Does anyone have just ONE bass?

[Rayman]

I’ve always admired players (there aren’t many) who have just one bass, they know inside out, and use for pretty much everything. So many of us have multiple basses, and I wonder how many of them you can truly get to know with so many choices? 
 

There’s something very cool about having just the one, and learning how to make it work in all situations.

 

I’m not sure I could commit to it….. I love  my Starfire and my Sunn (another one on the way)……. I have the Integra 5 ( which I’m thinking of defretting) …… but I really don’t want anything else…. the collection is actually getting smaller rather than going the other way, and in fact I’m thinking of selling the bass I said I’d never sell (see another thread) my Hohner B bass, as I’m only using the Sunn and the Starfire.

 

Could I end up with just the Sunn???? It does everything I want…. Not sure I could commit to that.

[Mudpup]

I think that if you're out gigging you always need a backup bass. But if i was just playing at home or with a couple of mates for fun it would be OK. 

[ezbass]

To answer the question - no.

 

Would I like to be able to have just one? Not sure.

 

If I were in a band where the genre/songs and band composition were able to be covered by just one bass, then it’d be viable, although that does leave you open to gear failure, with no backup (I know some folk do this and I have myself, but it’s a risk).

 

I think it’s worthwhile having one bass that you really know very well, your go to. However, knowing that bass throughout should also make you aware of its limitations and this is where others that fill that gap come in (fretless for instance).

 

All the above should also be studiously ignored as, since moving 500+ miles, I have no band, no prospects and 5 basses not doing a whole lot at all (I’ve even bought 2 since the move - I need help) other than playing for my own pleasure.

[Reggaebass]

Omg no never 😁, I suppose if I was really hard on myself I could narrow it down to 2 , a fender jazz and a precision but then I would want different colours 

[OliverBlackman]

They’re not going to be bothered by Basschat if they do. Probably much better players for it though.

[Lozz196]

For years I did, due more to funds than anything else, as in my early 20s lager was the greater priority. And I was gigging a lot back then.

[Sibob]

Only when I first started.

Lowest I got down to during the last few years was 3, which was actually quite enjoyable. Currently at 7 and they all get used for various projects and/or recording. 

 

Si

[jezzaboy]

I would love to be in the 1 bass camp as I have no band and don`t feel like playing the bass that much at the moment. I recently bought a Sterling Musicman and could happily just use it and nothing else. 

 

 

[fretmeister]

I really like the idea, but tonal needs vary massively from metal to jazz to me.

[Daz39]

I have just one (and one guitar), but that’s because I have no room for more. I don’t even get time to plug into my guitar amp (no bass amp) or get my pedals out. The Boy has a penchant for being ruinous to everything that isn’t his, and his sisters are too untidy to give me space.

[ezbass]

Funnily enough, I was just looking at my electric guitars (yes, I know ) and I could easily just have one of those, my Tele. The same goes for acoustic, I think a slope shouldered Dreadnought would be the one (I don’t have one - yet). Perhaps it’s an enthusiasm thing? I play much more bass, therefore, I’m more concerned with the nuances of said beast/s.

[PaulThePlug]

Nope... they keep me company!

They are all relatively cheapies though... nice, but nowt luxury price.

 

And just one Motorbike and one Scooter...

Edited April 16, 2022 by PaulThePlug

[mixingwithtom]

I have a few..!

 

Quite interested in why people have multiples?

 

For me, it's generally I want them all to have a different personality and tone - I like to keep an instrument (or a couple) designated to a project/band/album, the "flavour" of the bass aiding in inspiring my playing and guiding me to the vibe/parts I want to create! I'll experiment with strings, even tunings, different scale lengths and pickup configs all to contribute variety of feel and push me to be creative internally rather than following my fingers to the most familiar territory..!

 

I have one good pal (who shall not be named but is on BC!! Dunno if he will read this thread...he's probably too busy GASsing in the Basses for Sale section...) who has a *rather good* selection...I feel his collection is more about searching for "the one", the ultimate sound/setup for him...his playing is wicked -utterly different league to me, chops for days- and so his tastes and preferences are dialled in, nothing stays around too long unless it is a serious contender to be in that top 5%...some instruments edge closer on sound, maybe others for setup, others for aesthetics or woodwork...

 

Of course, for both of us there are others in the mix for backup, fretless options, 4 string flavours (we are both mainly 5str people) or an acoustic etc...

 

Another bass player I get to work with quite often is seriously dedicated to her main bass. I *think* it's a '78 Precision - well loved, mostly original. She is strictly a 4 string player...and yes, I think there are a few other tasty basses at home (maybe a vintage Stingray, possibly a J and certainly a couple of other good P's). So for tours, of course there is a backup Precision - but if at all possible she will be playing the main bass! It's character/action is part of her sound and all of that drives the band very well! I mix FOH for one of her bands and gotta say her top secret signal chain of P bass > DI (on some gigs it will be via a wireless, on others via a TU2) works fantastically. Every bit as good as other players with several grand's worth of preamp/pedals etc.

 

So yeah - if like me you have a few, or many...what motivates you to have the collection? I'm genuinely interested!

