How many basses are too many?

[jd56hawk]

Some bassists have more, some have less, of course.

Other than that, there's no way just one or two or even three would work for me.

The last two are expendable...very nice basses, but.. 

(Just sold my Epiphone Thunderbird Vintage Pro last Sunday to someone who'll play it every day. Better than sitting in a gig bag, right?)

Edited November 29, 2021 by jd56hawk

[kodiakblair]

How many are too much ?

 

I've something like 68 basses at home.

 

I won't clutter up the thread by posting photos of them all , just take my word for it ; 68 bass guitars is too many.

[Merton]

Well the correct number of basses is n+1, where n is the current number owned.

Therefore it stands to reason that n+2 is too many.

🤓

[OliverBlackman]

When you start forgetting what you own. Someone on here found an Alembic Stanley Clarke while clearing out their wardrobe. 

[Matt P]

1 hour ago, Merton said:

Well the correct number of basses is n+1, where n is the current number owned.

Therefore it stands to reason that n+2 is too many.

🤓

 

I use a different rule,

 

S-1 is the correct number, where S is the number that would impact my lifestyle in an adverse way (serious trouble with my wife/ not being able to move from room to room or missing a bill or mortgage payment.)

 

i think at the moment i'm well under that amount but as i'm not gigging that works for me.

 

Matt

[ead]

So the absolute key test is now:  Is S-1>n+1, could also be expressed as is S>n+2

[redbandit599]

I've got 5 'gigable' basses (all quite different from each other) - plus an Ibanez Mikro that my daughters use and my first bass (an Encore) which is in the loft. 

I got up to 6 gigable basses once, but that did tip the scales in to 'too many' for me.

I keep considering a custom build to bring together a 'greatest hits' package so I can cut numbers back.

I know, I'm weird 😜

[Velarian]

31 minutes ago, ead said:

So the absolute key test is now:  Is S-1>n+1, could also be expressed as is S>n+2

Bounded optimisation. It’s the future 😉

[BassAgent]

2 hours ago, Merton said:

Well the correct number of basses is n+1, where n is the current number owned.

Therefore it stands to reason that n+2 is too many.

🤓

This. I'm currently at 12 basses (and one upright) and always thinking "what's next".

[BigRedX]

Over the last few years I went from having almost 50 guitars and basses plus a load of synthesisers and samplers to just 9, plus whatever plug-in instruments came free with Logic.

 

That's still 3 more guitar and basses than I need and the extras - an ancient acoustic guitar, a Tokai Firebird copy thats in bits and a Squier Bass VI will be sold  just as soon as I can get around to listing them.

 

I've kept two 5-string basses for one band, two Bass VIs for the other, and two guitars for writing, recording and just in case I find myself playing guitar full time in a band again.

 

The best thing about having lots of instruments at the same time was it made it far easier when it came to choosing what to keep and what to sell as I was able to directly compare them all and make hard decisions about what to get rid off.

Edited November 29, 2021 by BigRedX

[neepheid]

I went on a diet and I currently have 4.  At one time it was probably up at 12.  I would say that as long as they're all getting played then fair enough.  Instruments != ornaments.

 

Who do I think I am, issuing diktats?  Own as many basses as you like as long as it isn't harming anyone.  I guess the potential harm is chiefly financial, but I guess you could hurt someone if a bass fell on someone...

[Machines]

I have 7 currently (8 later if the courier makes it through the snow), it is too many.

 

I use 2-3 for my band (one would probably suffice), the others are purely there for the fact I have the space, can afford to have them sat there, and I like variety. I have 2 up for sale, but which 2 they are could change by the end of the day as my whims change with the weather.

