One bass? Is it possible?

[uk_lefty]

53 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

If you intend to play live in a band where it is important not to break the flow of the performance then you definitely need a spare. Or alternatively you need to practice changing strings (and retuning) until you can do it in under a minute in near-darkness while drunken people shout at you

I reckon I could suggest this to my guitarist just as an excuse to shout at him and throw beer cans at him. 

Seriously though, tis a good point. 

[dmccombe7]

1 hour ago, Drax said:

And why she’s also now an ex 

That thought went thru my head too

[gaz66]

I think it's totally possible to get by with just one bass if it's a good one. Every gig I have ever done has been on the same bass and after over 35 years and more than 2000 gigs it's still going. It's been re-fretted 3 times, had a new nut, new pick ups and occasionally new strings. This may seem odd for a professional player but I don't think I even had a back up bass for about 6 years of solid touring. Looking back on it I probably should have had a spare but at the time it didn't bother me. Some of the gigs were pretty big but luckily nothing ever went wrong with the bass. Amps have failed but there's always a DI. I did get a second bass eventually and in the past few years picked up a few others so I now have 7 but I only gig with the same one.

[dmccombe7]

26 minutes ago, gaz66 said:

I think it's totally possible to get by with just one bass if it's a good one. Every gig I have ever done has been on the same bass and after over 35 years and more than 2000 gigs it's still going. It's been re-fretted 3 times, had a new nut, new pick ups and occasionally new strings. This may seem odd for a professional player but I don't think I even had a back up bass for about 6 years of solid touring. Looking back on it I probably should have had a spare but at the time it didn't bother me. Some of the gigs were pretty big but luckily nothing ever went wrong with the bass. Amps have failed but there's always a DI. I did get a second bass eventually and in the past few years picked up a few others so I now have 7 but I only gig with the same one.

What was the bass. Looks like a Jazz in your pic.

If so i'm curious why you changed the pick ups and what did you replace them with. ?

Post a couple of pics of the bass. Always good to see a professional bassists tools of the trade. Why not give us a we rig run down. Could be an interesting read. I like to hear what pro-bassists use and why, but then again i'm a sad old bass geek.

Dave

Edited June 11, 2020 by dmccombe7

[chris_b]

37 minutes ago, gaz66 said:

I think it's totally possible to get by with just one bass if it's a good one. Every gig I have ever done has been on the same bass and after over 35 years and more than 2000 gigs it's still going. It's been re-fretted 3 times, had a new nut, new pick ups and occasionally new strings. This may seem odd for a professional player but I don't think I even had a back up bass for about 6 years of solid touring. Looking back on it I probably should have had a spare but at the time it didn't bother me. Some of the gigs were pretty big but luckily nothing ever went wrong with the bass. Amps have failed but there's always a DI. I did get a second bass eventually and in the past few years picked up a few others so I now have 7 but I only gig with the same one.

You're playing Triggers broom.

[Lozz196]

4 hours ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

Not wishing to kick off the old 'you should take a spare bass to every gig' argument again, but if you're in a gigging band, you should have something to fall back on if the unexpected occurs.

I really cannot get my head around why, if you have the means, you wouldn't do that (if you're in a gigging band).

Agree, on one gig where I recklessly took only one of my 6 basses it had a problem with the electrics, leaving me having to borrow one. Lesson learned, take a backup to gigs.

[gaz66]

1 hour ago, chris_b said:

You're playing Triggers broom.

Ha Ha , I was thinking exactly that myself as I was writing it.

dmccombe7 - The pickups are now Lollars. The original Fender Jazz ones died one after the other but were covered in some resin and beyond repair. I think the  Lollars are better than the originals.

 

[4000]

7 hours ago, BigRedX said:

It is perfectly possible to get away with only one bass. I think on here we spend too much time agonising over the details of different bass sounds, whereas in reality on stage and even in the studio one good bass will do the job perfectly well.

Even in the days when I had a lots of basses I was mainly using one (and a spare) at any one time for any given band.

If you intend to play live in a band where it is important not to break the flow of the performance then you definitely need a spare. Or alternatively you need to practice changing strings (and retuning) until you can do it in under a minute in near-darkness while drunken people shout at you.

I'm down from well over 40 basses to just 4. I play in two very different bands that require very different basses so I have two 5-string basses (one main and one back-up) for one band and two Bass VIs for the other.

I remember seeing a band in a club once and one of them broke a string. He then spent the next 15-20 minutes changing it. We didn't stay. 
 

But like others here, I’ve never broken a string playing in 40 years. I have had a a couple of electronics-related things fail on me though, including a jack socket and an active circuit. You ain’t fixing those in 15-20 minutes, onstage. 😉

[paul_5]

I’ve got 2 custom Jazzes (one fretted, one fretless) that are ‘for me’, and a bitsa P that’s for sweaty/bawdy dep gigs.

