I have 2 MIM P's but one is white with a maple fretboard and the other is sunburst with a black PG and rosewood fretboard..... I lke how both play so thats why I have two but not identical....
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Two identical basses (stupid -?-)
- Thread starter Juan Count
- Start date
Can I say both options? I have a variety of basses, but I also have two pairs of basses that are identical to each other that I play live in case I break a string or something goes wrong... I figure it is easier on the soundperson to have two with the same output and tone and whatnot.
Let's think big, I advocate two each of a variety of basses...
In all fairness, this is like asking someone else how to part your hair.
It's your decision.
In all fairness, this is like asking someone else how to part your hair.
It's your decision.
I don't get it.
Why does anyone concern themselves with what other's do with their money and what basses they buy?
Someone could buy five of the exact same basses and it wouldn't concern me at all. None of my business. Nor would I judge them for it. People like what they like and play/buy what they choose to.
People are weird.
Why does anyone concern themselves with what other's do with their money and what basses they buy?
Someone could buy five of the exact same basses and it wouldn't concern me at all. None of my business. Nor would I judge them for it. People like what they like and play/buy what they choose to.
People are weird.
I keep a second bass on stage in case I break a string. I really hate stopping a show for a busted string, a bad input jack, a pulled out strap screw, or whatever... Crap happens and it's easier just to grab the other one.
Personally, I have 2 different basses. They both serve their respective purposes. The Steinberger sounds clean and rich and has that 80's thing and the Sterling has that aggressive crunch, and the Hipshot D tuner. That works for me.
I do know of one guy who has two identical basses on stage with him (I think they might have different pick guards to tell them apart). HIS thought is that if he breaks a string, when he switches basses he wants the same tone and he loves cream Jazzes. Also, he keeps one tuned down to D.
Thar ya go. Two different schools of thought. Neither are wrong.
Personally, I have 2 different basses. They both serve their respective purposes. The Steinberger sounds clean and rich and has that 80's thing and the Sterling has that aggressive crunch, and the Hipshot D tuner. That works for me.
I do know of one guy who has two identical basses on stage with him (I think they might have different pick guards to tell them apart). HIS thought is that if he breaks a string, when he switches basses he wants the same tone and he loves cream Jazzes. Also, he keeps one tuned down to D.
Thar ya go. Two different schools of thought. Neither are wrong.
If your a pro (I'm not), yes identical would be my vote for the main bass, it's a backup.
But other than as a backup, I would not want identical.
My Fretless is an exact copy of my main bass except for the frets (and color) for ease of switching back and forth, but it's still not "identical".
For me though I can change my sound and tone enough that different slabs aren't different enough so I'm not searching, but a hollow body or EUB or URB would be a different enough sound to tempt me.
But other than as a backup, I would not want identical.
My Fretless is an exact copy of my main bass except for the frets (and color) for ease of switching back and forth, but it's still not "identical".
For me though I can change my sound and tone enough that different slabs aren't different enough so I'm not searching, but a hollow body or EUB or URB would be a different enough sound to tempt me.
sj_bass
Supporting Member
HaMMerHeD said:
I would like to have two black/maple P's for my Floyd tribute, done just this way.
Although variety is always good most of the time, there is nothing wrong with owning two of the same bass. However, usually no two basses are 100% identical in either look or sound. If you love a bass there is nothing wrong with getting another like it if you know what you could expect. As for variety you can experiment obviously by owning say Ric, P, and Ray basses. It really depends on your personal preferences.
I didn't vote because i have two different opinions depending on what I'm doing. I tour with a j bass tuned to Eb (1/2 down on standard for vocals live) and a 4 string sting tuned to Ab. i tune a 4 sting like the top low four stings on a 5 sting because i like wider sting spacing for live. tow different basses DOES NOT help here because when i switch live i have to compensate for the difference b/t the outputs. one always ends up being louder, even if i change from the active to passive. i've even reversed wired a series/parallel switch (when down its series as apposed to the traditional parallel in the down position) on the j bass to make the difference less drastic. i'm in the process of saving up for a radial tonebone to fix this.
my other side of the argument is much shorter. in the studio i like the versatility. done.
my votes would cancel each other out so i'll opt out of this vote.
my other side of the argument is much shorter. in the studio i like the versatility. done.
my votes would cancel each other out so i'll opt out of this vote.
