LukeFRC Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 We've been decorating our house so all the basses have been stashed in cases for months now, still play - but not as much as ild like. So been thinking, I've finally found a "keeper" amp - walkabout is amazing and the scout cab is cool - if I need more cabs for something in the future I can buy more cabs. Currently I own 4 basses - 3 amazing ones and a homemade bitsa. While we've been decorating I've only been grabbing one of them. At some point we may want a family - and in which case space becomes a premium. It just struck me that I could quite happily downsize to two basses and be totally happy. Anyone done similar? And how do you choose? My Dilemma- My two "go to" basses are both different flavour of Warwick - but then loose that trad. Fender "type" sound... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dazed Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 (edited) Do it. You can always get more basses in the future. I love my Warwicks, but over the past year I've been living like a nomad and have pretty much exclusively used a Limelight P during that time and love it. I'm itching to get back home to start selling off the glut of basses I've built up. Then I can start buying again Edited June 30, 2016 by Dazed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 (edited) [quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1467315740' post='3082837'] It just struck me that I could quite happily downsize to two basses and be totally happy. Anyone done similar? And how do you choose? [/quote] I know this is heresy, but you can be totally happy with ONE bass. I had just one bass from 1976 right up until I joined this forum six years ago and was perfectly content. Then of course everything went completely crazy apeshit bananas hat-stand. If you select 'the one bass' that will do everything you need - and stay off the internet, you'll be fine. Edited June 30, 2016 by discreet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlfer Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 [quote name='discreet' timestamp='1467317007' post='3082854'] I know this is heresy, but you can be totally happy with ONE bass. I had just one bass from 1976 right up until I joined this forum six years ago and was perfectly content. Then of course everything went completely crazy apeshit bananas hat-stand. If you select 'the one bass' that will do everything you need - and stay off the internet, you'll be fine. [/quote] What he said (in a rare lucid moment) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Sausage Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 Listen mate, kids take enough off you! Freedom, sleep, fun, the number of times you can get wrecked, lie ins, money etc etc. Don't let the little bastards take your basses too! Also, having a family means you have to attend the evil that are other kids birthday parties. It's an outrage! So definitely don't let them take the your real true love! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 I could happily live with one bass - my Squier. But then after telling my lad to put down my vintage Aria I then got out my fretless Jazz for the first time in ages. And I couldn't possibly get rid of the Ric. And... Darned Basschat GASeous atmosphere! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 I see what you mean. I have four basses and am not allowed any more... Having said that I've made good investments in my basses by buying at good prices and having potential to sell on should I need to. My P bass does everything I need to in my band but I long for the days of us I my fretless all the time. Thing is, if you get basses that you love playing and they may hold or increase their value (and we don't have to be talking five grand Wals here) it's better than keeping your money in the bank. I sold a German Warwick for five hundred quid in 2010 - kicking myself now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CamdenRob Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 There is something pleasing about getting rid of things you are not using and don't need... this is not just true of basses, but pretty much everything you own. Chuck out clothes that no longer fit, go through cupboards you haven't looked in for years, get rid of old books you'll never read etc. A less cluttered life is a less cluttered mind... or something... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 [quote name='karlfer' timestamp='1467317150' post='3082855'] What he said (in a rare lucid moment) [/quote] There must be something wrong with my laptop screen here Karl, for a moment I thought YOU were agreeing you could be happy with one bass. you've practically got your own facebook shop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlfer Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 [quote name='Les' timestamp='1467363959' post='3083069'] There must be something wrong with my laptop screen here Karl, for a moment I thought YOU were agreeing you could be happy with one bass. you've practically got your own facebook shop [/quote] One may be a tad fickle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 [quote name='karlfer' timestamp='1467366425' post='3083100'] One may be a tad fickle [/quote] I don't believe that, not for a second. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spongebob Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 I have a 2 bass max...works (quite) well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted July 3, 2016 Author Share Posted July 3, 2016 [quote name='spongebob' timestamp='1467369998' post='3083132'] I have a 2 bass max...works (quite) well! [/quote] what I used to have... Don't know how I ended up with 4! Oh and to clarify - if we had family it wouldn't be them taking my basses off me - more the lack of space - personally I find if its sat hidden in a case somewhere then it doesn't get played. Ild rather make a decision to have 2 great basses than have lots but they are hidden clutter that in reality I'm not so connected too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M@23 Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 I said this in another thread recently; I love having one bass. When I played guitar, at one point I had about a dozen of the things. God knows why. I've had one main gigging bass for about 2 years and really like the consistency and familiarity you get. Plus, it helps me justify spending a filthy amount on one bass - I've still spent less than if I had 4 or 5 cheaper ones... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fionn Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 (edited) [quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1467315740' post='3082837'] Anyone done similar? And how do you choose? My Dilemma- My two "go to" basses are both different flavour of Warwick - but then loose that trad. Fender "type" sound... [/quote] Aye, I did exactly that. I downsized from 4 basses to 2. Both of my "go to" basses were Warwick's too. A SS1, and a Thumb, I also had an old Aria SB900 fretless, and a bitsa P-Bass. I decided on keeping two basses that would give me as broad a pallet as was possible, considering the options. The Aria fretless was a no-brainer, and keeping one Warwick was a certainty. That was difficult, as I cherished them both, but seeing as I was consolidating, I went for the most versatile of the two (the Streamer). That was a good decision. Only after the Thumb Bass was gone, did I fully realise how totally perfect the Streamer is for purpose, and how much I'd always naturally favoured it in almost every way. But, you know how it goes, the Thumb had this going for it, and that, etc, etc, blah, blah. Truth is ... I didn't need the Thumb bass, and as great as it was, it was an expensive and unnecessary luxury. Like the bitsa P-Bass, just stuff that I didn't need (Fender-type sound included). So I now have only two basses. One lively, active, fretted, with round-wounds, and that whole vibe ... the other being mellow, passive, fretless, flatwounds. Very different instruments which offer a lot of vatiety and range (the SB900 is also very versatile in what it does too). I can find whatever sound and feel I want, between the two. Although they are very different, they're both bass guitars at the end of the day, so I've always got a back-up bass. Why not keep your favourite Warwick, and something else that will give you a totally different sound and feel? If you don't have such a bass, then I'd be thinking about what bass would best fill the space, and I'd sell the other three basses to fund it. Two works for me. Less clutter and distraction that way. Edited July 3, 2016 by Fionn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bassman7755 Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 [quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1467315740' post='3082837'] My Dilemma- My two "go to" basses are both different flavour of Warwick - but then loose that trad. Fender "type" sound... [/quote] Are your warwicks both humbucker loaded ?. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted July 3, 2016 Author Share Posted July 3, 2016 [quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1467534609' post='3084257'] Are your warwicks both humbucker loaded ?. [/quote] streamer has Bart PJ and thumb active SD jj Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AustinArto Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 I keep three basses. One strung with rounds, one with flats, and a backup. They're all pretty cheap (I assembled two of them, one is a Squier) and they're not taking up much space so I don't have any reason to shift them. If I was tight for space then the elephant in the room (literally) would be my upright. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjones Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 [quote name='discreet' timestamp='1467317007' post='3082854'] I know this is heresy, but you can be totally happy with ONE bass. I had just one bass from 1976 right up until I joined this forum six years ago and was perfectly content. Then of course everything went completely crazy apeshit bananas hat-stand. If you select 'the one bass' that will do everything you need - and stay off the internet, you'll be fine. [/quote] I follow that emotion. Basschat has a lot to answer for. I used to have 7 electrics and a double bass. I now have 2 basses (that is if you don't count the ones in bits). A Jazz, with a J retro, plus a P bass for emergencies is all I really need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trueno Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 Just have two basses now, and I feel they are sufficiently diverse to cover all bases (so to speak). 1 - Warwick Thumb BO, fretless and active 2 - Am Std Jazz, fretted and passive Never played (or wanted to play) anything other than 4 strings, so that saves another complication. Don't gig anymore, so it comes down to fun factor really. Culling basses is mostly a space issue for me, but it always seems a shame if they're in their cases and no-one is playing them. When I was gigging I had a rule, no more than three, and one-in one-out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 I have three basses. One I play. One that is in a hard case and comes out if my main bass fails. It only failed once, when my backup bass was a home. One that is in the loft, I'll never sell it. Mainly because it should be thrown in the bin, but it was my first bass. When I bought my bass I spent a very long time looking for it, close on 7 years of searching. In the mean time I didn't buy something that was nearly right. I've had it for 15 years now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeEvans Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 Bare essentials = 1 bass, 1 lead and 1 amp, surely? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 [quote name='JoeEvans' timestamp='1467568410' post='3084607'] Bare essentials = 1 bass, 1 lead and 1 amp, surely? [/quote] I don't think I'd be comfortable without at least a pair of pants and a shirt... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 [quote name='JoeEvans' timestamp='1467568410' post='3084607'] Bare essentials = 1 bass, 1 lead and 1 amp, surely? [/quote] Yes. Assuming it's a combo. I have that pretty much. But amp and cab. Plus a tuner. And some spare strings, and a spare battery, and a screwdriver... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost_Bass Posted July 4, 2016 Share Posted July 4, 2016 [quote name='discreet' timestamp='1467317007' post='3082854'] [b]If you select 'the one bass' that will do everything you need - and stay off the internet, you'll be fine.[/b] [/quote] Should we ask the mods to put this in the registration page to prevent future bass horders to develop? It will also help decrease the number of domestic arguments with the other half. Maybe a pop up window with this warning once every hour logged in! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.