The more basses I own...

[JRA]

I say this because whatever I play, active or passve, four string or five, fretted or fretless, round wounds or flats, all audiences care about is how well I play.

yep! we all want 'our money's worth'! you must like to practice.

 

[alack]

I keep a log of my playing time. Practice, rehearsals, gigs and the occasional recording session. I average about 2 1/2 hours of playing a day. Just doing the simple math of dividing that time between the three basses I currently own comes out to just under 6 hours per week on each one (assuming I make an effort to divide the time equally). So I've come to recognize that adding another bass would amount to owning an instrument I rarely play or taking time away from my two P basses. I'll leave the collecting to others. I have neither the room or the time.

 

[Clef_de_fa]

so get gear to please you ... it should always be like that.

I have two 6 strings basses, one fretted and one fretless and in not so long a fretted 4 strings. No one but me cares about it and it should stay that way. I care because I like how they feel and how easy it is to play.

 

[JGbassman]

I have around 20 basses. Most have a story, and have been collected through my lifetime. Some basses go into storage and I don't play them for months, sometimes years. But it's great rediscovering them when they go into rotation. As a regular gigging musician, most of my basses are tools, and get used on stages. Most aren't worth much, but have been either on the road touring or played out. I do a lot of subbing with bands, and also am in a steady band, so I have some for certain gigs, some are tuned down, and I have five and four string models, fretted and fretless. I usually have about five ready to go for whichever project I've got going. Some basses sound better for certain styles of music as well. My favorites get played most of the time, which are about three. The rest get rotated out.

I'm at the point I'd still like to get a few more, a stingray v would be a nice sonic addition to fill a voind that isn't covered. I'd also like to get my 73 Ricky restored back to playing condition again as well. I've sold off as many basses as I've collected, and sure wish the steinburger and older jazz basses I had were still in the paddock, but it is what it is. I'm grateful to have the collection I have.

 

[jaco944]

Man I just sold a bunch of my extra basses to consolidate and turned right around and bought 3 more. I think the hoarders among us just have to go with it.

Edit: collection...collectors. Lol

 

[baileyboy]

...the less reason I see in having so many. I love basses, and I think I am at peace with the fact that collecting/hoarding is just at the foundation of who I am. The irony is that more basses I would own, the more I am inclined to think all I need is two: either two main basses; or a main bass and a backup. I say this because whatever I play, active or passve, four string or five, fretted or fretless, round wounds or flats, all audiences care about is how well I play. The last few services, I played everything on my Mustang PJ or my Peavey Fury with flats, and there is absolutely no difference in response from the audience or fellow musicians if I had used my DJ5 and my Peavey Forum V. Back in 2015, when I had a borrowed Sadowsky, only the drummer noticed, and that is because he plays a little bass too. Whether I have a First Act or Fodera, nobody cares but me.

Yup. This is why I alternate between my P and J for gigs, basically going with whichever I'm in the mood to play that evening.

 

[Duanestuermer]

I've played the same half fretless half fretted 5 string bass for almost 40 years. I "had" to go out get get another one the other day because the neck is now probably beyond repair on the old one. Ticks me off, wish the old one would have been playable until death.

 

[Old Blastard]

I too rotate my 15 basses. I play two or three times a month and sometimes four five, in two bands so each gets a two-week practice/rehearsal and 3 or 4 hour gig. They are fun

 

[Killed_by_Death]

not long ago I told myself that I would not be GASsing over stuff, but instead focusing on the playing
but I can't help myself but want that bass that's just a little better
a little lighter, a better design, stronger pickups, more frets, & on & on
maybe it's just human nature

 

[BAG]

Ha, I sat here mulling over buying another used bass today.
The only thing it would give me over what I have now is a prettier finish & a neck-thru design.

Finally I convinced myself that I can suffice with the 2 electrics & 1 u-bass that I have

This from the man that got rid of ALL his gear and then decided having just one for fun was the better bet........ since then i've seen you talking about buying all manner of gear and you're already back to three basses.....

 

[superdick2112]

I have 13 basses, and while I love having so many to choose from when heading to rehearsal or gigs, I'm beginning to feel that owning so many is a bit of a burden.
It is expensive to keep them all in fresh strings, they take up 2 closets at home, and several of them get very little playtime.
I also have other hobbies that take up chunks of my limited leisure time, not to mention the demands of work, family & life in general.
Something about turning 50 made me reflect on life and want to streamline it, clear out the unnecessary clutter and make more room & time for living.
I would like to eventually trim down my bass collection to 4 or 5 of my favorites, including;

1. Rickenbacker 4003
2. Fender Precision
3. Fender Jazz
4. Spector NS-2
5. Spector NS-4

With the 5 listed, I think I can cover any musical needs, and not miss the ones that would get sold.