Owning 2 darn-close basses is only really pointless if you can't afford it. It's like tied up GAS money, for me at least.
At one point, I had 2 Jazz Deluxes and despite different body woods, the tone was damn close. So yeah, one had to go so I could get some variety in the stable.
Now if I gigged for a living, I'd DEFINITELY want 2 very close basses.
But as a fan of variety, a victim of this poor economy and a hobbyist musician, I'm not down with twin basses.
I won't knock someone for it though... diff'rent strokes...
At one point, I had 2 Jazz Deluxes and despite different body woods, the tone was damn close. So yeah, one had to go so I could get some variety in the stable.
Now if I gigged for a living, I'd DEFINITELY want 2 very close basses.
But as a fan of variety, a victim of this poor economy and a hobbyist musician, I'm not down with twin basses.
I won't knock someone for it though... diff'rent strokes...
Well, I guess it doesn't make sense generally, but a while back when I started on my quest to return to the world of flats (30 years away), I realized that it was not going to be simple if I had to keep restringing the same bass each time I picked up another set to try... so I decided to get a few 'cheap but decent' basses to do my evaluating on ... long story short, I have 4 Identical (except for color) Squier Standard Jazz's ... they turned out to be a perfect platform for A/B/C/D comparing strings simultaneously ...
Interesting development, is that I actually ended up really liking the neck profile of these bass's, and they are quite frankly decent little workhorses that I dont mind playing out. These are quite inexpensive when bought used, and certain years are better than others ...
If it sounds crazy to someone to have 2 identical bass's, then I would hate to think how they feel about 4 identical ... but the bottom line is that it is a non-issue what someone else thinks, as it made sense to me and has worked out well to be able to conduct my own testing, in my own environment, side by side in a 'shootout' format with all things equal ...
Interesting development, is that I actually ended up really liking the neck profile of these bass's, and they are quite frankly decent little workhorses that I dont mind playing out. These are quite inexpensive when bought used, and certain years are better than others ...
If it sounds crazy to someone to have 2 identical bass's, then I would hate to think how they feel about 4 identical ... but the bottom line is that it is a non-issue what someone else thinks, as it made sense to me and has worked out well to be able to conduct my own testing, in my own environment, side by side in a 'shootout' format with all things equal ...
When they first came out I bought 2 Fender Jazz Bass Plus 5s They were not identical though ....one had a Pau Ferro F board and the other was Maple. They were the same color though......
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
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- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
GAS for many basses + limited funds = variety more important. Before reading this thread I never thought about owning two identical basses.
A person only can play ONE Bass at a time, so why the hell would you want 2?
...unless you happen to be Michael Manring in which case you sometimes play 3 basses at once.
Michael Manring - My Three Moons - YouTube
Unless you're on national tour and have someone handing you basses to play for free I can't see the sense in having two identical basses unless that's your signature bass or something. I guess we can assume you're not Gene Simmons so that second one is probably out.
I think most bassists would prefer two different basses. One a P style and the a J style. One of them a 4 string and the other a 5. That's probably how you can best cover a lot of ground tonally for the lowest $$$ outlay and biggest bang for the buck.
Although I will say that the quality level and pricing of this Squier CV line makes it a little easier on the pocket book to own two indentical CV Basses for less then the price of one MIA Standard Bass. To me a PBass and a JBass or variations on that theme are always a nice pair to have.
I think most bassists would prefer two different basses. One a P style and the a J style. One of them a 4 string and the other a 5. That's probably how you can best cover a lot of ground tonally for the lowest $$$ outlay and biggest bang for the buck.
Although I will say that the quality level and pricing of this Squier CV line makes it a little easier on the pocket book to own two indentical CV Basses for less then the price of one MIA Standard Bass. To me a PBass and a JBass or variations on that theme are always a nice pair to have.
