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Technically you only need 2 basses, a Precision and a Jazz. However, you really need a Stingray as well. Then you'll have every tonal palette covered. Oh, wait, but if your Precision has flats for the whole Motown vibe, then you're going to need another Precision with rounds so you can do punk, grunge and rock tone. Actually, you need a Fender Telecaster bass as that has a humbucker pickup and will sound different to anything else. While you're at it, you need a fretless as well and you might as well get a fretless Precision, Jazz and Stingray. Have I mentioned short scale basses, oh no. Ok, so you will also need a short scale bass for when you are older and your neck and shoulders are buggered. So to summarize, you need 1 x Precision with Flats 1 x Precision with Rounds 1 x Precision Fretless 1 x Jazz with Rounds 1 x Jazz Fretless 1 x Stingray 1 x Stingray Fretless 1 x Telecaster bass 1 x Mustang Short Scale So the answer is 9, you need 9 basses. I've used logic, a little bit of science and maybe a little bit of bias 😂

You only need one bass....... Nah.... not really!! 😂🤣😂🤣

I had one bass once. It was about 45 years ago and immediately prior to that I had no basses 😎.

Ok, after some research, I discovered that the bass player was Ladi GEISLER, a guitar player using a technique of his own to get the "knack bass" sound. Check this excerpt from his Wikipedia page : "From composer and big band leader James Last, he bought a late 50s Gibson EB bass guitar, with which he developed his legendary "Knack bass" sound that would become an integral feature in the Easy Listening orchestra of Bert Kaempfert. Later, he used a Fender Jazz Bass model. Most recently, he used a Fender Precision Bass when he was invited to live or recording sessions. Geisler's knack bass sound was a treble staccato bass guitar sound in which the bass string was plucked with a pick and immediately suppressed to cancel out any sustain." https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladi_Geisler

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!!

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

Taken int total, there is no way you can accuse anyone of over playing on this album. Jaco's lines are no busier that James Jamerson's on 90% of the Motown stuff. His melodic inter-playing is exquisite. Even 'Dry Cleaner' is just a slightly funked up 12 bar really. I get that some don't like it but 'overplaying'? Not to my ears. I have been listening to the S&L lp for four decades and it remains my favourite album of all time. I like a lot of Joni but I LOVE the Shadows and Light album because of the band who are, to my ears, one of the most musical enembles ever to have graced a stage. Greater than the sum of it's considerable parts.

"Everything is nice....but more is better"..

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 🙂

It's only a bit more practice that separates us... @Matt P is going for 20" radius and - based on that hand radiusing ebony is a quick very slow way to insanity - I've ordered a couple of extra radius templates for their wonderful radius routing jig. In the meantime, I routed the slot for the trussrod: And, based on the fact that for all the 'nice-to-haves', the one 'must-be-able-to', is that it must be able to fit in the Hiscox case, a quick check: Phew! I will be pondering a while to make sure I haven't forgotten anything before I cut anything, but I'm pretty sure I can cut the side profile of the neck now...

I'm a bass player predominantly, well I used to be back in days. Now I own more guitars than basses. I don't play in any band. I don't smoke or hand my money to pub landlords, so technically I invest.

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 😁

I think the only option is to fill up your bedroom walls with every conceivable configuration type and colour that you like and budget for some quality wall hangers and space for all the hardcases 😂 Ultimately it’s your decision and your quest for the tone you like. Do you need more? Of course not... do you want more? ... why are you here if you don’t! 😃 most importantly what ever you decide. Enjoy playing.

Ebonizing the fretboard on my BBPH:

Oh dear, I just posted this on the short scale thread. The ebony board on the fsr was the clincher for me

14 then. 😆

I'm old enough to have paid his wages, once. 😎

'Darling, cheese head, I was yards too greasy' 😄

I see those bastards at Lucozade have hijacked my idea for a new hotstep band by using my favorite Ini Kamoze track in their stupid TV adverts. Which was going to be the opening song in my set, but now any millennials in the crowd would be all "Oh, its the Lucozade song!"... so basically thats ****ing ruined it. 😟

I remember the first time I upped the ante and had two basses...I reckon I was 16 or 17. Living it laaaarge. An Ibanez Roadster (RS924) and a Gibson Grabber G-3. One was great, one was terrible but quite aerodynamic on at least three occasions.

Looks like I forgot to post pictures of my Limelight bass. Its a replica of a 1960 Fender Jazz Stack Knob Fretless in Sherwood Green.

