What Motivates your Bass Collection?

[dukeorock]

I'll start off by saying I'm NOT a collector by any stretch. I just like each bass to bring something a little different to the table than the others...

Left to Right;

Fender AM STD Precision-

it has flats with a Fralin 5% overwound pickup. Great thump and punch. Gets that awesome Carol Kaye sound but really I could use this bass on nearly every gig I do. I love a good P bass with round wound strings, but for whatever reason, this one seems to prefer flats.

Dingwall Super J/P-

The clearest, cleanest sounding bass I own. Records really well and plays great. On a couple of my gigs it sounds a bit too hifi, but it's an awesome bass when the situation calls for it.

Drake Custom 35" scale-

TV Jones blade pickups. With rounds, this is my ROCK! bass. Slightly dark and growly. With flats it reminds me of a Gibson Ripper. I ordered the 35" scale for BEAD tuning, but I pretty much never do that. Glad to know I can though

Gretsch/ TV Jones Spectrasonic-

TV Jones Thundertron pickups and heavily chambered. Probably my favorite playing bass. Has the growl of a J with the thump of a P. Can sound an awful lot like a Harmony H22 but plays better, IMO. I tend to prefer this one with round wound strings.

First Act Custom Shop Delia-

Laugh it up, but those couple years First Act had a custom shop, they cranked out some seriously cool stuff. Darkstar in the front and Kent Armstrong humbucker in the bridge. Widest variety of sounds than any passive bass I've ever owned with the possible exception of the Peavey T-40.

Bluesman Vintage El Dorado-

Early 60's Jazz tone and feel, for when you gotta have 'that' sound!

What motivates you? Curious to know what makes others choose their basses!

 

[JxBass]

Years ago I collected vintage basses from the 60's-70's: a '64 T-Bird, Ric 4001s and a '67 4005, Fender Precisions and Jazz basses, Guilds, Martins, etc. All were in absolute mint condition and irreplaceable, cost-wise, for me. After 10-15 years I sold them all, no regrets.

Currently I'm taking in basses form the 70's to 90's that are in need of repair and restoration, including some MIJ Lawsuit basses. It's been fun replacing pickups and pots, doing rewiring of electronics, refinishing the bodies, repairing truss rods, etc.

 

[dukeorock]

Years ago I collected vintage basses from the 60's-70's: a '64 T-Bird, Ric 4001s and a '67 4005, Fender Precisions and Jazz basses, Guilds, Martins, etc. All were in absolute mint condition and irreplaceable, cost-wise, for me. After 10-15 years I sold them all, no regrets.

Currently I'm taking in basses form the 70's to 90's that are in need of repair and restoration, including some MIJ Lawsuit basses. It's been fun replacing pickups and pots, doing rewiring of electronics, refinishing the bodies, repairing truss rods, etc.

I can get behind that kind of logic! Sounds like fun

Ric 4005is on my list of dream basses though!

 

[JxBass]

Ric 4005is on my list of dream basses though!

The '64 T-Bird and '67 4005 were the two most collectible basses I ever owned. I made a great profit on both, though if I still had them the profit would be through the roof!

 

[bholder]

I think the evidence would indicate that "insanity" is my motivation.

 

[godofthunder59]

My rules for collecting are USA or vintage, by my own admission often broken.

 

[EdO.]

My own motivation is two fold - 1) I like "cool looking", slightly out of the ordinary body shapes, and 2) I'm looking for a particular sounding instrument that punches but offers something different from the basic classic Fender sound.

I basically learned to play on a '74 Ric 4001 (bought new, originally for its looks) that I later sold to fund the 1980 MM Stingray I still own (sound and variety of tones). I have a Steinberger XT-2 I really enjoy playing, always wanted one cause I think they're cool looking. In the past few months I've added my Epi Thunderbird Pro V 5-string (both looks and sound, always wanted a T-Bird!) and a Danelectro Longhorn (looks more than the sound although I'm discovering some pretty cool tones from this bass).

Only things left on the list that really interest me are a newer 4004 Ric and another T-Bird, 4-string classic brown burst. The Ric may be a ways off due to cost but I'm looking at T-Birds...

