Agent 00Soul

You mean with the political stuff? Basschat has pretty strict moderation that shuts down most partisan things. People get around it by discussing more general philosophical topics, although they do too get shut down from time to time. I’m 57 and it can definitely seem like a time machine to the early days of the internet around here.

Are there any people under 40 on this thread? I would love to hear their point of view.

100%, but that's the gig. The thread is about cultural appropriation and I tried to explain my experiences with it in the workplace.

Doesn't matter. That's not what our corporate policy is. I'm 57 and I remember when arguments like this were mainstream and considered perfectly reasonable. They aren't anymore, at least by the all important 18-34 demographic. You can care or not care, but it is what it is. If I, as a resident of Chelsea, made fun of the people in a slum, that's punching down no matter how they may outclass me personally. If they made fun of me, then it's punching up and is acceptable to society. Maybe it won't be someday, but it is now and is certainly how we view these things at work.

I don't think that's the narrative anymore in the western world, whether it's accurate or not.

Yup - it's tricky. This intersects in my day job all the time so I encounter it lots. For these specific examples: Ex 1: Yes, it definitely could by some because you have the dominant group - in this case white people who come from the colonial powers - picking and choosing elements of the colonised culture. The Beatles in India with the Maharishi would be a great example. UK comedian Nish Kumar makes fun of stuff like this all the time. Ex 2: No because the colonised are claiming the rituals of the coloniser. Ex 3: For the left: no partially because of the the same reason as ex 2, and partially because rap music and fashion comes from an oppressed group, the African-Americans. The issue becomes when middle class white guys do it. But then what about the Beastie Boys who were the children of well-known Jewish intellectuals and obviously have so much talent that they get a cultural free pass? Or Eminem, another huge talent who comes from the same background as most black hip-hop artists. Also: so influential that he too gets a pass. For the right: yes because their view of modern cultural thought is that white people, especially white males, are themselves an identity group under siege on all sides. Leaders around the western world have rallied to this cause and we saw 100,000 - 150,000 in London last week and to some of them it is an existential crisis hence the "Great Replacement Theory". "Political correctness gone mad," "censorship by the left," and "too woke" are common complaints from people on the right. Also, Brooklyn's Adam Yauch Park - named after the Beastie's MCA - is constantly being graffitied with swastikas and Yauch himself was a practicing Buddhist. You see what a Gordian Knot this is? A basic tactic that tends to work with 85% of the population: 1) Don't punch down, only punch up. (Although that got Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel cancelled and sent the MAGA faithful on a McCarthy - or should I say McKirky - purge of progressives in the US when they punched up. So this might not work any more.) 2) Be respectful. If you are clear that you are doing something with respect, not parody, almost everyone sensible will accept it. For now anyway. If these are annoying to you, don't shoot the messenger; I'm not saying that I agree with these. I am just trying to give examples that I have encountered in the professional world. I will say that all this is incredibly had for musicians. Music has always been a sponge that relies upon being influenced by anything.

I don't think music could exist without people being influenced by other cultures and incorporating those elements into their own work. It's the most porous and fluid of all art forms. Having said that, I think that something like George Harrison's (and Kula Shaker's) take on Indian music, which was considered very respectful in their time, would have to be presented differently if created today.

Maybe I just don't have the GAS gene. Then again I still have/use the first electric I ever bought as a teenager in 1983 which freaked someone out on a different thread. The wife jokes are pretty funny though. (I assume they're jokes??) Mine built me a storage rack for the instruments that I do own. I can't believe I never thought for that. It's great!

Do most of you live in private houses? I've only ever lived in flats as an adult and I've found that the lack of space (as well as being left-handed) is a great check on either GAS or accumulation.

I have my first electric guitar too. I got in when I was 14 in 1983. It's a lefty Fender from the late sixties so worth some money now (but it wasn't in the 80s or most of the 90s) and I still use it occasionally, but I've mostly hung onto it for this reason combined with sentimental value.

I'm not sure if you are a lefty like me, or the photo is reversed as sometimes happens online. I've found that lefty's need to be extra-cautious when flipping equipment because when something is gone, it's often really gone. And finding a replacement or even something similar if seller's remorse sets in is very difficult indeed.

That is my dream situation! I'm currently nosing around Shake Some Action that you suggested too.

Starting a project is more likely. I've found interesting bands are harder to come by as you get older. Unless you know a large network of likeminded people already. Sites like Bandmix haven't cut it. I'm just not sure it's even possible at my age. This is uncharted territory for me. But I appreciate all the suggestions!

I remember them telling me that they were made by LaBella. Lots of the companies like Sadowsky that make strings "on the side" job out their own spec designs to only a few string companies as they are the only ones tooled up to make them en masse. They certainly don't sound or behave like regular LaBellas. Unless I am suffering from the placebo effect.

That sounds great! I'll check them out. Thanks!

I took my own advice and prompted two different AI models about the instrument in the photo and they both bombed. They thought it was a Burns Vista Sonic. Fail.

My rule about this is that if you just don't care, sell it. If you have even the slightest hesitation, hold on to it until you don't anymore because any money you earn will eventually get spent and then you will have nothing anyway. And once the instrument is gone, it's gone.

Based on all the stuff I’m reading on this forum, can I assume to say that, at 57, I am about the average age here? If so I have a question: Can anyone recommend strategies for finding people our own age to play music with? Specifically, either originals or less common stuff like garage rock, shoegaze, trip hop, or Cavern Club/Hamburg-style beat. The only options I have found locally are either weekly blues jams – I’ve never had any interest in that – or ads for pub bands who want to want to play covers to get people dancing – also not my thing. I moved to west London 5 years ago and it’s become apparent to me that all the interesting stuff is in east London, but the people there are in their 20s and 30s so that’s no good either. Do I have to face the facts that maybe it’s time to hang up my bass strap and pass the torch to the young’uns?

The Black Label flats were my favourite. Our rehearsal space in Brooklyn was down the street from the old Sadowsky factory so I just used to walk over and buy them direct. The current Blue Label flats that replaced them sound quite similar, but a bit more modern and hi-fi I've found. I still love them.

This is especially true for we left-handed players. Finding a lefty instrument in a shop was pure luck and they often weren't interesting (and almost always painted black for some reason). The internet made what seemed impossible, a decent selection of all kinds of lefty instruments, possible for the first time.

I bet AI could answer that if you input the photo and use the question you asked us as your prompt.

I saw Men I Trust in London in 2024 - the bass really stood out in the live mix.

I've tried lots of string brands over the years. Here are some of my experiences off the top of my head, if they are of any use to any one. I didn't include stuff I don't remember any more or are discontinued. Also to note, unlike a lot of flat players I change string sets when they wear out. In no particular order: Sadowsky - best strings over all in both sound and how long they last, but expensive Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Nickel - the most comfortable to play and sound great, long lasting but when they die they really die La Bella Deep Talkin' - sounded great on the hollow bodies but a bit muddy on the solid body, but I replaced them with... Pyramid Gold - my hollow/semi-hollows are strung with these, very long-lasting but also expensive Rotosound Jazz 77 - the closest flat I've found to a round wound twang and treble, stiffest tension but worth it if you want the sound without the grinding and fret noise Rotosound Tru Bass - tapewound but sound like flats, surprisingly bouncy sound on a P-bass D'Addario Chromes - deep bouncy sound but wear out too quickly GHS Brite Flats - nothing special