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[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1408475133' post='2530599'] If you mean the UK bands then it would be more accurate to say everyone (well not everyone but a lot of them) had Epiphone Rivolis. The Starfire was uncommon in UK then and I'm not sure that anyone in UK had one. Of course in US, Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, Lovin' Spoonful, the Byrds, all featured Starfire bass at one time. [/quote] Really!? So the EPi Rivolis was a double cutaway body style with contrasting binding? Well I sort of knew,or should say I knew The Beatles were using a lot of Epi, so it makes sense. Blue

Sombody corect me if I'm wrong, but when I saw Paul McCartney last year here in Milwaukee, I could swear his bass player was playing a Gold Jack Casidy Bass, the Epiphone, right? Blue

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1408474434' post='2530586'] I knew you'd know the difference once you saw one again [/quote] Yeah, thing is, and I think you older guys, 60 and up will remember when all the UK bands came to the US in the mid 60s, that Starfire bass was huge. Everyone had one. Blue

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1408472893' post='2530564'] Recently reissued by Guild ... nothign to do with Warwick ... [/quote] You see, it was Warwick calling their bass, "Star" that threw me.Guild has always been cool, however those things are expensive! Blue

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1408473707' post='2530575'] Reissue version ... [/quote] Very classy, love it. Blue

[quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1408472510' post='2530561'] I love my Warwick Star Bass.....and my first Bass was a Gibson EB2 [attachment=169607:P1030678.JPG] [/quote] That is a sweet looking rig. blue

[quote name='ash' timestamp='1408470585' post='2530530'] I have a Hofner '64 Violin bass and an Epiphone Rivoli both have different tonal qualities from each other and sound great in different musical contexts - not for slap of course but the Violin can sound very funky ( just listen to Macca ). I had a Hofner Club too but didn't get on with the body shape. [/quote] I know where your coming from. For me I wanted to break away from the traditional bass guitar player standing back by the drummer with a P Bass. I want all the attention I can get. I make sure I'm out front with the guitarists, so I wanted something that was more guitar looking.The Club Bass and The ES-335 fit the bill. Blue

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1408470414' post='2530527'] My first bass was a Commodore semi, now long gone. 37 years on I have conceived a GAS for another one but they're a bit thin on the ground at the moment. [size=3]Something like this would do nicely.[/size] [/quote] Very cool looking bass. Blue

[quote name='bertbass' timestamp='1408471705' post='2530544'] I used to play a Guild Starfire in the 80s. [/quote] I could be wrong but I think Warwick makes the Starfire now.I looked at one before I decided on the ES-335. Blue

Am I the only cat that digs semi-hollows. I play a Hofner 502 Limited Edition Club Bass ( made in Germany not Korea ) and a Gibson Custom Shop ES-335. I also play a Gibson TBird 1991 and I have a couple of Fender Tele basses but I'm mainly into the whole semi-hoolow look and sound. Comments, experiences or opinions on Semi-Hollows? Blue

I think for some guys gigging was never there thing and thats fine. Me, I can't imagine a weekend without work. What would I do, read a book, watch TV, go fishing, go to a movie. I would be lost. I really think for my age I'm a minority in more ways than 1. Blue

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1408449598' post='2530212'] I guess its about your approach. Trying to do the rock 'n' roll rebel thing when you are 'getting on' in years can look a bit silly but, if you approach the issue with humility, why worry? As a 51 year old jazzer, I recently did a gig with the 75 year old Peter King and he totally kicked our arses into next week! Lots of jazzers keep going until health or heart attacks prevent them continuing. As long as you have the chops and don't look a bit sad, there is no reason to stop. As for what young kids think, I really don't give a rat's arse. There is nothing more uncool than a teenager who thinks s/he's cool. [/quote] I'm still working my 70s look. I think it's timeless and classic. Blue

[quote name='leschirons' timestamp='1408396273' post='2529851'] First off, if that's you in the picture (and not your son [size=4]) You look 10 years younger than your age. [/size] [size=4]I'm 62, will be gigging next Friday, Saturday and Sunday and will have done 5 gigs and two rehearsals in 9 days. I'm not saying I won't be tired but it definitely will be fun. I don't do this for the money although that is nice, so fun is the only excuse I need. I'm the baldest and oldest in the band but luckily, the most talented by far well that's what I tell them anyway.[/size] [size=4]The only change that my age has brought (apart from aches and pains) is that I don't attempt to lever myself into black stretch jeans and tight T-shirts any more. I try and dress a little more befitting my age these days. Other than that, nothing has changed.[/size] [size=4]You're a long time dead my friend so enjoy it for as long as you can.[/size] [/quote] Thanks, but I only photograph a little younger than my chronological age. Face to face I look all of 61, no big deal. However, it brings up another part of discussing "The Aging Local Rock Musician" I don't go out of my way to look old where I see a lot cats my age do. I don't try and dress like a 20 year old but I also don't try and think too much about what a 61 year old should wear or look like. Blue

