Owning Multiple Basses...

[Shaggy]

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1338887922' post='1680429']
I like basses, ergo I own multiple ones. I play whichever one takes my fancy at the time but I do make sure that they all get a run out (even my office bass gets out into the real world sometimes) and it's not a chore because I like playing all of them. I have no time for agonising about "which bass sounds right" - they all sound like basses - so I just pick one up and get on with it.

In short, I don't worry about it at all.
[/quote]

This

For 25 years I had one bass and one amp. With the coming of the internet and finally a bit of spare cash this crept up to four basses, which rather horrified me, so I made a massive effort to get down to two (one fretted, one fretless).

My success in this can be measured by my current number of basses; 15 (and three amps) - which represent every bass I've ever felt significant GAS for since starting playing bass in a band at 16, and a couple of other "oddball" basses that I couldn't resist. They all get played, a fair few get gigged, but realistically I have to acknowledge that I've become a collector which is something that I never wanted to be.

But what the hell - to me they aren't just tools but deeply sexy objects in their own right - I also make basses so the whole notion of design and ergonomics fascinates me. The missus moans about them now and again, but on the whole has supported my sad obsession.
(and this is apart from the 3 electric guitars, 2 flamenco guitars, 1 classical guitar, 1 steel-string acoustic guitar, 3 violins, 3 mandolins, 2 lutes, 1 theorbo, and 1 tenor banjo.....)

[TRBboy]

Don't think I've ever owned more than 4 at any one time, and I used to feel that I needed to cover all occasions. Realistically, I've always found myself favouring one over the others and now I've got back into playing a 5, I don't really feel the need to keep 4's and 5's as I can do everything and more on a 5 that I can do on a 4. I'm aiming to sell my other Sandberg Basic 4 in order to buy a brand new Basic Ken Taylor 5 in whatever finish I decide (if I ever decide!), and just have the two of those. I find them immensely comfortable and easy to play (which is always the main thing for me), and there are more than enough tones available to cover any situation. I'm not really that vain when it comes to basses, but I'm glad it's not just another Fender-a-like!

I'll always keep my my modded RBX270 as it makes a good backup, and it's nice to have a knockabout bass permanently in the living room that I don't mind the kids getting their grubby mitts on!

Edited June 5, 2012 by TRBboy

[discreet]

[quote name='deefer_dog' timestamp='1338886099' post='1680383']
[b]The B[i]egrudgers[/i][/b]
[/quote]

Great band name!

[BigRedX]

I have about 30 basses. I've owned multiple basses ever since one of my very first gigs playing bass when I broke a string in the opening number and had to borrow a totally inappropriate bass for my style of playing to finish the gig. I do accept that my bass ownership has gone beyond what I need and is now a "collection". At the moment I'm contemplating selling most of my 4-string basses as they no longer get any playing time which should cut the numbers down to under 15.

If I was really serious about slimming down to just what I needed it would still be 6 - a 5-string fretted, 5-string fretless, 10-string (octave pairs) fretted and a backup for each.

[CS2]

I've had various numbers of basses and guitars and bought and sold when needed.

My sole bass is an Ashbory I bought in 2007/8. I now need a 'real' bass but really want an EUB as well. Multiple instruments is ok if you use them all or they are an investment.

[thumbo]

I currently have 6 basses but if I had the money I would have a lot more, I could quite happily go to a BigRedX quantity of basses. I really enjoy having a nice choice of basses to play.

Although as for guitars, I have 2. One acoustic, one electric. I've had a Gibson SG standard for about 6 years and even though I kind of fancy a Tele, if I was playing guitar in a band again I'd probably buy a second SG.

[squire5]

Don't laugh right.Maybe it's just me,but does anybody ever feel guilty about NOT using a particular bass for a long time.Do you worry about it feeling unloved or ignored.Do you take it along to a gig JUST so's you can say that you've paid some attention to it,so that it doesn't feel bad? No?? Just me then?....

[BassTractor]

Three right now, but am planning on buying shitloads of them, selling shitloads of them and eventually ending up owning either 1 or 2 or shitloads or whatever. I couldn't care less.

For me this is mostly placed in the Department of Noob: the needing to know and needing to have experienced. Right now, the sound is not so important as the feel - especially of the neck.

I imagine (er ... hope is a better term) that when I grow up, I'll be able to have the same relation to basses as I have with pipe organs, synths and other keys.
Doing a Hammond solo on a piano keyboard or a light synth keyboard can be done, but the specialist will always hear it AND I use a lot of energy emulating the Hammond keys' specifics on a keyboard with a different feel. I can't be bothered to do that anymore. Now is the time for fun.

