What’s your attitude...

[BrunoBass]

...to your basses? 

Just tools to do a job? Objects to be treasured, collected? Or somewhere in the middle? 

I get the p taken out of me by my band mates for the amount of bass guitars I get through. I’ll hanker after something, get one, play it for a while and then after a while I’ll see something else I fancy and sell the first bass to fund the next. I have a couple of ‘keepers’ but really I’m just not that sentimental about my basses. If I’m not playing it, I’ll move it on. Perhaps I’m chasing the perfect bass, maybe I get bored easily. I’m the same with cars. 

The guitarist in my band on the other hand has kept, and displays at home, every guitar he’s ever owned, even if he hasn’t played them in years. 

I love my basses; the way they sound, the way they look, playing them, but at the end of the day they’re just tools to do a job.

 

[hooky_lowdown]

For me it's somewhere in the middle, my bass(es) are tools to enable me to make music, but at the same time I've got to like them, like playing them, so guess there's some kind of connection, not sentimental for me, unless it's YOB.

Like you I can't help but have gas, searching for that one perfect bass, but as I get older my tastes are nearly always in flux, so even if I find one I really like, it won't stop me from searching and then buying another.

I had got down to one bass, but over the weekend I brought two more, so now my collection will soon be up to three. Depending on how I get on with them, one or both will be moved on, and then the search begins again. Damn you gas. 😕

[ezbass]

I’m another of the, “If it’s not getting used, move it on,” brigade. However, this has bitten me in the bum a few times (both guitars and basses) where I should’ve kept hold some pieces, but it’s all been a learning process which has brought me to where I am now. I have 4 basses, two of which are custom builds based on what I’ve learnt what I’ve liked over the years and these are likely to stay with me for many years (never say forever and all that). I can see improvements that could be made with the other two (just small things) but they’re getting used as is, so no plans to move them on at all either (Lady Ez has forbidden me to sell one of them as she thinks it’s really different sounding from other basses - it’s a Rob Allen). So I guess I do regard them as tools, but as many artisans take pride in their tools, I do too.

[mikel]

I take care of my instruments and equipment. If I dont and they let me down at a gig then I cant blame anyone else. I look after them, they look after me, its a partnership.

[Les]

They're just tools

[Cato]

Sometimes I walk into the room where I keep the basses and guitars and just grin.

[Linus27]

If a bass becomes a working bass then I'm not precious about it. If it gets beaten up on tour etc. then so be it. It's all part of the history of the bass and a bit of mojo is good for me. I'm pretty much settled now on my basses and down to just four. In 30 years of playing I've tried many basses but I always come back to a Fender Jazz or Precision. They just work for me. I have a Fender AVRI 75 Jazz, a Fender 66 RI Jazz, a Fender FSR 70's Precision which is having a maple fretless neck made for it and incoming I have a fretless Limelight 1960 Jazz. All of them are tool and will get heavy use. I couldn't be happier.

Edited September 2, 2019 by Linus27

[bassfan]

I’ve managed to keep the ones I’ve bonded with and moved others on to fund GAS.  Tools - yes, treasured - yes, collected - yes!

Currently at 5, one up for sale and one sale pending which will fund another.... and so the circle continues. 

Edited September 2, 2019 by bassfan

[Skybone]

Another "somewhere in the middle".

Tools, yes. Treasured, yes. Collected? Ish.

Been through a good number of basses over the years, but for one reason or another, I've had my main bass for a good 5 years now, and no intention to move it anywhere. In fact, I liked it so much, I bought another one. Then another one! 

My setup has evolved over the last few years, but I must say that I'm happy where it's at just now. The latest addition was only out of necessity (an Ashdown combo). 

I do think actually just using the one bass over the last few years has actually made me concentrate more on my playing than on the equipment itself. OK, more than one bass, but they're the same make & model bass. ;) :D

[Chris2112]

I love them, but I take time and care to choose the right ones. They aren't just tools to me, but I hold no sentimental attachment to any instrument. They all must be worth playing in their own right or I simply won't keep them. If I had some collection of blandness assembled with a perfunctory laziness (like a collection of P basses, for instance) I might simply treat the basses as tools. 

As it stands, whenever I get a bass out of it's case I look at it for a minute and admire the work of the builder, and wonder where the bass was before it got to me. 

[nilebodgers]

Just nice tools to me, I'm not sentimental about them. I don't like having instruments around that aren't being played regularly, so I'd never have a collection of any size.

[ezbass]

A visit to the ‘How Many Basses Do You Own’ thread will give a good guide as to the tools vs treasures divide.

[Unknown_User]

I have a beaten up old Squire P bass that is my main gigging bass.  I use it very much as a tool and wouldn't sell it as I use it and it wouldn't fetch much anyway.  Maybe one day I will upgrade but I can't see that I'd need to as it's a nice instrument that does the job perfectly.

