It Was 20 Years Ago Today ... Revisited

[Happy Jack]

Twenty years ago today, pretty much to the minute, I started playing bass guitar.

 

I went up to my daughter’s bedroom, picked up her bass and practice amp, guitar lead and teach-yourself book, and carried them all down to my study. Plugged it all together, tuned the bass, opened the book to Lesson #1 and started.

 

Just like that.

 

There’s a back-story. Obviously there’s a back-story.

 

As a pre-teen, my daughter was one of those annoying people who could learn any musical instrument without any apparent effort. She was also even lazier than me and would abandon said instrument as soon as anyone suggested she put some work in and get really good.

 

By the time she was 12 she had already been through flute, piano and guitar and then she announced that what she really wanted was to play bass. So I tole, I dun TOLE that girl, I’m getting fed up with this and I won’t keep doing it … if you do the same as you always do then I’ll come and take that bass and I’ll learn to play it myself.

 

You know what she said? “Yeah right, Dad, like that’s gonna happen.”

 

So she played the Badass off that bass for a couple of months (Blink-182 and Green Day, mainly), then put it on its stand and abandoned it. That would have been about October of 2005.

[Happy Jack]

December 29th 2005 was my 49th birthday. I took the family out to a nice restaurant for a celebratory lunch, had rather too much to drink (yes, we walked back), and by mid-afternoon I was sitting in my study when I remembered the bass.

 

I played honky-tonk piano as a teenager and the cowboy chords on guitar, sang in several choirs, so the musical background was there but it was all 30 years in the past and included no bass EXCEPT I’d always sung along with the bassline of songs. While my friends were miming Paul Kossoff’s string bends in the solo to All Right Now I’d be going “ba-bum da bum-bum bum-bum bum-bum” with Andy Fraser – stop laughing, you know the bit I mean.

 

The bass was a Dean Edge that my daughter chose at Macari’s in Charing Cross Road – I took her there specifically because of the Beatles connection. I remember almost nothing about it because I traded it in p/x for a Hofner 500/1 1963 Re-Issue within a few months.

 

The practice amp was a generic, lightweight thing with (IIRC) an 8” speaker. At the time, and in my tiny study, I was impressed with how loud it was.

 

The tuner was one of those Korg plug-in types that everybody used in those days and carried on using until a year later, when the clip-on tuner exploded onto the scene.

 

And the teach-yourself book? Well that was by Basschat’s very own @Stuart Clayton … Crash Course, and I can still remember (and play!) that very first bassline.

 

My intention was solely to be able to play along to my favourite songs, especially Macca’s basslines for The Beatles. I had genuinely no interest in playing with others, still less being in a band and performing live on stage. I hadn’t been to see a band play live in years at that point (family, career, family, career) and the only pubs I ever went into were the newly-invented gastropubs for the occasional Sunday lunch with my family.

[Happy Jack]

I’d fallen out of love with pop music in the mid-80s and simply stopped listening. Until my daughter started playing ‘her music’ in the car on long drives, I’d never heard of Nirvana or Red Hot Chilli Peppers or Lenny Kravitz or … or … or …

 

But that’s OK. I’ve spent the last 20 years playing almost exclusively the music of 1955-85 and I’m really very happy with that. I haven’t yet played my 1000th gig but it’s getting closer – two or three more years should do it.

 

It’s hard to over-state the impact that Thursday afternoon was to have on the rest of my life. I didn’t have a clue at the time, obviously, but that decision to go up to my daughter’s bedroom led to a new interest and obsession, an entirely new friendship group, a divorce and a re-marriage, early retirement and a new career. Oh yes, and Basschat.

[Happy Jack]

Just in case you’re wondering what other earth-shattering events took place on that fateful day, here you are:

 

Key Events & Themes:

Austerlitz Reenactment: Thousands gathered in the Czech Republic for the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Austerlitz.

Ebola Discovery: Scientists identified fruit bats as animal reservoirs for Ebola in Gabon and Congo.

China Tax Abolition: China announced it would end its national agricultural tax in 2006.

Hurricane Epsilon: Became the 14th hurricane of the record-breaking Atlantic season.

[chris_b]

Hey Jack, picking up that bass was a good move. Here's to the next 1000.

[gary mac]

Thoroughly enjoyed reading about your bass journey Jack. 

Quote

 

 

[Mickeyboro]

🎵 ‘It was 20 years ago today

Happy Jack picked up a bass to play…’🎵

 

As Macca never sang, but should’ve. Congratulations on your anniversary, my friend!🎸

[Twigman]

Happy Birthday!

[Hellzero]

Imagine a banjo, an accordion, a bagpipe or the three of them instead...

 

That day could have been Armageddon for you. 

[Dad3353]

@Happy Jack...

 

[binky_bass]

I'm 22 years deep and am worse now than before I started... both as a general human and at playing bass. 

[Hellzero]

14 minutes ago, binky_bass said:

I'm 22 years deep and am worse now than before I started... both as a general human and at playing bass. 

Glad to see you back in 22 years ago...

[Wombat]

20 years ago was 1974 to loads of people here? 😂

[bassbiscuits]

In 2026 I’ll have been playing bass for 40 years. How the hell did that happen? (And I’ve still got the Arion tuner and guitar stand I got for Xmas 1986). 
 

Here’s to the next, errr, 40 years. 

