How many is too many?

[EdwardHimself]

well i only have 2 atm a 4 and a 5, but i want more because of tunings. U see a lot of the songs i write are in different tunings and the guitarrist in our band has this big obsession with playing stuff in the right key (and he can't tune by ear either.) So ill have to have basses for that purpouse, i was planning on getting a 5 string for standard/drop D/B/Drop A stuff, 1 bass for same thing but flat and a bass for C tuning. so that would be 2 5's and a 4. Then i would probably want to get different basses for standard and drop tunings so that would give me 2 more basses and then i would want backups so that would be 3 MORE basses. Of course in between that i would want to get a 6 string, an acoustic, a semi hollow and maybe a fretless aswell. So it really adds up quicky.

[quote name='gareth' post='3918' date='May 21 2007, 08:33 PM']anything more than 1 is too many![/quote]

ur just jeallous

Edited May 25, 2007 by EdwardHimself

[paul, the]

If you're the average 4 string conventional lover. I think two basses is enough.


If you're more flamboyant, then 2 basses of each type at the most.


---

Luckily, I'm in category one - although I only use one bass. Although I'd love to have two nice fretted basses.

And maybe a fretless and an URB.

[Telebass]

I've said this before...
Never go gigging with out a back up. If one fails, you STILL need to go out with two, so three is my minimum.
I have four, but will be down to 3 as son as I can sell my Kramer.
Essentially, though, I have 3 different P-basses. No surprise there, then!

[Shaggy]

Umm…at last count;
4 basses
1 electric 12 string (Rickenbacker 360/12)
1 electric 6 string (’66 Vox teardrop)
2 flamenco guitars
4 mandolins (3 acoustic 1 electric)
1 banjo
2 violins
1 lute
Amazing what you can fit under a bed. I like the empty case dodge to fool the missus – that’s what this forum is all about!

[12stringbassist]

This is too many... [url="http://12stringbassist.blogspot.co.uk/"]http://12stringbassist.blogspot.co.uk/[/url]
I should cull a few.

[Doctor J]

That's only twenty four, that's not too many. If you can afford them and you enjoy playing them then have as many as you want. If you're not playing them and just hoarding, then you're a bad person and you shall be smoten from above. But, if you play them, thumbs up.

[LukeFRC]

[quote name='12stringbassist' timestamp='1335093258' post='1625543']
This is too many... [url="http://12stringbassist.blogspot.co.uk/"]http://12stringbassist.blogspot.co.uk/[/url]
I should cull a few.
[/quote]

that is a lot. In my opinion once you are hiring storage units for your basses you maybe have too many. Nice jazz btw, actually nice collection full stop

[FlatEric]

[quote name='12stringbassist' timestamp='1335093258' post='1625543']
This is too many... [url="http://12stringbassist.blogspot.co.uk/"]http://12stringbassist.blogspot.co.uk/[/url]
I should cull a few.
[/quote]

Nice Blog.

Nice Gordy and nice "Pointy Aria".

Keep adding to it - I shall pop back now and again, to see how you are getting on.

Cheers.

[Wolverinebass]

[quote name='Machines' timestamp='1179590018' post='2324']
Personally I think it's too many when you have 2 basses that sound the same.
[/quote]

This is exactly what I think. What's the point of duplication? That's why all the basses in my sig don't sound anything like each other.

[CBbass]

Well I personally would never own more than 2, I don't even own a single bass at the moment because I've sold the one I had and am waiting for delivery of a "replacement". I don't really have a problem with anyone owning any amount of basses as long as they can finance it and it doesn't clutter up the house driving people crazy . I have a P coming, I could see myself getting an l2000 eventually just to cover all the tones I want.

[Grand Wazoo]

Never too many, put it this way can you ever tell your missus she's got too many pair of shoes? I rest my mother****ing case! Yewza!

[BassTractor]

Noobs _must_ own dozens and dozens. Only way to cover every style and only way to get used to, and good at, all kinds of necks, string profiles, string tensions, string distances and so on and so forth.

This is _not_ debatable, and there can be _no_ talk of any compromise.

[b]Damn you people! Better halves are _reading_ this fer cryin' out loud![/b]




bert

[Rick's Fine '52]

No such thing as too many. You should have as many as you want/can afford/have space for. If that's one, then great, if it's 50, then grrrreat. I have more than I need, but if i could afford more, I'd have them, no question at all.

We all only [i]need[/i] one though.

I must say though, as has already been said, if you need to rent external storage space for them, then that might tell you something!!