I have a J bass I made from a kit which I couldn't sell for a worthwhile amount.  Not the most playable bass but it looks nice and I use it mostly for practice.  I'm a bit sentimental about it what with all the work I put in to putting it together.

Finally I have a white Epiphone Thunderbird which I got second hand.  I've always wanted one and have had it for a few months now.  I still sometimes see it on its stand and think "Cor!"  It sounds amazing too.

So in short I have different attachments to all of my basses.  They're either functional, sentimental or sexy.

I'd quite like a fourth with MM style pick ups.  Any more after that I think I'd mainly just be being greedy.

[stewblack]

When I ran out of money selling basses became the only way to finance gas attacks. Or trading. So I had to learn to let go. 

I'm happy to report that this is a skill one can learn. The sentimental attachment isn't as strong as one might think. That said I would never sell my Aria, we've been through too much together. And the bass my dad bought me just before he died, well that's more than just wood and wire to me. 

The others I love or don't based on playability and sound not sentiment. 

[Dan Dare]

51 minutes ago, nilebodgers said:

Just nice tools to me, I'm not sentimental about them. I don't like having instruments around that aren't being played regularly, so I'd never have a collection of any size.

This.

[Marc S]

Strictly speaking, they are just tools to play music
But I have to like the sound they make, and I have to be comfortable playing them.
Helps if I like the look of them too, of course

[paul_c2]

Its just a tool; but its a valuable tool which I worked hard to save up for and afford; and not without an amount of effort to find one to my preferences. So it gets looked after.

[lemmywinks]

They're just objects, if they don't do what I want them to then I move it on and get something better or more suitable. Obviously has to be visually appealing and have the right feature set but anything past that is of little concern to me. I look after all my gear and have nice solid gigbags but that's not exclusive to musical instruments.

[Lozz196]

I love my basses, but in regards to the ones I Gig I’m not precious about them, if they pick up wear/knocks so be it. Which is why I no longer gig my fave one as don’t want anything happening to it, it has too much sentimental value.

[chris_b]

I'll always try to buy the best bass I can find and afford, then it's up to me to make it sound as good as I can. It's easier to do a that with better gear.

Basses are just tools. Very special tools but they are only a means to an end and that is playing with other musicians and the gig.

[TheGreek]

Many of my basses are like works of art - check the thread in Gear Porn - I've owned gear that I was scared to play because I didn't want to damage it.

I do have "usable" basses and that don't hold any special intrinsic value. These are just tools.

[Twigman]

Somewhere in between but I don't sell my basses.

My JV Squier precision (sentimental): I keep this because it was my only bass for like 30 years - I recorded my first albums with it - it will always be mine.

My green warmoth JP fretless: even though I have little use for a fretless it's always handy to have one about and I made it myself - so there's that

My yellow warmoth P with east pre: I never really bonded with this but I'm keeping it as it would never realise the sum of its parts and I made it.

My black status necked warmoth dinky P: This is kept because it's so light and it's the bass I used when i first toured in USA and I made it - it records well so is kept for when the EBMM doesn't cut it -  it'd never make its money back either.

My black EBMM USA Sterling 4HH: The bass that killed my gas - it's a keeper and has become my goto for all occasions.

[bertbass]

It's just a tool for me.  A very nice one mind you.  I don't display all the hammers or screwdrivers I've ever bought even though some of them have also been very nice.

[mattbass6]

They are very much a part of me. I play them hard but look after them really well. They get a lot of care and attention. I went through so many trying to find the "one", and like you, sold on to make way for something else that I thought, would be the one I would bond with properly. I really want a connection with my instruments. I don't want to think about what is potentially lacking when I'm in the middle of writing, recording or playing live. Once I found what I was looking for, and I have (2 of them and identical apart from colour), my GAS went and I mean, really went. I got my first keeper back in 2014 and have not looked back, hence why I got a second one. They really are my pride and joy but my workhorses, too. Treat them well, play them as they should be played, and they will give you years of loyal service and enjoyment. In my opinion of course. I will never move these on. I have found my home 😊⭐ 

 

PS I still have my first pro bass that my parents bought me in 1986. That stays in its case and is in immaculate condition still. It has been modded to the spec of Steve Harris' bass. I will never get rid of it for sentimental reasons. 

Edited September 3, 2019 by mattbass6

[BrunoBass]

14 hours ago, mikel said:

I take care of my instruments and equipment. If I dont and they let me down at a gig then I cant blame anyone else. I look after them, they look after me, its a partnership.

Don’t get me wrong, I look after my stuff too. My thread was more that my basses are, in my opinion, merely functional objects.