Sell it all and keep one

[Drang22]

"Men are not the keepers of basses, nearly so much as basses are the keepers of men". - Henry Thoreau (heavily paraphrased)

Sell 'em.

 

[Ghook]

If you have the room, don't need the $ why sell anything, unless you un-bond. I've gone thru many 6 strings, some I wish I kept. I do know that I often I rediscovered a guitar that had been sitting. So far I have 4 basses and see no reason to unload any, now my wife, she often thinks pairing down is smart .

 

[franklindayala]

So I just put a set of tape wound stringson my P bass, and what a fantastic sound it is! It sounds good on my ‘69 B15N and on my markbass (which I dont particularly care for). I feel motivated to sell my other two basses - jazz bass variations - and only play this now.

Talk me down, or encourage me to sell!

 

[jamro217]

Encourage me to sell. Encourage me to sell? You actually posted that here? That's the silliest thing I've ever heard!

 

[dmt]

If you were presented with the choice of accepting as a gift one (but only one) of the following, which would you choose:

a) $1,000 cash

b) an extra Jazz bass you don’t really like that would sit unused


So, which would you take?

 

[Liam Wald]

Hmm... well I guess if you only paint in single color broad strokes I suppose a P bass with tapes will be just fine for you.

A P-bass in the hands of a skilled player is capable of covering lots of sounds.
The above quoted statement made me think about the idea of what makes something limited.
Which lead me to the idea that almost no drummers that I know have more than one drum set. It's not like they say, "oh I have this set for this kind of groove or genre and another set for something else".
A great drummer can play Jazz, Blues, Rock, Funk, or Country on the same kit.
IMHO a great bass player can play all of those things on one bass as well. Whether it's a P-bass or an Alembic or whatever. The sound is mostly in the experience, the heart, and the hands of the player.

Using the "painting/artist" metaphor how about this? The bass is the brush, the amp/effect chain are the colors and the music is the canvass.

 

[Element Zero]

A P-bass in the hands of a skilled player is capable of covering lots of sounds.
The above quoted statement made me think about the idea of what makes something limited.
Which lead me to the idea that almost no drummers that I know have more than one drum set. It's not like they say, "oh I have this set for this kind of groove or genre and another set for something else".
A great drummer can play Jazz, Blues, Rock, Funk, or Country on the same kit.
IMHO a great bass player can play all of those things on one bass as well. Whether it's a P-bass or an Alembic or whatever. The sound is mostly in the experience, the heart, and the hands of the player.

Using the "painting/artist" metaphor how about this? The bass is the brush, the amp/effect chain are the colors and the music is the canvass.

While I don’t disagree with you, most of the drummers I know have different cymbals and snare drums that they’ll switch out. As an owner of a P bass I fully understand that multiple tones are easily attainable. How ever, it ALWAYS sounds like a P bass. You can’t make it sound like an aggressive Stingray or super smooth mid and zingy top end of an Ibanez. My P bass has been used for a WIDE assortment of genres. But the fact remains that it sounds like a P bass. There are numerous other sounds out there. That was my point.

 

[Watchootognbout]

Sell the others.
BUY A FRETLESS.
So let it begin............

 

[fermata]

I fulfilled this thread’s premise this weekend: I sold the bass that wasn’t creatively fulfilling me, and now I’m down to the one that is. I feel lighter and more creatively focused—on the music, rather than the gear.

I don’t think there’s a specific number of basses that’s right for everyone—too many variables—but there is an ‘enough’ and a ‘too many’. Right now, at least, one is enough for me.

 

[4sight]

I'm doing it this year. No, really. I don't have the room, and don't currently gig due to 2 kids and a full time (plus some) job. I figure I'll still have GAS when I'm older and greyer and have more free time

Now, which one to keep is the question... Maybe I'll keep two. Or... No, NO, BE STRONG! One bass.

I feel weak already.

 

[superdick2112]

Sorry, I won't try & convince you to drop down to only one bass when I can't even do it myself.
Four is my minimum, and I'm still nine past that....

 

[jamro217]

If you were presented with the choice of accepting as a gift one (but only one) of the following, which would you choose:

a) $1,000 cash

b) an extra Jazz bass you don’t really like that would sit unused


So, which would you take?

If the Jazz Bass was a pristine original '60's version with the hang tags, I'd take it. If it was a hacked, poorly modded, clumsily defretted, belt sander reliced, moribund Squier, I'd take the cash.