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How many of you have more than one bass?


Phil O'Keefe

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I own three, and I'm not even a 'bass player' anymore. My first bass was a Headless Cort, fun to play but with a slightly warped neck...sold it about 4 years ago. Next bass was a Yamaha BB-GS4II or something. 4 strings with an active preamp. I found the tone way to bright for my taste, so I sold it, but now wish I still had it.

 

Currently own three basses:

G&L SB-2, bought used at GC. The only American-made instrument I own. I used it for playing in a country band and do record bass tracks for a friend's home recording project.

Ibanez Ergodyne EDB-405, bought used for $130. These basses are a little bit notorious for their "Luthite" bodies. I wanted a cheap 5 string and I got one. Typical thin Ibanez neck, plays easily. I removed the lousy "PhatII" preamp and installed an EMG 3-band preamp. My preferred bass when noodling at home.

Aria Pro II CS-450 (Cardinal Series) "Black 'n' Gold". Also bought used. Medium scale (32" I think), set neck, single pickup. I bought it mostly because I'm a Aria/Matsomoku fanboy, but also because it was an irresistable deal. $200.

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I have 4 at the moment. A Hofner, Fender Precision, A Gretch short scale and one of my own builds, with an exotic wood precision body and a Washburn neck, which is thin like a Jazz Bass.

 

Why do I own 4? Because I can? One of my old bass players owned around 75 basses for awhile there. It was his passion. I'm not sure he owns any since he got sick and had to sell them off.

 

For me, First off I do use them. I used to play out full time playing bass and now I do recordings with them all the time.

 

Second I didn't pay much for any of them. $200 for the Hofner new., Gretch was a wedding gift. I think I paid around $200 for the precision in 1994 and had a practice amp thrown in too. My own build cost me a whopping $30 to build.

 

In fact, why that bass plays and sounds better live then the others is still a mystery to me. Its OK for recording but it excels over the others playing with the bare fingers. Its a lefty neck strung right handed too.

 

I suspect its the headstock being backwards that makes the string lengths different that changes its feel over my Precision. The High string has a short distance between the nut and tuner and the low string has like 5" longer. Longer string means more tension and that makes the low strings tighter. I can get really fast finger picking using lighter strings without them flabbing out on me.

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Eleven. Different tones' date=' different feel, although I don't gig all of them. [/quote']

 

I'd love to read about what you're rockin' Thud... :snax:

 

 

Me? I've got three. Four if you count the baritone, which I really don't, but I'll throw it in anyway. An '89 Ibanez SR 1100 with roundwounds, which is my main bass (active electronics), a Rogue VB-100 violin bass strung up with flatwounds that I did a few minor mods to, and a Squier Bass VI. The Bari is a black '05 Danelectro limited edition. My main reason for multiple instruments? Different sounds and studio flexibility.

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^^ My buddy has an Ibanez. Cant remember what model. Its got a very comfortable neck for a guitarist like myself and its a lighter weight bass.

Pickups on it do sound rich and balanced and cover a good range of popular music while still getting allot of classic tones too. They are favored by metal bands allot.

 

Ibanez mass produces their instruments and many don't have the best neck woods. I consider them to be one of those instruments you buy, play the hell out of it for two to 5 years then sell it before you start having issues. Gibson Rickenbacker and others use premium woods which can be much more stable. I had an SG bass I played for 5 years and never had to tough the truss. My Buddy has had his Ibanez about 10 years or so. It was good for maybe 6 months and then its slowly started having relief issues. We'd get together every couple of months to jam and every time I'd pick it up the darn thing needs a little more tweaking. I suspect its either the grade of wood or it was kiln dried too quickly. Either way, the neck is slim and relies on the truss allot to keep it straight and like many thin necks they tend to move allot.

 

He bought a Jackson recently which is another metal band favorite. The neck has the same kind of fast action and an Ibanez. The quality is a bit better in the build too. Of course both companies have a wide range of instruments. I'm sure their top end models are very good but allot can be told about them from their medium and low end stuff too.

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Since this is a bass guitar forum I have to say just one. A really low end Yamaha RBX360 Fender style with passive P and J pickups. It has a very even tone up and down the neck as well as across the strings. I've thought about replacing the pickups (the J is not noise cancelling) but have't yet in the 15 years since I bought the bass.

 

As a piano player, I also play keyboard bass and there are many options available these days, but I'm certainly no Ray Manzarek.

