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What benefit does owning multiple basses give you?

#81
P-oddz said:
Options, my friend.

......

They all respond a little different, have a different voice and output, and have different strong aspects. When I'm writing ideas, I'll often play all of them and see where they take me.
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i do this all the time. its a great way to use all my basses. another thing i like to do is use different basses for different projects - ie i have two i like to use with my originals, another i like for my tribute band, another i like for my covers band, one i like to play at home. also i like the different things i can do with them - my passive fender sounds different from my active peavey, sounds different from my 5 string, sounds different from my acoustic...ect ect ect.

to each their own i supose. i have 6 all together, and they all get regular play. love them all for different reasons.
 
#83
I've acquired many "great deals" over the years and haven't sold 'em when others came along. At this point, I have more basses than I really want to have and plan to downsize, but the economy has been so weak, I haven't wanted to take a bath on them.
Even after I sell some, I imagine I'll still keep numerous basses, just for the fun of trying different pieces from time to time.
As far as how many do I actually NEED, I'd say two: a main bass and a backup.
 
#85
As others have noted, different basses fill different roles.

I’m currently playing with one band that does a *ton* of Motown-oriented stuff, and for that reason alone, I’m glad that I can rely upon my Fender Precision to get certain Jamerson/Babbitt tones appropriate for that particular catalog. But others of my basses do a better job at handling the diversified “classic rock” tones for a wider range of cover material. It’s quite nice to have different tools for different jobs. Not essential, but definitely nice.

I can still remember the day when I first owned two cars simultaneously. I was absolutely giddy with joy asking myself: “Hmmm...Which car should I drive today?”
 
#87
garp said:
As others have noted, different basses fill different roles.

I’m currently playing with one band that does a *ton* of Motown-oriented stuff, and for that reason alone, I’m glad that I can rely upon my Fender Precision to get certain Jamerson/Babbitt tones appropriate for that particular catalog. But others of my basses do a better job at handling the diversified “classic rock” tones for a wider range of cover material. It’s quite nice to have different tools for different jobs. Not essential, but definitely nice.

I can still remember the day when I first owned two cars simultaneously. I was absolutely giddy with joy asking myself: “Hmmm...Which car should I drive today?”
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This
 
#91
A. Sonic options- A Precision with old flats, a fretless, an active bass with rounds, etc.

B. Working tool backup because mechanical or electrical things malfunction. I'm paid to play, not to troubleshoot gear st gigs.

C. Tax deductions- I gigged for money for over 25 years. One either invests back into the businesses or one pays taxes on it. I have seven basses, four guitars, and six amps (3 bass, 3 guitar) because I ran the business side of playing like a business.

John
 
#93
I always bring two to a gig. I am in three bands. The country calls for a 5er so there's two. Band two is classic rock with a female singer also requiring a five, band 3 the singer is me and I use 4s cuz there's less to deal with. 3 practice facilities and I leave a bass at each so I can ride the Harley to practice. Before I retired I did a great deal of air travel and had a Steinie for the overheads.... adds up
 
#94
Well.....turns out my most recently purchased bass is my absolute favorite. It's a 2009 Fender American Standard 4 string Jazz bass. By far, the best playing 4 string bass I've ever owned. Sounds great and it's light weight is great on my back. I play this one about 70% of the time.

But there are those times where I need that low B. For that I use my 2011 Am Std 5 string Jazz bass. It's also a great playing, great sounding bass. Heavier by about two pounds then my 4 string is and sometimes I really feel those extra two pounds in my lower back.

If I'm really hurting but still need to play a 5 string that's where my SR505 comes in very handy. At 7.5 pounds it's saved me on a few occasions.

There's also my MIJ Classic 70's P bass because everybody needs a P bass!! I actually play this one a lot as well. Probably my main home player.
 
#95
Well, I have around 7.

2 fivers (P & Jackson), 2 P (1 shorty), 1 with 3 pups (J - neck, P - middle and hum - bridge), a fretless, and an EUB. Prices range from 100$ - 1300$ -ish.

Can I manage with one bass? Yup, I can. There were times when I had to.

I have more than one just for my self-satisfaction, as plain as that. Getting new bass makes me happy. Honestly, I don't really need a fretless with my current band. I haven't bring my EUB to a gig in years. I just love to have them.
 
#96
I am involved in a project at my school where we are upgrading the antenna wire used for HAM radio on the outside of a building. The project will involve working pretty high off the ground. We could get away with using ladders but a bucket truck was offered by a friend of the project coordinator. One guy involved actually said out loud "Why do we need the bucket truck if we can do it with ladders?" It was all I could do not to punch him in the neck (not literally). Nobody NEEDS a bucket truck. But if you get the chance to play with a bucket truck, YOU TAKE IT.

This is how I feel about multiple basses. Anyone who asks why you NEED multiple basses should to be punched in the neck.

(Again.... not literally) :cool:
 
#99
Lately, I find myself using just two basses..... my '08 CS '59 P, strung with TIJF's, and my '08 MIA P, strung with nickel rounds. Both cover a lot of territory, and I could probably get by with just one or the other. But why try/fight to get a flat tone out of rounds or a round sound out of flats?
 
#100
Steve Wishnevsky (Wish of Wishbass fame) says "I make paintbrushes for musicians".
Well said! Can you do a whole painting with a #7 sable brush? Probably.
Would some other sizes and stiffnesses be helpful? Probably!
A quiver of basses is much like a toolbelt. Gonna build a house with one tool? Good luck.
 

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