bassbiscuits

I'm coming up for 52, and I sometimes regret not having gone further with music in my life (whatever that actually means in a practical sense I don't know). But lately I've realised that actually not being obliged to do it for a living is what has kept it still being fun. It's my little thing, my way of regulating my emotions, meeting some cool people, having little musical adventures and friendships etc. It hasn't had all the joy beaten out of it. And that's what keeps me in the game. I still find it interesting, I'm still learning new things and being curious. If this had been my job, I doubt I'd still be getting much enjoyment out of it. I'd probably be some bitter old bloke. Instead, I have a lifelong companion as long as I've got an instrument to hand, and doing that with other like-minded people is a great feeling.

My oldest lad has a nylon strung 3/4 size which he learned on before moving up to electric. Been in its case for ages. But we took it camping in the summer as it’s nice and small and it was perfect for campfire noodling.

What would Willie Nelson do?

BEST: Mine was a Simon and Patrick SP6 acoustic guitar which I bought at the start of the summer and which I’ve used at every solo gig since. It’s the best sounding guitar I own and paired with a Seymour Duncan Woody soundhole pickup it’s ended my search for a great acoustic sound. Second to that, is rather boringly a Cioks DC5 isolated power supply for my acoustic pedal board. After a series of problems with buzzing, signal noise etc I bit the bullet and got one and have enjoyed noiseless performance since. Winner 🏆 Both pictured below. Update - an honourable mention also for the Tonerider Classic P pickup I dropped into my project bitsa P Bass. Brought it to life. WORST: None really but probably the least dramatic was a pair of Meinl Bongos. I’d always fancied myself as a percussion player since my teens and finally got around to treating myself on a whim. Needless to say after an overexcited week or so they’ve been parked, unplayed, in the corner.

I’d go for “yes you need a P bass”. I play a P bass with flats and two identical active Yamahas with rounds on. The Yamahas are more dynamic, powerful, easier to play etc. But I keep eventually coming back to the simplicity of the P bass. For me the sound just fits in perfectly with a band. Can sound basic and dare i say “a bit cr@p” on its own, but in a mix it shines. And also, given such a rudimentary design, I think that cheap and cheerful P basses can often nail the sound and vibe pretty well without spending a fortune. So yeah - the limitations and simplicity of a P bass are also its strengths I reckon.

I tend to think that as long as no one has been ripped off (either the original seller, or a subsequent buyer) then there's no harm done. If both sides are satisfied with the asking price, then its a deal. If you're lucky enough to pick up a genuine bargain, which you sell down the line at a profit, then that's fine too. I've never had the money to buy, sell or own masses of gear anyway. I could probably count on one hand the number of real bargains I've had in donkey's years of playing. Most of them I've kept, and some I've sold on because I needed funds more than I needed that bit of gear. Most of the time I'm just aiming to avoid making too much of a loss on something I no longer need (which isn't always successful either!). But what happens to it after that, and how much someone else might want to sell it for in future etc is not in my control and none of my business really.

Update: five months and a handful of gigs later, and crikey the finish on these things doesn’t take much punishment. It’s an astounding guitar - easy to play, rich and sonorous (perhaps thanks to its thin finish?) but the poor thing already looks like it’s been in the wars. Anyone else with one of these had similar experiences? I don’t particularly mind - just a bit surprised as none of my other guitars (including a well-gigged Crafter I’ve been playing for 20 years) have a mark on them.

Had a solo gig in Leicester which was just hard work. The venue had had some issue with noise complaints so a local came in with a sound monitor thing while I was setting up. Told me I had to be under 90db. I pointed out that even without playing, the busy bar full of people talking was 95db and when I talked to him loudly it shot up to 110db. He set up his device. I ignored it and just concentrated on the gig. Then a big group of fairly “refreshed” punters came in and were in total disbelief that I didn’t know some obscure song they insisted upon. They kept trying to play it to me on their phones (like that would make me know it suddenly?) so eventually I told them firmly no, it wasn’t gonna happen. I sensed the atmosphere get a little aggro for a bit and I kept an eye on things through the second half. I just played singalong stuff I thought drinkers would like to stand up, dance and shout along to (which turned out to be accurate) and things seemed to get back on track. By the time I’d finished and was packing down everyone seemed to have chilled out again (though I did get the classic demand of: “Go on - set the kit back up and I’ll sing it for you blah blah…”) Some other cool punters there who were very appreciative and a decent enough size crowd. Glad to get out and get home tbh. Gear - Mackie SRM350s, Allen and Heath ZedFX10 desk, Shure SM58, Simon and Patrick SP6 guitar with a Seymour Duncan Woody pickup, small effects board (tuner, compressor, EQ pedal). Alas no pics from last night. (Imagine an acoustic guitar and a mic stand and you’re pretty much there).

