Just how many basses do you use ??

[chris_b]

I have 2 basses, a Lull P Bass and a Sadowsky Jazz, but only gig the Jazz.

If I owned more basses they wouldn't be gigged, so there's no point.

[Agwin]

10 hours ago, bassfan said:

Interesting you take a spare.  Ever had the need to use it? I carry spare strings, less space taken up in the car! 😂

If you're mid set and you break a string (this happened to me last year) it's easy and quicker just to grab the other bass and carry on with the set.

[FinnDave]

I always take two basses to a gig. One to use and one as a back-up. It's very rare that the back-up is needed, but the law of sod will ensure that with no back-up, the #1 bass will have a problem.

The last time I needed the back-up was when I had a bass fall (or possibly knocked by *someone*) off its stand and into the drum kit, causing damage to a string when it hit a cymbal. Quicker and easier to get the back-up out of the case and carry on than to dig out a spare string and tune it.

Strangely, at the same gig I had an amp fail. Two minutes later I was playing through the spare amp I happened to have with me. 

Makes more sense to have your spare stuff with you than sitting at home!

[Stylon Pilson]

I always take two basses to a gig. My main bass is a Lakland 5 string. If I've got a need for a fretless, then I also take my Squier VMJ, otherwise I take my Yamaha 5 string as a backup.

The Yamaha 5 string is also the bass that I use most for practice at home.

My other 4 basses barely get used. I've sometimes considered selling them but can't be arsεd.

S.P.

[jacko]

4 hours ago, Agwin said:

If you're mid set and you break a string (this happened to me last year) it's easy and quicker just to grab the other bass and carry on with the set.

Or the battery in the active electronics dies.  With Alembics there's little warning and there's no passive option. also, they put the battery inside the control cavity which is protected by a plate held in with at least 6 screws (they don't feel plastic quick access battery holders add to the aesthetics). 

[miles'tone]

I own 5 basses:

An upright, an Epiphone Capitan acoustic, SX P, Harley Benton Shorty P and a Charvel semi acoustic. 

I'm only using the Upright and Epi right now. Mostly for lounge jams/songwriting and open mics. 

The Charvel is on loan to a friend, the SX is waiting for me to get the time to pimp and the Shorty P is for my sons to play (they're nearly big enough..) 

All present and correct, conscience clear! 😄

[Monkey Steve]

it's been a journey...

30 odd years ago, I only had one bass, and that was the case for about the next ten years. Rickenbacker 4001

Since then I've always had a five string as my main bass, usually a Warwick, so my Ricky was initially relegated to being the spare that I would bring with me, and then left at home if I had another five string.

Then about ten years ago the band i was in was playing a lot round London venues and transport was mainly by tube, so bringing a spare was a load of hassle for what was usually a 45 minute gig and I just stuck to whatever my main five string was at that time - either a Warwick or a Wal.  Mostly the Warwicks because of how much thinner the necks were, but I would mix it up, and have had a couple of Warwicks at times and would take one to one gig, another to the next one, then the Wal.

Got very used to changing strings ahead of gigs and regularly changing batteries, to prevent any disasters.  But I did have one incident where the wiring for the input jack socket worked it's way loose, no way to quickly fix it, and no spare bass.  Fortunately it happened in the last song of the set.

Depped for a band at the end of last year and was umming and aahing about bringing a second bass - they had plenty of room in the van, but I wasn't that keen on bringing out a second bass if I was unlikely to use it.  What made my mind up was them doing two songs in a different tuning, most in C, with a couple in E and not requiring anything below a low E...so rather than re-tuning between songs I brought back the Ricky for the stuff in E, and used my Warwick Stage 1 for everything in B

Which is currently all of my electric basses...but I'm expecting my new Wal in the next few months so that may change the next time I play

Edited August 30, 2019 by Monkey Steve

[dave moffat]

Only just started learning seriously, (just under a year) have 3 basses at the moment.

Ibanez SDGR is my only out and out electric, love it but can't see me ever having the opportunity to play it in anger.

