Baxlin

Until fairly recently I’ve not either been in the position to, or TBH wanted to spend a lot on my basses, (too many other hobbies!) so over the years I’ve had Hondo P-bass (£70) to see if I could take to playing bass, Short scale Encore (yes, I admit to it!) Squier P bass, via eBay for £80-ish, sold for £145 While I had the Squier, I bought a ridiculously cheap 5 string Oldfield, and a Westfield 4 string, the latter which I de-fretted, both to see if I could take to the different instruments. Unfortunately not! But sold both at a profit..... Then I splashed out on a mint Epiphone EB3, again via eBay, for £150. Best bargain though was earlier this year, an EB2 shaped semi acoustic from Gear4Music, supposedly damaged and sold as B-stock. The only thing wrong, apart from needing a bit of setting up, was that the jack socket had lost its securing nut and had dropped into the body. Ten minutes with a bit of stiff wire, a nut from my spares box, and it was fully functional. Saved over £100 on the RRP. I think maybe at 71 I’m a bit old to start spending bigger money on basses, but I really would love a sunburst Gibson EB2. 😛

Bought my 12 string with money I was given for my 21st in 1968, I always think of it in that way, so this suggestion should work....

Helped out at a sort of gig yesterday. Three of my grand-daughters were taking part in a dance show, and my son-in-law did the sound and lighting (he’s a semi-pro DJ). Venue was a small theatre, but we couldn’t use their rigs, so I was roped in to help set up. As well as the usual synch’d music and lights he had ‘shadowgraph’ screens each side of the stage. The (almost) two hour show went off without a hitch, but I’m not sure the total of five hours set up and pack down time was completely worth it (except it was for our kids!!)

And worse/better...... All the cables etc our church band uses are 'communal', ie jacks, XLR, and cables for our individual in-ear mixers, and are stored in separate colour coded boxes. The cables themselves have TWO tags, one to match the box they are kept in, but the second tag denotes their length. Drummer needs long ones as he’s farthest from the stage box, bassist is closest so needs the shortest.

Who'd want this? When you can buy proven basses for less - that won’t have dodgy electrics, odd pickups, poor finish, be head heavy, or be pug ugly............ But each to his own, I suppose.

I gigged as a drummer in the 60s/70s, and last year took drum lessons for a few months. Last week, I was rota'd on our church band with a new-to-us but brilliant drummer, and afterwards he remarked how he felt my bass playing was complementary to and in sympathy with his drumming. I mentioned I’d been trying to revisit my drumming (I have a basic electronic kit), and he said it showed in my bass playing. I was well chuffed!

Just come across this thread, sorry..... Gear4Music was mentioned way back, I made them an offer on a 'damaged', sold as B stock, semi-hollow bass (EB-2 shape), got it for a tad over half price. The problem? The jack socket securing nut was missing and the socket had dropped into the body. Ten minutes fiddling with a bit of stiff wire, finding a securing nut in my spares box, and problem solved. OK, I had to play around a bit with the action, but that’s to be expected anyway with a new acquisition. Very happy with it.

If only I was 50 years younger..........

Congrats, Lefty, join the club! Even older than you, I'm also on our church band rota. Similar circumstances, different band/lineup each time, with an hour or so pre-service rehearsal, but due to younger bassists being away during school holidays, I seem to be a permanent fixture for the next few weeks. Our 'pool' includes the usual g, b, d, plus keys, flutes, sax, and one guy who plays an 'Electronic Wind Instrument', (EWI), played like a clarinet but with many synthesised voices. As you say, it’s often a challenge (at least to the older brain) when you’re completely self-taught, playing alongside 'proper' musicians, including several music teachers, but thoroughly enjoyable, with excellent fellowship. Malcolm

I have black tape wounds on my black (and chrome) EB3. I admit I bought them initially for the look, but I am more than happy with both the sound and the ‘feel’. I have flatwounds on my EB2-shape backup bass (also black and chrome!!) but will be changing to tapewound in due course.

I had my first guitar at 16, but sat behind the drum kit in bands then, in the 60s. Scroll forward many years, my daughter taking Music A level, playing in our church band, I picked the guitar up again to support her, but changed to bass when a much better guitar player joined. I’d be in my mid/late 50s by then, and at 71, I still play in a church band, as well as a jamming band with blokes ofmy age. So my message to the OP is go for it, and follow the great tips given in other posts. And ENJOY!!

I think if you buy CD direct from Amazon, you have access to the download as well, which seems to me a win-win.

Can’t other band members help out with storage/transport?

Touched on this in another thread, how in the past (or even now?) have you transported your gear, the more unlikely the better! For me, as posted elsewhere, my drum kit with a Frogeye Sprite. Bass drum strapped on the back. Also, when too young to drive, as much of the kit as I could carry on the bus..... this to rehearsal, my Dad took me to gigs (or booking as they were known in the 60s)

Ditto, in the last couple of years I have done a light refurbish on a 5 string, cleaned up and defretted a 4. Also quite major work on a ukulele banjo, all bought and sold (at a profit) via the bay.

Wasn’t the suggestion that Originals bands avoid the Arches, not that all bands avoid this venue? If you look at their website, they seem to feature a lot of tribute bands, which could be the reason for the caution.

'Fraid I agree with you, I let the sound man sort what’s best FOH. But I suppose most folks will (occasionally) wash their car or take it to the car wash, whereas I spend hours with various lotions and potions making my car look shinier than new.....

Going back to the Portuguese bass-only band, he is brilliant, no doubt, and he is playing a bass guitar, but he’s not really "playing bass", IMO. From his chord shapes, he could have it tuned to the top 4 strings of a guitar, rather than the bottom four, and play ukulele chord shapes? Having said that, I wish I was even half as good!!

I’m sure I read something a couple of years or so ago about changes to the music licensing laws, don’t venues now have to have a different (ie expensive) licence for more than 2 musicians, or have I got that wrong?

Spot on, and the really tiny one was a Little Giant. (we were only 16, after all) And they weren’t called gigs in those days, they were 'bookings'.

Somewhere in North Notts, late 1963, band name 'Vince Pinkerton and the Lawmen'. Me on drums in those days. Look at those huge amps.... How things have changed!!

Hope "hard copy" in whatever form doesn’t disappear, if only because I’d miss the sleeve notes.

Possibly it being "fetless" has something to do with it.

The "wall" behind is the shortly to open M1 junction 25, circa 1965/6, me behind the kit

When you think of it orchestras don’t only have music stands, but they also have a conductor to make sure they stay with it as written.