I could probably get away with just the P and my fretless, but it’s not killing anyone to have an extra bass...

[PatrickJ]

I stumbled across this thread this evening just as I was thinking about my modest collection of 4x basses, 2x amps, 3x guitars etc. contemplating what to do with them.  I received my custom J bass earlier this year, quit my band in 2019 and have no intention of joining anything serious again in the near future.

So I ask myself why do I need more than the one custom instrument?  I really like the idea of just focusing on the Shuker and letting go of all my GAS to spend more time playing and less time browsing the for sale section for a Sadowsky I can't afford and don't need.  Experimenting with different pickups, string choices etc. Is more than enough to keep me occupied.

The Shuker plays as well, if not better, than the other basses in my collection and it really covers a lot of ground tonally with the passive tone control and active bass / treble onboard EQ.  I don't play metal and I can't see a Jazz style bass, even one with an elaborate wood finish and tweaked body styling, being out of place in any funk, jazz, blues or rock setting.

I believe I've just talked myself into selling off all my other gear.

 

[Geek99]

On 11/06/2020 at 11:59, la bam said:

I've previously always been locked in to one bass (plus cheap spare) per band. A usa sunburst precision in my first indie band, a red and white jazz in my function band, a yamaha red bb424x in a dance band, and whatever I needed to replicate in tribute bands.

However, it became quite stifling, where I would have liked to try another bass, but couldnt or was that paranoid it wouldnt work I never did.

However it's been really refreshing watching old youtube clips of The Bangles, of all bands, recently. Almost every video I've seen, even of the same song, the entire band just seems to be playing whatever they want (2 guitars and bass), and I kind of like that. The freedom to play what you want. Also, it has zero effect on the bands sound.

I don’t blame you, good musicians and they’re also nice to look at 

[ezbass]

6 hours ago, PJ-Bassist said:

I stumbled across this thread this evening just as I was thinking about my modest collection of 4x basses, 2x amps, 3x guitars etc. contemplating what to do with them.  I received my custom J bass earlier this year, quit my band in 2019 and have no intention of joining anything serious again in the near future.

So I ask myself why do I need more than the one custom instrument?  I really like the idea of just focusing on the Shuker and letting go of all my GAS to spend more time playing and less time browsing the for sale section for a Sadowsky I can't afford and don't need.  Experimenting with different pickups, string choices etc. Is more than enough to keep me occupied.

The Shuker plays as well, if not better, than the other basses in my collection and it really covers a lot of ground tonally with the passive tone control and active bass / treble onboard EQ.  I don't play metal and I can't see a Jazz style bass, even one with an elaborate wood finish and tweaked body styling, being out of place in any funk, jazz, blues or rock setting.

I believe I've just talked myself into selling off all my other gear.

 

Burn the witch! 🧙‍♂️🔥😂

 

To be honest, I'm sure I could managed with just one (maybe two) but I'm afraid of the mob with burning torches and pitchforks.

Edited July 1, 2020 by ezbass

[dmccombe7]

7 hours ago, PJ-Bassist said:

I stumbled across this thread this evening just as I was thinking about my modest collection of 4x basses, 2x amps, 3x guitars etc. contemplating what to do with them.  I received my custom J bass earlier this year, quit my band in 2019 and have no intention of joining anything serious again in the near future.

So I ask myself why do I need more than the one custom instrument?  I really like the idea of just focusing on the Shuker and letting go of all my GAS to spend more time playing and less time browsing the for sale section for a Sadowsky I can't afford and don't need.  Experimenting with different pickups, string choices etc. Is more than enough to keep me occupied.

The Shuker plays as well, if not better, than the other basses in my collection and it really covers a lot of ground tonally with the passive tone control and active bass / treble onboard EQ.  I don't play metal and I can't see a Jazz style bass, even one with an elaborate wood finish and tweaked body styling, being out of place in any funk, jazz, blues or rock setting.

I believe I've just talked myself into selling off all my other gear.

 

I'd wait a bit before selling the rest of your gear. Sometimes the novelty of even a custom bass wears off a little and you start playing your other basses sometimes because they suit the band you eventually join. 

Once they are gone you might regret selling them on a whim. I've bought custom basses over my many years and loved them but eventually i go back to my Geddy Jazz which is currently the cheapest bass i've bought as it was on sale at the time.

My main bass at the moment is my Sandberg VM4 but every time i lift my Jazz i just love it. Unfortunately the Jazz doesn't fit with my current band.

It may well be that your custom is the bass to end all GAS but it takes time and gigging to find that out. 

Its just my own personal take on it tho.

