bassbiscuits

Most of the rock and metal I grew up listening to 30 years ago doesn’t really float my boat any more to be honest. I’d very rarely choose to listen to any of it. On the other hand I’ve been getting back into EDM/house/techno on my weekly motorway commute (aka a traffic jam) which I was well into back in the day. But I’m realising that most of the new stuff I’m buying isn’t grabbing my attention either - seems I’ve already experienced the heyday of good dance music in the early/mid 1990s. Hmm.

One bass is cool. I only started looking for a second bass when my P needed a refret and I was doing pub gigs so bought a back up, which I kept when the P was repaired. If you’re not gigging and/or needing a back up for a temperamental vintage instrument then one bass is fine.

There’s two issues aren’t there. The fact it’s badly paid / unpaid and the fact the venue isn’t any good anyway. Ive happily done gigs for free / pocket money with original bands to get that practice and get us gigging - but they’ll be worthwhile things like local festivals, support slots etc. Empty pubs, rubbish venues etc. Barely worth the effort even for paid gigs let alone unpaid ones.

Yeah cheers folks. I bit the bullet and bought the second 1x12 cab that was up for sale to make a 2x12 rig. And so far so good. I’ve got a blues trio gig on the weekend at which Im intended to give the rig its first outing - some of it is straight P bass with flats territory, but some is flailing on a Mustang with distortion etc, so I’m interested to see how this sounds. At moderate levels in my back room it sounds slightly smoother, warmer and a tad quieter than my usual 4x10 or 1x12 + 2x10 arrangement, just in terms of how much air it’s pushing. But I’m confident it will sound good.

You'll be mighty glad of it come the depths of winter. That's if you've got enough money left over to switch it on...

I just try to relax and enjoy it for what it is - entertainment and fun. I get a lot of nervous energy before a gig but I try to channel it into giving it some welly once we go back onstage. Being prepared in terms of knowing the material as band helps; it’s not fun to be distracted or worrying about someone making a mistake or not playing a bit the way you want it - so ironing those things out in the rehearsal room mean you can enjoy the moment more onstage. Physically trying to relax a bit can be hard - I can feel the tension in my shoulders and forearms and hands sometimes which then just impacts on my playing, so really focusing on unclenching those is good. I used to do a lot of jiu jitsu and still use many of the warm up stretches before a gig to loosen my neck, shoulders, wrists and hands. And if things go wrong, don’t stress too much. It’s live music at the end of the day - every gig will have some wrong bits in it, whether it’s the sound onstage, the crowd, fluffed lines etc, not all of which you can control. But if you do your homework and be tight and confident as a band, those other variables will have less chance of derailing you. You’re a frontman with a T-bird - that’s a pretty cool situation yeah?

Looks like it’s going pretty well in that pic

Just back from playing a birthday party in Nuneaton. Personally was looking forward to it as a chance to test drive my recently-acquired Yamaha BB604 number 2. Fun crowd who were right up for it, and a tasty spread of food. Oh and the Yamaha sounded great too.

Began playing in 1986 and did first gig for a Xmas party in school in 1988.

I'm a bit of a Markbass fan I must say, having reached the age where weight/size/portability are a consideration. I've been pairing a couple of their little Traveller cabs into a compact rig - a TRV102P and a TRV121 - which sounds good. Been thinking now of trying a pair of TRV121 cabs for a modular 2x12 set up. A quick Google gave precisely no results for that set up - so just wondering if anyone has used a pair and how they found it. I play loud and am a bit of a heavy-handed baboon of a player, but so far the MB stuff has stood up well to my less-than-refined approach.

In answer to my own question, I emailed Markbass with the serial numbers and got a reply back which is cool. Turns out my cabs are all from 2006-2009. Can’t understand how the serial numbers say that, so in some senses it’s all still a mystery 🤷🏼‍♂️ I won’t lose sleep over it.

