spacecowboy Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 I have been wanting to post this for a while, I'm in a bit of a dilemma, when i started playing bass some 8 years ago, i found periodically i was never thoroughly happy with the bass i then owned and played, thus resulting in the very pleasurable task of buying, playing, and selling basses until i found "the one", what i liked about that phase was there was always the Honeymoon period to enjoy, the very second you get a new bass in your hands and have no worries about throwing the money at whoever was selling it, take it home, nail those tracks that you never were able to before on the previous bass because "it made you a bad player" but then! like always, sort of similar to having a nagging girlfriend you slowly develop a dislike to her tone and then eventually comes a break up as you suddenly have enough pennies to see what else is out there and no longer have to put up with it all.... sorry love, playing the field is fun... was fun... The point of this is, 2 years ago i found on this very forum my 1988' Warwick Streamer Stage II, and now the hunger for new basses has gone, i have sold every other bass i have owned and i have been a one bass man for sometime now, 2 years.... which isn't as good as it sounds, its like I'm scared to try anything new, for two reasons, [list=1] [*]The new bass will be better than the Warwick [*]The new bass will be worse than the Warwick [/list] Its like cheating.... do i try something new and just hope for the best, if its worse ditch it, but what if its better? I'd never want to ditch the Stage II, What makes it worse is this, i haven't found another bass that i want to own.... anything over 5 strings i don't want to know, even 5 stringers at push can be awkward, Fenders? no deal, i had a terrible one and like a bad meal at a restaurant its put me off for life, New Warwicks have necks i can't play & i really don't want another Warwick except maybe Lex's Casper, Musicman basses just aren't for me either... I'm stuck.....nothing has touched this Warwick. and now the hunger is building up, i think i can except the fact that the Stage II is THE bass for me, my numero uno, and bass for life, but at 23 i can't be tied down like that, i need something to make me want to deviate even just for a little while..... or should i just be happy with it? Perhaps its the buying and selling i miss? anybody else got what i suppose you could call a [b][/b]wife[b][/b] bass? did you have the one and then let another in? How did it go? and are you still with her? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Telebass Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 The only thing I might suggest is trying to find a similar 88 Stage II as a backup. Never go out with just one instrument. The statistics WILL catch up, sooner or later... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverfoxnik Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 [quote name='Telebass' post='391006' date='Jan 25 2009, 03:21 PM']The only thing I might suggest is trying to find a similar 88 Stage II as a backup. Never go out with just one instrument. The statistics WILL catch up, sooner or later...[/quote] +1 That's good advice.. [quote name='spacecowboy' post='390981' date='Jan 25 2009, 02:46 PM']and now the hunger is building up, i think i can except the fact that the Stage II is THE bass for me, my numero uno, and bass for life, but at 23 i can't be tied down like that, i need something to make me want to deviate even just for a little while..... or should i just be happy with it? Perhaps its the buying and selling i miss? anybody else got what i suppose you could call a [b][/b]wife[b][/b] bass? did you have the one and then let another in? How did it go? and are you still with her?[/quote] As for the future, well the statistics in this country aren't very good where 'wives' are concerned, or husbands and marriages for that matter! So at 23 you can expect to have at least a couple of break-ups and a divorce or two along the way.. Better get out there quick and have a fling or two with some new basses! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tait Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 why not have 2 basses? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil_the_bassist Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 ok, so you've found your Basswife...as above mentioned, get another for starters, so you've got the opportunity to play with either (or both if you get them drunk enough, and they're that way inclined!) but have you thought about how good it would be to save up the money to get a custom-shop bass? ...could be the way forward mayhaps? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 (edited) Why not get the same one. Then,customise it!! Get a lairy colour sprayed on it, D-Tuners on it etc. Then you'll have your 'main' bass and a 'fun' bass Edited January 25, 2009 by RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delberthot Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 (edited) My main bass for the last year and a bit has been my Gold Warmoth. Its good looking, really good to play & sounds amazing. I've been mucking about with it for the past couple of months trying different electronics, briefly went active, have just finished spraying the headstock black so it will be out of action for a while. I'm also planning on changing the pickup and stuff again. I enjoy it and don;t think that i will ever sell it. But - After a gig and a couple of practices with the corvette $$ 5 string - I;m now finding that i can play stuff on this that would be almost impossible on the gold bass. Not to mention that i can play rediculously fast yet still clearly hear each note. There are a few things that annoy me about it so it won;t be around forever but either a bubinga Corvette or Streamer stage II will be my next choice. Definitely 5 strings. The thing is that I only like having 1 bass at a time. If I have 2 or more, the others get cast aside or sold and I'm scared that this will happen to the gold one in favour of its more modern counterpart. It really is a fantastic bass but the Warwick is light years ahead in terms of playability and tone. But I can also look at it as am I really adding anything to the music by being able to play as fast as i can with the Corvette, does the sound fit in with everything that i do and am I better off with the simpler, slower Warmoth? This is the dangerous time of year for me as when I'm not gigging as much i tend to start buying and selling basses. Luckily for me I have absolutely no money to start buying so I would only be able to either sell one or both basses or trade one or both basses against something else. What was the question again? Oh yes - During my bass buying and selling I have only ever regretted selling 2 - My Riverhead Jupiter that I used at 19 to record my first demo and my Ibanez SR1016 that went to someone on this forum. I#ve spent years trying to track the Headway down and can;t remember who has the Ibanez now. The point I'm trying to make is that you may find yourself selling your bass now but in maybe a year or so's time, you might look back after several bass buys and sales later unfulfilled and really wanting your original bass back. If I was you and had the money, I would put the streamer away and go out and try different stuff. That way, at least if you don;t find anything better, you've still got the one bass you know works or you. If you do find something then you can then think about selling the streamer Edited January 25, 2009 by Delberthot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skankdelvar Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 Paging Dr Freud... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 I know exactly what you are saying. I found my 'Wife (!)' bass a while ago (didn't know it then) and had always owned at least two fretted basses at the time. The beauty of this is that you can spend some time with both and sell the least fave for another top end bass (careful baying/selling will not lose you any cash) and over time it became clear that my 'Wife' bass was beating the competition hands down. All the while I had been playing it live, recording with it, making bumps and scratches on it and generally living with it and loving it. Somewhere along the line (about 6 or 7 basses into my 'comparison') I became bored of selling/buying and the hassle of it. I sold the competition and settled down with my wife (and her fretless sister ) and couldn't be happier. I am totally comfortable with the bass in any situation due to the time I have had it and have managed to compare it against every other bas I have fancied. That, mixed with the rarity and uniqueness of my instrument, meant that it became 'me' and 'my sound'. So - if the '88 is comfortable, works for you and feels like the one, keep it and start comparing it to other basses when you have the money/time. You might find something else, you might realise that it is 'you' - there is no way of telling until you have a try. That way, a few years down the line, you can sit back with your '88 happy in the knowledge that it is part of you and your sound, in the same way you wouldn't want someone else's eyes or summink' Cheers ped Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacecowboy Posted January 25, 2009 Author Share Posted January 25, 2009 [quote name='ped' post='391077' date='Jan 25 2009, 05:31 PM']I know exactly what you are saying. I found my 'Wife (!)' bass a while ago (didn't know it then) and had always owned at least two fretted basses at the time. The beauty of this is that you can spend some time with both and sell the least fave for another top end bass (careful baying/selling will not lose you any cash) and over time it became clear that my 'Wife' bass was beating the competition hands down. All the while I had been playing it live, recording with it, making bumps and scratches on it and generally living with it and loving it. Somewhere along the line (about 6 or 7 basses into my 'comparison') I became bored of selling/buying and the hassle of it. I sold the competition and settled down with my wife (and her fretless sister ) and couldn't be happier. I am totally comfortable with the bass in any situation due to the time I have had it and have managed to compare it against every other bas I have fancied. That, mixed