machinehead

I'm not super careful, but I've still got one guitar that I got in the late 1960s and it's still in pretty good nick. Others from the 1970s onwards are equally well looked after. All my guitars are fairly good really and they're all gigged. (Or used to be. ) I'm absolutey amazed at the amount of wear on some guitars. I wonder how it's even possible during a normal gigging career. They look like they've never been cleaned and dragged on a rope behind a car. So, on the rare occasion that I sell a guitar, it's always checked over and cleaned before posting. Frank.

Either colour would suit that lovely thing. Frank.

Mine was the SJB75. It was a bit older though, before they ruined the headstock shape. Frank.

The fender Flea Jazz is nitro finish too. Frank.

I had an SX jazz a few years back. Ash body and maple neck. It was an excellent bass in every way. It was a bit heavy though. I would say, go for it. Frank.

What about the Fender Flea Jazz? Cheaper than the Roadworn but, basically the same bass. Not sunburst but a really good looking jazz. The pickups are superb. The neck pickup is the fattest sounding I've heard. Frank.

Welcome John, from a Co Down member. Frank.

I was talking to my son tonight from Auckland to here in Belfast. His band, Burn The Bridges, have taken a few bookings. That's great news. Frank.

Fender deluxe Jazz has a smaller body. Frank.

I owned one of the first ones produced and now have a BB2. I don't think there's much difference in volume but the BB2 would be more detailed sounding. The Compact is a superb cab and very suitable for reggae. Plus, they are a total bargain these days. Frank.

My setup for smaller pub gigs is a Quilter BB800, a Barefaced one10 and a Steinberger Spirit XT2 bass. I don't think I could go any more compact. Frank.

Great advice Gareth. Like yourself, I get (used to get ) a fair number of gigs replacing the bass player at short notice. The contacts are always valuable and the experience of "busking" with a new band is priceless, and sometimes humbling. Like yourself, my only earning is from music. I hope you're surviving as well as possible. Frank.

That looks good. I love small rigs too. My small rig is a Quilter BB800 with a Barefaced one10, or a pair of one10s if I'm playing a stadium. 😉 Frank.

After having a Markbass head die on me on a gig, I always take a spare head. That's not so easy with most combos. That's the reason I moved exclusively to head and cab. I know you could argue that you should take a spare for everything, but it seems to me that the most likely big money item to fail, is your amp. I always have spare cables, strings, batteries. If it's a wedding or other important gig, I do take spare everything though. Frank.

I'm going to change the direction of this thread slightly and offer the Fender USA Jaguar bass as a future classic and one that will hold its value well. It was only available for one (maybe two?) years. All other Jaguar basses are Japanese made. The USA version is a PJ so that offers another difference. The fact that I own one in the best colour, olympic white, has no bearing on my opinion. Frank.