The One!!

[bassist_lewis]

I know this is somewhat anethema on this forum but I'd like to have one go-to bass (or perhaps two of the same). I know that one bass won't cover every sonic situation but what I'd like to know is, those of you who use only one bass or one brand, how did you arrive at that conclusion?

[E sharp]

[quote name='bassist_lewis' timestamp='1323630423' post='1465249']
I know this is somewhat anethema on this forum but I'd like to have one go-to bass (or perhaps two of the same). I know that one bass won't cover every sonic situation but what I'd like to know is, those of you who use only one bass or one brand, how did you arrive at that conclusion?
[/quote]I've got a few basses , but have gigged just the one , on every gig bar one , for getting on for 20 years .
I've done shed loads of function band work with that bass , and it'll do anything - within reason .
Any half decent bass will cover most situations . All you need is the know how to work it . With fingers , slap , thumb palm mute , pick , plucking position of the hand , and maybe the odd effect or two , you can cover most bases . And I'll even argue that you'll improve , and have more fun , by coaxing it all out of the one bass .

[Doctor J]

I've got a few but if I really had to settle on just one it would be my old ESP Jazz bass. If you can't do everything you need on a good Jazz bass, the bass ain't the problem.

[Grand Wazoo]

I agree with E-Sharp, yeah you can have many different ones, each with opposite features, but if you can manage to play a tune on one you can manage them all with the same bass, so unless you decide to take a spare one to a gig, just in case your main one goes down by whatever gremlins, your role as a bass player is to be heard and to play the right notes, which matters more than the way you sound, i,e. Fender like or Warwick like, they are just different colours of the rainbow to me.

[Wylie]

One bass is about all I can afford; the next bit of cash for toys will go to a new amp. I would like something like a Casady bass, though, for the light weight, if nothing else. The jazz gets heavy after an hour. That's the only reason I'd need another bass. I think I agree with GW, if you can manage a tune on one, you can manage all. (Also, part of me says, 'It's just a bass.' I know this may be considered heretical ... )

[chris_b]

[quote name='bassist_lewis' timestamp='1323630423' post='1465249']
....I'd like to have one go-to bass (or perhaps two of the same). I know that one bass won't cover every sonic situation....
[/quote]
[size=4][font=Arial][color="#000000"]If you absolutely insist on sounding like Chris Squire and Herbie Flowers in the same set then you might need more basses. [/color][color=#222222]I only ever gig one bass and I don’t know any players on the circuit I’m on who use more than one instrument a night. [/color][/font][/size][font=Arial][size=2][color=#222222][/color][/size][/font]
[size=4][color=#222222][font=Arial] [/font][/color][/size][color=#222222][font=Arial][size=2][/size][/font][/color]
[size=4][color=#222222][font=Arial]Buy the best bass you can, get "your sound" out of it and it will do as many gigs as you want. [/font][/color][/size][color=#222222][font=Arial][size=2][/size][/font][/color]
[font=Arial][size=2] [/size][/font]

[JTUK]

I'll take two...they are the same config but different sounds. They can be interchangeable and both can cover the set..I just pick which one I like/prefer in soundcheck or set-up.
If a venue is too small to have two basses on the stand, it is probably too small anyway, so we don't do it.

[Bloodaxe]

[quote name='bassist_lewis' timestamp='1323630423' post='1465249']...what I'd like to know is, those of you who use only one bass or one brand, how did you arrive at that conclusion?[/quote]
Serendipity in my case.

When I was shopping for my first bass, I had my heart set on a Precision... preferably in Dynorod Orange. This plan was scuppered by two things. First was finding that the neck profile was significantly different to the one I'd played at the local practice space & second was the price - completely out of my range by a factor of a lot (this was 1982 so it was a USA Fender or nothing).

The nice chap in the shop asked what I was prepared to spend, & then fetched down an Aria TSB-400 that was love at first feel. Been brand loyal ever since, but the TSB doesn't get much love these days as it's been usurped by an SB-900 & a modified SB-1000 fretless.

Between them, the two SBs do all I need.

Pete.

[Lozz196]

Fender Precision, simple as that. The size of the neck feels "right" the sound they make sounds "right" and most of my fave bassists use them. Not exactly the most versatile of basses, but for a good "will do all, sit nicely in the mix, and won`t get in the way" bass, in my opinion it`s hard to beat. If I wanted more out of one, I`d just add a jazz bridge pickup.

[Ed_S]

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1323673636' post='1465562']
Fender Precision, simple as that.
[/quote]

Amen to that.

My first was a 1998ish Squier P-bass Special (about which there was so little 'special' that the whole batch got recalled by Fender!), which so put me off that I spent a long time refusing to play them, despite loving the shape. When I finally went back, it was because my collection was a BC Rich Warlock 5, an Ibanez BTB406QM, and a Rockbass Vampyre 5, all of which looked great but weighed more than my ailing neck and back could cope with. Having just worked it out as best I can, it took me 11 basses before I went back to a Precision, and fortunately it was a good one (2009 Standard Mex). Took me a week and a fairly hairy gig to convert everything back from 5 strings to 4, but that's it for me now. My neck doesn't hurt, and I've never been happier with the sound/tone I have. So yeah, that's how I arrived at my 'The One'!