I'm also used to practise the same stuff on different keyboards, for many different reasons, but one is it brings out specifics that can help me mastering the piece and expressing something personal about it. So these days, when I practise the low E on the E-string (half there!), I'll do it on all three basses.

Does that make any sense in a bass community?

[dc2009]

I'm hovering around 5. I think 4 is a reasonable-ish number as I don't have that much disposable income at the mo, but I basically keep as many as I can justify by playing them all regularly, if one isn't seeing regular play, it goes.

[BassTractor]

[quote name='squire5' timestamp='1338900783' post='1680782']
Don't laugh right.Maybe it's just me,but does anybody ever feel guilty about NOT using a particular bass for a long time.Do you worry about it feeling unloved or ignored.Do you take it along to a gig JUST so's you can say that you've paid some attention to it,so that it doesn't feel bad? No?? Just me then?....
[/quote]

Hahaha. Luvly way to put it.
I know the feeling. It's mostly about my guilt for having used a shitload of money on stuff I use way too little.
But yeah, my Bongo feels a little unloved, as I tend to use the others a little more. Even calls me a poly-something once in a while. Bah! I just tell her she accepted me having three families in the first place. I've always been upfront about it.

[icastle]

I'm quite content with what I have at the moment.

ESP LTD 6 string - great for cramming piles of notes and throwing chords into jigs and reels without having to stretch too far.
Ibanez SR505 - a workhorse/average bass that suits most stuff.
Aria SB900 - a relic from the 80's that has that typical 80's sound that I struggle to get using more modern instruments.
Fender Jazz Fretless - a good, pretty much generic, fretless. Speaks for itself really.
NS WAV - a bit of a luxury this one but just looks more appropriate than a bass guitar in many of the venues I play at.
Takamine Acoustic Bass - Very much replaced by the NS WAV these days. Nearly £500 worth of sheer nastiness.

Shifting along slightly I also have a Yamaha CJ32 6 string acoustic, Daion 12 string acoustic, Fender Stratocaster and a 200 year old Scottish Fiddle - some of which I can actually play.

[BigRedX]

One of the advantages of having the finances and space to own multiple basses is that you rarely get the "I wish I'd never got rid of that one" syndrome. Each bass can be evaluated over a long-term period and compared with the others I have, before deciding whether or not to keep it. Also just because a bass I own is currently out of favour doesn't mean that it won't become my main instrument if the band changes musical direction or I join a different band. Five years ago most of my playing was done on fretless. These days neither of the bands I play in have any call for fretless bass so the only time they get picked up is for a little home noodling. However I have no idea what I'll be playing in another five years time so as long as I don't need the cash or the space it makes more sense for me to keep them for that eventuality.

[stingrayPete1977]

I just keep buying more of the same one! 4 and an acoustic at the moment but Im enjoying some John Deacon fretless stuff of late so I can see a Pino replica finding its way in

[thodrik]

I have three basses in one location and two in another. There was a time when I was in three different bands/projects with different tunings, in which case additional basses were helpful with regards to set up and playability. It is a luxury though and if needed I would play everything on my Precision happily.

[martin8708]

I have never felt guilty about owning more than one bass or guitar , currently about 7 Precisions and 5 Strats and 3 acoustics .
I rarely go down the pub, don't smoke , my car is a rust bucket , I just prefer to spend my money on my guitars .
They all get played , some just have to wait a bit longer to get taken out the case .
And I just like collecting them .

[Highfox]

I have 4 at the moment, the most I have ever owned at one time! They all get a play and rotated. I have 2 Fender P's, one of them is fairly old and I don't really like having to take it out and about in the extreme cold of winter. (hence my excuse for having 2)..
Then there is a Jazz and a Stingray. They all have a slightly different feel and sound and I don't get bored swapping them round, in fact I like it.

[Mornats]

I play my Overwater and have the rest to make me feel good.

[gjones]

It's strange but the guys/girls I know who make a living from playing music don't collect basses or guitars because they see them as tools not objects of desire to lust after. Also because the income of your average musician is a bit unreliable they just don't have the cash to buy an instrument they don't strictly need.
In my experience the ones who have loads of instruments are usually bedroom bassist/guitarists (I know one guy who at last count had 17 guitars sitting on stands in his house but is not in a band and frankly I've never seen him play one outside his living room). Nothing wrong with that if you have the cash. After all Eric Clapton had accumulated over 100 guitars at one point before selling most off at auction.
At one point I had 8 basses, 3 guitars, 4 amps, 4 cabs and was running out of room to store them all.
I'll be culling the herd over the next couple of months so look out for some bargains.

