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Behringer has of course acquired many brands, giving it legal access to many designs. Go back to the 1990s and they blatantly copied other companies gear, like Mackie and Roland, without the benefit of owning those companies. They're still at it, the Klon Centaur pedal being one example. Not that plagiarism in the gear business is unusual. Jim Marshall copied Fender circuits, and there are innumerable clones of Strats, Les Pauls, P Basses and J Basses. Behringer was a bit different, as at one time it seemed that everything they made was a copy.

I've been looking into octave violins and violas (curiosity only my violin playing is not good). Scale length seems to be almost irrelevant. https://www.sonicviolins.co.uk/electric-violin-blog/octave-violins

That's gorgeous. Would love to try one. Does it help and make playing a bit easier at the nut end. Dave

I tend to use the same black 4" strap with straplocks on all the basses i gig with. I also keep a spare strap that's good quality but not quite as comfy. Because of the Glam gear and wigs etc its easier to throw my strap over my shoulder and under the hair so as not to pull on the wigs and then attach my bass. Sometimes i just put my bass on in changing room and put the wig on last. The things i do for Glam 🤩 Only my Warwick Thumb has its own strap because of where it sits the strap is shorter. Dave

At 16 I got asked by a (then) girlfriend’s brother if I knew any bass players. My brother had a P he didn’t use so said ‘me’ (I’d been noodling on a guitar for a bit) and just joined in with them playing root notes. As a group we used to regularly see a band in a local pub that had John Currie playing bass who was amazing. He agreed to teach me (after much begging (and if he’s on here please do get in touch!)) and this fired me to learn (reasonably) ‘properly’. Moved on to other basses and the P went into my brothers cupboard for over 30 years. Recently he needed to sell it and I couldn’t let it go so bought it off him. It’s a poorly made boat anchor of a late 70s P. But two drummers (yes drummers!) have told me it sounds like the dogs doo dahs so that’s what you usually see round my neck. With my 2017 Status S3 as spare (😂). Had a few years over on the ‘dark side’ playing guitar in a couple of bands but actually sold two guitars recently - the only instruments I’ve ever sold…

This Is The Day - The The

Dad sang the bass lines in Chapel. I wanted to be able to do what dad did. The chapel also had a full pipe organ with organists who could play the low notes. So I could really hear that LF in all it's glory. I just like low notes. Changes? Not really, I still really like low notes. First bass? Columbus Jazz. Every time I see people waxing about those mid 70's Columbuses I die a little inside. Too horrible for words.

Agreed - its like those little stickers on laptops, hate it.

What made you pick up that first bass at the start of this long and winding road? I started bass comparatively late - in my very late 20s. A potent combination of Jack Bruce and Steve Harris made me do it. I had owned a guitar before that but never really got into it or stuck at it. I still had that guitar when I started bass though (an Epiphone Les Paul "Special" II) because one day I just thought to myself "eff it, I'm going to get a bass" and proceeded to learn "Peaches" by The Stranglers on the lower 4 strings of that guitar, then headed to my local music shop (Bruce Millers on Union Street in Aberdeen - sadly no longer open) and bought my first bass - a cherry red Epiphone EB-3, because it was (kinda, very kinda) what Jack Bruce played, along with a Laney 30W amp (which I still have and still works). I piddled about for a few years, honestly tinkering with basses more than actually playing them. Then in 2008, my wife (fiancee at the time) basically dared me on stage as she put together a ska/2 tone covers band to play at a birthday party and nominated me on bass. In 2009, I joined my first band - an originals band called Panda Eyes where I met my drummer who I've been playing in bands with ever since. Do you still have the same fire and enthusiasm? Do you still love it? Yes, more so now than ever. It's when fun neep gets to come out and play. I love playing live, so much so that I really don't care for playing at home very much - because it's boring. I do it when I have to (composing or learning songs at home) but all things being equal, I'd rather be in a room or on a stage with others. What has changed along the way? Your taste in music, taste in basses? What changed? I'd like to think I got good(ish). As I've got older, I find myself listening to music a lot less. As far as basses are concerned, I've maintained a healthy distrust of the mainstream (ie. a Fender P) and I have learned to recognise the things I do not like or care for, like Jazz basses, short scales, more than 4 strings (and yes, I've owned all of those so it's not an irrational dislike!). Even when I did own some of the Big F's products, I couldn't be trusted to do it right - a Cabronita P here, a Starcaster there, a Squier Jag H. What was the first bass? And what’s the latest? As mentioned in the first answer, my first bass was a cherry red 2003 Epiphone EB-3 which I must have bought new in 2003 or 2004. No, I don't still have it. The latest bass to arrive chez neepheid is a Fazley Hot Rod. The 72nd bass to pass through the revolving doors inwards.

For me it started at about age 14. A friend was front man boy in a high school band and they were short of a bass player. I played keys at the time, but he lent me his bass, and overnight I learned "Teenage Kicks". We rehearsed the next day and I was in. I still have the enthusiasm. It waxes and wanes though. I sing and play a bunch of other instruments. But it seems there's a shortage of bass players, especially upright players, so bands tend to want me to play bass. Also, since picking up the microphone I'm not content being in the shadows at the back, I like being up front. Lately I've had my own home studio though, so I multi track more than play in bands these days. My musical tastes moved away from pop/rock into classical then jazz then country, early music and most recently folk. I've no idea what that very first bass I played was. It was a four string, black gloss body with white scratch plate. My main bass now is an unbranded laminate upright that's had a fair bit of work done, and set up "just so".

I just wanted to be cool. I wish I had a better reason like most of the ones given above, but 15 year old me just wanted to be cool; my mates had a fledgeling band with three guitarists and a drummer, and I figured that the way in was to play (read "buy a ") bass and learn on the job. In reality I didn't know what a bass was for or how it was used, so I found it all a bit unfulfilling and changed to rhythm guitar by the time I was 20. Fast forward to a couple of years back when I decided that I wanted to play bass again, had a bit more experience and was more willing to learn my place, and the circle was complete. I'm much more at home on a bass now that I was as a teenager, and I'd say that although it's not a high bar I'm better on bass than I ever was on six strings. Whether I made it to being cool, though.....

I bought some cheap PARs from Amazon. Aside from cheap plugs they are great, sound to light, dmx and everything. I ordered two more and they were basically remote control light bulbs. They must have sent the wrong model the first time. I have a few other bits and keep meaning to get a decent Derby. I also bought two tiny USB 'R2D2' lights from Temu for about a fiver each. I got the idea after seeing similar ones at a club. Sat at the back they cover a huge area of ceiling and back wall with gently moving patterns of rgb dots that chase through the combinations. Take 2 minutes to set up and add a lot to gigs in little venues where there's no room for proper lighting.

You can glue nearly anything to a graphite if the epoxy/glue is right. MG has used Chakte kok, our dear @Kiwi uses PEEK, phenolic resin is fine etc.

I never had any desire to be a bass player, or musician of any kind. When I first picked up the bass I was 15 and I wasn't even really interested in music. My sole reason for starting to play was because my mates were in a band and I wanted to hang around with my mates. 35 years later and it's still my sole reason for playing bass. No desire to be famous. Not even really interested in gigging. But making a noise in a room with my mates is where I'm happiest.

The rickenbacker gang love keeping stickers on pickguards… knocks me sick.