One bass or many!

[walshy]

Realistically you only ‘need’ one bass as long as you like playing it and it’s reliable. Actually you should probably have a spare if you’re a gigging bassist. Oh and then you can have one with rounds and one with flats. However if they’re both P basses for instance then you should probably have a Jazz, well 2 as you’ll need the rounds and flats combo. What about a Ray, EVERYONE has a Ray.... etc...

I currently have 15 I think. I use them all and love them all. Do I need them all?

Yep. Am I still Gassing after basses......

Yep 😂

Buy what you like/can afford and be happy but always play bass 😁

[Tdw]

I think for a bedroom player its fine to have one bass, if moneys not an issue its fine to have more too. If you are a gigging player I think you should have two (or more) not necessarily to take two to gigs but there are those rare times you pick up a bass and it doesn't work,  if this happened half an hour before you had to leave for a gig there could be trouble. 

Personally I have  a fair bit more than two basses. 

Edited April 13, 2021 by Tdw

[Reggaebass]

13 at the moment , and I’m looking at another one because 13 is an odd number 😁

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

I'm in similar reflective mood , which can be dangerous 😼

Havent gigged for years , and won't be doing so anymore . I 'm counting the amount of basses I have in my small flat ..Jack Daniels bass/ dean taxi bass/ Washburn status/ custom  headless and fretless bass from my bass / Warwick corvette/ vester fretless Warwick copy .  Total =6  

I have the JD Bass and Dean Taxi Bass , as wall art . Hard to get hold of, but not hugely expensive in the scheme of things . Probably keep . 
The Washburn status is the bass that I have gigged with 99% of 5he time It has been made passive and  sounds more rock than funk . 
I nearly sold the Warwick and headless , but decided against at last minute .
 

So the dangerous bit ; I have been getting into recording short bursts of rubbish on GarageBand  on  bass ,,,plus Moog grandmother and Moog DFAM 

I haven't picked up the bass for sometime and thinking of having just one .

I did think of getting rid of all basses and maybe getting a status bass and having done with it . Maybe a status bass and a status fretless to go with it 

Then again , I have a fretted / fretless brother and stepsister with my Warwick / vester combination . 
I miss the scheter 5 string ( I'm a 4 string player ) but when I was in 2 bands I never had time to master it due to concentrating more on rock poses ensuring I put on a show for the punters . 
I'm probably no help , but you can see a slippery slope  can quite easily happen when you only have 1 pair of hands . 
Syths are also addictive ...and costly 

[Linus27]

32 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

13 at the moment , and I’m looking at another one because 13 is an odd number 😁

A normal person would suggest selling one to make it 12 but you and I know that is the most ridiculous suggestion ever. We all know that you only sell a bass because you are replacing it with another, you don't just sell a bass right

[Linus27]

I'm a gigging bassist and my current lineup is,

Fender Jazz 1975 American Vintage Reissue with rounds

Fender Precision 1970's Fretless with flats

Fender Jazz 1966 Japanese Reissue with rounds

Limelight Jazz 1960 Fretless Stack Knob with rounds

I would like to purchase a fretted Fender American Precision and I might sell my Limelight Jazz.

[Lozz196]

I’m not currently in a gigging band, have 2 Precisions and a Jazz. One of the Precisions I won’t take out of the house, not an old valuable bass, just sentimental value.

So for my current non-gigging band I can use the other Precision or the Jazz, and in reality I’m a Precision player through and through so if I get in a gigging band I’ll get a Squier Precision as a backup.

Just got to offload 3 surplus basses now.

[pineweasel]

I play gigs with two bands and have always had one favourite bass that I use for everything. That favourite has changed every few years; a couple of Jazzes, a Precision and now a Sandberg. I enjoy the familiarity of playing one good instrument which I know really well, and the simplicity of just grabbing it for practising, rehearsals or gigs.

I have a few others, such as a fretless, an 8-string and a cheap spare Jazz, but they just get played at home occasionally.

Edited April 13, 2021 by pineweasel

[chris_b]

Everyone needs 2 basses. Their bass and a backup. After that it's preference.

[cetera]

You only need one bass.......

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nah.... not really!! 😂🤣😂🤣

[Dan Dare]

I'd suggest you are in an ideal position in that you do not have a load of instruments, but appear, if the things you are considering buying are anything to go by, to be able to afford.one that you really like.

Many claim to "need" dozens of instruments to "cover different styles". In reality, unless you are doing a really eclectic mix of stuff (which few are), a couple of well chosen instruments will cover all the bases - no pun intended.

A P/J is a standard versatile choice and Sandbergs are very fine. I've found the ones I've played (full fat, not economy Sandbergs) preferable to any modern US Fenders I've tried. For what they are, they're not that expensive (and cheaper than Fender custom shop models).

The important thing is to try a lot of instruments out, ignore brand names/labels, take your time and choose what you, not anyone else, like.

Edited April 15, 2021 by Dan Dare

[TheGreek]

My impressions of the members here is that the majority of us are past our midlife crisis and are pretty much financially stable.

Many of us have, or have had, high end equipment costing thousands of pounds which realistically won't pay itself off from our income as musicians, however we are at a stage in our lives that we can treat ourselves to quality gear in our hobby/interest.

Whether we "need" more than one bass is immaterial - I can't take my money with me when I die so I'm going to do what I "want" to do with it and spend it on the most important person to me - ME!! 

I don't drink, take drugs, drive a fast car or bike or have wife/children to spend it for me - my gear is possibly my only real eccentricity though to be honest I do hoard a lot of stuff I probably don't "need". Not hurting anybody else though...