 

Tom

[Shaggy]

I only have one, but it exists in 17 different dimensions simultaneously, so to the untrained eye it superficially appears to be 17 different basses.   I did try explaining this to Mrs Shaggy.......🤔

[Nebadon2000]

I have had just 1 Bass from 1975 to present 1000's of Gig's

[Lozz196]

23 minutes ago, mixingwithtom said:

I have a few..!

 

Quite interested in why people have multiples?

 

So yeah - if like me you have a few, or many...what motivates you to have the collection? I'm genuinely interested!

 

Tom

For myself it’s a mixture of favourites, OCD & fear.

 

1 - Favourites - my fave range is the US Standard Fender Precision 2013-16.

 

2 - OCD - I like my gigging basses to be the same colour scheme & range

 

3 - Fear - I have my fave bass (1), which I’ve done so much with that I won’t take it out of the flat for fear (3) of some scrote thieving it. So I have to have 2 others in the same range & colour scheme (2) for gigging.

 

I wish I could be a musician who is happy to have all different makes & colours and not be precious about them but I just can’t, no point in denying who I am to myself.

[chris_b]

I spent the first 25 years owning 1 bass, a Fender Precision, and buying another never occurred to me.

 

For the last 25 years I've owned 2 basses. I have 3 amps and 5 cabs, but I really don't have a yearning to buy anymore basses.

 

As long as I'm in more bands than I own basses I think I have the correct ratio.

 

[jd56hawk]

3 hours ago, Rayman said:

I’ve always admired players (there aren’t many) who have just one bass, they know inside out, and use for pretty much everything. So many of us have multiple basses, and I wonder how many of them you can truly get to know with so many choices? 
 

There’s something very cool about having just the one, and learning how to make it work in all situations.

 

What happens if that one bass has an issue when you need it the most and you leave your band mates without the foundation you usually provide?

Edited April 16, 2022 by jd56hawk

[Paolo85]

1 hour ago, mixingwithtom said:

I have a few..!

 

Quite interested in why people have multiples?

 

Right now I am exploring different type of basses because it's fun, because it seems there is a lot of decent affordable stuff around, but the excuse is that I do it as part of a process to figure out what sort of playing style I want after a 9-year break (in a way longer than that but it's complicated) and some radical changes in musical taste. In fact, right now I am exploring quite basic differences (one 4-string fretless active modernish, one 4-string fretted passive vintagy, one 5-string fretted modernish, one cheap EUB immediately returned, one 5-strings fretless coming.. maybe a mid/short scale bass wil add to that eventually).

The plan was to just figure out what I wanted and see see how things evolved (eg, will I join a band? What kind of band), then stick to the "right" one or two basses, hopefully upgrading from the sort of stuff I am buying now (all under £300, although two of them would have been above new). But then things may work out differently. With the latest two basses I bought, I told myself (and my wife) that I was going to sell one of the existing ones. But then the basses are still there.. because I like them all 

[Delberthot]

Technically I only have one bass that I use. My backup would only be brought out if my bass failed in any way so it lives in it's gig bag going from gig to gig never getting used. It only exists as a just in case as I wouldn't want to be left in the lurch hundreds of miles from home where I keep my spare parts.

 

The other reason I only use one bass is that it's taken me narly a year to get it the way that I want it and I couldn't go through that again with multiple basses that may only see a few gigs each year.

 

Plus, the way that I looked at it logically was that just say for arguments sake I have 50 gigs this year. 1 bass does all 50. If I had 2 then theoretically they'd do 25 each. The more basses I have then the lower the return on the investment I would get - there wouldn't be any point in me having a £1000 bass that only made me £400 in gigs.

 

So the short answer is that I only have 1 gigging bass

Edited April 16, 2022 by Delberthot

[BillyHunt]

Yes, this one. It’s a Classic 60s P. The only other bass I’d consider replacing it with would be a Pino, but at 4ish grand that’s not going to happen.

 

I do yearn for a Jazz occasionally but I’ve owned multiple basses in the past and I usually sell them and just end up with one Precision.

 

I find a sound I like, usually a fat, round vintagey sort of sound through my one amp (Quilter) and one cab ( BF) and that’s what I stick with. It works in pretty much every band I’ve ever been in and bandmates all like it so I’ve never had a reason to change. It’s the sound of bass that’s in my head.

 

At the moment I don’t have the time to be in a band but if that changes I may invest in a spare amp but I just don’t like owning superfluous stuff. 

How about another thread for people who only own one amp and one cab (Me)😉

Edited April 16, 2022 by BillyHunt

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

Although I have multiple Fender Precisons, Mustangs and Musicmasters, and Thunderbirds, I currently only have one Danelectro longhorn, one Hohner B2A, one Kala U-Bass, and one Guild Starfire II, Does that count?

[Guest]

I had one bass, and then I took it to spend a little while with the tech and I was back to zero basses, and I thought, I'm never making this mistake again.

[gjones]

When I first joined Basschat, in 2009, I had one bass.

 

That didn't last long.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 16, 2022 by gjones

[Marvin]

I've got one bass, it's a Jazz style bass, it's great. And I have a backup instrument that is a Precision style bass.

 

So, one bass and a backup instrument. 

 

The most I've ever had at one time is 3.