with the rarity and uniqueness of my instrument, meant that it became 'me' and 'my sound'. So - if the '88 is comfortable, works for you and feels like the one, keep it and start comparing it to other basses when you have the money/time. You might find something else, you might realise that it is 'you' - there is no way of telling until you have a try. That way, a few years down the line, you can sit back with your '88 happy in the knowledge that it is part of you and your sound, in the same way you wouldn't want someone else's eyes or summink' Cheers ped[/quote] That absolutely sums it all up to be fair! I think i can find peace with that! There is some part of me every time i listen to Meshell Ndegeocello that really wants to pick up a fender jazz that just works, my Marcus Miller and the Reissue i had really let me down! But like yourself i record with this bass, play this bass live, everyone who hears it can't say enough about it...... Out of interest what bass is it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 [quote name='spacecowboy' post='391119' date='Jan 25 2009, 07:00 PM']That absolutely sums it all up to be fair! I think i can find peace with that! There is some part of me every time i listen to Meshell Ndegeocello that really wants to pick up a fender jazz that just works, my Marcus Miller and the Reissue i had really let me down! But like yourself i record with this bass, play this bass live, everyone who hears it can't say enough about it...... Out of interest what bass is it?[/quote] I know what you mean - whilst it is great to have a bass that has your own sound, it is nice to have access to the all time great bass sounds used by your fave players, too. I overcame the necessity to have a P/J/Ray hanging around by getting a Vbass system put in my bass... I never found a P/J/Ray that felt as good or played half as well as my bass but now I don't have to. the weird thing is that it STILL sounds too good to be true, but it works for me. What you say about certain players sounding great with their basses is partly because many of them have been playing that particular bass for a long time and know how to get whatever they like from it. To a certain extent when you have had the same bass for many years it starts to feel like another limb and you can concentrate on playing and making grooves that other people might want to copy and cop your sound one day... 'My' bass can be seen in the link in my sig - I think you must be one of a few that haven't heard me banging on about it before ;0) Another thing to note is that the more used to your own bas you get, the tone becomes more 'usual' to you and other sounds grab your attention more (hence 'honeymoon' periods). This is why it is important to have two basses, play one and leave the other until you have 'tuned out', then go back it to. You will be surprised what you hear with a fresh ear... Cheers ped Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 [quote name='spacecowboy' post='390981' date='Jan 25 2009, 02:46 PM']anybody else got what i suppose you could call a [b][/b]wife[b][/b] bass? did you have the one and then let another in? How did it go? and are you still with her?[/quote] I'm quite happy to play other basses. I've never found one to touch my JD Thumb (which I've had for 21 years) or my JDised fretless Thumb in 4-strings, and ditto my first 5-string Tsai. I'm still looking for my ideal fretless 5-string. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 Have a Harem! I have. Wife #14 is due to move in soon! My collection just gently expands. I doubt I'll sell any on, and the rate at which I'm buying is slowing, but my bunch are all wildly different, yet all excellent in their own way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 [quote name='Lfalex v1.1' post='394421' date='Jan 29 2009, 11:32 AM']Have a Harem! I have. Wife #14 is due to move in soon! My collection just gently expands. I doubt I'll sell any on, and the rate at which I'm buying is slowing, but my bunch are all wildly different, yet all excellent in their own way![/quote] See I just can't do that!! Even when I have two fretted basses, one gets played more and the other doesn't get as much use, however much I kid myself that I need it. I think the idea of having 'my' bass is more exciting than having lots of basses that get used a bit. I always WANTED a massive collection when I started playing but ultimately realised that my own unique sound was what I wanted to stick with. No disrespect for the huge collection though man, you have some beauties and I definitely see where you are coming from! ped Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 [quote name='ped' post='394427' date='Jan 29 2009, 11:38 AM']See I just can't do that!! Even when I have two fretted basses, one gets played more and the other doesn't get as much use, however much I kid myself that I need it. I think the idea of having 'my' bass is more exciting than having lots of basses that get used a bit. I always WANTED a massive collection when I started playing but ultimately realised that my own unique sound was what I wanted to stick with. No disrespect for the huge collection though man, you have some beauties