bassbiscuits

I've been playing the same P bass since 1994. I liked it well enough to buy it, and for a long while it was the only bass I owned. Then over the years I tried other basses - jazzes, a few PJ variations, some active basses etc. But I've come full circle and realised the sound I was after was essentially what I already had. The P bass is the sound in my head. Sure it doesn't do absolutely everything, but it does what I want. I wouldn't be without one now.

I had a Spectrum St as my first good bass (after a year struggling on a dreadful short scale Satellite bass) and shortly afterwards also ended up with two Thunder 1A basses, each of which cost me £80 from memory. They were all decent, solid basses, but not really the most amazing things ever. They seem to have taken on a mythical status in recent years which I'm not sure they deserve. I preferred my passive Spectrum ST to the active Thunder 1A. The spectrum was much prettier, had a nicer neck with a smoother finish, and I was never keen on the quite primitive sounding active circuit in the Thunder. I think the later Spectrum 2 series came out then and shifted to Korea, and had different styling, with a pointy headstock etc. For sentimental value I'd love to get my hands on one of those Westones I owned back in the day, but in reality I'd probably end up selling it on in due course anyway, as I've owned lots of better basses since then.

I love it when you buy some gear and it immediately finds a home as your main gigging equipment. A few years ago I took a punt on a Schroeder 1210 cab on here, after my two homemade cabs finally began giving up the ghost. The Schroeder was, and still is, an incredible cab. Not the most refined perhaps, but a fantastically powerful, loud, toneful cab that I've used for almost every gig since I bought it. I also bought a Yamaha BB604 a couple of years back, primarily to cover some rough old pub gigs over Xmas and New Year. But it turned out to be a really good bass by any standards. It is brilliantly set up, with really thumping tone and very versatile. Makes up for all the junk I've wasted money on that was never much good!

I have one really valuable/favourite bass (1970 precision), an intermediate one (Epi Jack Casady) and a cheapo one (Yamaha BB604). I gig them all. I tend not to take the old precision to dodgy venues, on flights, or to gigs where I'll end up having to keep such as close eye on it that it'll spoil my evening. But for everything else the precision is my first choice.

The old drummer of my last band got the elbow when the dep we used for a few gigs was blatantly much better and transformed our whole sound. I used to sometimes swap my bass for guitar and lead vocals when our singer was away, and it also sounded much better than the usual version of the band. Hence me not being in that band any more ha ha!

I must admit i use mine more for guitar than bass, tho it works as a nice little all in one practice station with headphones and iPad etc connected. I agree tho - a carrying handle would be good, as would the option of battery operation (both of which were in my Boss Cube amp)

Running Free, by Iron Maiden. My brother had loaned the Live After Death album from the record library, and it's one of the first rock songs i got into when I was 11. At that point I was learning violin in school (i was awful at it), so worked out the bassline by playing the violin like a bass. I got my first bass just after i turned 12, and the violin never came out of its case again.

Same here - its been a really good reliable place to buy and sell in my experience. The only one transaction I've been involved in that didn't turn out as planned was efficiently and amicably sorted with the seller via an exchange of PMs. So yeah, all good.

It comes down to what 'better' actually encompasses. Super smooth, refined, hi-fi sound quailty might not be what some players are looking for, while for others it might be top of the wish-list. Over the last couple of years I've abandoned any prejudice against Far Eastern equipment in the face of overwhelming evidence that there's some excellent, affordable gear out there (which currently comprises most of my instruments).

Broadly I would like to think more expensive basses are more consistently better made from better materials than cheaper basses. However that doesn't mean cheap basses can't be equally well put together and play nicely. Nor does it mean all expensive basses are automatically better. And certainly when you factor in rarity or vintage pedigree into that expense, that makes it even less "you get what you pay for." Sadly not all basses made in the good old days are actually any good, whatever the price tag might suggest.

The Japanese SGC ones are v cool basses - i''ve had a black 1988 SB301 fretless and a red 1991 SB310 active one. Both very nice basses, super lightweight, and incredible value for £100 and £180 if i remember correctly. I've since sold them on, as none of the playing i do nowadays suits the 'none more 80s' appearance of these. But fair play, they are really good basses, beautifully well made and great value Japanese kit.

I sympathise with you pbasspecial, But it depends how you want to handle it, and what you want from it. If you are enjoying the band, and/or you are getting what you want from it, then don't necessarily walk out over this alone. Certainly tell them how unhappy you are with the situation, but them doing a stripped down gig without you isn't in itself the end of the world, if everything else is ok. On the other hand, if this is an indication of where you feature in the band (which might also be revealed when you tell them how unhappy you are) and you aren't happy generally with the band, then maybe it is time to go. It's pretty inconsiderate, but it wouldn't surprise me if they hadn't even thought about how you feel in the rush to take the gig.

Express Music in Coventry is a decent shop - done various part ex's there in the past, and they have a reasonable amount of s/h stuff in normally. Warwickshire also gives you Bass Direct of course, which have done me decent p/ex before now.

Only problem I have with cabs and castors is when I the venue has a gravel car park. Hmm.

"Why having loads of fx pedals doesn't make you sound any better."

"Next month we examine how to maintain some sort of eye contact with your band during a long indulgent solo to cue them that you're about to end."

"How to actually stringbend in tune: we look at the note you are on, AND the note you need to get to."

I always like to be well prepared for gigs. There's so many things you can't control, but having gear that all works, a bag with the right leads, plugs, spares etc at least ensures the stuff you can control is correct. I tend to drive to all my gigs preferably by myself, so I can do vocal warm ups by singing along in the car. Once im at the venue I have quite a methodical way of setting up PA and the rest of the gear, tuning up, soundchecking etc, which channels my nervous energy. Once that's done I hate having to hang about to start, as I'm already mentally in the zone by then and just like a coiled spring. Once the first song has begun im happy.

No - its further north than that (I won't identify it here...) - sounds like there are at least two of these places then. Great!

Yup - it is as daft a situation as it sounds unfortunately! Oh well. We played. We got paid. We got home safe. No harm done.

In this instance the complaining guy was the owner of the venue tho! Appeared he was happy to take the money for renting it out for functions, but then adamant we tiptoed around not to disturb him. Seened a bit silly really!