[louisthebass]

I've got 4.... My main two are my Overwater J5 & my TRB5 which are my gigging basses. They both get an equal amount of time over the year, but the one I tend to play the most is my Crafter ABG5.

Reason the Crafter gets played the most is that I tend to do the vast majority of my practice on it, & I can play it without upsetting the neighbours or having to plug it into anything.

[Happy Jack]

Never really understood this entire argument.

I currently have two cars and a motorbike. Until five years ago, I had two cars and two motorbikes. It never crossed my mind, then or now, that this was somehow "too many" - it was the number I needed at the time.

I don't have a "rotation policy" for my basses, like I'm Arsene Wenger or someone. I play the instrument that's appropriate to the gig and the music.

In the last month, I've played all three of my Precisions, my Status Streamline, and my double bass, but I haven't had a reason to play either of my Wals. In the next month, the pattern will be different.

Why three different Precisions? If you really want to know, I'm happy to tell you - just ask.

[SlapbassSteve]

Each to their own I reckon.

Personally I used to have 16 or so when I was in my musical 'cocoon' ('bedroom bassist' phase to the rest of you haha)at college, working part-time as a librarian and once a month buying a treat for around the £60-80 mark, and then playing the lot of them to death as I learned whichever Mark King track I was into at the time on every single one in preparation for my bi-monthly gig. Fun times!

Now a little older and wiser, I'm gigging up to four times a week in a pub covers band. I've kept the best few from that phase but slimmed the herd down a little- now I can actually afford a real Fender or two here and there I've no longer got the urge to buy a chinese P-copy every five minutes. Presumably its about being happy with what you've got, my Fender P and J basses both tick all the boxes for everything I do, live and otherwise. That said I'd never dream of getting rid of my beloved '64 Egmond or that Squier Jazz I spent the contents of my life savings account on at 16.

Could never see them as 'just tools' though, I've spent an average of six to eight hours a day for four years and counting with a bass of some description so far, and as I write this I'm at my laptop with one just riffing away, can't spend that long with something and not get attached. Perhaps I just need a girlfriend...

[pendingrequests]

To be honest, I have never seen the need to own any more basses than 2 or 3. Certainly a lot of players on here can justify owning so many.

I have been pretty much using my USA Jazz bass for all live and recorded work for 4 years. In this time I have played in a ton of venues and recorded various styles of music.
At any point, in rehearsals or the recording studio has someone said "Eugh, I don't like that bass tone, do you have another bass?"

There has never been a time where I've felt I needed to buy another bass 1. I don't really need to. 2. What's the point if the Jazz is working?

I think people get caught up on changing the bass, rather than concentrating on what they are doing with their fingers.

Again I don't want to offend anyone, I really do not see the point in have over 3 basses. A local session bass player in Belfast I know, who is a extremely busy guy, usually has one bass strapped around him for everything he does and uses it from funk, cover gigs (pop, rock, indie), soul and Motown work.

[Ou7shined]

[quote name='pendingrequests' timestamp='1340098287' post='1698927']
To be honest, I have never seen the need to own any more basses than 2 or 3. Certainly a lot of players on here can justify owning so many.

I have been pretty much using my USA Jazz bass for all live and recorded work for 4 years. In this time I have played in a ton of venues and recorded various styles of music.
At any point, in rehearsals or the recording studio has someone said "Eugh, I don't like that bass tone, do you have another bass?"

There has never been a time where I've felt I needed to buy another bass 1. I don't really need to. 2. What's the point if the Jazz is working?

I think people get caught up on changing the bass, rather than concentrating on what they are doing with their fingers.

Again I don't want to offend anyone, I really do not see the point in have over 3 basses. A local session bass player in Belfast I know, who is a extremely busy guy, usually has one bass strapped around him for everything he does and uses it from funk, cover gigs (pop, rock, indie), soul and Motown work.
[/quote]

You make some good points about practicality but with respect you are quite new to BC and it hasn't had time to corrupt you yet.

I had about 2 decades of GAS free playing where I felt exactly as you do before joining BC... now I have multiple guitars in every single room of the house. I only perhaps gig with a couple of them... the rest are for my pleasure.

[Lewk]

i have 10 at the moment i think, they have all done a job for me in the past... i pretty much only use my darryl jones now though

[alyctes]

I agree with BassTractor here - I've had an 18-month noobs' GAS spasm which mostly has been about understanding what's out there and the basic differences between different styles. So I have more basses than I know what to do with, none of them expensive. I really ought to sell some