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Why do you own so many basses?

#41
I have no reason except I have some deep seated impractical need to find the world's best sounding bass . I bought a 1990 Fender 62-JB reissue from a shop in Japan two months ago and it met my goal and rather than be happy , I bought another jazz and did a mod/relic on it . Now , I'm thinking about buying a fantastic sounding Tokai JB I played the other day . :drool: :eyebrow::thumbsup::rage::woot: ...............I don't know ? :help:
 
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#43
Greenman72 said:
So....if you can only play one at a time, why do you own more than one?

--------------------

For me: I had a cheap beginner 4-string with PJ pickups. (1 bass)

I thought I wanted to start playing a 5-string, so I bought an (otherwise identical) 5-string. (2 basses)

Then I thought "hey--I like humbucker pickups better". So I bought 4-string HH. (3)

Then I thought "hey--I should get a 5-string HH." (4)

Then my bass teacher died (TB's own Michael Stanley. RIP.), and gave me one of his. (5 basses)

Then I learned that my favorite band, Type O Negative, tuned their instruments to B-standard. So I bought a 4-string tuned to BEAD. (6 basses)

Then I learned that not all songs are in standard tuning, so I bought another 4-string HH that I could use in alternative tunings, like C# standard. (7 basses)

Then I found a 1980 model Aria Pro II on Reverb. Since I'm a 1980 model, I just thought I'd go ahead and buy it. No real reason why. (8 basses)

An Esh Stinger I (the "Peter Steele" bass) popped up on Reverb, and since I'm a huge TON fan, I snagged it. (9 basses)

I liked the Esh so much that I bought another one. This one is EADG tuning. (The other one is in BEAD tuning.) (10 basses)

I bought a 5-sting fanned-fret bass, but don't like it. It's about to get traded in for a 5-string version of the Esh Stinger 1. (11 basses)

I bought a cheap "travel bass" from a friend. It's a piece of junk, so I don't really mind if it gets dinged a little bit. (12 basses)

I bought a jazz bass, because every "real bassist" needs a jazz bass. Now it's got flats on it. (13 basses)

-----------
So that's it. 13 basses. I think I'm in "one in, one out" territory now.
Click to expand...
No P bass!?!?
 
#45
I’ve thought about this a lot.

The best answer(s) I can come up with are:

1) I like to see what different basses are like, IF something about it speaks to me.

2) I appreciate curvy woodworking. My grandfather when I was growing up did woodwork as a hobby, and I grew to appreciate it. That appreciation reminds me of him indirectly.

3) Then the dysfunctional reason: when something in my life is bugging me, I will deflect it by looking for a distraction. Online hunting and the thrill of finding rare Spectors is a fantastic distraction. Sometimes I am too good at it for my own good.
 
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#48
Variety, fantasy, and nostalgia mostly. 9 basses total. The idea that you can only use one bass at a time, so you should pick a favorite and get rid of the rest, holds little merit to me. Why would anyone need a whole chest of mechanic tools if you can only use one at a time? Because a 10mm box end won't help you unscrew a 1/4" internal hex drive fastener. All of my basses differ from each other and only two are the same brand...they are tools for different tasks.

My amp collection totals around 60 :bag:. Curiosity and fascination were big factors. Top items on my bucket list: Sunn 2000s, Ashdown BTA 400, Peavy VB-MA. I don't need any of them and I am in no rush. Only time will tell if I ever own any of them.

I am also tempted by the Aguilar DB810. I have absolutely no practical use for a cab like this.
 
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#50
JRA said:
the whole time i played for a living i had one (sometimes two ;) ). the only reason i have more than one these days = fun!

i have seven playable axes ATM...so i'm having a lot of fun! 🤣
Click to expand...
Same here.

Towards the end of my performance career I bought a few new basses to try and rekindle my love of playing. It didn't have the desired affect, but I do enjoy the basses.
 
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#52
I have 3, and I love each one b/c they are different.

2003 Fender American Standard Jazz bass, sunburst (maple neck and fretboard). This was my first "real" bass.
2000 Fender Hot Rod PJ, surf green with matching headstock (maple neck, rosewood fretboard)
2020 American Original 50's Precision, transparent white blonde with nitro finish, neck replaced with a roasted maple neck/fretboard

With these 3, I can cover some sonic ground, and look good doing so! Different woods, fretboard materials, pups, finishes.

That said, my PJ and P get all the play. The Jazz stays in the closet, the precision basses are JUST THAT GOOD!
 
#56
A hammer, and a flathead screwdriver is not a set of tools.
Sure, it'll get you through some jobs, but be utterly inadequate for others.
At my peak I had:
P with Flats
P with Rounds
J with Flats
J with Rounds
PJ Fretless with Rounds
PJ Fretted Active/Passive with Rounds
ABG with Tapes
No two sounded the same.
 
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#58
To try many different sounds for different styles of music with different musicians.

This approach eventually brought me to get 4 basses : 1 p bass with rounds, 1 p bass with flats, 1 jazz bass with rounds and 1 jazz bass with flats. All I needed to play 98% of my songs.