and I definitely see where you are coming from! ped[/quote] I [i]do[/i] understand what you mean. We do, after all, favour the same brand of bass! I guess I take after Nick (the Doctor!) a bit more, though! For example, I will play one or two to death for a while. At the moment, It's the Warwick Infinity SN4 (with 45-100 Elixirs on). Utterly superb tone, but a cramp inducing Warwick 4 string neck profile, 26 frets and a slightly "off" balance caused by the way that the small body and long upper horn "throws" the neck away from you. Ultimately, that'll wind me up enough to make me put it away in favour of something else... Whose differing attributes I will enjoy and appreciate all the more. It [b]has[/b] given me the ability to play [i]almost [/i]anything that comes along without it feeling totally alien, and the ability to spot a good example of "Bass Type X" when I encounter one (then buy it!) and exploit it accordingly. I [b]do[/b] worry that the incoming customised Status Streamline may seriously eclipse some of the others for a while! 6 weeks and counting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHRISDABASS Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 [quote name='spacecowboy' post='391119' date='Jan 25 2009, 07:00 PM']That absolutely sums it all up to be fair! I think i can find peace with that! There is some part of me every time i listen to Meshell Ndegeocello that really wants to pick up a fender jazz that just works, my Marcus Miller and the Reissue i had really let me down! But like yourself i record with this bass, play this bass live, everyone who hears it can't say enough about it...... Out of interest what bass is it?[/quote] if you want a good jazz try playing a sadowsky! (metro or NYC) i went through soooooooo many basses last year! multiple Warwick's, stingrays, fenders etc etc once i found sadowskys i didnt have GAS up until very recently, but it seems im mainly gassing for more of what i already have but in different colours! which is flippin daft!! so im trying my best to keep my money in my bank as surely i dont need more than 2 fantastic basses! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 [quote name='Telebass' post='391006' date='Jan 25 2009, 03:21 PM']The only thing I might suggest is trying to find a similar 88 Stage II as a backup. Never go out with just one instrument. The statistics WILL catch up, sooner or later...[/quote] Am I the only person who has never (in 25 years) taken a back up out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William James Easton Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 if i ever started comparing my basses to women i would come to one conclusion - i need to get laid! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 [quote name='owen' post='394550' date='Jan 29 2009, 01:53 PM']Am I the only person who has never (in 25 years) taken a back up out?[/quote] No, you are not alone! I couldn't be doing with having another bass 'just in case'. As it is my '87 Warwick has sat almost entirely untouched since it was superseded a year ago. Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 I'm the same as the OP. Since getting my all-black (inc. DR black beauties) Corvette $$ I have found the true faith. Looks, plays, feels and sounds completely wonderful. I wouldn't dream of parting with her, but I've said that before about instruments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WILD FROG SHOT Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 [quote name='owen' post='394550' date='Jan 29 2009, 01:53 PM']Am I the only person who has never (in 25 years) taken a back up out?[/quote] Nope, approximately 120 gigs played; never taken (or required) a back-up. In fact, never even broken a string! I settled with my MIM Fender Jazz for about 4 years before getting another bass. In October, I bought a Stingray and couldn't be more pleased; it gives me the exact mid-to-high end punch I was looking for! I probably spend a little more time with the Stingray at the moment; I think this is mainly due to exploration and familiarisation. The Jazz still gets a look in though; it has that nice low end sound that I need on some tracks. Have been considering getting a more expensive Jazz (Sadowsky or Lakland probably), but just love my crappy Fender Jazz so much - we've had some good times! (I've played a Lakland DJ4 and was reasonably impressed, but no sale. I'm sure once I play a Sadowsky I will have no choice but to upgrade... ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Fudge Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 I still like the look of the Nordy stuff at bass direct. Isn't it strange every time you gat a new wife she ends up looking like the old one! I have been a b*****d to my original wife. I abandoned her for months to be in the arms of a marcus jazz sig. We have recently been happily reunited after |I treated her to a skinny 62RI Jap neck. I must confess however that my hands were all over the Marcus sig the other night. Im not as bad as a lot of you lot though with all the wife swapping that goes on here. guffaw!!! guffaw!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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