On one hand I have three Taiwanese made Yamahas from the early 2000s and they’re all excellent instruments. No issues with stuff being made in China. On the other hand weighing up the significant cost of shipping and tax etc, and buying unseen from the other side of the world, it might be easier to keep looking for something local with the money you’ll save.

They sound like a good bunch to have on your side Daryl

That’s a shame about it being cliquey. That’s no help really is it.

I think it depends on the local music scene. The culture in Leicester (the city where I live) is very much a case of everyone knowing someone who plays with someone else, so there’s a lot of overlapping band members. My brother also plays in bands based in and around another town about an hour away, so I benefit from the association and gigs out that way too. And because I also play acoustic guitar and sing, i’m quite a handy all-rounder for filling in at different gigs. So yeah I guess there’s a few local factors at play in my case. Doing the same regular depping jobs is good too cos you’re not having to learn new stuff constantly.

I left a band after 12 years which was past its sell by date. Not for a better offer but just because there was a lot going on in my life at the time and something had to go. I just explained my situation, agreed on which upcoming gigs i’d honour and that was that. All quite businesslike and no one got hurt. Predictably I got bored after about a month of doing nothing, and I started picking up solo guitar/vocal gigs instead. Also word then got around that I was available for bass dep jobs so I ended up even busier than before I’d quit. I think I’ve only fallen out spectacularly with one band (back in the day when we were all young and definitely going to be famous etc etc) which was quite a messy departure from all involved. Such is life eh.

Cheers Steve - that’s a great idea. Leave it with me and I’ll come back to you.

Sounds like a good decision. You’ve got a lot going on there, and well done for realising the need to take care of yourself in the mix. You can’t help other people if you’re already burnt out yourself etc. I hope things improve and get back on track. We are all replaceable in bands/gigs etc but not replaceable in our own families and lives.

Wedding gig at the Mythe Barn near Atherstone on the Warwickshire/ Leicestershire border. After a few weeks of modding and gigging with my Squier P + flatwounds, I grabbed two active Yamahas + round wounds for tonight’s gig. No doubt it was a wider, more complex and detailed bass sound, but I missed hearing the way that the burpy, woody P + flats sat in the overall mix at previous gigs. Was glad of the Yamahas for the few songs that needed slap bass etc though. Cool venue, lovely catering courtesy of a pizza oven in the beautifully illuminated courtyard just outside, plenty of people up dancing and a very decent gig all in. Rig was a single Markbass STD102HF cab, Little Mark lll head and my usual pedal board (Boss chorus and octave, a Korg tuner, Vintage Microtubes overdrive and a Cali76 compressor).

I just noticed a post of mine from 2024 when my £200 Yamaha was my cheap but cheerful bass. Things have progressed. My current cheap one is Squier Affinity which cost me nothing at all - it was given to me in a very neglected state, with rusty strings, manky fretboard, and buzzy electrics. It had previously been refinished nicely though in an aged Fiesta Red nitro and a decent tort plate so it looked the part at least. I’ve since cleaned it up and installed a Tonerider Classic P pickup, a Fender Vintage 60s bridge which has been in my drawer for about 20 years, and some GHS Precision Flats. Ive used it at three of the last four gigs and it’s done very well - does that fairly rudimentary “P bass with flats” sound perfectly well, weighs about 3.6kg and is quite a joy to play, in addition to the satisfaction of resurrecting something and bringing it back into gigging use.

I hear ya. You’d think they could find a pupil who actually plays guitar to advertise stuff like, er, playing a guitar.

The misplaced capo is the least annoying thing is this photo.