Then I started building basses such as the one in my avatar picture trying new necks, strings and pickups. Owning 7 basses now.

Quite honestly, I only use 3 of them on a regular basis : p bass with rounds, p bass with flats and jazz bass with rounds.

The rest will be for sale sooner or later, more specifically the one made with scotch wood crates because I want them to be seen on stages.
 
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#59
Greenman72 said:
So....if you can only play one at a time, why do you own more than one?

--------------------

For me: I had a cheap beginner 4-string with PJ pickups. (1 bass)

I thought I wanted to start playing a 5-string, so I bought an (otherwise identical) 5-string. (2 basses)

Then I thought "hey--I like humbucker pickups better". So I bought 4-string HH. (3)

Then I thought "hey--I should get a 5-string HH." (4)

Then my bass teacher died (TB's own Michael Stanley. RIP.), and gave me one of his. (5 basses)

Then I learned that my favorite band, Type O Negative, tuned their instruments to B-standard. So I bought a 4-string tuned to BEAD. (6 basses)

Then I learned that not all songs are in standard tuning, so I bought another 4-string HH that I could use in alternative tunings, like C# standard. (7 basses)

Then I found a 1980 model Aria Pro II on Reverb. Since I'm a 1980 model, I just thought I'd go ahead and buy it. No real reason why. (8 basses)

An Esh Stinger I (the "Peter Steele" bass) popped up on Reverb, and since I'm a huge TON fan, I snagged it. (9 basses)

I liked the Esh so much that I bought another one. This one is EADG tuning. (The other one is in BEAD tuning.) (10 basses)

I bought a 5-sting fanned-fret bass, but don't like it. It's about to get traded in for a 5-string version of the Esh Stinger 1. (11 basses)

I bought a cheap "travel bass" from a friend. It's a piece of junk, so I don't really mind if it gets dinged a little bit. (12 basses)

I bought a jazz bass, because every "real bassist" needs a jazz bass. Now it's got flats on it. (13 basses)

-----------
So that's it. 13 basses. I think I'm in "one in, one out" territory now.
Click to expand...
I"VE GOT IT BAD!!!!

Including the one and the one I'm building I have coming in I have 20 basses. I also have three bodies and necks for future projects. 7 of these will be sold soon and my plan is to to be down to 10 or less by Jan 1 2026. That will be difficult.




* Tobias Growler 4 ------------------------------------------ Bought in used 2008. Wanted one for several years.
* Fender Stu Hamm Urge I - 32" ----------------------------Mexican version I rebuilt to the American setup
* Kramer Deciple D-1 --------------------------------------- Fell in love with the color. Light weight, fast neck, ebony fretboard, MM style PU.
* Spector NS Pulse II --------------------------------------- Always wanted a Spector. Nothing but love for this one.
** Ibanez EHB1505MS -------------------------------------- Wanted a lightweight 5 string. Small hands so this one will be sold.
** (2) Ibanez Roadstar RB850 ------------------------------ Bought one new in the 80s and the other one used two years ago. Light weight and great sound.
** MTD Kingston LK5 - 5 string ---------------------------- Bought this because of the 32" scale neck. Easy to play for a guy with small hands.
*** Hofner CT Contemporary ------------------------------ Bought this for Beatle tunes only 2 years ago.
* Vintage ICON V4 ----------------------------------------- Wanted a P-Bass. Compared it to American Fender. it played better, sounded the same.
* Vintage ICON VJ74 --------------------------------------- Needed a Jazz bass so this was it.
**** Vintage VJ74 ------------------------------------------ Wanted one for rehearsal
* Vintage Pro Shop Custom VJ74 ------------------------- This is the best Jazz bass I have, Sounds & looks great. Plays like butter. Very low set-up.
** Fret King Perception 4 ---------------------------------- PJ is the best of both worlds. High quality bass from Trevor Wilkinson.
* Harley Benton PB-50 ------------------------------------ Bought this because it was '51 P-Bass for under $200. Plays like a $1000+ bass.
** Warmoth "51 P-Bass ----------------------------------- Wanted build one so this was it. Plays and sounds great.
**** Glarry P-Bass ---------------------------------------- Bought it because of some of the reviews and the price at about $100, Light and plays great.
** Warmoth Mini P-Bass - 32" ---------------------------- This turned out awesome. Sounds great, plays fast and easy for small hands.
** Custom Built Mini P-Bass - 32" - reverse Headstock -- Like this one but needs lighter body and a different string tree. Will rebuild.
Custom Built PJ - Wenge neck ---------------------------- Bought a custom pickguard in neon swirls. going to finish the body to match one of the colors.

PS: Another Vintage VJ74 on order ------------------------ Ordered Candy Red with Black Pickguard / Rosewood fretboard but may change order. They
just introduced a 30th Anniversary model in British Racing Green with an Aged White Pearl
pickguard, maple neck and fretboard, with black block markers and black binding around the
fretboard.

* In the playing rotation
** Played occasionally
*** For certain gigs / tunes only
**** Rehearsal only
 
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