Swapping basses on stage

[dlenaghan]

Hi Justin,

I was wondering about this since I saw some of your eBay'd basses: do you find yourself swapping instruments often between songs? I saw a pic of you for one of the NIN gigs (perhaps the recent one you helped design, I'm not sure) with, I think, a Fender P, which obviously plays quite a bit differently than say that Starfire II you had up on the auction block.

Do you find yourself in phases with certain types of instruments? Is it a bit of a headgame to say, play a shorter scale low-tension thumper like the Starfire with Beck and then pull out a chunky neck 34" Fender P for NIN? I know it's a job for you and you're probably more resilient than a lot of us, but it's a handful for me even to go between my 30.5" Guild JS-II and my 32" MIJ Fender J- Special.

Thanks for your time,

Dan

 

[jmjbassplayer]

I'm really not sure how to answer, because it's difficult to analyze something that is so basic and instinctual. I don't know, really. I find it very natural somehow, and it's been part of my makeup for a long time. It's just a matter of repetition, I suppose.

But yes, there are phases to a small degree. To a larger degree, it's all about matching a sound up with a musical moment or aesthetic. So the tools must change, in my world at least.

Best,
JMJ