bassist_lewis Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Don't worry, this is bass related! Over the last few years I've been gone through quite a few basses, I got a Clover 4 string in 2010 which I still have and is my favourite bass, but playing lots of covers in lots of keys a 5 string is much more useful (got told to drop Living on a Prayer by a tone a beat before starting, couldn't he have done that on 4 string!) Since then I sold my epiphone semi-hollow, a cort 4 string and my BTB6 but I've also bought an aria (sold it), an Ibanez SDGR6 (sold it), and last year I bought a Letts 6 fretless and a Lakland DJ 5 - and I'm thinking of selling both to fund a Callowhill 5 string shorty ( both the Letts and the DJ5 are a stretch for my short arms)! My band mates always laugh at me when I bring a new bass to gigs (oh, ANOTHER bass!), am I the devil incarnate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 You need to sell [i]everything[/i] and get a 34" Sadowsky 5 string. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roland Rock Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 (edited) Well, you're a lot more gaseous than me when it comes to basses (four electric basses in nineteen years) but some people on BC seem to go through scores of basses, so I wouldn't worry just yet. Edited February 9, 2014 by Roland Rock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassist_lewis Posted February 9, 2014 Author Share Posted February 9, 2014 Yeah, I know I'm not the worst but I would like to find one or two and just be happy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowregisterhead Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 ...or how about a Lakland 55-02 or 55-94? I've also got a DJ5 and the neck seems to sit 'out' more than the other two, although they're all 35" scale. As far as being a bass tart, you've got a long way to go! I have a file on my computer where I list all the basses I've owned over the years. I've been playing a very long time, but it's currently up to 89.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JapanAxe Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Yes you are the devil incarnate. Seek out a pointy metal bass that looks like a pitchfork. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassist_lewis Posted February 9, 2014 Author Share Posted February 9, 2014 Just remembered... I also bought a Lakland 55-02 and sold it :S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grangur Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 "It takes all sorts to make a world". Maybe you need more variety in your life than the other, shallow folk in the band? Maybe you're still looking for "that sound"? I've got 4 basses and one I'm still building. AND I'm not even in a band (work commitments prevent it) I love to have different sounds, the variety keeps me going. Maybe one day I'll hit on one bass and desert the others, but it won't be this week. Well, I doubt it anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johngh Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 [quote name='bassist_lewis' timestamp='1391941692' post='2362748'] Yeah, I know I'm not the worst but I would like to find one or two and just be happy! [/quote] I've been through more basses than most people on here, most of them have been worth between 1 and 2 K, and I've not been happy with any of them really. I've now got a ACG 6er, a Status 5 that I bought new, sold, and then bought back again. And I've just spent £170 on a Yamaha 5 string, I used to have one before, and they are brilliant for the money. I've also just sold a Ricky 4003. I think I must have been through 40 plus basses, so no, your not that bad really. I used to get the same from my band mates when I used to turn up to gigs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madshadows Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 I think you are just trying to find the perfect partner for your Clover 4 string ! Keep hunting you'll find it in the end John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mornats Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 I know someone who hasn't taken the same bass to a band practice since he joined them... (not me by the way!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 it's your money and your time - do as you wish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 (edited) [quote name='bassist_lewis' timestamp='1391941692' post='2362748'] Yeah, I know I'm not the worst but I would like to find one or two and just be happy! [/quote] Have a word with Clarky... or Beedster! Edited February 9, 2014 by discreet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarky Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 [quote name='discreet' timestamp='1391950272' post='2362867'] Have a word with Clarky... or Beedster! [/quote]Oi! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyfisher Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Maybe it's a skill thing? I've never felt I can outplay the bass I've got and I'm pretty sure it's not the bass holding me back. One P in about 30 years me, until I went berserk and bought a J last year. I reckon those two will see me out. But, as someone once said on here 'it's music, there are no rules'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 I don't think I know a "perfect" bass if it dropped into my lap. I just look for one that feels good and plays and sounds better than the last one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjones Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Over the course of 4 years I've bought and sold about 9 basses (Yamaha, Stingray, Charvel lots of Jazzes and Ps). It allowed me to figure out want I want from a bass. And I've really enjoyed the journey. I've now culled the herd down to a great Precision and a great Jazz. When you find the bass that suits you, you'll stick with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyfisher Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 What I want from a bass is to be able to play as well as all those buggers on YouTube who make it look effortless. I haven't noticed that all the best players in the world use the same bass so I'm pretty sure I'm not being held back by my instrument. Worse still, I'm sure a great player could pick up either of my basses and make it sing, so I'm pretty sure that all my shortcomings are down to me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dingus Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 [quote name='bassist_lewis' timestamp='1391940809' post='2362732'] Don't worry, this is bass related! Over the last few years I've been gone through quite a few basses, I got a Clover 4 string in 2010 which I still have and is my favourite bass, but playing lots of covers in lots of keys a 5 string is much more useful (got told to drop Living on a Prayer by a tone