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Seriously! How do you guys manage having sooo many basses?!

#261
anecdote time:

older fellow, beyond retirement age
scans the pawnshops constantly for deals on instruments & amps
lives in a mobile home, now there's nothing wrong with mobile-homes, but this particular person has turned their home into an instrument museum
they're hanging all over the place, on every wall, and he's moved to using rope to secure them, because real hangers cost too much

he refers to all these instruments as his retirement plan, but...

my anecdote is that I really want just ONE,
but every time I buy a new one expecting to make it The One, I realize there are features of my other instruments that I don't want to lose

currently it lies between three, one has Big-Singles, the other is really comfortable & low-Mass, the final one has the stiffest neck of all, but it's only a 22 fret & won't fit on either of the other two
I could move the Big-Singles into the comfortable bass, & it does have a neck that is a little stiffer than the neck on the instrument that currently has the Big-Singles
However, right now I am considering mounting a 4th Hercules hanger so that there's room for everything (a Mikro that doesn't get used, but hey it's small).
 
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#262
A couple of years ago I was up to around 28 basses but having to move to a smaller apartment made me think about and choose to keep only the best and most sonically diverse.

I'm not playing live anymore but if and when I do I still have no intention of buying more because I have learnt that having pairs (or more) of the same instrument is totally redundant.

If you are having troubles getting your live sound or while recording, having a backup bass with different sounds / pickups is what will save you -not having two identically bad sounding basses!

Now I keep it like this which provides a spare bass in any situation should I break a string or bass malfunction but also gets me a 'get out of jail card' if my sound won't cut or fit in:

1 x Jazz sounding bass (2 x Nordstand Big Splits 'single coils') front pickup soloed for a credible Precision sound
1 x Humbucker sounding Bass (Stingray sound)
1 x Fretless bass
1 x Acoustic bass
1 x (5 string) Jazz sounding bass (2 single coils) front pickup soloed for a Precision sound
1 x (5 String) Humbucker sounding Bass (Stingray sound)
1 x 32" 'Jazz on steroids' with Nordstand Big Splits for travel-friendly situations (fits in a guit@r gigbag)
 
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#263
Bikeguy57 said:
What a self righteous load of c**p. This is like saying "how can you eat a 50.00 steak when children are starving in -----". People buy/own things because they have earned them and enjoy them. YOU own more than one bass, which is unnessary for anyone. Your post is a passive aggressive criticism of anyone who has more basses than you. Over on this side of the pond, we enjoy our hobbies, which include collecting things that give us happiness.
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I understand you and apologise if you feel that way. Ironically I have had people attack me the way you are but from the other side i.e. "I can't believe you've got all this stuff! That's not right. I've never had anything like this." I didn't think they were being passive/aggressive, just honest and I think four bases is excessive but... I come from quite a poor back ground and have had even poorer moments in my life. I understand both sides. The differences your good selves over the water have with us, pandemic aside, seems to me to be the weather and size of your country; the amount of gigs you guys can go out and do is off the charts compared to us. Until you pointed it out I hadn't noticed that few British had mentioned having as many. These numbers amaze me not disgust me and, as I have said before, I look at the bass as a chance to make some money. I asked the question because I don't have a collectors perspective. When I was asked why I asked the question I relayed my personal issue with not being a good enough player to justify more guitars. I don't think the "starving children" analogy is fair as there shouldn't be starving children regardless of what everybody else is eating.

I think you being offended would be justified if I'd asked "how do you afford so many bases" but the question was "how do you manage them". That is just not the same thing.
 
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#265
TrevorG said:
I understand you and apologise if you feel that way. Ironically I have had people attack me the way you are but from the other side i.e. "I can't believe you've got all this stuff! That's not right. I've never had anything like this." I didn't think they were being passive/aggressive, just honest and I think four bases is excessive but... I come from quite a poor back ground and have had even poorer moments in my life. I understand both sides. The differences your good selves over the water have with us, pandemic aside, seems to me to be the weather and size of your country; the amount of gigs you guys can go out and do is off the charts compared to us. Until you pointed it out I hadn't noticed that few British had mentioned having as many. These numbers amaze me not disgust me and, as I have said before, I look at the bass as a chance to make some money. I asked the question because I don't have a collectors perspective. When I was asked why I asked the question I relayed my personal issue with not being a good enough player to justify more guitars. I don't think the "starving children" analogy is fair as there shouldn't be starving children regardless of what everybody else is eating.

I think you being offended would be justified if I'd asked "how do you afford so many bases" but the question was "how do you manage them". That is just not the same thing.
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I totally agree about different mindsets in different parts of the world.

My wife joined a group on Facebook, that shares recipes for the Instant Pot pressure cooker. There are people in the States, that are collecting them: they have > 10 of them, each in different color, and have a special room just for exposing them. Just like bass players ;)

I'm absolutely not saying, that this is wrong. It's just different.

I'm at the other side of the spectrum. I have a problem with spending money. I'm able to buy gear only when it's 100% optimal choice, the best offer and I will not loose too much on resale. Then I'm getting the buyers remorse anyway.
It holds me back sometimes.

I guess it is because I was playing my first very cheap bass for 8 years and it met all my needs. It felt wrong to buy an effect pedal for more that I spent on a guitar.
And of course with a medium salary in my country I can buy a couple of times less basses than someone from US.
Now my financial situation is drastically different (morgage free before 30 years old, me and my wife are software devs), but I still can't justify buying unnecessary gear.
 
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#267
TrevorG said:
I understand you and apologise if you feel that way. Ironically I have had people attack me the way you are but from the other side i.e. "I can't believe you've got all this stuff! That's not right. I've never had anything like this." I didn't think they were being passive/aggressive, just honest and I think four bases is excessive but... I come from quite a poor back ground and have had even poorer moments in my life. I understand both sides. The differences your good selves over the water have with us, pandemic aside, seems to me to be the weather and size of your country; the amount of gigs you guys can go out and do is off the charts compared to us. Until you pointed it out I hadn't noticed that few British had mentioned having as many. These numbers amaze me not disgust me and, as I have said before, I look at the bass as a chance to make some money. I asked the question because I don't have a collectors perspective. When I was asked why I asked the question I relayed my personal issue with not being a good enough player to justify more guitars. I don't think the "starving children" analogy is fair as there shouldn't be starving children regardless of what everybody else is eating.

I think you being offended would be justified if I'd asked "how do you afford so many bases" but the question was "how do you manage them". That is just not the same thing.
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No apology necessary Trevor. But I think I owe you one. I just happened to have had a "heated discussion" with my wife re: money spent on my basses prior to logging in. I misinterpreted the intent of your post and overreacted in an accusatory and unacceptable manor. I hope things are better over there with the pandemic, but here, having been ignored and mishandled for months, It's getting grim and making everyone a little cranky. Again, I apologize for my uncalled for response. Mea culpa.
 
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#268
How do I manage having so many basses? Here is how:
1st, you need a room in your house dedicated only to your musical endeavors.
2nd, you need a wall in that room dedicated to lining up only your basses.
3rd, you need to purchase an additional 7-guitar stand when the need arises, such as when you acquire your 8th bass, then your 15th bass, and then your 22nd bass.
 
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#269
Bikeguy57 said:
No apology necessary Trevor. But I think I owe you one. I just happened to have had a "heated discussion" with my wife re: money spent on my basses prior to logging in. I misinterpreted the intent of your post and overreacted in an accusatory and unacceptable manor. I hope things are better over there with the pandemic, but here, having been ignored and mishandled for months, It's getting grim and making everyone a little cranky. Again, I apologize for my uncalled for response. Mea culpa.
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Let's dump all apologies and make a difficult world more bearable with a virtual hug. I'm sorry your love of basses has clashed with the love of your life. A thread about that here on TB would never end. Despite my humble past I am presently on a bizarre, career high which has left me stunned in this present climate but also fairly bullet proof emotionally so you've done no harm here. As for the pandemic; we in England are just as burdened by incompetent leadership as you are. I wait with bated breath to see if the vaccines we have been promised bear any real fruit. Promises don't save lives but still they promise. Take care of your self. Be safe. T
 
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#270
I mean I guess the right pieces have resale value. Having a nice collection of rare or sought after models is a nice way to spend the time. I don't know who you would really show them to...I mean I could see showing them to someone but whether they wanted to see them or not is debatable.

I have never really understood having some really nice basses and then a slew of sub 500 dollar basses which tend to have lower resale value. If your Squier Classic Vibe plays and sounds better than your higher end bass, then why have the higher end bass at all? Is having cheaper basses like having different shirts to wear?

I seriously wonder how many bass purchases are connected to the bass player's desire to stand and look at his or herself in the mirror while holding said bass.
 
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#271
I simply like variety. Every one of them does something different and I enjoy exploring the differences. I have 11 and I play 7 - 8 of them in regular rotation. Two are 5 strings and in my current band the material we're doing doesn't require a 5 so they're not getting much love right now but they're too nice to sell and I'll likely need them someday...

I 'll play one for a week or so, put it away and decide which one I want to get out next. I just enjoy the variety. Some are a bit pricey, several are inexpensive, they're all fine instruments regardless of their resale value. IMO playing the same bass ad nausium gets boring.
 
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#273
TrevorG said:
Let's dump all apologies and make a difficult world more bearable with a virtual hug. I'm sorry your love of basses has clashed with the love of your life. A thread about that here on TB would never end. Despite my humble past I am presently on a bizarre, career high which has left me stunned in this present climate but also fairly pullet proof emotionally so you've done no harm here. As for the pandemic; we in England are just as burdened by incompetent leadership as you are. I wait with bated breath to see if the vaccines we have been promised bear any real fruit. Promises don't save lives but still they promise. Take care of your self. Be safe. T
Click to expand...

You got it brother. Stay safe.
 
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#275
Jeff Hughes said:
I have never really understood having some really nice basses and then a slew of sub 500 dollar basses which tend to have lower resale value. If your Squier Classic Vibe plays and sounds better than your higher end bass, then why have the higher end bass at all? Is having cheaper basses like having different shirts to wear?

I seriously wonder how many bass purchases are connected to the bass player's desire to stand and look at his or herself in the mirror while holding said bass.
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OK, so I take it that you don't play Metal/Punk shows. Not something that you take the $2k bass to.
Yes, it like having many T-shirts or other clothes to wear. It's fun to have a big selection and not wearing the same thing over and over again.
Most of my purchases revolve around price. I mean would you turn down a Fender MIM P-bass for $100?
Or how about a Michael Kelly Club fretless acoustic with hard shell case for $120? I could keep going on and on and on......
 
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#277
madjazzbass said:
I don't think that I can name 80 Basses that I would like to own; maybe 20 or so, but 80-100 Basses?!! there'd be quite a few duplicates I'm sure:cool:
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No actually they are all different I go for the the weird, unusual unicorn basses that are investments. I have been collecting since I was 17. It was john entwistle that got me interested.
 
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#279
Wanker_Joe said:
80! And you were over 100! That's more than all the basses in all the local music stores combined in my city! That's just incredible.
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It is a sickness that pays off in the long run. I like to frequent pawn shops want adds etc I have a little slush fund to help + I have sold a lot to help with this obsession.
 
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