Yes, everyone has a path to explore in finding what works for them. For some people the path is pretty short and direct and for others it gets esoteric. If a guitarist wanted one bass to fit most genre's, a p bass could probably sit in the mix better than most. I think the elephant in the room is some of us play instruments for entertainment value. They're toys, not tools.
Guitar wise my headless Kleinberger and Hitmaker fits that mold easily. I could get by on the blue HSS strat and Yammie MSG easily.