I wanted a T bird for many years - the coolest looking bass ever. Imagine my horror when I tried one and found it was the most uncomfortable playing position ever for me. Im just completely the wrong shape for it. Absolutely gutted. Still think they look cool tho.

Nothing this year on NYE itself. Doing a gig a couple of days before on December 29, but NYE will be with family this time around.

Two of the bands I’m in are regular dep jobs, so I play whatever the band has decided upon. The other band I play in does a mix of covers and originals, so we all chip in with ideas for both, with the understanding that if it isn’t working for the greater good then we leave it out generally. We’ve got an agreement to be open with each other about it and not take it badly if something doesn’t work. So far so good

My P bass has worn both Rotosound 77 flatwounds, and currently has La Bella 760FLs on it. The La Bellas feel considerably lower tension than the Rotos - ie i can stringbend normally on the La Bellas but not on the Rotos. I had a Epi Jack Casady bass with TI Flats on once, and they were lovely - very musical sounding flats, and comfortable to play, but probably as light gauge as I'd ever want to go.

I'm on the fence with flats as they don't suit all of my basses. Precision bass with flats - great. They are La Bella Deep Talkin' Bass. I used to have Rotosound flats but not my cup of tea at all. Mustang bass with flats - yes it sounded good, but in a totally different direction to how it sounded with rounds on, and ultimately it wasn't a sound I had much use for, so went back to rounds. Yamaha BB604 - came with D'addario Chromes which sounded lovely - flats but bright and loud, though too heavy for me. Now wears D'addario NYXLs which suit it perfectly.

I have a Protection Racket semi rigid bass gigbag/case, which is for full-size instruments - however, there are big internal pads which velcro to the inside of the case and with a bit of experimenting will hold my short scale mustang in place firmly without it moving around inside. Sure there's a few inches spare at the headstock end, but the case is firm enough that it doesn't sag or bend so it's not a problem. And they're really robust too - lighter than a Hiscox, but with shoulder straps etc and tougher than a standard gig bag.

I started off using Picato strings on a short scale bass as they were all the shop had (this was Wales in 1986). I used Rotosounds as soon as I got a decent bass and used them for many years, though I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't even realise they came in different gauges for a very long time... Branched out a few years ago to D'Addario NYXLs, and also started experimenting with a secondhand set of Labella Deep Talkin' Bass flats. So currently I have Labella flats on my P bass, and D'Addario rounds on everything else.

I play an older Fender Japan Mustang - allegedly a 1966 reissue. From what I gather the neck on that is slimmer than the JMJ Mustangs - just had a quick check and the nut seems to be about 38mm and the neck a very easy handful. Worth a try if you spot one secondhand - I've seen them go for between £600-£800 depending on condition etc. Very light and comfortable, but still oozes cool and sounds great - proper snarly and punchy, like a naughty little brother of a P bass.

1987 I was 13, so could have revelled in Bon Jovi, Dio, Metallica, Anthrax,Wasp and Cinderella at Donington. I’d have been well up for that. (Reality check to self - at the time I lived 200 miles away, did a paper round and had no money. Bummer.)

Exactly this. I had the classic thing of parents who thought it was fine as a hobby, but nothing more, and that influenced my thinking. Knowing now 37 years later how much of my life, my work and myself-identity is built around music, I wish I'd taken it all more seriously. That would in turn have depended on a level of insight, self confidence and resilience I didn't have when I was younger. It's worked out ok really, but if my kids decide they want to play music seriously, I hope the circumstances mean I can support them.

Yes I wear glasses normally, but contact lenses for gigs. Unfortunately, my prescription is quite weird and mismatched, so I only wear a lens in one eye. It means I can't really see well enough to drive with them, so tend to wear glasses to and from the gig, and pop lenses in for my time onstage. They are daily disposable Boots jobs - decent enough for my needs. They are quite limiting tho and keep me focused on distance vision, unless I then bring a set of reading glasses too. Such is life on the outskirts of 50.

Been using these for a couple of years very happily. Top quality for £40 a go.