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Please help me understand the multiple bass thing

#41
here's some of the ones that i own (i have a few more not pictured), but as you can see, even thought they are ALL 4-stringers, they are all quite different from each other and play/sound different as well.

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#43
I saw Adam Clayton switch bass on almost every song when U2 played in the football stadium here in Houston, and you couldn't hear the difference. Kind of pointless. I watched Joe Bonamassa switch, just about every one of them a Gibson Les Paul. Not a lot of tonal difference there, either. Carmine Rojas played the same First Act bass all night and sounded great. But sometimes there is a reason to switch, I saw of Porcupine Tree last night and Colin Edwin played four basses, a fretted and fretless Wal, a Spector Euro 4-string downtuned to C, and another one (I think a BassLab Soul fretted 4-string) that all had distintive qualities.
 
#44
For some people they are tools for the job, for others they are a hobby, and for others they are both. I haven't played a gig in years so it's a hobby. You gig and don't feel the need for multiple basses, so it's a tool.
 
#45
I play both electric and upright out of two locations about 100 miles apart, so there's several basses right there as I don't like to have to carry them back and forth.

In addition, I think a Jazz with rounds sounds quite different from a P with flats, and sometimes I need one sound or the other.

Last but not least, sometimes reading stuff on TB just gets me so curious I have to try a bass. :hyper: Hence my Stingray HH 5, which is a great bass but not in my regular rotation at the moment.
 
#46
bassclef112 said:
I think the answer is pretty straightforward.

I have a bunch of basses because........I can.

If one (or two) do it for you - rock on.

For me, need has nothing to do with it. It's my indulgence.

P.S. I'm not a collector - I gig regularly and use them all. If I find I haven't thought of reaching for any in some time - they're gone.
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+1

It's just fun. One woman, many basses. Nuff said.
 
#48
Jarrett said:
I see lots of players saying things like:

For this gig, I have a '65 P-bass with flat wounds and for this gig I have a J-bass with nickels and this other gig I have a 5-string Singlecut strung E to C and this other gig I have a 7-string with stainless and piezo pickups, etc.

I've never fully understood this.
Click to expand...

"Rationalizing a fetish", as was mentioned in a previous post, pretty much sums it up. Some people like gear, which is fine. But for someone to try to claim that they need those subtle sonic nuances for different gigs is utter nonsense.
 
#49
DrewinHouston said:
I saw Adam Clayton switch bass on almost every song when U2 played in the football stadium here in Houston, and you couldn't hear the difference. Kind of pointless. I watched Joe Bonamassa switch, just about every one of them a Gibson Les Paul. Not a lot of tonal difference there, either. Carmine Rojas played the same First Act bass all night and sounded great. But sometimes there is a reason to switch, I saw of Porcupine Tree last night and Colin Edwin played four basses, a fretted and fretless Wal, a Spector Euro 4-string downtuned to C, and another one (I think a BassLab Soul fretted 4-string) that all had distintive qualities.
Click to expand...


Mike Inez changes every song or two ( I saw a total of 4 basses when I saw AIC a few months ago), but they're all Warwicks and he hands them off to a tech who tunes them and whatever, so that could be one good reason. I personally own more than a few basses, but generally use only 3 of them, tuned differently.

Hey, sometimes gear just comes along. It's like a disease.
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#50
Nothing wrong with having lots of basses - I too have been gigging for many years I take 2 basses to the gig the one I want to play and one just in case it breaks (which it doesnt) I can think of nothing more annoying than guitarists swapping every 2 songs and bleating about how - its a strat song or its a gibson song... Get over it! the audience cant tell the difference and would much prefer you to play the next song and stop p~~sing about.
The moral - we as bass players should set an example and not get into swapping....
Rant over
I feel better now
 
#51
I have 8 basses, but they all really have their purpose.