[Gust0o]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1179576708' post='2197']
There's no such thing as too many bass guitars

In fact I doubt if there's even just enough bass guitars...
[/quote]

Bingo.

Some will tell you otherwise. Ignore them and be confined only by your own ambitions. Or wallet, the wife has chimed in. Practical things these wives.

[discreet]

I like to have just one bass guitar, and concentrate on playing that. If I have more than one, I get confused. Like I get confused if I have more than one pickup. Or more than one tone control.

[shizznit]

How many is too many?

If your single - no limit
If your not - none (if they had their own way!)

[Gust0o]

[quote name='shizznit' timestamp='1335165801' post='1626421']
If your not - none (if they had their own way!)
[/quote]

First reply on this: [url="http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f11/96-jeep-cherokee-need-opinions-1149721/"]http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f11/96-jeep-cherokee-need-opinions-1149721/[/url]

[JTUK]

Too many is when you don't play them. If you can't put serious time into one of them, then I don't see the point.
Also, if you don't touch one from one month to the next, what sort of playing condition is that going to be in anyway.

[Rick's Fine '52]

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1335179802' post='1626690']
Too many is when you don't play them. If you can't put serious time into one of them, then I don't see the point.
Also, if you don't touch one from one month to the next, what sort of playing condition is that going to be in anyway.
[/quote]

Far better than the ones you play regularly is the answer to that!

Don't subscribe to that at all. How does not playing an instrument worsen its ability to be played. I have a bass that i play all the time, and its constantly needing attention and tweaks, the ones i play less frequently need nothing. You think John Entwistle played all of his on a daily basis? The point is owning the things you want, and having them there for when you want to play them, if thats your interest. I think you're confusing this with how many do you 'need', in which case the answer is one.

Do people who have a collection of 100 Toby jugs have to drink beer out of them everyday to justify owning them? No.

[LiamPodmore]

I have 3 at the moment (2 usable) but i want more. In my mind, theres i think 7, that i'd like to cover every eventuality, so my limit is probably around that (for now).

Liam

[thumperbob 2002]

I have four basses- three usable- which is two too many to be honest. I never play my Thumb NT5 and my Low End Jazz- fantastic fantastic basses- but prefer my roadworn Jazz- ( and have gone back to a 4 string )

Mind you I have four motorbikes in my garage and seem to use all four- One Race Bike- One Cruiser ( Harley)-One Superbike ( Fireblade ) and one tourer ( GS 1200 )

[JTUK]

[quote name='Rick's Fine '52' timestamp='1335181790' post='1626740']
Far better than the ones you play regularly is the answer to that!

Don't subscribe to that at all. How does not playing an instrument worsen its ability to be played. I have a bass that i play all the time, and its constantly needing attention and tweaks, the ones i play less frequently need nothing. You think John Entwistle played all of his on a daily basis? The point is owning the things you want, and having them there for when you want to play them, if thats your interest. I think you're confusing this with how many do you 'need', in which case the answer is one.

Do people who have a collection of 100 Toby jugs have to drink beer out of them everyday to justify owning them? No.
[/quote]

Not mine... I play them and use them..that is what they are there for.
I am not confusing anything..just don't subscribe the whole deal about not playing them or not getting out and playing.

Entwhistle needed just one decent sounding bass and maybe he was looking for one.
If you are a player, then you play them..if you are a collector, then collect, thats fine

[Chris Horton]

I dont think that you can ever have toooooo many bass guitars as long as you play and enjoy them

[Fat Rich]

Not for me to tell anyone how many basses to have, but for me I'm finding half a dozen about right:

A modern sounding five string
A versatile fretless or two
A good Jazz Bass (or maybe a 60s and a 70s)
A good P bass
A Stingray is kind of fun too

I have about twice that number at the moment and some just aren't getting played because I've something that covers all it's sounds but better. One of the lesser played basses had been played heavily by me for 20 years and I'm pretty attached to it but the others are going to go at some point.

I seem to end up playing the one that has the newest strings, have to keep an eye on batteries to prevent leaks and tweak the setups on the wooden necked basses if I've not played them for a while.

A dozen is too many for me, but I would always need at least one fretted and one fretless.

Edited April 23, 2012 by Fat Rich

[jimmyb625]

The correct number to own can be expressed as n[sub]T[/sub] + 1, where n[sub]T[/sub] = number owned at sample time T.

Therefore, if I own two bass' today, the number I should own would be three. However, having purchased this bass today, the correct number to own would become 3 +1.

Too many would be represented as n[sub]T[/sub] + 2.

In my particular case, the number of guitars owned is inversely proportional to the level of musical ability I possess.