers for this, flats for that, different tunings for this etc...
at one time i owned over 30 basses these days i'm down to 8...and i have a favorite for stage, a favorite for studio...etc. depends on the kind of music i'm playing etc.
i do have 2 of the same model for stage use just in case but beyond that it's basically which is the right tool for the job at hand kinda thing
can you do it all with just one? Maybe but I don't think so
just my humble opion...and as you YMMV...
You started playing the bass with a short scale?Different for me...I originally thought that a SS was best for me and my age so I bought the Squier SS Jag. I then found I could function with a P with a J neck, so I have that one. I have a Rogue SS violin bass because it reminded me of a 50s Gibson that got me playing bass. I play all three and don't plan on replacing any.
Having said that, amps and pedals are something different.
I keep a couple of old 4 string basses for sentimental reasons but the other four are all 5 strings and I play them all. I have what I need now so I'm happy.
Actually, I started in the early '60s with a standard scale Japanese P. I had several standard scales basses after that, then took a long break. At my current age, short scales are more comfortable but the Jazz neck on my P is workable.
That's what I thought for the longest time - I have abandoned my full-scale precision 4-string and was only playing on short and medium scale basses. Then one day I started some pretty extreme experiments with thinner string gauges, and now I can play 4 and 5 string full-scale and even 35" 5-string basses. You just have to abandon the shackles of conventional thinking and try much thinner gauges.
I still have LB flats on my basses and haven't found the need to change. I don't want to mess with the something that sounds and feels so good unless I have to.
No problem...my fingers have the strength but don't stretch as good as they used too
.
I didn't have more than one bass until all my kids were raised and out of the house! Back in those days, once I got a new one it was better than the last, so I felt no reason to keep the old one.
Ten years or so after getting the 4-string I wasn't ever going to part with, I branched into 5-string with a Pedulla. So there was my second one. I talked my wife into letting me get a Tobias 5-string under the ruse that I'd only keep the one I liked best. I reneged on that and kept them both, but she didn't complain. Then I wanted a fretless.
I keep the Pedulla outfitted in flats, so it sounds totally different from the Tobias strung with round-wounds – which give me a good excuse for keeping both. LOL
A couple years ago someone here on TB was selling a pre-Gibson fretless Tobias for a great price. I really wanted to snag it but figured the wife would pitch a fit, since I don't play fretless enough to justify a second one. I mentioned it to her a few months ago and she said she totally would have let me get it. *sigh* (Yup, she's a keeper!) I keep hoping it will show up again.
Now I'm half-heartedly GASing for a fan-fretted.
Here's a pic of my five basses, the most I've ever had at one time. The Schecter was my "starter" fretless, so I sold it after I got the Thunderbuzz.
Left to right:
2006 Pedulla Thunderbuzz fretless (Bubinga top), 1994 Allen Breaux Boogie Man (flame maple, bubinga, purple heart), 2007 Pedulla Thunderbass (Cocobolo top), Schecter Stiletto Studio fretless, 1999 Tobias Classic (AAAAA quilt maple top)
Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt
Pedulla Club #45 Unique Arrangements of Hymns, P&W Standards, and Original Tunes
Administrator, Official Tobias Club #133
Administrator, Fretless Club #943
Big Cabs Club #23
My Basses
My Rig: Stage and FOH Friendly
Pedulla Club #45
Ten years or so after getting the 4-string I wasn't ever going to part with, I branched into 5-string with a Pedulla. So there was my second one. I talked my wife into letting me get a Tobias 5-string under the ruse that I'd only keep the one I liked best. I reneged on that and kept them both, but she didn't complain. Then I wanted a fretless.
I keep the Pedulla outfitted in flats, so it sounds totally different from the Tobias strung with round-wounds – which give me a good excuse for keeping both. LOL
A couple years ago someone here on TB was selling a pre-Gibson fretless Tobias for a great price. I really wanted to snag it but figured the wife would pitch a fit, since I don't play fretless enough to justify a second one. I mentioned it to her a few months ago and she said she totally would have let me get it. *sigh* (Yup, she's a keeper!) I keep hoping it will show up again.
Now I'm half-heartedly GASing for a fan-fretted.
Here's a pic of my five basses, the most I've ever had at one time. The Schecter was my "starter" fretless, so I sold it after I got the Thunderbuzz.
