What's your bass-owning philosophy?

[LanEvo]

I've gone several years with just one bass. There were other periods where I've had literally dozens. At this point in my life, I kind of feel like too many basses is just unneeded clutter.

My current approach is that I want to have one bass of each "type" ... and it's got to be really special for me to hang onto it. Right now, that looks like this:

• Soul/R&B bass (aka, PBass with flats): My 48th Street Custom Guitars (the old ESP custom shop) 1960s style PBass strung with TI Jazz Flats.
  
• Rock bass (aka, PBass with rounds): Yamaha Attitude Limited I with Rotosound Sheehan sigs (naturally).
  
• Fretless bass: Curbow Petite Natural strung with LaBella Rx steels. Nails the bassy/growly Bakithi Kumalo tone. Gets pretty close to the nasal Jaco tone with some EQ and technique.
  
• Something weird: My current oddball bass is a '69 Dan Armstrong that's getting rebuilt by my tech. Haven't played it yet, so I can't say if it'll stick around. Very cool, though!

After 30 years of gear insanity, I've settled on what I'd call a pragmatic approach: one truly exceptional example for each category of playing I enjoy.

What's your philosophy of bass ownership?

 

[lomo]

I wouldn't call it a "philosophy", but I do have my own idiosyncratic guidelines:
1 ABG. 1 headless bass for travel. 2 basses at home in town, 2 at the cabin and 1 Fender (all 5 string 5ers).
I could get down to 2 without pain. Getting to 1 would be painful. Staying at 7 is luxurious.

 

[Gorn]

It’s a recreational activity. I’m not a working musician so I don’t need a bass at all, but I like having one, so I have one. It’s a Fender Jazz bass.

 

[hrodbert696]

For me, it's by gig, and then having a backup. For instance, my "Duck Dunn" P with J neck is the #1 for the Blues Bros. tribute. I can bring one of the other four-strings (I have two others) to back it up in an emergency. The "Old Man" (a custom P with rounds) is the #1 bass for Mugshot Monday (bar band), unless I need a fifth string, for which songs I grab Batgirl (a Yamaha BB415). The Oddball is a Godin fretless A4 I use almost exclusively in church. And so on. I have seven altogether, and could get by with less, but really it would be maybe four or five to cover all my uses. I can't imagine getting dozens except for pure self-indulgence.

The other thing is that most of my basses are unique one way or another, so that's part of why I got each and keep it. The exception is "Tuxedo," a plain stock black-and-white Yamaha BB435, and in some ways that's what makes IT unique - it's sort of the neutral all-purpose bass that I can use in any situation.

 

[FunkHead]

I have several different basses. Mayones, p-basses, Rickenbacker. They all work for me for classic rock, blues, funk/soul.
I just eq for the sound I want and adjust my right hand position and attack.
I am using a fretless Pbass with GHS precision flats for Jeff Beck songs. Works great. Maybe they’ll Mellow out and be too thumps but for now they are fantastic.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

I don't need a fretless or upright.
It must look good and stand out visually and feel good in my hands , light weight, quality build, good components, produce sounds I desire.
5 strings with a good low B ( I need at least 2 that bring something different to the table ) but can both hold down the music the I play. I need passive and active when so desired. MusicMan stye is preferred . I love those pickups at the sweet spot and bridge.

I need at least 1 Pbass with flats for when I want that specific sound.

3 basses is the ideal count for me. Anything over that isn't really necessary. The Sire is technically my husbands. When he admits that he isn't interested anymore, it will be gone. But for now it is nice to have around.

 

[bassicmike]

Space.

How much space do I have, and how many basses will that space hold?

The answer is 2.

Which is good, as I've really only used one bass (Lull M4V) for close to 15 years.

 

[nFinnyD]

I started with a cheap 4 string P copy and then got a second one that I took the frets out of. Then I was always tuning down so I got a mid tier 5 string PJ, then I got a mid tier 4 string PH, then a short scale 5 that I upgraded from PJ to PH. That was good but I never wanted to use the 4s, so I sold the better 4(for a nice profit!) and got a Squier VI very recently. Pretty set with this as far as basses go(guitars is a bit different story). If I get another bass it will be a good fretless that I’m guessing will also be 5 string. The starter two will likely always stay as I couldn’t get any money for them anyhow(and the fretless has boss syb5 under the fretboard.

 

[lug]

1 more

 

[droo46]

I buy basses I like, and then tell myself it's too much work to try and sell them.

 

[Mustang Surly]

Space.

How much space do I have, and how many basses will that space hold?

The answer is 2.

Which is good, as I've really only used one bass (Lull M4V) for close to 15 years.

"Space...the final frontier..."

 

[WG Plum]

Philosophy? No, more like 'oooooh, new shiny'. I've managed to tamp that down in the last few years though. I went absolutely nuts in the eurorack and synth world, but now that I have that out of my system, I'm very content with a fretted P, a fretless Jazz, and a fretless PJ short scale. I can fit into just about any situation with the P.

 

[babaseen]

I like to have options although recently I have been thinking about scaling down but I love them all so its hard to decide which one or two to sell. You can see what I have in my Talkbass profile if you have suggestions as to what I should let go.

 

[LanEvo]

Philosophy? No, more like 'oooooh, new shiny'.

When I first started making good money a few years ago, I went on a bender and bought just about every bass/guitar I dreamed about as a HS kid in the '80s and college student in the early '90s.

There were Steinbergers (more than one!), Pedulla Buzz, Charvel Model 1B, a couple of 1950's Les Pauls (Juniors and Specials), Gibson Les Paul "Recording" Bass, Vigier Passion, Ibanez GWB-1, Yamaha Attitude Limited (I'm on my third!), Linc Luthier, Leduc UBass, ESP "PPJ" Yamashiita signature, countless Jazz Basses, etc. etc.

After all that, I've found I end up picking up a PBass 99% of the time.

 

[mrcbass]

I try to own what I need. Right now that is:
2 Ps (one for backup)
2 Fretless jazz (one for backup)
1 PJ (ordered) armed with rounds for a new project that needs a bit more bite than flats will provide.

My backup P will have rounds so that it will sonically backup for both my P with flats and PJ. It won't really do either real well, but in a pinch I can make noises I need similar to each of the other basses.

I do have 3 other basses the need to get moved.

I do seem to have a little bit of hoarder in my blood - hard to get rid of anything that "might" have use "someday". But I do make an effort to get rid of stuff that doesn't get used after awhile.

 

[wazzel]

I buy basses I like, and then tell myself it's too much work to try and sell them.

I have the same approach. Good thing I only get the itch for a new bass about every 10 years.

 

[dalkowski]

My current bass-owning philosophy: "For sale."

 

[SunByrne]

The correct number of basses to own is n + 1, where n is the number currently owned.

 

[TheReceder]

1 Bass for tuning Down
1 Bass for Standard tuning

15 basses to make sure there's not enough room in my music room for my wife to put her stuff in there.

 

[AGCurry]

I try to own what I need.

Yes. If I can't imagine taking one to a gig, or recording with it, out it goes.

I have shoulder pain after I have a guitar strapped on for awhile, so light weight is a big factor. I have three nice bass guitars now, two of which I will sell because they're too heavy for me. The Aerodyne Jazz will stay, and I'm awaiting delivery of a very lightweight Precision. Most of my playing is double bass anyway.