silverfoxnik

Good thread this! And it's got me thinking... Did a quick count up of existing gear and it's about £6k not including a few acoustic guitars.. All of it has been acquired over a 12 year period (when I started playing again after an 11 year break). So, in my self-justifying brain, it's an average spend of about £500 per year and, as I don't smoke or drink - nor do I have any other expensive hobbies like golf/cars/cycling etc - then I'm pretty comfortable with it. Having said that, it's real value to me is that it's absolutely priceless - I just can't imagine life without the opportunity and the equipment I need to make music with other like-minded people on a daily, weekly, monthly, yearly basis! And the value to my nearest & dearest is incalculable as I'd be even more insufferable to be around if I couldn't play the bass and make music.

Just had the pleasure of dealing with Mac, who's bought a Yamaha amp from me. Great comms throughout and fast payment too... But most of all, Mac's a real Gent, so I'm really pleased that I've been able to help him find the amp he was after! Thanks Mac and I hope you enjoy the amp.. ☺

Sad news, but not at all surprising!

Doesn't look like that to me in the clip, Chris... But whichever way he did it, his rhythmic & melodic sensibility was undeniable.

Brilliant ! Great floating thumb technique too ... ☺

My name is Nik, I have incurable GAS and have owned at least 2 of Peter's ex basses... ☺ Thanks for sharing your story Peter, and it's good that music is going to continue to be a big part of your life. I saw a ukele orchestra play on the seafront here 2 years ago and they were absolute brilliant and so much fun! Maybe that's the kind of gigging experience you've got to look forward to from now on... Gotta say that it's always been a pleasure dealing with you and seeing your contributions over the years here on BC, so I do hope you'll still be checking in from time to time? By the way, whatever you do in terms of uke gear, make sure you get a Class D model with flats, LEDs, in-ears and loads of 'heft' ! 😁 Nik

Back on topic, I use 4 and 5 string basses all the time and change between them during gigs. I've always enjoyed using both and feel that they have different tonal qualities which make a different impact on certain songs and styles of music. IMO, 5 string basses sound and feel different to 4 strings.' I had a SR4 and a SR5 years ago, and they were quite different.... As for a bass with 6 or more strings, it's not a bass ! As someone said earlier, it's a 'horses for courses' thing.

Definitely yes... http://www.bassguitarmagazine.com/interviews/nik-west/

+1 The only signature bass I've ever owned was the Fender Roscoe Beck V which I bought because of the way it sounded - I'd never actually heard of Roscoe Beck at the time. When I read up on the development history of the bass, it was fascinating to find out RB was involved right from the start, working with Fender to produce a ultra-versatile passive bass, which is what it is. Have I bought any music that involves Roscoe Beck since then? No. Have I gone to hear him play or watched hours of YouTube footage about him since then? No. I just liked the bass, so much so I ended up owning 4 of them over a 9 year period. Haven't had one for two years though as I found a non-signature model passive 5 string bass that I prefer the sound of.