Your oldest and newest bass playing photos

[BigRedX]

Following on from the various threads about how you started playing and what's keeping you playing I thought I'd see if I could find and the oldest photo of me playing bass. 

 

And here it is:

 

There a date, 1978, written on the back which means I'm 17, and you can tell that punk rock hasn't really reached Loughborough yet! The bass isn't mine, but one borrowed from a school friend for the purposes of doing some home recording. I didn't have a bass of my own until 1981. I like to describe this instrument as being made by someone who had once been shown a photo of a Fender P and then had to recreate it from memory using just what was available in the spare parts drawer of the local musical instrument shop. This is also probably the closest I've ever come to playing a "Precision" bass. No idea what song I'm playing other than it is likely be something from our "concept album" on the subject of Nature vs Man vs Nature. 

 

Compare and contract with this photo taken last week of me on stage at the Twisted Firestarter gig in Manchester:

 

So what are your oldest and newest bass playing photos. Add them to this thread. Don't be embarrassed!

Edited 9 hours ago by BigRedX

[Dad3353]

Oldest (don't remember the date; that's our singer playing my drums at the time. It's an outdoor 'on the pavement' 'Fête de la Musique' event in our local town...) ...

 

 

Latest..? [Shock-Horror] I'm 'playing' a recording for a past Composition Challenge. No, it didn't win, but was fun trying (until I tried to get up..!  )...

 

 

Embarrassed, me..? Nah..!  

Edited 9 hours ago by Dad3353

[Steve Browning]

1st one. Channeling my inner Zal Cleminson at a 6th form college gig (about 1976, I think).

 

2nd on. Reunited with my ex Pretty Things colleague Dick Taylor (on guitar) at the SoL Party earlier this month. Singer is the ubiquitous (very) Alan Clayson.

[police squad]

This first one is a couple of weeks ago, a band called Heores, new wave, mod , ska and punk. I'm depping here, nearly 57 years old

 

The 2nd one is from 1988. A band called Roadhouse, we did literally 4 gigs a week for 18 months till I left. I was 20 in this band

Edited 8 hours ago by police squad

[BlueMoon]

First one is a rehearsal with a bunch of school friends circa 1973. The bass is a 1964 Burns Jazz……I still have it!
 

Second one is from earlier this year……….rocking a fretless P in a café bar.

[Russ]

Over in the thread about acrimonious band splits, I was talking about the band I was in where the guitarist just upped and left after a gig. Here's a pic of that band, and it's the oldest pic I have of me onstage (there's probably a few more that I have as actual photos, but this is the oldest one I have on the computer  ) - this is from around 1997, and that's me on the left.

 

...and this is a more recent one from a year or so back, playing my trusty Sei. 

 

[Lozz196]

So first we have me in The Shout, prob 88/89

 

Secondly we have me in The Spacewasters 2022 (I do have later pics but they’re pony, so this one gets the outing)

 

 

Edited 6 hours ago by Lozz196

[Leonard Smalls]

Haven't got any photos of early Weeds with borrowed Gibson short scale...

But I do have Barf Roco stuff from around 1987-8. I no longer own the babydoll nightie as that was forcibly removed during the gig by singer and guitarist. luckily I had a codpiece on.

 

Then a couple of weeks ago at Rebellion:

 

[Chiliwailer]

1996, first gig, which was a RHCP tribute, I was 18. 

 

 

Last pic is actually the last time I played through an amp 😢, jamming with a drummer mate in 2020. 

 

 

 

[WinterMute]

One of the first gigs I played in around 1980 I think, Polesworth Working Mens Club.

 

 

Last gig I played, charity event for Capital 1 in a big tent in Nottingham somewhere around 2020. 

 

[snorkie635]

1st is from '78 - earliest picture on my i-pad. 19 at that time

 

2nd is from June this year, making me 66

Edited 2 hours ago by snorkie635

[Stub Mandrel]

My first gig, probably 1987.

 

 

My most recent gig photo:

 

 

Inspired by @Wombat and his replica pose/playing style, it seems my left hand technique hasn't changed much in nearly four decades! Another shot from the recent gig:

 

 

 

Edited 1 hour ago by Stub Mandrel

[Wombat]

c1979 local charity gig...

 

Aug 2025 local charity gig...

 

A theme going on that isn't just that I have the same bass on???

[oldslapper]

1976. 15 years old with my first bass. Made by Gary Nava, school mate (now makes bespoke instruments for people like Matt Bellamy).

 

2024. My last gig before retiring from

live bass duties.