[Geek99]

I have two 

[Reggaebass]

I’ve had around 50 jazzes, not all at the same time, but I’ve narrowed it down to 13 , which is a nice amount for me but an unlucky number , so I’ve got to buy 1 more 😁

[uk_lefty]

Because of a change of band recently I've chopped and changed basses a bit. My "number 1" is still my number 1 but the supporting cast has had to change and I'm still not settled. I don't think there's place for my fretless and my headless basses with this group, sadly, so my Bitsa is now the backup. We will also do some acoustic sets so I've got hold of a Jack Casady as I couldn't resist. Once it has a case that may be number 2 for big loud gigs too, we will see. I don't seem to have a jazz bass though and this troubles me. I also don't have a 4 string fretless either and this also makes me think I'm missing something... Though when I did have one, good as it was it didn't last long.

[Al Krow]

I've got 5 gigging basses (all 5'ers) and 5 more specialist basses (e.g. 8 string, 6 string, EUB) which currently just get played at home. Having churned quite a few basses over the past few years, I guess I've at least managed to suss what bass shapes, weight, electronics, scale lengths and string spacings work for me and it's brill to now have a herd that I love playing; so any changes here on in are likely to be tinkering at the edges.

 

The test for me these days of whether to move something on, particularly with my gigging basses, has boiled down to "am I always reaching for one of the others and not that one?" If that's the case, and feel that won't change, then I know it's time to say farewell even if it had previously been one of my go-to basses.

 

Edited November 29, 2021 by Al Krow

[Reggaebass]

I think the only way to find out what you really like is to buy them and play them, I’ve had some that I didn’t gel with straight away but turned out good after a while ,and some which I obsessed over and they  turned out to be just meh 

[EJWW]

6 hours ago, jd56hawk said:

Some bassists have more, some have less, of course.

Other than that, there's no way just one or two or even three would work for me.

The last two are expendable...very nice basses, but.. 

(Just sold my Epiphone Thunderbird Vintage Pro last Sunday to someone who'll play it every day. Better than sitting in a gig bag, right?)

Always fancied trying a Reverend bass....

 

I seem to remember that you were going to use the silver Squier Jazz as a 'beater' bass or am I thinking of someone else?

[ead]

1 hour ago, BassAgent said:

This. I'm currently at 12 basses (and one upright) and always thinking "what's next".

 

Have the other 11 fallen over?

[Doddy]

I'm down to 17 basses(I think). I've been selling off a few of my midrange instruments to buy some more higher end gear instead. I've reached a point where I'd rather have a few quality basses than loads of alright ones.

I could probably cut everything down to just my Fender Jazz and Precision, F Bass BN5, Clifton EUB, and Moog Sub25, and I'd be able to cover anything.

[Trueno]

Bass#1 - main bass

Bass#2- backup bass

Bass#3- too many

 

EDIT: 

Bass#1- MIM Fender

Bass#2- Squier

Bass#3- Indulge your wildest dreams coz you won’t be buying it anyway.

Edited November 29, 2021 by Trueno

[WinterMute]

I've always tended towards "one in one out", and usual only had 2, a fretted and a fretless, usually 5 strings. However, I currently have 3 and an ACG on the way, I'm keeping the 20th Anni SR5 and the Bongo (a 50th birthday pressie) and the current "Frankenstein SR5" fretless probably isn't worth selling, so when Alan's 5 string fretless turns up, I'll have 4 and just enough room on the walls for all of them.

 

That's the answer then, you have enough when you run out of wall space.

[CookPassBabtridge]

I have 6 in ‘active service’ and another 3 in storage as they were my beginners basses when I was a teenager. 
 

I constantly feel like I should thin the herd but inevitably end up adding to it. Current GAS is for a two-tone sunburst jazz relic to go with my road worn P. 

[Lw.]

I suppose it depends on the situation of the player in general & whether you're buying them as a musician or as a collector. 

 

In the OP there is a lot of duplication in that collection, for the majority of musical applications that collection could probably be trimmed down to just one of the jazzes & the P (realistically just the P). Unless you're playing in wildly varying bands, the rest are all because you like acquiring new stuff. 

[Skybone]

Probably about 2 less than you have.