[gafbass02]

Most of you know my sonic blue jazz, it's been 'the one' for years. Despite this I never stopped trying to find something better. At first this was modding my jazz and then trying other basses. I've now owned over 60 basses, and the jazz is still the one. That and my backup, which is a white version of the same bass!
I guess I've just narrowed down what works the best for me in the most situations. Which is a 70's 'style' fender jazz. But I've had ace fun along the way. Biggest regrets were an '88 status, a '90 streamer lx and a '92 ray. All basses I loved, but my fender has been with me through thick and thin since the early 90's.
Despite the fact that these days the body is the only original part left lol!

I've found by changing the way I play it I can make it sound like whatever I need it to. ray or p or j or whatever really. It's all in the attack, the set up and hand position and maybe a touch of eq/drive from the zoom b9.
That and finally realising no one else cares !

[IMG]http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d115/gafbass02/d2b81e0a.jpg[/IMG]

Edited December 12, 2011 by gafbass02

[BassBunny]

Marcus Miller was asked at this years BassDay about why he has played the same bass for years.
His answer: " I have loads of basses at home, (and he went on to list some very desirable ones), but his Bass Heroes, James Jamerson, Jaco etc, only ever played 1 Bass. He decided to play his Jazz and really get to know it.
Now arriving at "that" bass may be the hard part.

[BigRedX]

For me "The One" has changed as the music I've played and the sound I want has changed.

These days I spend most of my time playing one of my Gus basses. The black one has the marginally better sound but the red and chrome one looks the business on stage...

[dave_bass5]

After going through quite a few basses i always come back to the P or Jazz, so now i own one of each and i cant see me needing anything else, and for
Thats not to say i wont get anything else, just that i dont actually need it. And an added bonus is that both my current basses are cheap ones.
I wouldn't say the P is the best sounding bass ive owned, but its the one that fits most of the music i play.

Edited December 12, 2011 by dave_bass5

[tonyf]

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1323653885' post='1465539']
I'll take two...they are the same config but different sounds. They can be interchangeable and both can cover the set..I just pick which one I like/prefer in soundcheck or set-up.
If a venue is too small to have two basses on the stand, it is probably too small anyway, so we don't do it.
[/quote]

+1

[LukeFRC]

I don't think, unless you are lucky, you can go into a shop and find 'the one'. I think you buy a great bass. Over the next few years try lots of other basses and then realise that the first one you had was the best. I think it's more than the sound, it's familarlarity, it's you knowing what it feels like.
I have two basses I will hopefully never sell. All the others seem to come and go- and one of those basses (the warwick) it's taken me years to realise how good it is.

[Sibob]

My '71 Precision, haven't used anything else since I got it 6months ago....even my '73 Jazz is starting to feel un-used (even though it goes to every gig lol).

Si

[steve-bbb]

[quote name='tedgilley' timestamp='1323648613' post='1465500']
The jazz gets heavy after an hour.
[/quote]

i switch to the jazz when the trb starts getting a bit heavy

[xilddx]

My first REALLY good bass was a Warwick Corvette $$, but I sold it because I'm a tart who like new shiny things to dribble over and stare at. After a long journey buying and selling all sorts of basses like a fool, I am now back with Warwick. They are beautifully built, the necks have the right dimensions for me and have 24 superbly fitted bell brass frets (and I love the feel of Ovangkol and ebony), active circuitry, pickups in the place I like them for thumb resting, great sounds, great ergonomics, totally reliable. My bass has to look great for stage as well as be a great player, I have a chrome finish Streamer which looks amazing. I did have to go on that journey though. I am proud to play it, and I feel completely at home with it. It is the ONE.

I also have a Hohner Headless cricket bat as a backup because they are also very well built, sound great, same neck dimensions as the Warwick, ative circuitry, totally reliable and I love its portability and tuning stability.

[RhysP]

By a process of trial & elimination over many years & playing hundreds of basses I ended up with two Zon Legacy four strings - one fretted, one fretless.

Decided I preferred carbon fibre necks to wooden ones.
Decided I didn't like four-in-line headstocks.
Decided Bartolini's were my favourite pickups.
Decided the Polyfusion preamps used by Zon were the best I'd heard.
Decided the shape of the Legacy model was the best body design I've ever seen.

And after putting all that work & effort in I've pretty much decided to give up playing. Ho Hum.....

[LukeFRC]

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1323717582' post='1466235']
By a process of trial & elimination over many years & playing hundreds of basses I ended up with two Zon Legacy four strings - one fretted, one fretless.

Decided I preferred carbon fibre necks to wooden ones.
Decided I didn't like four-in-line headstocks.
Decided Bartolini's were my favourite pickups.
Decided the Polyfusion preamps used by Zon were the best I'd heard.
Decided the shape of the Legacy model was the best body design I've ever seen.