This might be a cultural or just an age thing.But for you single guys over 60, do you remember when being in a band scored big points with women. Now it seems like if your in a band they want nothing to do with you. And younger women think being in a band is a joke. Blue

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1408387354' post='2529721'] Last time I saw BB King he had to sit down for most of the show. Johnny Winter (RIP) played sitting down at the Clapton Crossroads gig a few years ago. If people want to see stage gymnastics then age might be against us but if it's about the music then as long as we can still play then who cares about age? The good thing about being on the 'wrong side' of our mid-50s is that we grew up with some of the best music ever and our audience has grown with us.[/quote] True, however when I talk inteligently about the scene and the prolific time in history for music I grew up in, the younger folks either don't get it or don't care. Hey, I didn't have to see BB or Johnny sitting down, those guys were rippin up the filmore vertically when I was 17. It's pretty easy to understand who got the better end of the deal. blue

[quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1408387197' post='2529719'] Age? Bollocks! Scenes need (ahem) [i]experienced[/i] bands to show the young hipsters how to do it right. It's not just about wearing the right cut of denim and this week's sneakers now, is it? [/quote] I think that's part of it. blue

As much as I hate to admit it, I don't move around on stage like I use to. Sciatica and arthritis.

Very cool, I'm not sure our 29 year old female front and lead guitarist is interested in learning anything from my experience. I'm certainly open to what I can learn from the younger generations Blue

[b][font=Arial][size=2]The Aging Local Rock Musician[/size][/font][/b] [size=3][font=Arial]For all of us that are over 60 and still out there doing bar/ club gigs consistently playing rock music. What are your thoughts on how to deal with it and handle it.[/font] [font=Arial]Many stopped years ago, some have other interests in life they pursue but what about those of us like me that skew what some might say a lot younger than our years chronologically or who would say skew as immature?[/font] [font=Arial]I try not to think about my age when I at a show, even though I am invisible to most under 40. Many of us remember the attention we got when we were young and being in a rock band even at the local level meant something. I'm not embarrassed that I'm still doing this at the local level at 61, I'm still having fun.[/font] [font=Arial]I'm not sure what I'm looking for here, but it's a discussion right?[/font] [font=Arial]Comments[/font] [font=Arial]Blue[attachment=169467:IMG_20140409_221450 4-09-2014.jpg][/font][/size]

Friday night, small lakeside bar. Worse place we play for load in and set up, the place is really small. However they are known for live music and there's a lot of heavy drinking. Our 1st set was slow, pretty small crowd. By the middle of the second set the place started to fill up. The band was tight, stage monitors were working pretty good, everybody rocked. blue

The summer has been good, my 3rd year with this 70s style blues/rock band ( 4 piece fronted by a young female lead guitarist. We have been busy with Festivals,Fairs and our regular bar gigs. Paid gigs is what it's all about for me. I researched the bands gigging history and what they were projecting before I accepted their offer. So I knew what I was getting into and they have held up their end of the deal, keeping me busy. However, at 61 the 4 hour bar gigs are starting to take their toll on me. I am hoping to find a "C" level national touring act and move into the show case 90 minute shows. Blue

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1407855244' post='2524694'] I've often mused about the 'accessibility' of music acts now compared with yesteryear. I'm sure many bands in the past had a bigger impact not just because of the (in some cases) very 'new' music they were playing but also because apart from occasional articles in the music or national press and later TV you wouldn't really see anything of them until you went to see a live show. That in itself gains a certain mystique. In some ways there's too much exposure now. Internet, social media etc. Half the time now if you are going to see an act in the evening you could get on youtube and find some footage of the previous night's show already posted if you were so inclined. The genie's out of the bottle and there's no going back but i wonder if youngsters now get the same 'wow' factor that audience members perceived 40, 50 or more years ago. [/quote] Yes back in the mid sixties even at the local level rock & roll bands were a novelty. If you had a bar with any kind of band, good or bad with electric guitars you could pack the place. There was a real scene and a hipness to being a part of it. That scene and vibe and the way we as rock musicians were looked at has been gone for decades. Blue

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1407828152' post='2524287'] Yes Sylvester Stewart was busy on that scene at the time wasn't he? Not only working with the Beau Brummels, Mojo Men, Great Society and Autumn records and still having time to form what would become one of the best bands ever. [/quote] During the same time period I think Sly had a decent size dance hit with Bobby Freeman [i]"The Swim".[/i] Blue

Nice work! Blue

A lot of pros move beyond worrying about gear, because they can. They are back-lined with nice stuff and probably only carry one bass and usually can make anything sound good. Blue