[Lozz196]

Yep 2025 marked my 45 years as a bassist. I really should be much better than I am after this amount of time, though I can play what I need to. I remember getting my first bass at 15 and thinking “I’m now a bassist” and that thought has stayed with me throughout my life. Even in the times when I’ve been playing guitar in bands I’ve always considered myself as a bassist who can play guitar rather than as a guitarist.

Edited 20 hours ago by Lozz196

[ricksterphil]

I'm 50 years in and still lazy about practicing. I am forever promising myself I'll 'get really good' one day, but can only find the focus to put the hours in if there's a gig looming. I get the most fun from playing live and singing bv's and I also love just playing my acoustic and singing songs at open mics 

 

One day......

[Clarky]

Without that day, no venturing on to BassChat and no meeting @Silvia Bluejay. Everything was meant to be

[chris_b]

Jack , it must be nearly 20 years since you used to come to our jam night at the Grey Horse. I remember seeing you in the audience.

[Geek99]

4 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

Yep 2025 marked my 45 years as a bassist. I really should be much better than I am after this amount of time, though I can play what I need to. I remember getting my first bass at 15 and thinking “I’m now a bassist” and that thought has stayed with me throughout my life. Even in the times when I’ve been playing guitar in bands I’ve always considered myself as a bassist who can play guitar rather than as a guitarist.

😮‍💨that was a close one … 

[Geek99]

I first picked up a white/white/maple p bass copy in 1990. I carried it all the way from a music shop near Colchester castle (in its box) to the train station (seriously long way) and then by train to Chelmsford, where I once again walked ** … all the way across town to my flat where I played it acoustically for two days before I decided it sounded crap without an amp. More saving up … ho hum … 

 

** there are those with supportive parents who would be thinking “this is 1990, not 1820… surely a parent could…” no. They never encouraged or helped in any way whatsoever (will someone please stop playing that f***ing violin?) 

[silverfoxnik]

18 hours ago, Happy Jack said:

I’d fallen out of love with pop music in the mid-80s and simply stopped listening. Until my daughter started playing ‘her music’ in the car on long drives, I’d never heard of Nirvana or Red Hot Chilli Peppers or Lenny Kravitz or … or … or …

 

But that’s OK. I’ve spent the last 20 years playing almost exclusively the music of 1955-85 and I’m really very happy with that. I haven’t yet played my 1000th gig but it’s getting closer – two or three more years should do it.

 

It’s hard to over-state the impact that Thursday afternoon was to have on the rest of my life. I didn’t have a clue at the time, obviously, but that decision to go up to my daughter’s bedroom led to a new interest and obsession, an entirely new friendship group, a divorce and a re-marriage, early retirement and a new career. Oh yes, and Basschat.

Great story, Jack, and Happy 20th Bass Birthday ! 🍻🎸🎶🥂

It's almost a 'Happy Jack, Lord of the Strings - or there and back again'  kind of epic tale... 

Just goes to show why - when it gets under your skin - music, playing bass and this place, can become so all-consuming and life changing.

Ronaldo says he's going to retire when he gets to a 1000 career goals, but compared to your gigging ambitions Jack, he's clearly a bit of a lightweight!! 😁

[Hellzero]

44 years ago, after my summer job as a 16 years old student, I bought a second hand ... electric guitar with an amp, and not knowing a damn thing about their value I paid them more than the new price, but it was locally, so I had IT!

 

The seller showed me how to play the Smoke on the Water riff and I played it every day trying to learn the rest of the song and some chords on an out of tune guitar as I had no tuner except that kazoo thingy producing an A, but my ears weren't that good back then, so it was an equal approximative non Bach tuning... 🤪

 

Then 2 years later a friend of mine forgot and lost the pile of records I lent him in the train, and the Chrome (remember that band?) Box was impossible to find as it was a limited edition, so he gave me his Maya EB-2 as a compensation and it started it all.

 

I made a few hundreds gigs over this period, but never reached @Happy Jack 1000 goal (see what I did here).

 

But a few months ago, I definitely focused on piano, and never touched a bass again, and certainly never will again.

 

So 2025 has been a year of musical changes for me.

 

That's life.

[Lozz196]

The Chrome, a mate of mine loves them

[tauzero]

Fifty years ago, I went to the Royal Veterinary College in That London, and was in International Hall. Back then I played guitar, rather better in my head than in the real world. In the first week or two there I encountered several other musicians - a drummer, a guitarist, and one of these wretched multitalented people who played guitar and keyboards, and could sing too. So we started a band, and as we had an overabundance of guitarists, no bassist, and I (as I did have sufficient self-awareness to realise) was a worse guitarist than Sam, I decided to take on bass duties. Needing a bass, I went to the Fender Soundhouse, where they had recently had a fire and coincidentally Hayman had just gone out of business, so they were flogging off Hayman parts. I did initially get the parts for a doubleneck 4/6 but something didn't fit, so I took them back and got the parts for a 40/40, which remained my main bass for several years. We played a practice gig and then a proper gig, both at the hall of residence, for which we got paid £100 (this was in 1975, so a well-paid gig by today's standards).

 

I dropped out of university soon after that gig, and went back to playing guitar in the bedroom for a few years until I bought a house in Tamworth and thought I'd see about joining a band. I advertised myself as a guitarist/bassist and got recruited by a local band, and have been bassing ever since, with the odd hiatus.

[Rich]

43 years and counting. You'd have thought I'd be half decent by now. 🙄