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A double report, because I was lazy last weekend. Last Saturday, played with Nine Lives at the Grampian Bar in Torry, Aberdeen. First time playing there. It wasn't very busy - maybe 15 folk in at any one time. Thankfully there was a table of folk who stayed for most of the gig and were well into it, plus my best mate came down for the first half and Mrs. Neepheid joined us later on after an earlier social engagement. Still, it was one of those when you wonder if the pub made any money at all. Gear for that one was Yamaha night - the SB500S (even in its unfinished state having only a bridge pickup) followed by the BB1200 (which I forgot to photograph, oops). Amplification by Mark Bass as per usual. Fast forward to last night, Nine Lives again and back to a favourite haunt, the Balaclava in Fraserburgh. Gig didn't get off to the best of starts - while the drummer and I were loading our gear into the pub he suddenly realised that he'd left the mixing desk at home - he had changed cars in order to service the brakes on his usual motor and left it in there by mistake. Thankfully he only lives half an hour away from the venue, and we were mercifully early, so he bombed it home while we set up everything around the missing mixing desk so it would just be plug in and go, debagged his drums to save a bit of time there etc. Despite all that hoohah, we still somehow managed to be ready 10 mins before kick off. And it was a cracking night! Maybe because it was a pay weekend, the pub was busy and we had plenty of dancers and singers enjoying the tunes. Much better night than last weekend, that's for sure. Played well, some bloops but easily recovered and acknowledged with winks, smiles and funny faces. I played my Epiphone Mike Dirnt signature G-3 the whole night - sorry, backup bass, but I was just having too much fun with my new toy. It's a bloody terrific bass, a joy to play and sounded immense - cut through the mix like a knife in all pickup settings. Had a whale of a time playing it. Usual amplification.

I had to watch. I thought the drummer was playing on top of a hot tub. Goodness Gracious...

That is a bit of a stretch, I'd have thought Joy Division etc. occupy a pretty small niche in the wider scheme of things, while the only New Order song anyone is likely to recognise outside a very particular age/race/location demographic features a sequenced synth bassline. I think we all tend to overinflate the general importance of our own influences and heroes. Someone replied earlier saying they'd not heard of any of the bassists I'd listed even though it included one who played on the global best-selling album of all time, plus another who played on the bestselling jazz album of all time. Again though that seems perfectly reasonable, there's an awful lot of music out there and what we grow up with tends to dominate our perception.

The kits you linked look quite affordable. It looks like the tricky bits have already been done for you: the neck is fretted and the body routed. I guess you really just need to finish the body (oil finishes are easier to apply and are a bit more forgiving than paint/lacquer) and then screw it together. In other words it looks like a relatively easy job to end up with a working guitar at the end of it.

I picked up this bass at the weekend for £69 as a bit of a project. I think from the last picture it looks like an Ibanez. According to my research the logo is a post 1975 type. I also discovered that Ibanez stopped making P Bass copies in 1977 0r 1978 so I guess this bass comes from between those years. Does anybody out there have any information on Ibanez basses from this period? I would love to know more about the bass. It actually sounds really good even with the ancient strings on it, although it's a little quiet and noisy. I'm assuming as the pickups are quite low I will need to raise them a bit. But yeah if anyone out there has information of these basses I'd love to hear!

Nuns In Frozen Heaven - Zappa -

They really sing on this bass 👍

Must admit Uke idea alone didn’t grab me but Uke/ABG combined would be good I think, it might not only allow those already playing them a space, but encourage others to give them a go 👍

I joined in 2010 and it was already a thing then.

Do you know the name of every bass player in bands that you don't listen to? What a ridiculous thing to say. I don't even know the name of every bassist in bands I DO listen to.

Amazing basses. 👍 I’ve got the Sea Foam Green (bought from BC), and it’s lush. First Jazz I’ve ever really bonded with, and use the array of tones it has.

I appreciate bassists are deconstructing their basslines and Peter Hook may have made his own unique contribution to the music scene but honestly there’s not an awful lot to deconstruct is there. And I don’t know what I was supposed to glean from last night’s effort. I was hoping perhaps I could recommend this series to my non bass playing chums to show them what it’s all about. The odd glimpse of Jamerson and King helped a bit but otherwise no. Tonight’s episode may be a bit better.

That is indeed a very nice Jazz Bass. The sunburst on it is beautiful, nice and dark contrast with just the right amount of red. May you have a lot of fun playing it.

My 4/4 dB fits in a Skoda citigo. Using the neck down the foot well body on reclined front seat method. I got to a bass bash once with the dB, two powered cabs and three bass guitars....in the citigo; but I can't quite remember how.

Why can you not believe that someone hasn't heard of someone? Even as a bass player I don't know the names of most groups that I didn't have much interest in, and some that I did. I have heard of him from being on here and people talking about him, but most people of most groups I don't know so it seems reasonably likely that the majority of people wouldn't have heard of the bass player in a group that had a few top ten hits and a handful of more top 40s. I mean showaddywaddy had twice as many hits (including a number one hit) and I have no idea what their bass player is. I could probably name about 4 or 5 bass players from 80s groups at most.

I can understand that Peter Hook's playing (or that of any bass player) may not be to your taste, but to claim that you have never heard of them is just being ignorant. I have little interest in the other two bass players in the series, but at least I know who they are and what they have played on. It may be that my lack of interest in their playing is that I don't much like (from a musical PoV) anything they have played on.

Thanks those that responded. The kids are happier for your kindness. Until next time, or someone finds the elusive bass compressor lol