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THANK YOU!....I was beginning to think everyone had missed the reference....

One motivator for me is obviously the money, as I do this for a living, but I do have to say that as I've gotten older, it does get harder. The pro live tribute shows are one thing, but I still get a real buzz out of live trio jobs where I can play what I want and really stretch my stuff. Most of all, whatever the situation, I get the biggest kick out of entertaining people. The people that come and thank you at the end and tell you it's the best show they've seen in years make it all worth it.

It is thinner by about 2mm, but the necks of that range are also quite shallow which can make a fair difference in the feel.

It's very heartening to read all of these reasons we have for doing what we do. They're all very personal to us as individuals, yet they also speak to the collective. Man.

When you start you can't stop. If I didn't play gigs, I just wouldn't play. Gigs are the motivation and discipline to play, and the buzz. I've got my first live performances in 7 years in about 2hrs time. I thought about selling everything about 5 years ago, but here I am, back in a band ready to play again.

I have one - currently in a bass that I want to convert back to passive and sell before trying it out in my Sandberg Basic (also a Stingray-like setup). That has 40Hz/550Hz/18kHz controls, and I find boosting 40 adds too much rumble, and there’s not much going at 18kHz when I’m using flats! The Tone Capsule should be much more usable with 70Hz/500Hz/2.8kHz.

Hi folks I wonder if anyone has some advice. I have a Classic P Bass like the Vintera it’s got a really thick neck. I love it but i simply can’t play some things on it. I was looking to either just think this bass is good for these tunes and not for these or potentially buy a jazz conversion neck. However a bloke locally is selling a 2009 mim maple precision neck. Which is 42 mm I don’t know the neck profile. I have a couple of jazz basses and the necks are much thinner but I really find my stingray(s) to be the most comfortable and they are thicker than the Jazz basses necks. Would a 2009 mim p bass neck be noticeably thinner than the mim 50s classic (vintera) P neck?

As my bass tech once said to me in 2002 when I was 32, my record deal had ended and I was giving up, he very angrily said to me, "how dare you give up, you're an amazing bassist, you've been given a talent that others can only dream off, don't waste this gift you've been given, that would just be selfish, go out there and use it, not everyone can play bass or do music." That kind of stuck with me and to this day, I'm still playing and still having some of the best musical experiences in my 39 years of playing. Looking at some of you older chaps, I'm still a youngster at 55 and massively admire those of you who are in your 60's and 70's still playing, that in itself is an incredible achievement. I've had periods where I'm sick of it, can no longer see the point, feel like I'm flogging a dead horse and I make the decision to retire, to then get an incredible opportunity come my way. It literally comes out of the blue and is simply too good to resist. It has happened to me about 5 or 6 times over a 15 year period and even this year, when I'd decided to retire at the end of this year, an amazing opportunity came my way and I'm having an incredible year of music. I joke with my wife that it's my dad looking down on me and saying, "like hell are you going to stop, here's something new to keep you going". She always says that things happen to me for a reason and if something doesn't come my way, then there's a reason for it but its because there's something else much better around the corner and it does usually work out that way. I've kind of gotten used to that's just how my life works, things just tend to happen for a reason, even if it's not obvious at the time. So I'm now resolved that this is me, I'm a bassist and a musician, it's what I do and have done for the last 39 years and I'm not allowed to stop. I've had an incredible career in music, a lot of success and achievements and fortunate to have played with some big artists and some incredible venues. I just make sure that these days, I enjoy and cherish every moment and be grateful to be doing something I love, something I perhaps I took for granted previously. I make sure I get the maximum enjoyment out of it, put in 110% effort and try to not get stressed or frustrated about anything. I no longer fight it and I approach it as if I'm a session bassist and make sure I see the positive in absolutely everything I do or have done. As my friend and bass tech said to me all those years ago, "don't waste this gift you've been given, go out there and use it". That is exactly what I'm doing and on my terms.

Hi all, I'm lucky enough to own a JC and Lakland hollowbody basses, and would really like to get myself a decent gig bag to avoid lugging around. There are some posts on here but they are old and out of date? Anyone got any recommendations or selling. Both are pretty thin in terms of depth and the max body width is 41cm. I did find this on Thoman but would prefer to find something with more internal support Rockbag Starline Hollowbody E-Bass Bag – Thomann UK Any help would be much appreciated

Playing bass is what I do. Playing in a good band to an enthusiastic audience is the biggest buzz I've discovered so far. That never gets old. Even playing in an average band to 3 men and a dog is pretty OK, as long as I'm with a good drummer. You don't retire, you stop when the phone stops ringing.

My career has been a doughnut with a kids and family-shaped hole in the middle. So I feel like a car that’s been garaged… less miles on the clock than you’d guess by looking at me. Hopefully the end of the Road isn’t yet in sight. Though wIth the passing of @yorks5string and @bumnote I am running out of role models…