Does MBD hinder progress?

Of course the only thing to do in this position is to buy enough basses so to have all the possible permutations. You only need 6 other basses. Plus, you will need other 9 to set up roundwounds and flatwounds :slight_smile:

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I covered everything I want with P/J and HH. Have owned a J/J before, not my thing.

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I don’t think it slows progress. I think it teaches other things, and reinforces lessons. When I switch basses, the little differences force me to concentrate on the lesson again as I practice, and the switch makes the repitition more fun.

Also sometimes you run across something that is easier on another bass. Yesterday I was learning the fingering for Tainted Love, and was working through building up the muscle memory. Then I picked up my six string (bass) and tried it, and adding the low B string made the fretting so much easier. I had the song down in minutes.

String spacing on the six throws me off some, but learning the six is something I plan anyway so the additional learning curve I took on with it I don’t consider a hindrance.

Looking forward to my Stream getting here this week and tuning it to BEAD though.

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Sounds completely reasonable to me :slight_smile:

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Another mystery solved - the answer is always get another bass

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I am pretty happy with the permutations I have. Very little out there makes me think I’d like something else. A Rickenbacker is still on the list, but to try out as I have never played one.

That and the remaining 4 colors of flame Japan Aerodynes :wink:

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Per @howard 's past advice I let go of most of my pedals. I chose to keep only a preamp, compressor and tuner. I am not missing the others so it was a good thing to do.

Unfortunately I took some of that money to buy another bass. Occasionally I sit down and look at all of them and wonder why. I sometimes justify it by thinking some people collect art and it just hangs there. At least my wall art is playable. But I know that’s just an excuse.

I find it easy to part with some basses (and guitars) because I have no attachment to them or they just remind me of an unpleasant time when acquiring them (my G&L) but others are so hard to get rid. Even though I may have another bass that is so similar in most aspects that it feels like hording (i.e. 3 jazz basses) I find I am back and forth on selling it. As of recent I don’t let them just hang their not getting played but do I really need all this ā€œstuffā€.

Doing the B2B course has made me explore more of what each bass has to offer. That’s @JoshFossgreen fault. LOL. It has also made me realize some options I prefer. For example rosewood or wenge over maple necks and I think I am leaning towards passive basses - I’m gonna have to start some new threads on these subject. LOL.

I am pretty much a minimalist or at least a semi minimalist with most other things. Why not basses?

This is probably this biggest culprit. Not to mention the huge rise in prices. I once told a guitarist buddy of mind ā€˜you can tell a pro from an amateur. The pro sticks to the gear they know and is really good (just like he is). Amateurs have tons of gear but are not half as good (how I feel).’ Before anyone says anything, I am describing myself (how long it has taken for me to get to an ā€˜listenable’ level) and examples in my circle. I am sure some of you are great and have a lot of loved gear. But it is something to think about.

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Completely agree, and this is the main reason why I hesitated so much before buying a second bass. I remember reading a comment on reddit one day, where a young kid (who had been playing some cheap bass for years) mentioned that his dream bass was an Ibanez SR500E (my first bass). And there I was playing beginner stuff on some talented kid’s dream bass, and asking myself why the hell do I need another one.

But in the end I don’t regret buying the two Laklands at all. I love them, can’t wait to pick them up and practice every day, and don’t want to put them down. And that is hopefully going to make me a better player, and one day I might even become half as good as my basses.

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I think it all depends on what your goals are. Two years ago I never thought I could play a stringed instrument of any kind, let alone a full song or record myself for others to see and hear. I enjoy my hobbies and enjoy collecting and really enjoy the modding process as almost another entire hobby.

I think buying multiple basses takes away less time than some of us spend on here, but I love this forum just the same because of how great a community it is. I never think ā€˜I should get off the forum and practice more’. I practice as much as i can/like, and do other things too.

And none of us are pros, so we need to face that fact. Sticking to one bass ā€˜cause that’s what a pro does’ is meaningless. A lot of pros are musicians, and don’t give a darn about gear or tech etc. They spend their brainpower (and limited musician income) on other things. Hobbies are very different than professions.

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It does for me, and I’ve only got 3 basses.

Every time I play something, I find my mind wandering to… whatever bass I’m not playing on. I’ll start on my Ibanez SR500E, then I’ll want to play my Carvin B4, then I’ll think, ā€œbut the Ibanez SR300 sounds close to the B4 but feels like the SR500Eā€ and play the SR300 for a bit, and then I’ll realize that the SR500E is a better bass across the board than the SR300… wash, rinse, repeat.

All the time I spend swapping basses could be time spent practicing and learning.

I think I’m going to put the Carvin in the case and bring it and the SR300 into another room or something. Out of sight, out of mind, right?

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Exactly. My ā€œgoalā€ if you can call it that, is to have fun. I don’t care if I finish B2B next week, next month, or next year. I practice when I feel like it (although I usually feel like it at least once a day).

So, having multiple basses actually helps me achieve my goal, because deciding which bass to play in a given session is, well, fun.

Besides, when I was a working musician many years ago I had one bass because that was all I could afford - playing in a bar band doesn’t pay much. Now I’m in a position where I can have more basses, so I do. Buying and modding basses is also fun.

Indeed. It’s been said that the quickest way to destroy the pleasure of doing something you enjoy is to do it for a living.

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In some cases, probably but I was fortunate to enjoy my job for a glorious 20+ years and I still get the same thrill when I squeeze the trigger today

You may have something there. :slightly_smiling_face: