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I think I have eleven, we are downsizing so my plan is to get down to half of that. All Fenders.
In my apartment I have room for 5 basses/guitars, space is my main limiting factor.
When you are going thru your closet and pull out a bass you forgot you even had.
It's really quite simple...when more than one's collecting dust.
I picked never because none of the answers were even close to right except never. How do you know when you're done? Well you kind of never do. I know people who said they only needed one and bought a second one. At one time I had 15. I drew the line after that and sold off a bunch but I wasn't done buying. I think I'm done now with 9 because I have a good cross section of basses that do different things, and 3 main PJ's that do exactly what I want out of a PJ. I'm not ruling out a wild hair in the future, but I'm not looking and it would have to be so insanely insane all the way around that I couldn't turn it down.
not a simple question at all!
none of your poll options worked for me. because ultimately i'd like to have 5 or 6 basses, not necessarily pricey but that fill my needs. some of those needs are tonal, some are ergonomic or weight related.
my latest bass, a 24.75" inch scale smallguitars.com bass, fills a previously unfilled spot for me, as i wanted a bass light enough that i could play it while standing with no major neck dive and small enough that on bad shoulder days it won't hurt to play. it's pretty thumpy, too, with a slim neck.
i have a long scale i can play on good shoulder days with minimal pain after playing. there are better basses out there than my GSR100EX, but it's comfortable. and when i want to play long runs or some kinds of metal that are best on a 34" scale bass, this is the one.
i have my bronco, which i find i like a lot more than i expected. cheap? you bet - it doesn't even have a separate fingerboard. but i can play it most days, and find this one has better build quality than the others i tried. the 30" scale is perfect for most music, a good compromise.
my mezzo filled two spots, because while i mostly prefer passive basses, i like the idea of having one active bass. that and it's got a 32" scale, a rarity these days. and it's roadster orange - i always wanted a roadster orange bass
so what's missing for me is a bass with naturally bitey tone, a little growl, if you will. at this point, that could mean a jazz bass or maybe a sterling by music man short scale. a jazz bass is a heavy beast with poor ergonomics for my shoulders, but i was considered putting jazz bass pickups into something smaller since i got my husband his squier jazz and it's 10 1/2 pounds of awesome.
and things change - people change. this is the group that would make me happy now or a year ago. i could suddenly decide i'd love a lap steel bass or a lighter version of a steinberger or an electric standup. none of those are outside the realm of possibility.
maybe someday a small travel acoustic, but no one makes one i'd be interested. my husband has a lot of projects on his bench and not much time, but someday if he has time i might ask him about this. it's not a priority for me - i'm pretty happy with my current herd.
My group consists of an active 5-string w/rounds, P w/ flats, P w/rounds, funky single coil P with flats(atm) and a PJ with rounds(atm). All these basses see frequent action(pre Covid19). I’ve tried adding variations to the group...a nice Gretsch, Ric, Jazz...all great instruments but not comfortable ergonomically. I’m still not ruling out a Jazz with a fatter/rounder neck profile.
These variations found their way in because they were too good to pass-up price wise and I made money buying, trying and selling each one of them. That’s my formula.
I do have a couple of project basses floating around as well...I doubt they’re going to make the cut though.
These variations found their way in because they were too good to pass-up price wise and I made money buying, trying and selling each one of them. That’s my formula.
I do have a couple of project basses floating around as well...I doubt they’re going to make the cut though.
I buy basses for the strings and action I have in mind. Pickups are also important. Wood type not so much as long as it isn't an anchor. Neck types are varied. I like Jazz necks and also larger Precision necks. I love it all.
If gigging you need at least two basses. One as a backup on stage. I’ve reduced my pack to three. Two heirs and a spare!
When you start buying new because you can't reach or find the one you've got.
I probably went through everything type of bass over the years to realise I prefer passive J basses. An expensive lesson but I’m not sure how else you learn unless you play a instrument for a while. I liked my EBMM Stingray which was very well built but has limited sounds due to having one humbucker. The neck was wider than a J (even wider than the P I had) but the 11inch radius made it comfortable to play. I am still tempted by a Stingray with two humbuckers and the five way switch but I still prefer the J neck. My Sandberg has a 38mm neck with 14inch radius. Probably the most comfortable neck I’ve played.