I've got a MM Bongo 6 HH that's my go to bass and does most of the hard labor for me.
I've got an ESP LTD B-305 in an alternate tuning (drop B as opposed to drop D).
I've got a Peavey 6 string that's my backup for the bongo, though I really don't need it.
I've got a Passive P bass that I use for playing a few 70s covers my band does
I've got a fretless J bass that's my main passive 4 banger.
I've got an 8 string (octave coursed, but tuned 5ths)
I've got an SX Jazz that's my mod platform and beater bass for bar gigs.
I've got an acoustic Electric for acoustic jamming and what not.
 
#53
bruiser1964 said:
Nothing wrong with having lots of basses - I too have been gigging for many years I take 2 basses to the gig the one I want to play and one just in case it breaks (which it doesnt) I can think of nothing more annoying than guitarists swapping every 2 songs and bleating about how - its a strat song or its a gibson song... Get over it! the audience cant tell the difference and would much prefer you to play the next song and stop p~~sing about.
The moral - we as bass players should set an example and not get into swapping....
Rant over
I feel better now
Click to expand...

I think there are benefits to playing gigs on as few instruments as possible, but regarding strat vs Gibson. Stage I agree with you, but in the studio you can tell the difference between something recorded on a Les Paul and something recorded on a Stratocaster.
 
#54
The obvious: your main bass, plus a backup in case something happens to the main.

Then I could see you might have a third bass if you wanted to flip between flats and rounds, or flip between hollow body and solid.

But I don't see the point of having large numbers of basses other than for the collector aspect.
 
#56
Jarrett said:
I probably should have clarified on the original request. I get the collector thing and the because I can thing. I just wondered if I was really missing something when it came to gigging and/or recording by not having a collection of really specific basses.
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A good P bass - a good Jazz Bass and a 5 string should allow you to cover almost every gig / session that requires electric bass...so you're not missing anything...

I have 20 basses...it's what I love to do...it's that simple...play bass - I have many varaitons of P Basses and J Basses...and can very easily sell all but one P bass and one J Bass...I also have a nice collection of amps....
 
#57
Jarrett said:
I probably should have clarified on the original request. I get the collector thing and the because I can thing. I just wondered if I was really missing something when it came to gigging and/or recording by not having a collection of really specific basses.
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I don't think you miss anything. If you have one bass you like and it works for you for what music you do, then you probably don't need anything else. I played the same '83 P-bass for years and was very content. Eventually I got bored, wanted to play a Rickenbacker, then later a Jazz, etc. I've been getting rid of ones I don't use, but I keep the ones I play, and they all get played. I tend to cycle them through week to week.
 
#58
I own around 20 bass guitars, all functional, gig-worthy instruments. I wouldn't have it any other way. From my cheapest Danelectros to my most expensive vintage Fenders, I use my basses as fashion accesories. For example, I have Hofner Icons in three colors. I chose the bass depending on what I'm wearing or the color scheme that evening. BTW, they all play great, sound reasonably the same or can be tweaked through my rig, and yes, I know my way around a bass guitar.
 
#59
Why buy one bass that does everything decently when I can buy many basses that do one thing perfectly?

All of my basses play, sound, and feel different. A few of them are in different tunings. Two of them have flats, one has steels, and the others have nickel/steel blends. A Fender P-bass with flats and played with my fingers will sound radically different than a Stingray with steel strings played with a pick. I certainly wouldn't interchange my reggae bass with my Tool cover band bass.

I own multiple basses because I like to hold it over others' heads, and because I'm so ADD that I hate playing the same bass for too long. On top of that, I play exclusively 6+ string basses, but when it comes time for a session gig, you'd better believe that I'll be showing up with a Fender-esque 4 and 5-string. Every situation is different, every bass is different, every player is different.

If two works for you, then fine, stick with it. I'll never understand it, but I don't understand liquid soap either.
 
#60
I own 7 basses, not alot, but 7. I like having the choice of using a different sounding bass for gigs that for the most part can get kind of boring. I should also mention that 3 of them are 4 strings which I don't play anymore. The rest are 5 strings which is my primary bass of choice. Of all 7, my main bass is a Fender Jazz V which I totally love the way it sounds and plays. It's a real joy to have.
 

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