Resurrection Thread- Anyone own only ONE bass?

[GIBrat51]

Sorry, but... no. I'm not a one bass guy, and haven't been since the late 1990s. And, honestly? I'll give you the same answer I give, every time the "only one bass" thing gets resurrected. If I could only have one bass? Then I would have no basses. I'd spend some spare time at the gun range, but I'd spend most of it riding my Harley. And, for the umpteenth time; I'm not a musician with a bike. I'm a Biker who plays bass...

 

[gigetto]

After some years of adding basses only one (right for me....) could become a zen point of satisfaction (If i Could resell decently my basses)

 

[4andnomore]

Had one bass for 20 years. Then had about five for a year or so. Now I'm back to one and couldn't be happier.

 

[gigetto]

Had one bass for 20 years. Then had about five for a year or so. Now I'm back to one and couldn't be happier.

I want to do this only two basses....but I have to resell (not bad) some before...and I have some perplexity about who to sell

 

[FenderBass71]

I had one bass, a Klira that I really like, from 1962-1965... it's been downhill ever since.

 

[Weet]

One bass, and one bass only since 1981 when I bought it . . a Vantage VS600B fretless. I had originally bought the fretted version and it lasted 1 week, brought it back and exchanged for the fretless. Must have something to do with playing viola in an orchestra that made me not like the frets. Anyway, I am probably one of the few on here that a) only have one bass and b) have kept the same bass for 40 years. Highlight is that I got it autographed by Tony Levin at a King Crimson music camp ! !

 

[Benjamin Conrad]

I actually only have one! I actively play in two bands, fronting one. Pre covid that meant a few practices a week and a couple of bar gigs a month. I only have my one bass: A made in Mexico Fender Urge 32” Medium scale. I’ve had three of these basses so far and the one I currently have is Un-modified as it just felt better than any of the others
(Earlier iterations got Hipshot tuners and EMG pickups).The other two felt and sounded a tad “weak,” whereas the moment I picked up my current one, it just felt “better.” As if it came from a completely different factory and was made by an accomplished luthier. The first two felt more like toys, this one feels like a “real” instrument. It probably helps that both bands demand a similar bass tone, but I love my one and only bass!

 

[Butch Bobcat]

I own 2, but only play one of them. I've kept my 1st bass, a Squire Jaco 4 string, for sentimental reasons. My Ibanez BTB 675 with Aguilar pups is all I need. I also run it into a Helix LT so that helps me to shape the tone how I want.

 

[OregonMike]

So I noticed 3 years ago someone asked this so I figured with COVID and all thats happened since then, why not ask again. So if you only own one bass and are happy, whatcha got?

Pbass that I built.

 

[Mickey666]

One Franken P, for almost 20 years now. Changed a few parts here and there, but basically the same Bass. Probly got enough parts for at least one more, just haven't needed another.

 

[Smoothmove]

Well if I had to own just one bass it would have to be my Fender Custom Shop PBass!!! It’s so good

 

[villegastx]

I own two, but no difference at all. Same colo, neck, strings, pickguard and only two years apart.
1998/1996 olimpic white P bass, MIM fender, tort pickguard and flats.
A classic, can't go wrong.

 

[makz]

Is this some kind of joke?

 

[emaper]

I've had just a Jazz Bass since I started playing (at age 13). Then 6 months ago I stumbled into a late 60s Precision Bass and decided to buy it.
My last gig dates back to 2019 (damned COVID)... Still, I'm enjoying my P. Sometimes I regret buying it, sometimes I think of it as a gift I wanted for myself.

 

[villegastx]

 

[VicDiesel]

Love bass, but it's never been my main instrument, so I've always only had one. Started on Ibanez, then Westone steinberger clone, STeinberger Q4, now Godin fretless. See avatar.

PS I note that most responses here are "not me". That was not the question, was it?

 

[razorboy]

One bass—a Dean Jeff Berlin custom made in Czech. Think I paid $300 for it?

Spent 3x that for my one amp, a Phil Jones Suitcase.

Have played hundreds of gigs w both—works just fine.

 

[chesapeake slim]

Been playing ~20 years and I only have one. It's the second bass that I ever owned - a black MIM Fender P-Bass Special Deluxe Series. I bought it after months of lusting after it in '03 or '04 with money from my high school job loading topsoil into pickup trucks.

The finish is a satin black, and it's got an aluminum pickguard. Teenage me just thought it must be the coolest looking bass ever made. Plus, it had a P and a J pickup - two pickups must be twice as good, right? Plus, it was ~$400. At $7.25/hr, that was a goal i felt like I could actually meet.

Almost two decades on, I now realize what a superb instrument this really is. The split coil gives me that natural p-bass fatness, but I can introduce a nice growl with the J-pickup. (i've since swapped the stock pickups out for the EMG GZRs, and the growl is even throatier and more pronounced). Also, the deluxe series has a j-bass neck, which makes it feel fast and nimble to my hands. It's got that Fender Vintage bridge with the ridged saddles that give you more control over string spacing than the standard bridge. The nut isn't perfect, but I think it might be bone? It feels dense to someone who doesn't know much about nuts. And the matte black w aluminum pickguard seems to be a pretty rare find these days. It makes mine feel pretty unique.

When i pick it up and play it, I'm still kind of amazed that it's mine; that as a 16-year-old knucklehead trying to find the toughest looking axe, i lucked into this one. Isn't that pretty much the feeling we all dream of? I figure if i get that rush every time I pick up my MIM P/J, what the hell do I need another one for?

now, pedals on the other hand...

 

[bofus]

I only have one and it is my second bass after first buying a Matao bass first. I then got a "real" bass, a Carvin LB-70 and had the Matao de-fretted to try out a fretless. After a year or two, I didn't care for it and gave it away. It's been over 25 years with just the one. It's fine....works well enough. I've played other basses, but I just don't see the need. I play a bit of guitar too and I have two: one electric and one acoustic. That's fine. I don't need the "wall of guitar/bass" look in the house.

 

[sunnyboy010101]

I had one bass that I bought as a teen in the 1970s. Cheap, short neck but serviceable.

I always wanted a long neck bass, and also always wanted a fretless. In the early 1990's I found one on consignment for a sweet price and bought it immediately. I also immediately sold my 70's bass.

I've had that one fretless ever since and still love it.