What Motivates your Bass Collection?

[TinIndian]

Whim.

 

[ModuMan]

My Bass Collection was motivated by a Crest CA9, Ashly BP41, Symetrix Compressor through a Peavey Tour 410.

I just sold my CA9 but my BP41 isn't going anywhere. Love that pre.

 

[leesbrushes]

I guess I am not alone here.
Like I stated before I started with a guitar collection based on different tones and styles.
I have a strat.
A rg ibanez.
A schecter syn gates.
A rgt ibby..all deth metaled out.
A couple acoustics.
A 6505+ halfstack.
A fender hot rod deluxe 3
A fender champ 1970s..era.
My bass collection started with an ibby 300m
A schecter ellite 5 stilletto.
A custom shop p bass.
Now looking for a jazz.
I use a eden wt400 with a Stewart world 2.1.power amp and two 410 xlts.
I love that it sounds killer and has history.
Functional diversity... With a cool collector twist..
That's how I roll.

 

[Ric5]

What Motivates your Bass Collection?

I like to frankenstein basses

 

[Gaolee]

Whim.

Yep. Fueled by my own peculiar version of GAS.

 

[dragon2knight]

Hmmmm, can one bass constitute a "collection" ? The question is "what motivates you to get what you have", and I'm gonna say learning to play. So far my one bass at a time attitude is based entirely on what said bass can do to help me get better. If one comes along that I honestly think can help me improve, I'm on it, usually by trade or buy and then sell the one I have. One is all I am going to need for a long, long time...it's just going to change around based on what can be of use to me at the time. I have no problem's with that at all

 

[BassAt33]

Lack of funds haha. Its the reason i only have 1 bass even thought ive only been playing for 2 months. BUT it is a good one

 

[Mantis Tobaggan]

I own two and play one of them. The other one is basically retired.

 

[Planespotter]

i have a couple of Ps, a Stingray, and an EB-3L. At this point I'm not really looking for anything, but if a cool Jazz Bass or Rickenbacker 4001/3 were to present themselves for a reasonably good deal I wouldn't say no.

 

[MobileHolmes]

I don't have all that many, but I'm aiming for variety I suppose. I also like slightly oddball stuff j guess. Not a real Fender in the bunch.

Laguna P bass copy. Nice MIJ from probably the early 80s. Now has a quarter pound pickup and flats. Probably putting rounds back on soon

Carvin LB76. I have a fretted and a fretless, both maple/koa. I bought the fretted new in 1994 and it was my
Main bass for a long time. The fretless is probably from about 1992 and I picked it up cheap used in 2006.

Warmoth J- hot rodded active j with fancy guts but plain Jane looks. My
Main bass now

Stingray. Because Stingray

Warmoth P- this is still in process. More vintage style (but J neck). This will get flats, then he other P type will be back to rounds.

In the future, I'd like to add an active PJ, a higher end 6, and maybe a Rick and/or a cheap Beatle bass

 

[2cooltoolz]

I don't think of it as a collection, just stuff I want. Basically, I'm still trying to buy the stuff I thought was cool when I was 14, 1967. Tommy Wells and I used to sit in Mr. Gibson's (not that Gibson!) Science class and draw Fender "F"s . We'd ride our bikes every Saturday to G Sharp Music in Texarkana, TX to look at the same old Fenders on the wall, and Mr. Sharp would give us each a Coke, out of the fridge in the back. They probably had other guitars/basses, but I didn't notice.

I said it earlier today, but, once again, I need to pose a family pic!

I did go totally nuts a few months ago and buy a bass Leo didn't design until several years after I was 14:

 

[friendlybass]

Basically having variety of tones available.

 

[dukeorock]

Some great answers so far! I'm a full time player, so having a small handful of basses isn't really opulent. I've never been particularly into fancy, high end stuff, thankfully (to my wallet!). It's really a certain 'personality' I'm looking for in each bass. Really, one P bass with flats and one with rounds would be fine by everyone I play with, so the variety is selfish. It can be inspiring to have different sounds and feels.

I also like having different stuff from anyone else. Only 100 Gretsch Spectrasonics were made in the US, so I was happy to snap one up when I could. My Drake is literally one of a kind. Nothing like it, for better or worse

 

[Bigbri]

Greed, selfishness, egotism. Well, you asked.

M. M.

thats exactly what I was going to say....Greed.

 

[angrychair]

budget and availability

Most basses I want are hard to find.

 

[JimmyM]

Some great answers so far! I'm a full time player, so having a small handful of basses isn't really opulent. I've never been particularly into fancy, high end stuff, thankfully (to my wallet!). It's really a certain 'personality' I'm looking for in each bass. Really, one P bass with flats and one with rounds would be fine by everyone I play with, so the variety is selfish. It can be inspiring to have different sounds and feels.

I also like having different stuff from anyone else. Only 100 Gretsch Spectrasonics were made in the US, so I was happy to snap one up when I could. My Drake is literally one of a kind. Nothing like it, for better or worse

For me, the Delia is the one. I have no idea what it sounds like...all I know is I want one based on the pic alone. Probably won't get one since I tend to stick almost exclusively to P's and PJ's these days, but that's a darn pretty bass.

 

[MYLOWFREQ]

I keep buying the exact same basses over and over

Edit: seeing you guys having dozens of basses makes me feel less guilty so thank you all for that

 

[Kevan Campbell]

I guess I'm in the "variety" camp:

Not sure I have much of a "bass collection" right now, but I do have a passive P with flats, passive J with rounds and active 5'er J (though I almost always play it passive). At some point I'd love to have also have a semi-hollow, an upright, something with humbuckers and then something totally wild-and-out-there...but that's going to have to wait until I get my recording setup worked out.

 

[Fingerpickingood]

Being on TB sure doesn't help. Buncha enablers...

 

[jnsnj]

I look for bargains. Especially ones that need some work that's within my skill set. Currently have 7 basses which is the most I've ever owned. Only five of which I'm keeping and then I'll be done for a while. A four parts basses and a Lakland 55-01 that I'm working on.