Dave 

[PatrickJ]

17 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

I'd wait a bit before selling the rest of your gear. Sometimes the novelty of even a custom bass wears off a little and you start playing your other basses sometimes because they suit the band you eventually join. 

Once they are gone you might regret selling them on a whim. I've bought custom basses over my many years and loved them but eventually i go back to my Geddy Jazz which is currently the cheapest bass i've bought as it was on sale at the time.

My main bass at the moment is my Sandberg VM4 but every time i lift my Jazz i just love it. Unfortunately the Jazz doesn't fit with my current band.

It may well be that your custom is the bass to end all GAS but it takes time and gigging to find that out. 

Its just my own personal take on it tho.

Dave 

Cheers for the advice Dave.  I can comfortably get down to two basses but when it came to it this morning I couldn't contemplate parting with the Sandberg VT4 - so I guess that one is a keeper.

The 2 electric guitars I have never play and they aren't expensive instruments, a mexican strat and fairly cheap Gretsch hollowbody - easily replacable if I ever missed them.

I want to keep an acoustic 6 string though and upgrade my current one, funded by the bass cull perhaps.

Edited July 1, 2020 by PJ-Bassist

[dmccombe7]

29 minutes ago, PJ-Bassist said:

Cheers for the advice Dave.  I can comfortably get down to two basses but when it came to it this morning I couldn't contemplate parting with the Sandberg VT4 - so I guess that one is a keeper.

The 2 electric guitars I have never play and they aren't expensive instruments, a mexican strat and fairly cheap Gretsch hollowbody - easily replacable if I ever missed them.

I want to keep an acoustic 6 string though and upgrade my current one, funded by the bass cull perhaps.

No probs. Happy to help. That's what we are all here for. 

Just advising caution with basses you've been attached to.

Dave 

[TRBboy]

After having owned various basses for perceived 'needs' in the past, I have just now got to the point where I have one great bass that does everything I want, and a cheap backup. I'm happy. 😊

Edited July 1, 2020 by TRBboy

[bass_dinger]

Until I joined basschat, the concept of More Than One Bass never occurred to me - even though I had two myself (acoustic and electric).

I am keeping the acoustic bass, as it looks the part for unplugged gigs. 

 

[Crawford13]

I am on my mission to do this, although I will technically have 3 basses, 2 are worth a small amount of money purely have sentimental value. These 2 basses will be put in a case and in the loft. I'm only going to have 1 bass and 1 guitar out. Spend more time playing, less time thinking about what instrument to play. 

[Wiseblood]

If I spent like £ 200.000 on my house, £ 30.000 on my car etc, why should I settle with a £500 bass? Just because?

The guys that make and sell our gear need money to support their families. Think of the starving children!

[paul_5]

32 minutes ago, Wiseblood said:

If I spent like £ 200.000 on my house, £ 30.000 on my car etc, why should I settle with a £500 bass? Just because?

The guys that make and sell our gear need money to support their families. Think of the starving children!

That’s very altruistic of you, what a nice guy!! 

[Dad3353]

1 hour ago, Wiseblood said:

If I spent like £ 200.000 on my house, £ 30.000 on my car etc, why should I settle with a £500 bass? ...

That's thirty times more than I paid for either, but I paid £500 for my main bass..! 

[Wiseblood]

On a more serious note... I practice at least an hour a day, and need something to keep me going. Some new gear every now and then spice things up. So really, no need to settle with just one bass. Unless you are poor and can not afford one. Been there, done that too... So if I can afford a new bass, I get one if I want to.

[Hellzero]

Of course it is possible. Theoretically...

🤣

[Dan Dare]

23 hours ago, Wiseblood said:

On a more serious note... I practice at least an hour a day, and need something to keep me going. Some new gear every now and then spice things up. So really, no need to settle with just one bass. Unless you are poor and can not afford one. Been there, done that too... So if I can afford a new bass, I get one if I want to.

Exactly. I could get rid of all my basses bar my old Jazz and be fine, but why should I? Getting a new toy occasionally helps things along. As a matter of interest, I find it handy to keep my Bitsa P, with knackered La Bellas and a highish action, on a stand in the living room to practice on. When I come to play my "proper" instruments, it's easy by comparison.

[PatrickJ]

On 01/07/2020 at 01:19, PJ-Bassist said:

I believe I've just talked myself into selling off all my other gear.

 

I was doing really well - since this post I've sold 1x bass and 2x guitars and have a another bass currently for sale on this forum.  I did buy a new acoustic which was part of the plan as I'll now move on my beat up old SP6.

However, when you have the proceeds from aforementioned sales burning a hole in the virtual pocket the GAS strikes hard.  Not helped when you find @gareth is selling a lovely looking YoB P Bass in my colours not more than 45 minutes away from my house ....