Agreed. One of my guitarists often boasts about his fourteen guitars. Problem is most of them are cheap rubbish. He should sell off 12 of them and make sure he has two or three good quality and reliable instruments for the bands he's in. And reliable amps and pedals. IMO of course.

Who doesn't like to own nice things? As long as you can afford it and you've got space, why not! The other way to look at it, if you buy 2nd hand, you'll not be losing money - especially if the basses aren't getting battered from gigging etc! As an aside, I look back and cringe over the years I did some quite massive gigs with no back up bass. Literally one loose wire away from a disaster! From about 2017 onwards, I've always carried a backup. Not worth the risk.

Oh dear. This (normally as a thread) never ends well 😂

Not helpful either, but if one likes "A Swingin' Safari" then one might also like "Zambezi" and "Africaan Beat" off the same album, and at any rate I'd direct one's attention to "Living it up" from "Living it up!". On the positive side, this stuff isn't hard to listen to, and you'll be well-protected from anything artsy. 😀 I lurve it.

You can only play one bass at a time. In nearly 20 years gigging, I've never needed a back up bass (or amp, or pedals).

Unless you subscribe to the less is more school of thought, therefore, less is better. Combine the 2 and we have a nice infinite, self perpetuating loop. (Sorry, I’ve been in the DoI thread and become more obtuse than normal). Get on topic, Ez! Ahem... Downsizing to one is a noble quest and by ordering a bass that covers many bases (pun intended) you could achieve your goal. However, what you could end up with is a very bass that will do everything, but doesn’t do any one brilliantly. You say you gravitate to one bass, what sort of bass is that? Do you pick up the others at all, if so, which one/s and why? It could be that downsizing to 2 would salve your conscience and free up some cash (if required). Perhaps try putting the less used ones away in cases and out of easy reach for a couple months and see if you miss/needed them? Ultimately, this is Basschat and GAS rules. Therefore, don’t downsize, buy more! 😁* *please feel free to ignore paragraphs 1, 2 & 4

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Finally... protection!

This went up on my transcription website yesterday. If you read through this, you will see Jaco's genius and why he was the perfect foil for Ms. Mitchell. The bass part to Refuge If The Road from Hejira. https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/refuge-of-the-road-joni-mitchell/

I managed to catch a date on the Shadows And Light tour, a week or two before the video was shot IIRC. The perspective is likely to be a bit different here, but from my viewpoint Pat Metheny had just been voted Guitarist of the Year in numerous US publications including Guitar Player, and I found his playing to be a bit overly restrained if anything. I admired that a lot at the time though and I still think it's pretty cool. For a concert in a big old hockey barn it was about as good as it gets in any case.

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.

I wasn't going to cover any Des Decker songs you tool.

How plush is the bedroom?

Up switches the hot tub bubbles on, down releases the hounds.

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.

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

think some peeps could be surprised on the benchmarks set by Dub Reggae bass players & their bass lines ,, easy on the ear, easy if you follow the top notes , yet plenty of those lines are swinging jazz turnovers , then, they twist the progression on the fret board ,, & you slowly realize you will not be able to play the line,

Check this video with loads of stills :

I can’t help either, but likewise, this was part of my childhood too. My Dad was a big James Last fan. He took me to see James Last at the Royal Albert Hall (I think 😬). I bet he had some Percy Faith in his collection as well? ‘Theme from a Summer Place’ was a popular selection.

FSR Mustang P-J. Shiny stealth.

Or a similarly sized Ashdown.