Left to right:
2006 Pedulla Thunderbuzz fretless (Bubinga top), 1994 Allen Breaux Boogie Man (flame maple, bubinga, purple heart), 2007 Pedulla Thunderbass (Cocobolo top), Schecter Stiletto Studio fretless, 1999 Tobias Classic (AAAAA quilt maple top)
Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt
Pedulla Club #45 Unique Arrangements of Hymns, P&W Standards, and Original Tunes
Administrator, Official Tobias Club #133
Administrator, Fretless Club #943
Big Cabs Club #23
My Basses
My Rig: Stage and FOH Friendly
Pedulla Club #45
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I think there are a ton of factors to owning more than one bass. The first is availability. It used to be in order to buy a bass you had to drive to a brick and mortar store pick out the bass you wanted, and buy it. No "take-backsies". Most mom and pop or even chain stores didn't allow returns purely for buyer guilt or changing their mind. You bought it, it was yours, if you had regrets you had to find a way to sell it locally.
Nowadays a couple clicks on the interwebs and the bass arrives at your house which makes it so much easier to make impulse buys. Along with that places like GC allow folks to sleaze their way out of bad purchases and just try out a bunch of items with no real intent to buy. Now if you buy a bad bass you can simply sell it on Facebook or Craigslist or Reverb or any one of a dozen sites. It's just easier to buy and sell basses, and prices have actually dropped for a decent bass over the years, so more people own them. The internet now allows you to find deals that you'd never been able to find previously, like someone selling a like-new bass for 1/2 the price it is new, you don't need it but it's a good deal so you buy it. Now you have one more bass that you didn't need. Rarely did that happen 30 years ago.
You take all that and recognize that musical styles are completely different now than 30 years ago in that most musical styles require alternate tunings, a low B (5 string) at times, drop tunings, and multiple tuning changes and I think most gigging and even hobbyist musicians would rather have at least one alternate tuned instrument and swap than constantly retuning a setting up that single bass.
30 years ago everyone either was in Standard tuning or down a half step. In very rare occasions you'd see a drop D type tuning for one song on an album. Most people wanted 2, one for standard, one for down a 1/2 step. Also, there was no Glarry or SX back then. Even Squiers we're more expensive than they are now (relatively speaking). So bass hoarding was only for the wealthy.
Then in the 90s the demand for "more bass" in pop, r&b/soul, hip-hop, and down-tunings in metal and country led to the "everyone needs a 5 string" revolution in the bass world. Everyone loved their 4s, but needed a 5 too. Everyone needed at least 2 for this reason.
Bottom line, needs combined with wants combined with availability is why the vast majority of bass players have more than one bass.
Nowadays a couple clicks on the interwebs and the bass arrives at your house which makes it so much easier to make impulse buys. Along with that places like GC allow folks to sleaze their way out of bad purchases and just try out a bunch of items with no real intent to buy. Now if you buy a bad bass you can simply sell it on Facebook or Craigslist or Reverb or any one of a dozen sites. It's just easier to buy and sell basses, and prices have actually dropped for a decent bass over the years, so more people own them. The internet now allows you to find deals that you'd never been able to find previously, like someone selling a like-new bass for 1/2 the price it is new, you don't need it but it's a good deal so you buy it. Now you have one more bass that you didn't need. Rarely did that happen 30 years ago.
You take all that and recognize that musical styles are completely different now than 30 years ago in that most musical styles require alternate tunings, a low B (5 string) at times, drop tunings, and multiple tuning changes and I think most gigging and even hobbyist musicians would rather have at least one alternate tuned instrument and swap than constantly retuning a setting up that single bass.
30 years ago everyone either was in Standard tuning or down a half step. In very rare occasions you'd see a drop D type tuning for one song on an album. Most people wanted 2, one for standard, one for down a 1/2 step. Also, there was no Glarry or SX back then. Even Squiers we're more expensive than they are now (relatively speaking). So bass hoarding was only for the wealthy.
Then in the 90s the demand for "more bass" in pop, r&b/soul, hip-hop, and down-tunings in metal and country led to the "everyone needs a 5 string" revolution in the bass world. Everyone loved their 4s, but needed a 5 too. Everyone needed at least 2 for this reason.
Bottom line, needs combined with wants combined with availability is why the vast majority of bass players have more than one bass.
