Why do you own so many basses?

[sleddogn]

If you sell to keep wife happy, then other dude's wife isn't happy, so i'm not making the other dude's wife unhappy, i'm making her happy and that makes me happy and i can keep my basses....how's that for one long sentence

 

[Matt O]

It’s not hoarding if your sh*t is cool.

True that. Also, it’s not like there’s a dead cat or a 3 year old pizza under any of my stuff. At least I don’t think so.

 

[Hundred proof]

Always been a run what ya brung guy. … so I only have one

 

[bass.slinger]

 

[Watchootognbout]

Because I can

THIS!

 

[Dincrest]

I like having two, in case one's in the shop then I can play the other. And two is about all I can afford to maintain.

 

[edr]

Because I felt like it. Currently at 6. Will stay at that number for now due to lack of space. But I don't plan on going much farther than that, anyway.

I've never been playing for a living, but in the past year or so I've relaxed the mental block I had on "I play so few gigs, I don't deserve to have more/nicer stuff if it isn't being actively used with my (paying) gigs". At no point will my music income financially compensate all the money spent on education and equipment, so what's the point of acting like it? May as well let the non-music money flow, especially if it's to real musicians and fellow hobbyists! (and Guitar Center, which is what happens more often than I'd like to admit)

 

[Miles_ONeal]

I like having two, in case one's in the shop then I can play the other. And two is about all I can afford to maintain.

Maintain? My maintenance costs are approximately $0.00.
Then again, Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats last practically forever and are easy on the frets.

 

[Dincrest]

Well good for you, then. Don't hurt your arm patting yourself on the back.

 

[kodiakblair]

why do you own more than one?

I blame sobriety

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Because I felt like it. Currently at 6. Will stay at that number for now due to lack of space. But I don't plan on going much farther than that, anyway.

I've never been playing for a living, but in the past year or so I've relaxed the mental block I had on "I play so few gigs, I don't deserve to have more/nicer stuff if it isn't being actively used with my (paying) gigs". At no point will my music income financially compensate all the money spent on education and equipment, so what's the point of acting like it? May as well let the non-music money flow, especially if it's to real musicians and fellow hobbyists! (and Guitar Center, which is what happens more often than I'd like to admit)

All but one of my basses (the 5 I have plus the one I sold) came used from fellow players. The rest of my gear comes from Sweetwater, GC, or directly from the mfr.

 

[logdrum]

For me and me alone. It's ego and not playing enough. Don't be offended by this please. Applies only to me.

 

[Drifter8230]

I need 1 bass guitar for E standard, 1 bass guitar for E flat, and 1 C# bass guitar for Master Of Reality playthroughs

 

[Aussie Player]

In the black and white days, almost everyone only had and played a single guitar or bass.

Theft absolutely breaks your heart and turns you vicious against theives.
(Gibson EB3 1968 #909720 is forever mine)

Having several basses means the potential hurt with theft is reduced as your flock is tarnished but no longer decimated.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

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.

One 4 string PBj , one 5 string JB.

 

[GreyBeard]

I get bored with the ones I have and want something different. Someday I hope to outgrow this and I'm 74 now.

 

[jd56hawk]

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.

I had 13 basses, too, but sold eight this past summer...including a Reverend Thundergun, a Peavey T-40 and a USA-made L2000.
Kept these five because I would've been an idiot to part with them.

 

[sleddogn]

Well good for you, then. Don't hurt your arm patting yourself on the back.

no time to pat, too many basses to play, lol

 

[ajkula66]

I've been out of the bass-playing game for a very long time and had some catching up to do...

That phase is over, some basses were sold and a couple of other are on their way out. The purge should be done with in a couple of months and I'll be where I need to be.

That doesn't mean that I won't ever buy another bass...while I'm not actively looking for anything, there are a few pieces that I wouldn't mind owning. Curiosity, cat and all that jazz...or maybe precision...

 

[tremor100]

Because im dumb. Although these are bad reasons:

1) Stingray Special - just bought this a few years ago and is currently my main
2) Lakland Jazz - My main bass for like 15years, il never get rid of it
3) Lakland PJ - Limited edition color and my dog knocked it off the couch so it chucked the finish, i repaired it but value will be bad
4) Fender Sandblasted - Limited edition as well and i modded it slightly.
5) Warwick Thumb NT - Was my dreambass when i was a teenager but was over 4 grand back then, i got it for 2k used and they don't make them the same way anymore / no one here even carries Warwick or Rockbass anymore - if i sold it i wouldn't get what its worth IMO.
6) Warick BO 5 - Been in a case for like 10 years now, if i were to sell one it would be this one, but it was my first "high end" bass that i saved up for as a teen as a compromise for the NT, and right now its my only 5 string... will I ever need a 5 string again... probbably not, but thats my justification/logic.


And to your point aside from a backup at gigs, which rarely needs to be used, i pretty much only use one - typically the newest. Part of me wants to get another StingRay because having a passive bass as a backup to an active one causes all sorts of problems after soundchecking with the volume and EQ differences, but i don't have another 4 grand for another special, IMO the Sterling by MusicMans don't sound very good, and if i did - either it or my current SR Special would mostly sit on the wall lmfao.