Excelsior fretless, electro/acoustic ,U-bass, real treat to play but would get a lot more use if I could find decent E and A strings, will be  very handy for when I start jamming.

Taylor minibass, got it to learn on, without the hassle of an amp, very nice sound and another one for jams in small spaces.

If I get the chance of doing more than jamming I'd add a fretless and probably a back up to the Ibanez.

 

[thodrik]

I have 6 basses which is just about my limit. I regularly use about 4 of them for gigs, recording, rehearsals etc. I have two different projects, in which I use different tunings so I generally use one bass for each different project with a back up for each. I might just buy one more inexpensive bass as a backup. I don't like having to bring two expensive basses to a gig when I am only intending to use one. A Squier Jazz is accordingly now being considered, however I used to own one andended up selling it on account that I had never used it in 8 years.

I tried using a five string in standard tuning to cover everything but given the technicalities of some of the riffs and the fact that ringing open strings are important to both projects, having basses tuned to the same as the guitars is frankly just a lot more convenient than a five string tuned to concert pitch and having to constantly transpose things and work out new fingerings for parts on the fly.  

However, I always need at least one bass in standard tuning, just so I can practice funk music and double thumb techniques that I love learning but will never use as part of a rock/stoner/doom band.

 

 

[Passinwind]

20 hours ago, bassfan said:

Following on from the ever popular “how many basses do you own??? “ by @musicbassman

I’m curious to to know how many of those people that own multiple basses, myself included, ever take more than one out of the house? Do you rotate them? Do you have different basses for different bands/gigs?

 

All four that I own leave the house regularly. I'm not currently gigging, but each band or act typically had a preference for one or another. When I go to my weekly jam or an open mic I often try  to figure out which one has been sitting at home the longest, or in the very rare case that I have something new I'll concnetrate on that one for at least several months. I also frequently have a bass around that I'm working on for my luthier friend, doing custom preamp installs, and I always try to take those out in public at least once before I bring them back to his shop.

I almost never bring more than one bass along, just every once in a while if I'm doing my originals duo thing with just a drummer and myself. In that case I usually bring a guitar too.

[jazzmanb]

All the ones that are suitable for gigs ie decent strings ,no buzzes or crackles etc I will rotate .Love the look and feel  of some bass's but they can'y match the sound of my go to's 

[Stub Mandrel]

Most of the time when I was gigging regularly I used to have three basses and generally used at least two on every gig (one was fretless).

There's a degree of showmanship to changing instruments, and it adds to the fun, plus different basses make me play differently.

[scalpy]

LB100 with flats for the function band. 

ASAT for singer/songwriter gig,  deps and other odd jobs.

5 string Sire Jazz for pit work. 

 

Doesn't stop me wanting more though!

[TheGreek]

I'm not gigging so....

I've owned (and still own) basses which shouldn't go out - I was scared to take my GB Rumour out, same with the Ritter Cora (though I did take it to rehearsals), my Overwater Custom is really just for looking at even though it is an absolute cracker to play. 

Wrong attitude, I know...

[Al Krow]

24 minutes ago, TheGreek said:

Wrong attitude, I know...

Not at all!! I'm having a complete "I agree with Mick day today" 😀

Surely we and nobody else, other than maybe our other halves, get to choose exactly what we do with our own bass gear? 

Dunno about you, but I find it incredibly patronising when folk think they have a right to say "you need to be gigging X, Y or Z bits of your kit to get the best out of it", or "it's pointless having that pedal unless it's being used in a band mix."  If you or I want to enjoy some or all of our gear in the comfort of our own home, to put to one side for a season while we get on with other bits of gear or none, IMO that's our choice. Other folk can do exactly what they like with the gear they've spent their hard earned cash on, where and when they use it or not at all - that is entirely their prerogative and not something you'll ever find me proroguing.

Edited August 30, 2019 by Al Krow

[Paul S]

I always take a back up to gigs.