Nice tort here 🙂

Hi all, I'm a lurker that signed up a while ago but this is my first post as I've got a Warwick story to tell. I've also posted it on the Warwick forums. I’m in the market for an upgrade to my current bass and I've been searching for a second-hand German or Korean Corvette, which got me thinking about my experience of having a job interview at Warwick. It includes a memory that still haunts me to this day. I thought I’d tell the story here as some may find it amusing. Back in 2010, I applied for the position of in-house journalist for Warwick/Framus. I was fresh out of university after completing my Journalism degree in the UK and at this point, I had sent a few applications here and there in the UK without much luck. I honestly thought they’d never get back to me, so why not send a speculative application? I had nothing to lose. However I was delighted to receive an invite to Warwick HQ in Markneukirchen for a trial week, so when I was asked to fly over and show them what I can do, this was a huge boost to my confidence. They’d put me up in a hotel and let me work for a week in their amazing headquarters – I couldn’t say ‘yes’ quick enough. I booked my flight over to Germany and the company kindly picked me up from the local airport and took me to my hotel. It’s a beautiful little German village in the middle of nowhere. I could speak a tiny bit of German – enough to order some food and a beer or two – but fortunately the hotelier and the majority of people at the company spoke English, which was very reassuring for a fish out of water like me. The company stressed to me that this role would probably consume my life for the next 4-5 years and, given how remote the location is, you would have to throw yourself into the job. I was 21 years old and bang up for anything that paid after university, so this appealed to me. I was young and ready for a new challenge. On the day I started, I was given the grand tour of the factory and shown the office where I’d be working. Everyone was very friendly and I was looking forward to getting started. One of my tasks over the course of the week was to write the October 2010 newsletter which went out to subscribers. It featured an overview of the Streamer Jazzman as well as the announcement of the the Pro Series made in Korea. It also featured an interview with Richard Lovgren, bassist in Meshuggah, conducted by Warwick Artist Relations Manager Alex Becker, the latter of whom I met at the office. I also wrote a feature on Bubinga Pommele Round Wood for the website. Pretty standard stuff now that I’m writing it down here but I was so jazzed to write about this type of thing. I still have a copy of the newsletter and the feature in my journalism portfolio. One evening, Hans Peter-Wilfer and the staff took me and another applicant to a local restaurant where we had dinner and a few drinks. They were very honest with me in saying this is probably a job you’ll do for 3 years and then move on due to the HQs remoteness. This didn’t phase me as, again, I was a grad out of university ready for a new challenge and this was a huge opportunity. We ate and drank and had a great time – I could really see myself being here for the long haul. One day, I was asked to conduct a phoner with one of Warwick’s artists. I’m struggling to remember the band exactly now but it was one of those American hard-rock/nu-metal-ish bands. I think it was Trapt, as Pete Charrell – their bassist - was a Warwick artist at the time. I had done quite a few interviews as a proper journalist at this point – Joe Duplantier of Gojira, Andrew WK, Alexisonfire – so coming up with a list of questions for the interview was no bother. At this point I was told Jonas Hellborg was in town and he’d be coming over to have a chat with me. Now I have to admit I didn’t really know who he was but apparently he’s a big deal and it would be good to impress him. We sat down for a chat and I explained my background and why I was here etc. He looked over my questions I had written ready for the interview with Pete. He basically said – and I’m paraphrasing here - they were complete stinky poo and “had I ever done an interview before”. I was really shocked to hear this but being 21 years old and keen to impress, I politely explained I had but was open to working with him to refine the questions. He asked me to go back and write some different questions. I was a little flustered by the time of the phoner but I had got some new questions ready. I got my dictaphone set up, plugged it into the office phone’s handset and away I went. After the interview, I went back to the hotel and was chuffed with myself for doing such a good job. I went back to the office the next day to transcribe the interview. It was a 30-45 min call so it would take me a little while to transcribe but it was a fun call despite Jonas having rattled me a bit the day before. I got my Dictaphone out, plugged in my headphones and pressed play. There was no audio. My heart stopped. I fast-forwarded through the interview and there was still no audio. I waited a few more seconds and I heard my voice asking questions to Pete, but there was no response. I eventually realised I had not plugged the dictaphone into the audio out, but into a different socket. I recorded myself talking, but not Pete. I turned white as a sheet and realised I had massively flipped up. It was at that point that everything came crashing down. I was a fresh-faced graduate in a foreign country in the middle of nowhere who has just ruined this interview with a Warwick artist, specifically after getting a grilling by Jonas. I felt very isolated and was beating myself up about it. But one of the staff who was looking after me said it was totally fine and asked me to just type up what I could remember. I tried my best to remember what Pete had said, and wrote maybe an A4 page or so of content. It was complete rubbish and I was mortally embarrassed for making such a mistake. It was human error but I was so eager to impress, it just affected me for the rest of the trial week. I submitted the piece and, funnily enough, I do not include it in my portfolio for the future. I didn’t see Jonas for the rest of the week. Whether that was intentional or not – I don’t know! I don’t remember a whole lot after that, except for saying my goodbyes and being driven to the airport after my trial week had concluded. A week after my visit, I received an email saying I wasn’t successful and I wouldn’t be getting the role. It didn’t come as a surprise. I was gutted but naturally understood the decision. It was perhaps a sliding doors moment in my life because if I hadn’t been rejected, I wouldn’t have got a new job local to me in the UK where I’ve made my best friends for the last 10 years and also met my wife in the same city. I do think “what if…?” but maybe it worked out best for both Warwick and me! That being said, Warwick will always have a place in my heart because of those moments, and I’m now at a stage in my life where I can upgrade to a Warwick. So if anyone has a Pro Series Corvette made in Korea for around £400, let me know...