 

 

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. . . Ibanez mass produces their instruments and many don't have the best neck woods. I consider them to be one of those instruments you buy' date=' play the hell out of it for two to 5 years then sell it before you start having issues. Gibson Rickenbacker and others use premium woods which can be much more stable. . . .[/quote']

My bass is a '95 Alvarez like the one below, which is hardly an upper end instrument, and it has a very stable neck. I don't know that you can generalize like that. I'm reasonably sure there are good and bad examples of Ibanez, especially at different price points.

 

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In fact, why that bass plays and sounds better live then the others is still a mystery to me. Its OK for recording but it excels over the others playing with the bare fingers. Its a lefty neck strung right handed too.

 

I suspect its the headstock being backwards that makes the string lengths different that changes its feel over my Precision. The High string has a short distance between the nut and tuner and the low string has like 5" longer. Longer string means more tension and that makes the low strings tighter. I can get really fast finger picking using lighter strings without them flabbing out on me.

 

The only string length that makes any difference as far as tension is the length between the nut and the bridge. String length from the nut to the machine head or from the bridge saddle to where the string attaches makes no difference.

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I have more than one bass guitar. Like onelife, I can also play bass on a keyboard, though probably not nearly as well.

 

Back around 1978, I bought a white Rickenbacker 4000. On the advice of the owner of the store I bought it from and his guitar tech (who is said to have worked for Alembic), I had them modify it. It has a brass nut and a Badass bridge. We put in a Hi-A pickup in the neck position. Back then, we put in active electronics, too. I made my living with that bass for a few years.

 

Eventually, the actives died, so I stopped using it. No big deal, as I was in the Navy by then. While in, I bought a cheap P-bass copy. I used that when I needed to play bass.

 

After I got out of the Navy, I got a real job, bought a house and settled down, then joined a band. For the first time in my life, I had money and a reason to buy gear. In no particular order, I bought a Mapleglo Ric 4001, Midnight Blue 4003 with black hardware and Alembic electronics, Burgundyglo 4001 with Bartolini pickups, Mapleglo 3001 and transgreen 4004Cii.

 

Long ago, I had a red Hagstrom VIII 8-string bass. As part of my gear-buying binge, I bought a sunburst Hag VIII, but it was missing a few parts. I then bought a red one, using parts from the sunburst to make it whole. The sunburst is set up as a 4-string.

 

I thought an acoustic bass guitar might be fun, especially for acoustic jams, so I bought an Ovation Celebrity bass guitar.

 

Along the way, I picked up a few novelty instruments. I have two Daisy Rock basses, both heart-shaped. The red one is called a Heartbreaker, the black one is called the Blackheart. I also have a Jazzy Bluefish.

 

I bought an Ibanez to take on tour. On the tour, we packed everything into a van. I didn't want any of my Rics subjected to that, nor did I want to take one on a plane, subjected to baggage handlers, so I picked up a GSR-200. Plays great, sounds good.

 

I bought a Carvin LB75 to experiment with a low B.

 

So, how many basses do I have?

 

6 Rickenbackers

2 Hagstroms

1 Ovation

2 Daisy Rocks

1 Bluefish

1 Ibanez

1 Carvin

 

14 bass guitars. Plus, I have a Ric 4003W on order.

 

As I said above, I toured with the Ibby. For a while, my go-to bass was the Burgundyglo 4001. It plays well and sounds great, like a stock Ric with a fatter bottom end. Over time, it got pushed out in all three of the bands I currently play with. In one band, the Mapleglo 4001 with its single coil pickups is the best fit. In another, it's the old white 4000, with the active electronics pulled out. I occasionally use the Carvin with that band, too. The third band, I use the 4004Cii (I was going to sell that one to pay for the 4003W, but the guys in the band insisted I make it my regular bass in that band) for electric gigs and the Ovation for acoustic shows.

 

Why so many? Partly because I could. The Burgundyglo 4001 I bought as a favor to a forumite. The 4004Cii I bought simply because it was green. The band I was in at the time had a color scheme going, and I was green. Besides, it's really pretty. Some I bought because of nostalgia, which I alluded to above. As it stands, no two have exactly the same sound, nor do they feel quite the same. The short scale basses I keep around in case arthritis makes it too difficult or painful to play the long scale basses. Besides, one is an 8-string!