 

[jaybones]

GAS

 

[blindrabbit]

I'll start off by saying I'm NOT a collector by any stretch. I just like each bass to bring something a little different to the table than the others...
View attachment 809913

Left to Right;

Fender AM STD Precision-

it has flats with a Fralin 5% overwound pickup. Great thump and punch. Gets that awesome Carol Kaye sound but really I could use this bass on nearly every gig I do. I love a good P bass with round wound strings, but for whatever reason, this one seems to prefer flats.

Dingwall Super J/P-

The clearest, cleanest sounding bass I own. Records really well and plays great. On a couple of my gigs it sounds a bit too hifi, but it's an awesome bass when the situation calls for it.

Drake Custom 35" scale-

TV Jones blade pickups. With rounds, this is my ROCK! bass. Slightly dark and growly. With flats it reminds me of a Gibson Ripper. I ordered the 35" scale for BEAD tuning, but I pretty much never do that. Glad to know I can though

Gretsch/ TV Jones Spectrasonic-

TV Jones Thundertron pickups and heavily chambered. Probably my favorite playing bass. Has the growl of a J with the thump of a P. Can sound an awful lot like a Harmony H22 but plays better, IMO. I tend to prefer this one with round wound strings.

First Act Custom Shop Delia-

Laugh it up, but those couple years First Act had a custom shop, they cranked out some seriously cool stuff. Darkstar in the front and Kent Armstrong humbucker in the bridge. Widest variety of sounds than any passive bass I've ever owned with the possible exception of the Peavey T-40.

Bluesman Vintage El Dorado-

Early 60's Jazz tone and feel, for when you gotta have 'that' sound!

What motivates you? Curious to know what makes others choose their basses!

Nice collection! Any time you want to let that Spectrasonic go, let me know.

 

[ModuMan]

"Hmm, don't have one of those...
Or a 6-string
Fretless?
Oh yeah, an 8-string
Composite neck
P-bass w/flats, duh
Those MM Classics are great
Wal, dream bass
Something lighter
Even lighter
Always wanted an Ex-Factor
Wow, what a bargain!
Eh, it will do until I get a 5-string version
I like this bass but maybe a custom version to get *exactly* what I want.
Fiesta Red is my favorite color."

etc...

 

[kkaarrll]

I get what I want

then i play it

 

[blowinblue]

Greed, selfishness, egotism. Well, you asked.

M. M.

 

[12stringbassist]

I tend to come across something I don't have and think it looks sexy.
Like the original Squier Classic Vibe and VM 50's style basses. Great basses for their price.
An Eastwood Classic 4 was the same thing.
Recently I sprang for a Rick copy that was a complete one-off and pimped it up a bit to finish it off.

Basically if it looks really cool, I start getting GAS for it.

The Gretsch in the top photo is stirring my loins....

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[aaronious]

I like cool looks and different tones. I'm constantly hunting for 80's Ibanez basses. The RB's specifically. Lots of tone and cool factor for not a lot of money.
I recently started a thread about Fender basses that flopped. Unique Fender's, huge fan of Japan Fender's. And weird old 70's lawsuit stuff.
Sound wise, they all have to have the ability to get dark and growly. I play mostly blues and I like to just grab one and go. But I do have a Squier VM jazz specifically for funkin things up.

 

[BassHappy]

Great topic....

Thanks for posting, Duke.

We have all had the experience - it's rare to pick up a bass without going - "Man this bass would be perfect except........"

I love all my basses. None of them are perfect - but I wish they were. But they all represent something different for me. How I interpret and feel about a certain piece of music - depends on which bass is in my hands. That is how it is for me. Certain basses force me to play a certain way - and that is a very good thing. All of my basses work together to create my "palette" - the colors I choose to paint with in the studio. Certain music calls for certain sounds, and if you are smart you string them up with different types of strings and you have absolute diversity in your arsenal. It's all about learning for me.

My basses teach me - they teach me something on an ongoing basis. Something is always there to learn about the music that I am creating, or the music I am asked to play. So you try this and you try that and and you seek that perfection - and along the way you fall in love with the imperfection.

