bassbiscuits

Zanaka, by French singer Jain. Sort of electropop/world music mash up, with some great bass playing on it too by the producer, a French chap called Yodelice. Sly and Robbie guest on drums and bass on one of the songs too. It has also proved invaluable for keeping my kids happy on long car journeys. Aside from the three obvious singles, the outstanding album tracks for me are You Can Blame Me, Son of a Sun and Heads Up. EDIT - ah i've just checked and it was released in 2015, but i don't think it was on the radar in UK until this year (well not with me anyway!)

REM - Automatic for the People (found a cassette from my student days, which then chewed up before the end of first side. Bought it on CD immediately). Max Q - (a one-album wonder from back in 1989 by Michael Hutchence, Ollie Olsen and some other guys) The Hothouse Flowers - People (found myself singing "Don't Go" one day, and then found this album secondhand the next day, so snapped it up).

There's always the world of short scale basses, like Fender Mustangs etc, which are lighter, shorter scale and still very cool and credible. There are also lots of light weight amps and speaker cabs around these days, which are ludicrously easy to move compared to the big old gear i started out playing 30 years ago. I guess that as long as you're enjoying it, then keep at it. Lots of older guys on Basschat who will no doubt have some tips and support to share?

I'd say yes you need an amp - something between about 300w-500w should be plenty for most gigging situations. Going through the PA will work up to a point if there's a big enough PA with bass bins etc, but unless they also have monitors you won't be able to hear anything you're playing onstage (and neither will the drummer, who will want to lock in closely with you). In terms of bass cabs, a single 15" speaker is always good, as is 2x12" cab. Bigger rigs and multiple cabs will give you a bit of everything, but unless you need lots of volume, a good single cab is easier. Unlike guitar, there's no huge need for pedals etc either - bass, into tuner, into amp is generally enough I find. Does that help?

The Iron Maiden Live After Death Long Beach Area gig, 1984 - that was a major part of my teenage life! Any AC/DC gig with Bon Scott, and any Kiss gig up to about 1977.

I'm down to just three basses these days (a P bass, a Jack Casady and a Yamaha BB). I know its not cool on a forum like this, but I hate having stockpiled gear I don't use. Puts me on edge when i think of the money tied up in gear that's not out earning its keep. There's a few keepers among my bits of gear which aren't for sale mainly for sentimental reasons (or just because they aren't worth much to sell) but I'm certainly resisting buying anything more at the moment.

I bought an Ashdown Mag300 head about 10 years ago as a spare to cover a load of gigs when my old Peavey began packing up. The Mag was incredible and became my main amp straightaway. Very loud for its rating, lots of bass and quite valvey-sounding even tho a transistor amp. I thrashed it and it always sounded cool. It led me to explore the rest of the higher spec ABM range at the time, tho none of which I got on with as well as the Mag, strangely. Good amps tho. I moved to a Markbass head in the end cos it was smaller and louder than the Mag, and I still use it.

The nearest to all-round perfect I had was a 1995 USA P, which sounded great, even across the neck, good action and strung thru the body. (its the one on the left in my avatar) However, it weighed a lot and had a really big thick neck - it benefited the sound, but made it hard work to play for long periods. I now only have one P - the sunburst/tort/rosewood 1970 with a B width neck which i bought over 20 years ago. (on the right of my avatar) It's not quite as consistent as the more modern one, and a bit gentler sounding, but it makes up for it by being lightweight and full of mojo.

Hmm yeah. I have a 1970. The tuners didn't have that little circled letter after the Fender word until about 1973 i don't think, the decal doesn't look right and certainly shouldn't have the "original contour body" wording at all. Fingerboard veneer looks kosher tho at first glance. Should have a thumbrest below the strings, but evidence of that lost with the scratchplate swap by the look of it. Dunno. Needs a closer look. As Creeper says, pickup and pot codes should help.

I should say so. Saved me from another day of deadly headlines about Brexit and Trump.

Cheers Hobbayne I was more really leading up to using my "show me Kevin" line, which turned out to be less funny that i'd expected. Sorry.

I'm confused - does this Kevin guy actually exist then or is it just a funny thread? I need some proof. Show me Kevin.

Over £3,500 for a secondhand Epiphone Jack Casady? Er, I love mine, don't get me wrong, but that's an awful lot of money....

Ha ha! Sometimes yeah. And my flask of tea....

Fair play to you Andy - that's a good decision I'd say. I left my band of 12 years this summer, as we've got two young kids (the littlest is 16 months) and the whole juggling act was proving too much. The gigs were increasingly playing covers I wasn't keen on to indifferent audiences and it got to the point that I just felt like screaming every time more gigs came in. Sorry to hear your little girl is going to have a poorly start - i think you're doing the right thing taking the pressure off yourself musically and focusing on the important stuff. I still love playing, and have been doing the occasional solo gig and some original stuff with two friends, but it's for fun, support slots and little local festivals, with no one putting the pressure on. Good decision Andy, and I hope every thing works out well with the little one.

Lots of vocals A big bag of spares/tools etc A Volvo estate

Why just man? What about women too?

When I was a kid there was a motorbike cop show called CHIPS which had a funky theme tune. I also loved the music from the Fall Guy with Lee Majors.

Good shout with Go Jetters - that's on in my house all the time and I can't believe i didn't think of it. I'm not sure it counts as 'grooving' but the daddy of all TV theme tunes for me has to be Ski Sunday - I've attempted to play it a few times but it ain't easy...

At a packed pub on St Paddy's Night a few years back, my keyboard player pulled on a lead that was snagged on something on a windowsill at the back of the stage, and it tightened, flipping a full pint of water into the back of my Markbass head. I snapped it up, desperately shaking it to get the worst out as my keyboard player looked on, mortified. Miraculously it seemed fine, and worked for the entire gig (and still does). Happy I wasn't drinking anything stickier. I think that was the same night we got about 200 drunk people to sing Slade's "Merry Xmas Everybody" on St Patricks Day. At that same venue (but different gigs) the keyboard player's x-frame stand gave up mid-song and collapsed in a pile while he looked on, crestfallen, and the guitarist's valve amp fell down a flight of stairs when the rubber dogbone handle split. Someone, neither personnel nor gear came off seriously damaged.

I've normally got about £150-£200 a person for NYE gigs in the past. This year is the first one in a long time when I'm not going to be playing (unless something dramatic comes up in next couple of weeks!) and I'm quite looking forward to being with my family for a change, tho I'll miss the money!

Good shout ezbass! Yep Leslie West had a great sound. And yes you're right about a single pickup focusing the mind. As a lifelong P bass player I'm not really one for pointless fiddling - get a good sound, and then get on with playing.

Anyone here tried a Gibson SG Junior? I've borrowed a 2004 one off my brother who isn't using it, and i fear i can see how this GAS will all end... I normally play strats, and this definitely isn't one of them - a single P90, a wrapover bridge, late 60s batwing-style pickguard, fat 50s-style neck, dark red woodstain. But oh, the sound! Real snarl and bite from the P90 cranked to full, but rolls off nicely on the volume, and the tone control rolled off takes you into halfway-set wah wah territory and dark woody sounds. Ironically, i can see me having to flog my USA HSS strat to fund this (if it comes to that - steady on!) and while this SG Junior does more or less just one thing, it does it spectacularly! Oh yes, and it looks awesome.

14/15 for me - confused my Kim Deal and my Kim Gordon. And never heard of Thundercat! Good quiz tho.