a beat before starting, couldn't he have done that on 4 string!) Since then I sold my epiphone semi-hollow, a cort 4 string and my BTB6 but I've also bought an aria (sold it), an Ibanez SDGR6 (sold it), and last year I bought a Letts 6 fretless and a Lakland DJ 5 - and I'm thinking of selling both to fund a Callowhill 5 string shorty ( both the Letts and the DJ5 are a stretch for my short arms)! My band mates always laugh at me when I bring a new bass to gigs (oh, ANOTHER bass!), am I the devil incarnate? [/quote] If , at the end of this thread, it turns out that you are the devil incarnate, can somebody let me know? I had previously assigned that role to a girl from Essex that I used to share a house with when I was a student, who I believe is still sticking pins in a voodoo doll of my likeness. If you are in fact the devil then maybe we could do some kind of a deal to fix her and get her off my case ? If, as seems slightly more likely, you are just another bass player longing for perfection then I would recommend that you get used to feeling dissatisfied . The perfect bass doesn't exist. If it did, I would have found it by now considering the time , effort and money I have poured into finding it for the last thirty -odd years. I've ( almost) had everything and they were mainly rubbish , but some were less rubbish than others. It is often better to accept that you are travelling hopefully to somewhere where you will probably never arrive , but at least you can try and enjoy some of the scenery on the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dingus Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Why has my post quoted you three times when I only pressed the button once ? What witchcraft is this ? That means that you[i] ARE[/i] the devil! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassist_lewis Posted February 9, 2014 Author Share Posted February 9, 2014 [quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1391958136' post='2362962'] If , at the end of this thread, it turns out that you are the devil incarnate, can somebody let me know? I had previously assigned that role to a girl from Essex that I used to share a house with when I was a student, who I believe is still sticking pins in a voodoo doll of my likeness. If you are in fact the devil then maybe we could do some kind of a deal to fix her and get her off my case ? [/quote] Give me your soul and it's a deal All who post on this thread will spend eternity burning in hell! But seriously, yeah, I get what you mean (not about the girl from Essex, the bass thing) no bass is perfect... though my clover is pretty damn close. Maybe it's one of those "it's about the ride, not the destination" situations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leroydiamond Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 (edited) [quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1391956073' post='2362940'] What I want from a bass is to be able to play as well as all those buggers on YouTube who make it look effortless. I haven't noticed that all the best players in the world use the same bass so I'm pretty sure I'm not being held back by my instrument. Worse still, I'm sure a great player could pick up either of my basses and make it sing, so I'm pretty sure that all my shortcomings are down to me [/quote] +1. If only I cold spend as much time practising my instrument as I do gassing for a new bass. The problem with each bass I have purchased is that as soon as I grow accustomed to what the instrument does well, what is revealed is its limitations. So IME the acquisition of a new instrument can create the exact predicament it it was designed to resolve--the desire for another. Then I convince myself if only I could acquire this other bass, my needs would be complete and so on, covering the same ground over and over. Having said that I have stuck with the same two basses for several years now (Sadowsky and pre cbs Fender Jazz) and have refused to surrender to Gas. though this was seriously tested recently when I picked up a U.S. Lakland Daryl Jones 4 string--totally beautiful bass . I had the money in my account to cover it, but I realised that acquiring it would not make me a better player, which should be my central purpose as a musician. More time spent with my Sadowsky/Fender will solve that predicament. Edited February 9, 2014 by leroydiamond Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyfisher Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Actually, you raise an interesting point. If gas encourages people to play more, perhaps because of the novelty of a new instrument, then it probably would help people improve. Oh dear. I wish you hadn't made me think of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesBass Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 One very simple question to the OP. Are you happy doing what you do? Do the basses make you happy? If yes, then disregard everything anyone else tells you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leroydiamond Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 (edited) [quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1391963667' post='2363036'] Actually, you raise an interesting point. If gas encourages people to play more, perhaps because of the novelty of a new instrument, then it probably would help people improve. Oh dear. I wish you hadn't made me think of that. [/quote] Oh dear maybe I should have picked up that U.S. Lakland after all IME the novelty value of a new instrument wears off pretty quick so should not be a consideration when making a new purchase. Indeed much of the excitement of a new purchase is experienced in the days prior to receiving it, after the decision to buy is made IME. I have found that sticking with my Sadowsky for the last couple of years, has forced me to really get to know that bass well. I have discovered so much about the pre amp and how it interacts with the VTC and pick up pan revealing several sweet spots and discovering some beautiful tones. Adjusting pick up height and string choice has also been revealing. This has taken time and a whole bunch of gigs. It has now become an old friend in a musical sense and I am settling for what it has to offer, despite the fact that no more than any other bass, it does not offer everything. Just heard Sadowsky are releasing newly engineered single coils which are supposed to be the dogs b******x. Maybe i will pull the trigger on a set tomorrow and nail that vintage tone (Which I get out of my Fender anyway). I am off again craving for something different in the hope, even belief that it will make me a better musician but in all honesty I know that it will not. Maybe I should sell the lot and buy the U.S. Lakland? . Edited February 9, 2014 by leroydiamond Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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