You ultimately realize that you need to grab and go. Creativity and inspiration can be both incredibly fickle and elusive - you never want to lose that moment. Don't ever lose that moment. My only advice is - no matter what, don't ever lose that moment. If you have a need for a different sound, and you have to stop and get that spare bass out of the closet or out from under the bed - I guarantee you the inspiration will be long gone. Not only will you lose that moment, but us - your potential audience - will lose out as well.

So I collect basses that I play and use - and I am headed into 20 plus territory - but only to play and to add to my palette. I don't sell and I don't flip and I don't buy on a whim. I want what I have. We should all want what we have.

Just my two cents.

Peace.

 

[Doner Designs]

I'll start off by saying I'm NOT a collector by any stretch. I just like each bass to bring something a little different to the table than the others...
View attachment 809913

Left to Right;

Fender AM STD Precision-

it has flats with a Fralin 5% overwound pickup. Great thump and punch. Gets that awesome Carol Kaye sound but really I could use this bass on nearly every gig I do. I love a good P bass with round wound strings, but for whatever reason, this one seems to prefer flats.

Dingwall Super J/P-

The clearest, cleanest sounding bass I own. Records really well and plays great. On a couple of my gigs it sounds a bit too hifi, but it's an awesome bass when the situation calls for it.

Drake Custom 35" scale-

TV Jones blade pickups. With rounds, this is my ROCK! bass. Slightly dark and growly. With flats it reminds me of a Gibson Ripper. I ordered the 35" scale for BEAD tuning, but I pretty much never do that. Glad to know I can though

Gretsch/ TV Jones Spectrasonic-

TV Jones Thundertron pickups and heavily chambered. Probably my favorite playing bass. Has the growl of a J with the thump of a P. Can sound an awful lot like a Harmony H22 but plays better, IMO. I tend to prefer this one with round wound strings.

First Act Custom Shop Delia-

Laugh it up, but those couple years First Act had a custom shop, they cranked out some seriously cool stuff. Darkstar in the front and Kent Armstrong humbucker in the bridge. Widest variety of sounds than any passive bass I've ever owned with the possible exception of the Peavey T-40.

Bluesman Vintage El Dorado-

Early 60's Jazz tone and feel, for when you gotta have 'that' sound!

What motivates you? Curious to know what makes others choose their basses!

I started out trying different things and then narrowed things down when I figured out what I like. Now they are all identical in spec except for the woods and the pickup types.

Old Diverse Lineup

New Lineup of Warmoth J's

 

[joebar]

I want a bass authentic to every occasion with little overlap.

 

[wraub]

I always buy the best sounding, best playing, best built gear that I can get for cheap.

 

[Pet Sounds]

I'm into old-school music, so I like old-school basses. Consequently, I've picked up too many Fenders, Rickenbackers, Stingrays and Hofners over the years, too many of which I still own! My only saving grace is that I'm not into newer designs and boutique basses.

 

[Milo's]

My motivation is a combination of things. Though I'm driven to buy basses that fit the tonal needs of the band I'm in, the decision often comes down to aesthetics and personal taste.

In the past I primarily played a Jazz V for a hardcore group I was in. Now that I'm playing more straight forward rock I've been picking up vintage basses that fit my needs. Namely, I just acquired a 1982 Gibson Ripper that is absolutely perfect to play. I also have a 1981 Peavey T-40 that is a total tone factory. Lastly, right now I have a Gibson Nikki Sixx Blackbird that is a lot more modern than the last two, but it sounds awesome and plays heavy.

The decision to acquire those basses was certainly out of wanting to fit a certain tonal profile to complement the band's overall sound. Secondly, I like cool old basses with lots of switches. The Ripper and T-40 scratch that itch for me. The Blackbird balances it all out by having only a kill switch.

I plan on playing the hell out of them all, but certainly won't feel bad thinning the herd if I am not getting along with any of them for some reason or another. I think the Ripper has found it's forever home with me however. I'm still out trolling along looking for the right Ovation Magnum or old aluminium necked Kramer. Those will have to come later.

I'm curious to see what others have to say about their personal motivation to acquire basses. It has certainly become quite a fun pastime for me, and I've been able to try, buy and trade many basses due to talkbass and it's members. This forum is truly great.