I am currently down to just 2 x 5 string basses and I take both to gigs for the bands where I use 5 string basses.  They are a Maroose-chick 5 string precision and a fairly heavily modded EBMM Sterling 5 that is now passive with a Delano P pickup in it. 

For the new blues band I use 4 string basses - I could use the 5s, of course, but, well, you know.    I have a choice of 2 x short scale and one long scale so at the moment I tend to take the two short scale.  They are a Gibson Les Paul Junior DC that is my current best and favourite and a lightly modded Squier VM Mustang.  My fab JV Squier P stays at home in the case, mostly.

Been a while since I've had that few basses.  Not sure how long it is going to last.

Oh, yes, I also have 2 electroacoustic and an EUB but they don't count  

[Lozz196]

33 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Not at all!! I'm having a complete "I agree with Mick day today" 😀

Surely we and nobody else, other than maybe our other halves, get to choose exactly what we do with our own bass gear? 

Dunno about you, but I find it incredibly patronising when folk think they have a right to say "you need to be gigging X, Y or Z bits of your kit to get the best out of it", or "it's pointless having that pedal unless it's being used in a band mix."  If you or I want to enjoy some or all of our gear in the comfort of our own home, to put to one side for a season while we get on with other bits of gear or none, IMO that's our choice. Other folk can do exactly what they like with the gear they've spent their hard earned cash on, where and when they use it or not at all - that is entirely their prerogative and not something you'll ever find me proroguing.

I agree, for years I’ve been seeking a Jazz Bass that I really gel with. I’ll most likely never use a Jazz in a band scenario but it’s now my go to bass at home, I just love it (Squier VM77 for those interested). Just cos I don’t gig with it doesn’t mean it’s wasted, far from it. I probably play it more than all my other basses put together at the moment (honeymoon period maybe?).

[mr zed]

I currently have 3 basses. I use the Ric for my rock/indie covers band (pretty much exclusively played with a pick), a Fender Jazz for my originals band (neck pick up soloed, tone rolled off, played finger style) and double bass for my swing band. 

[MikanHannille]

I own 2 at the moment. 5 string yamaha trb and 4 string alpher. I use the trb a lot because of my main band is a function band and we cover a lot of genres and it's just easier to to have that low B. My other band however I use the alpher all the time. 5 string alpher is coming very soon so the trb will be for sale soon. I'm sticking with only 2 nowadays. ☺️

[Frank Blank]

I have two basses, a fretted and a fretless, I write on both at home and in rehearsals. I play both live. I also have an Ibanez SRC6 that I noodle on but if I wrote on that I’d use it live too.

Edited August 30, 2019 by Frank Blank

[BrunoBass]

I own five, but only really use two. 

Two of those are self builds that hang around the house for messing around on.

I have my main gig bass, and I take one of the other two as a spare. 

I’ve thought about thinning the herd, but I don’t want to sell my self builds, and the two ‘spares’ are cheap basses with little or no second hand value. I don’t need or want to add any more.

Edited August 30, 2019 by BrunoBass

[Skinnyman]

I rotate my gig bass depending on mood - I tend not to include the P bass any more as that seems to be made of pig iron and lead ingots. I also don’t gig the Dingwall (too scared of scratching it as it’s up for sale) or my Yam fretless as that’s a bit niche for a general gig. Everything else gets its turn in the limelight, usually with one as a backup.

 

Depressingly, I’m equally inept with all of them.

[machinehead]

I own, apparently, nine basses,  😕 and gig eight.  The one I don't gig much, is a Steinberger XT-2 that I bought to take away in my wee campervan.  I do gig even that one occasionally though.

Frank.

[Al Krow]

On 29/08/2019 at 20:44, Al Krow said:

The 'correct' answer is obviously...

9

😀

 

26 minutes ago, machinehead said:

I own, apparently, nine basses,  😕 and gig eight. 

So close...

[onehandclapping]

I have 3 old jazz basses (+ a Dale Fortune 64 4001s Rick) I take one jazz out to a gig at a time and put it in back in the case between sets......people often ask if I am going home after the first set😀