 

[nostatic]

I don't think of myself as a collector or as a hoarder. If anything I want as few basses as I can, but I also have a lot of different situations I play in, have a lot of things I'm working on with my playing, and I move in and out of experimentation mode. I've bloated up to six with another pair borrowed (third on the way), and another one on order. But I'll shrink back down pretty quickly.

Today I had a gig, took 6-string and fretless 4, often found myself wishing I had my main 4-string fretted instead of the 6. Last week I was on a different gig with the 6 and it was downright perfect for what I was doing. Now, could I play all the 4-string lines on a 6? Of course. Would it feel the same? No. Would I have the same outcome? Likely not - different configurations send me in different directions in my playing.

If I had to I could drop down to a single bass, and it would be my 4-string YYD. Really my minimum is at least 3 - fretted and fretless 4, and an extended range instrument (right now I have more fretless than fretted). But then I have a Rob Allen Deep 4 fretless and a frankenFodera fretless 4 that are totally different instruments. The slippery slope is easy to step on...

 

[somebrains]

In his book "Face The Music," Paul Stanley of KISS shares two similar insights:

1. He got to have sex with many, many gorgeous women, often much more easily than guys who knew the same women and only hoped for sex with them. Despite this, he found mutual love with the right woman elusive and far more satisfying.

2. After amassing a fantastic collection of wish-list guitars, he found life no better. After selling off the collector guitars, he felt more free. He continued to enjoy playing guitar the same as if he'd never had any rare and special guitars.
​

Third point (from me): For nearly everybody in nearly every audience, the nuances of the bass player's tone, the number of frets on the bass player's neck, the number of strings on the bass, whether the bassist plays fingerstyle or slap or with a pick... these things get noticed superficially for a fleeting moment, if at all.

Basses don't give you STDs and sue for child support.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

i've seen you talking about buying all manner of gear and you're already back to three basses.....

all manner?
I bought an amp on the same day I bought a Ibanez BTB...

My current basses cost over 4x less than the ones I had in the last quarter of 2016.
It would have been overkill to order yet another one today, but I had in mind to sell one afterwards, the heaviest one

Although, I had a strange feeling come over me at Sam Ash yesterday, that it's all just a game & I already have the toys that I need to play.

 

[jmattbassplaya]

I currently have 3 but I really only play 1 of them.

My Jazz is my forever bass. My Ray is another forever bass, if only because it has a huge crack in the finish and wouldn't be worth selling. My Hofner just sits in its case. I've been trying to sell it locally for awhile now with no luck.

I would like to get a Spector sometime soon.

 

[bholder]

A collection and a horde are two different things. Each bass in a collection has a purpose.

"being part of a horde" is enough purpose.

 

[bassstrangler]

I think I'd like to get down to my Precision, Jazz, SR900 and a 885, keep my 2 Talman 310s and sell the rest, which would mean I could get the EBMM HH I want.

The stupid thing is if I would have just bought the HH to begin with I wouldn't have to sell my Ray35, a Lakland 55-01, a LTD. 6 string, a PJ parts bass and my Epiphone SG for a loss to get it.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

The stupid thing is if I would have just bought the HH to begin with I wouldn't have to sell my Ray35, a Lakland 55-01, a LTD. 6 string, a PJ parts bass and my Epiphone SG for a loss to get it.

That's exactly how I felt about the bass I almost ordered today. If I had just known about that particular model to begin with, I could have saved a lot of steps.

 

[red_rhino]

I have five and am looking to get rid of one because I don't use it, I realized I'm not a collector.

I'm finally down to 4, after peaking at 10 about 10 years ago. I will ultimately be down to three; Tobias Classic 4, Suhr jazz, & a Roscoe SKB 4. I will eventually sell the fourth, a 65 P-bass, but I'm not sure when. It's collectible, but I am not a collector and I'm not really a P-bass guy, (although it sounds fantastic).

Having a lot of stuff and/or toys has no appeal for me. I don't have a problem with acquiring stuff I can use, but if I'm not using it, then it owns me, not the other way around.

 

[kinopah]

A year ago at this time, I had 11 basses (which, I realize is not even a lot for some on here).
Now I've got TWO - a EBMM StingRay and a Cutlass, and I feel so much better about my musical life. Trying to get better about that in other areas, but it's tough!

It never really connected with me that everything I OWN, I have a responsibility for; keeping it up, storing it, and using it so I feel justified in having it. Owning a lot of stuff becomes a literal chore. It just took a long time to come to terms with what I like so that I don't miss the stuff I don't really care for.