And after putting all that work & effort in I've pretty much decided to give up playing. Ho Hum.....
[/quote]

oh that story had a sad ending

[4000]

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1323682730' post='1465619'] I don't think, unless you are lucky, you can go into a shop and find 'the one'. [/quote] That's exactly what I did. I once owned a '76 Ric, which was better than my by-then-stolen '80. I thought that was a fantastic bass. In 1993 I walked into A1 Music in Manchester and my now-current'72 was in there. I thought, "ooh, nice, never played a really old one before (it had/has checkered binding, toaster pickups, full-width crushed pearl inlays and walnut headstock wings)", so I picked it up. It was like being touched by God. The neck was perfect, and completely different to any other Ric (or anything else) I'd played at the time. It was light and comfortable, and looked the biz. But the sound....oh, the sound. It was to my '76 what the LOTR trilogy is to Krull. I knew, there and then. I didn't have the money to buy it, so walked away thinking "that was the best bass I've ever played, and will likely be the best bass I ever will play"(and I play everything I can get my hands on; always have). A year later I went back to A1 to buy a new amp and it was still there, but on sale. I bought it. I still have it. It's still my favourite of all the basses that I've ever played, and I've played hundreds, possibly thousands of basses. I've been through dozens of others since; Warwicks, Wals, Fenders, Seis (2 custom built), Alembics (1 custom built), all sorts, and nothing has touched it. Of course there are situations where it may not be the best bass. But if I could only have one bass for the rest of my life, it would be that one. Other people have played it and not really liked it, but to me, it just doesn't get any better. I pick it up and it feels like home, but not just because of familiarity; it did from the very first instant I picked it up. How did I choose it? I didn't. It chose me.

Edited December 13, 2011 by 4000

[Musicman20]

I've no idea if I've found the 'one'.

For my playing style (more so if its all fingers and no pick) the simple Musicman Stingray nails it. Perfect weight, neck dimensions, feel, and the pickup placement feels good to rest on. The tone is also, in my opinion, one of the three 'core' tones. You have classic Fender P, Classic Fender J, then the Stingray which, in all honesty, has such a brutal yet tameable tone its unreal. It WILL do old thump/almost upright, it will then also snarl in the mix and provide effortless tight E (or B ) open strings that have really made me realise just recently why I like it.

The P is my original 'home' instrument, and the J I own purely because I like the tone and the style, but the neck dimensions are sometimes not right for me (although I still like them).

The other point is that no other humbucker sounds like a Musicman. Dingwall, Warwick, Lakland, Sadowsky, Nordstrand pups; none of them sound like a real Musicman pup,

I think in addition, since I was around 12/13, the Stingray was the first bass I REALLY took a shine to, (but i had to stick to my Encore P bass and a Tanglewood Ray copy for a while). I think my tutor basically said 'everyone needs a Stingray', and so that was that!

Edited December 13, 2011 by Musicman20

[Machines]

I don't have a sound as such, I like to change it to suit different types of music. But if I had to take one instrument as the 'do it all' then an L2000 is hard to beat.

[LukeFRC]

[quote name='4000' timestamp='1323781029' post='1466898'] That's exactly what I did. I once owned a '76 Ric, which was better than my by-then-stolen '80. I thought that was a fantastic bass. In 1993 I walked into A1 Music in Manchester and my now-current'72 was in there. I thought, "ooh, nice, never played a really old one before (it had/has checkered binding, toaster pickups, full-width crushed pearl inlays and walnut headstock wings)", so I picked it up. It was like being touched by God. The neck was perfect, and completely different to any other Ric (or anything else) I'd played at the time. It was light and comfortable, and looked the biz. But the sound....oh, the sound. It was to my '76 what the LOTR trilogy is to Krull. I knew, there and then. I didn't have the money to buy it, so walked away thinking "that was the best bass I've ever played, and will likely be the best bass I ever will play"(and I play everything I can get my hands on; always have). A year later I went back to A1 to buy a new amp and it was still there, but on sale. I bought it. I still have it. It's still my favourite of all the basses that I've ever played, and I've played hundreds, possibly thousands of basses. I've been through dozens of others since; Warwicks, Wals, Fenders, Seis (2 custom built), Alembics (1 custom built), all sorts, and nothing has touched it. Of course there are situations where it may not be the best bass. But if I could only have one bass for the rest of my life, it would be that one. Other people have played it and not really liked it, but to me, it just doesn't get any better. I pick it up and it feels like home, but not just because of familiarity; it did from the very first instant I picked it up. How did I choose it? I didn't. It chose me. [/quote]
That sounds amazing. I love my streamer but MY bass has to be the JV p bass. I had a jap P bass that was almost the same, had changed the pick guard and was super happy with it. Toured with it and it sounded good. Then saw my JV up for sale on here for way more than I had ever spent on a bass, and towards the price where it was quite a bit more than ppl would say it was worth- but It looked beautiful. Well I bought it and the guy who sold it to me was going to be in edinburgh and hand delivered it (thanks mate), i remember taking it home and opening it and just going 'wow' picked it up and it just fitted me and felt amazing, pluck the string and the whole thing feels alive and resonant.
Then I plugged it in... and 'that tone' you hear on the records was there. Awesome