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Ibanez SR800- Purchased as a second string bass that a female lead I was working with could play (super small neck/lightweight) when took I over lead vocals on several songs. Became my primary for a few years. Now back on second string.

Washburn Fretless- A converted fretted bass with a jazz p/u added. Purchased for a few specific songs, New York Minute- Don Henley and Here We Are- Gloria Estefan, which I became passable at, but could never just pick up that bass and sound like I was proficient. Just a fretted guy trying his best!

Tacoma Thunderchief- Purchased for a string of "acoustic" shows I was involved with and because it was fairly loud for an acoustic bass. It's predecessor was a Washburn AB-20 which I thought would be perfect with it's built in XLR, but pre-amp problem and really, really bad customer service or lack there of, along with it not looking right for the part, meant that I got rid it at the first opportunity.

Brian Moore i5- My first five string! And still my primary bass. Very versatile tone, nice wood, hardware and sunburst finish. With a new set of Elixers, it's still my favorite bass. I have a second blonde one as a back up.

Fender American Jazz V- Purchased to fit better with some of the country pick up work I was getting and because my regular guitar buddy was a Fender fan boi. I like it well enough and I use it quite a bit, but it feels considerably heavier than most of my other basses. I still think I need a Percision though.

Dingwall Combustion- What can I say. Fanned frets was on my bass bucket list and the opportunity presented itself. It isn't the tone I thought it would be, but I love the way it plays and I love the way it looks. And for the right situation the tone is perfect. I gig this one often as well.

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I currently have two basses, an Ibanez 5-string and an Epiphone EB-0, both strung up with flats. When talking about why I love both I like to use a vehicle analogy:

My Ibby is my Ferrari - super low action, effortlessly fast, aerodynamic and attention-grabbing looks courtesy of the spalted maple top.

My Epi is my beater 4x4 - cheap ($70), obnoxiously high action, dents all over, muddy as hell, but ear-to-ear grin fun to beat on.

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I have three, which is an all-time high number for me.

 

1. Ric 4003 fireglo. New in 2001, this was my second Ric. The first was 4001 that I bought new in 1978 and foolishly sold in the early 80's. This bass developed the worst neck twist I've ever seen, the headstock was at least ten degrees out of parallel with the boy. I sent it to Ric, they replaced the entire body and it's been a great player ever since. The new body has a really excellent paintjob. When I called the factory for a progress report, one of the guys told me the body was one that might have been slated for a VIP. I suspect they were just being nice to me (everyone I dealt with there was excellent!) but it does look better than others I've seen over the years.

 

2. MIA Precision, 2004. I traded a MIM Jazz for this, bought new. It's a nice bass, I just don't care for that oddball pushy button parallel series switch.

 

3. 2008 or so G&L Tribute L2500. Got this with a gift certificate given to all the mods by the GC CEO back around 2008 or so. Decent bass, lets me get the feel of a 5-er, too many switches and goo-gaws for me.

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I have three, which is an all-time high number for me.

 

1. Ric 4003 fireglo. New in 2001, this was my second Ric. The first was 4001 that I bought new in 1978 and foolishly sold in the early 80's. This bass developed the worst neck twist I've ever seen, the headstock was at least ten degrees out of parallel with the boy. I sent it to Ric, they replaced the entire body and it's been a great player ever since. The new body has a really excellent paintjob. When I called the factory for a progress report, one of the guys told me the body was one that might have been slated for a VIP. I suspect they were just being nice to me (everyone I dealt with there was excellent!) but it does look better than others I've seen over the years.

 

Pics? :snax:

 

And if the neck was twisted, why did they replace the body? :confused2:

 

 

 

 

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I have 3 bass guitars.

I sold my Am made P bass that I bought in 1982 and had for almost 20 years. It never got played.

Here's the reason I didn't play it.

 

I bought a Am Jazz bass in the late 80's early 90's and then on day I saw the Am Jazz Deluxe in a shop. The Jazz deluxe has active pups and had all the big bottom end of the P bass, which had kind of a wider neck on it anyway.

 

I love this Am Jazz Deluxe. It has a slightly smaller body than the Jazz and a smaller neck than the standard Jazz, but with the active pups it does a lot.

 

I also have a Kala U Bass that's pretty cool, that was given to me as a gift from a friend. It kind of has the double bass thing going on.

 

If I every purchase another bass it will be a Gibson SG bass, or EBO whatever Henry calls the thing now.

 

 

 

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