If I want to buy another bass, I will!!

[SpondonBassed]

6 hours ago, Fil1ip said:

Looking forward to people's opinions but the other hand spending big bucks on a bass as a bedroom player is it needed! 

How plush is the bedroom?

[dave moffat]

OK newb bedroom bassist here. I have 3 very different basses in the house and one at a luthier's which should be back once the restrictions are lifted.

My first was a gorgeous Ibanez  800 bought for the looks as much as anything else when I knew SFA but always hankered after a Bass and is still my favourite

Second was a Taylor Mini Bass just to practice without having to lug stinky poo around and find a socket

Next was a Bass Uke cos I prefer playing Bass and standard ukes just make my ears bleed especially with the re-entrant high G.

4th is another Ibanez 400 because the Uke Bass woke me up to the joys and possibilities of fretless and went to the luthier's to be de-fretted just before all the Covid stinky poo hit.

All are very different, how and what I play seems to depend on what I pick off the rack. At the moment the Taylor is probably getting the most (ab)use.

I also have frankenuke which is bass tuned but an octave higher jives by my lounge chair just to pick up for a quick noodle - working out a theme or ad on TV.

 but maybe I'm just weird. Seriously considering a 5er

[ubit]

Every one of my basses has a bit of sentimental value to me so even although I am not currently gigging, they will stay. I hope forlornly to get a new job that allows me time to plan and therefore play. Playing live is my life.

[dave moffat]

I'd love to have the competence/confidence to play live. I think Covid has to an extent allowed me to cop-out of making a decision

Edited April 13, 2021 by dave moffat

[ubit]

1 minute ago, dave moffat said:

I'd love to have the competence/confidence to play live

Mate, all it takes is jumping in. If you have rehearsed and have a band that gets a gig, just do it. You will love the buzz. The best feeling in the world is seeing a bunch of people enjoying themselves because of music that you are a part of making.

[dave moffat]

Before it all closed down I was practising with another guy with a view to doing an open mike, not my usual kind of music but I was enjoying putting it together and creating a bass line form scratch of one of the tunes. To be honest I was bricking it about playing in front of people but I'm pretty sure I'd enjoy it. Unlike @Newwiekins who is effin brilliant on keys but hides away in the music room with her cans on 'it's HER music' and everyone else can sod off.

[Eldon Tyrell]

18 hours ago, Tdw said:

I think for a bedroom player its fine to have one bass

Fortunately I don't consider myself a bedroom payer but a living room player, so I should be ok with having more than one 😉

In total, I need 11 (of course): I need one for grunge rock, one for classic rock, one for punk rock, one for prog rock, one for prog metal, one for classic heavy metal, one for nu-metal, one for doom metal, one for funk, one for disco and also one for Motown. Well, that's at least what I've told my wife 😎 

Edited April 14, 2021 by Eldon Tyrell

[Bobthedog]

Although I have played live, I am very much a bedroom player and unlikely to join a band going forward. I do, however, I have four basses and each is different. A Fender USA P bass, because everyone should have one. Being a 4 string it does not get played any longer, but I will keep it. A Dingwall AB1 V,  wonderful and suits the more rocky type of music. A Roscoe Century Signature V that plays across most genres, although I cannot get a decent metal tone out of it and an MTD Fretless which is stunning but with the roundwounds on, very much has a fretless tone. I also have 1300 watts of Bergantino amp playing through a Barefaced Twin II just for playing at home. Why limit yourself if there is no reason to. I get pleasure from playing each of them as the mood suits, live in a detached house surrounded by sheeps and do not have to support any children.

Oddly, having just typed that, I realise I have just sold off all my camera gear (two bodies, five lenses, flashes etc etc) and replaced the same with a single fixed lens camera as it seemed silly having the lot.

The actual answer is if this is a hobby you enjoy, enjoy as many or as few basses as you wish / can afford and ignore what others opine.

[Reggaebass]

7 hours ago, Fil1ip said:

Looking forward to people's opinions but the other hand spending big bucks on a bass as a bedroom player is it needed! 

I don’t know about needed , but if you can afford it, and it’s something you like, go for it, just because you play at home doesn’t mean to say you can’t have an expensive bass 🙂

[AndyTravis]

I have a very “active” sounding Tune. A very traditional/thumpy Jack Casady - if I want to have both sounds...or near as damn it, I have a Yamaha BB. I Also have a fretted and fretless J pair.

If you have the money and it makes you happy...just go for it.

Buy and sell used on here - get more bang for your buck, massively.

Edited April 13, 2021 by AndyTravis

[Fil1ip]

Thank you all, 

Enjoyed reading the comments.

I currently have two Yamaha BB's and a Vintage branded bass.

Possibly around £850 all in. 

My thought process I suppose was one 'investment/ quality' bass. 

I have had hobbies in the past and sometimes I get carried away and end up with several variations. 

I love looking at gear and YouTube etc daily and wanting it however I always feel slightly disappointed when gear arrives which is always a constant battle. 

[TheLowDown]

I only need 1 bass, but I can appreciate why many people like to collect basses for the sake of ownership.  If you have the money and having more than 1 bass gives you enjoyment in life, then why not.

Having said that I do have more than 1 bass, but they're different number of strings with some being fretted and others being fretless, so each one serves a different purpose. I wouldn't want to have two 4-string fretted because then by sales instinct would start to tingle.

Edited April 13, 2021 by TheLowDown

[SpondonBassed]

Some people spend a fortune on tobacco over the years.

Some collect basses.

I know which I would rather.  I've been nicotine free for over fifteen years now.  I need to be doing something less harmful with my fingers these days.