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Do you gig with your pre CBS?


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I tend to be very careful where I gig with a pre CBS Fender, only using at places I know very well, however I've decided that this beauty is going to get a few more outings over the coming months, she was made in 1964 and is currently sporting a "spitfire" guard, I just need to be carful with her!
Do you gig your pre CBS Fenders?

Edited by chrisanthony1211
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I think a 66 rates as "prectically" pre CBS. They were still made by the Fender team and CBS hadn't started to make their changes.

I wouldn't buy any gear that I couldn't or wouldn't gig. I'm as worried about my modern gear getting damaged on gig so the bass is always put in the gig bag at the side of the stack when it's not being played. If I'm worried about it getting damaged when I'm actually playing it. . . . I would even be doing a gig like that in the first place.

Edited by chris_b
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Just be careful with it.

I guess the biggest hazard would be having it stolen, and then trying to find it afterwards?

I gig my Overwater custom 7, which would cost in excess of £5k to replace, that's what it's for. It's kept in it's gig bag at gigs, which I keep next to me, or in sight at all times. Though my bass would probably be a little harder to sell, and easier to spot. My friend is a cellist, her cello would cost tens of thousands to replace.

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I've gigged a '57 and a '65. There's not much point in owning them if they're not going to get played.

Those basses don't get much action because I mainly play 5-string basses these days, and I've been having the Devil's own time trying to fine a pre-CBS 5-string ...

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I've gigged my Wal a fair bit and it's never bothered me, but I retired my '63 Strat from my guitar gigs about 20 years ago due to paranoia in crappy pub venues.

Funnily enough, although I've had it since I was 17, the fact that it has been relegated to wall art for so long has diminished any emotional attachment I had for it, so now it's up for sale.

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Mine's not pre-CBS but its a 1970 P, so 47 years old (older than me anyway!)

From the mid 1990s to the mid 2000s it was the only bass I owned so it got gigged all over the place, including getting stolen and recovered a few days later.

It had a bit of a spell out of action when it was having a refret and a few tweaks, but since then I'm using it more for gigs - there isn't any point in having gear that's so good you're afraid to gig it.

I guess I might have 10-15 years of wanting to bother gigging anymore, so might as well enjoy it.

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I have a classic Rodgers drum kit and a late 60s Gibson SG. I bought them both new, and to play, because I loved and still love the sounds they both make. Gig them both at every opportunity. I dont have a bass you could call a "Classic" but If I had I would own and play it because I loved the feel and sound, not to look at it.

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[quote name='chrisanthony1211' timestamp='1502209259' post='3350016']
Im not so bothered about damage as that would count as normal wear and tear, within reason! It's more about someone taking it, although I'm guessing most people wouldn't realise what it is, just need to keep an eye on it, never let it stray too far!
[/quote]

I wish I gigged with my more expensive basses more often. German made Hofner Limited Edition Club Bass with Cavern Club PU spacing, Gibson Gold Top Les Paul Bass and Gibson Custom Shop ES-335 in vintage faded cherry.

I can't afford to continue babying these basses. I paid good money for each one. I have to start gigging them.

Blue

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[quote name='jezzaboy' timestamp='1502221147' post='3350104']
There was a story recently in one of the guitar mags about a guy in the UK that gigs a 59 Les Paul. He said that most people think it`s a reissue rather than a £200k ish guitar.
[/quote]

Exactly. Does it really matter what other people think you are playing as long as you love the sound?

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It depends if you've bought it as an instrument or an ornament. I don't have any ornaments & if I had the money for a pre CBS, I'd buy a Ritter & gig it.

The dad in law bought a rather nice Lowden O35 40th not so long ago. Cost over £5k & he plays it regularly at the church & local folk club.

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As others have said - instruments are there to be played, unless you've got one in a glass case.
I mostly gig my Fender Roadworn P - so I'm not so bothered about bumps & dings.
Theft is something I'm always conscious of - It's so easy for someone to break into a car, or pick something up when backs are turned
Sometimes, I think I'm paranoid about it. I think gigging a bass worth so much might make me even worse! lol

For gigs where I'm dubious about the crowd / venue, I have a couple of cheaper basses - though I'd still be upset if anything happened to my Squier CV P bass
I don't own a Pre-CBS but this would be a real quandary for me too - I'd want to play it live, but would be distraught if it got pinched

Edited by Marc S
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I think, for me at any rate, part of the fun is wondering who owned the bass before me and what was it used for. There are certain tunes, maybe some old blues standards, that I just get the feeling the bass knows this song.

Over-sentimentalising of course :blush:

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[quote name='ead' timestamp='1502798644' post='3353593']
I think, for me at any rate, part of the fun is wondering who owned the bass before me and what was it used for. There are certain tunes, maybe some old blues standards, that I just get the feeling the bass knows this song.

Over-sentimentalising of course :blush:
[/quote]

My #1 bass (which I rarely gig now) is just that. I know both its previous owners and I know it's played with BB King and many of the old Blues greats, even if I haven't.

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