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I formed a blues band nearly 2 years ago with the intention of ensuring I play maybe 18 gigs a year for the next few years. That is the minimum that will keep me motivated, practising and keeping my core basses. I am nearly 68 and know my present good health won’t last indefinitely. The recent passing of my great pals @bumnote and @yorks5stringer has reinforced my determination to play till I drop. Like many I know, my career has been a ‘doughnut’, with parental years the hole in the middle. So I intend to enjoy every last bite!

Back in the day they produced the SB-35. Medium scale bass version of thier SG style guitars. I had one and sold it, my biggest seller's remorse ever. If they did one of these in a short scale I reckon it would be a winner.

I've got almost 60 years invested in playing bass and gigging. I couldn't stop If I wanted to. I'm still playing over 60 gigs a year. Even the bad gigs are fantastic . Blue

Fyi, just received a nice email from 'yorks5stringer' Keith's widow, Anna, thanking us for what we've done: "Hi Guys I was just saying to Loren that I hadn't heard from you since Sunday and she let me know that you had emailed us both on her email and she had presumed you had sent it to me too and that I had replied. That is the reason for the late reply. It was very good to hear how it went and just lovely to have a couple of pics and it was very moving to see the t-shirt. Thank you for that. I was thinking of you all, all day. Mickey sent a bass chat link too with all the comments from the Bassists. It sounded like a very successful day for you all including the food. I was surprised to hear that you sold some stuff. It will come in very handy for the things that keep going wrong here and need fixing. So thank you. I have a man here from Totnes, come to see the last of keith's gear. Hopefully he will buy it. Thank you Mike and Gabrielle - it was good to meet you. All good wishes Anna" She also sent me her bank details so I can transfer the £120 we raised from the sale of Keith's stuff. I'll forward them via PM to the couple of Bashers, who told me they had taken items but didn't have cash to pay on the day. Loren is Keith's daughter btw.

Private Event Maple Road This Saturday 10/14 Fiddlemore Farm Holloween Tent Party. We start at 5:00 The weather is suppose to be cold and rainy. However there's a nice stage in the tent and it's heated. I love private events. We're expecting around 70-80 Maple Road fans. I'll let know how it went on Sunday. Blue

I saw Cory Wong and band last night at Hammersmith Odeon. Sonny T isn't on the tour but the story is that the new guy Vincen Garcia stepped in with 48 hours notice when Sonny T pulled out. Previously Vincen had DM'd Cory Wong saying "let me know if you ever need a bassist in Europe". CW sent him a 50-song playlist, his tour manager's phone number and said "see you in Stockholm in two days". Here's the set from a few days ago in Brussels (Dean Town is the last song if you want to fast forward)

folks, as promised I am attaching here the picture of the finished work. A few words for your perusal: I tried the solution suggested by @PaulThePlug, which was to cut around the P bass shape of a pickguard: I did that, and, OMG, I am not posting the picture of the failure and the millions of bits of plastic ( @Richard R you were 110% right 🙂!!! ) following the smashed of it due to my heavy cutting I used a small hand rotor, but unfortunately it slipped away in the last bit causing the break of the part). I then moved to plan B. I bought these rings, on amazon, for a 10eur pack of 2. Steel and chromed. Same as the control and the bridge. Then I measured and measured, and measured and then cut the extra parts lined up with the bottom of the upper pickup and the top of the bottom pickup, and then I screw the 2 things around the pickups. As I said before, it is a cheap bass this one, because I am experimenting, but at least it does what I wanted and also it covers a bit the different wood that I used to fill the cable cavity. Sounds also quite well (even if I play it 🙂 ). I had to increase a bit the action for the G strings as the strings buzz was persistent and now it's a lot better and close to 0%. Thanks everyone for the support and all the suggestions!

Thanks, that's what this is all about.

I think it's about time you washed it then!

I've received some 'punter' clips from our recent outing (23/09...) at the 'Welcome's Bar', Luitré, France. Nearly 18 minutes, if you can stomach it; the very last section shows the stoicism of Our Eldest doing what he can with a busted string. The all-round ambiance can be seen, I think. Here's the montage, enjoy ... Edit : I forgot to add a nod and a wink to @FinnDave . He'll understand (I hope...)...

I will be coming 😊👍

Well done. You guys bring back my faith in the insane world.

Yep, don`t reinvent the wheel, a short-scale BB bass I`m sure would get a lot of interest.

Yamaha needs to put a short scale bass into production. And I think it's a bit odd that they haven't got any current production short scale offerings with how popular short scales have become in recent years, nearly every other big guitar manufacture having at least one option for this in their current lineup.

And there’s me thinking it was your own hair 😂 That reminds me, it’s time to wash me hair…..

Im a failed classical musican (did violin up to 19) So in my late teens started bass and I played it consistently for 40 years, however the last 10 I started getting increasingly bored with it. The straw that broke the camels back 6 yrs ago was a round trip of 300 miles depping a private party outside in the rain, (covered stage) Rich dude, good money...... but we end up sat around all day just to play to a handful of tiny tots and their mums...in the rain.! That was it, finished. Im done. Up shot is Ive got back into the classics and started studying Cello and I couldn't be happier... Hard work. Hard study and maybe in a couple yrs I may just be good enough to join the local community orchestra...Ok I'm only 63 but to me now pop and rock just seems so dull, even the old stuff I love...Ive played it all, loved it all....But its time to move on..do something totally new.

Ok, latest video should be up soon. Still processing right now so give it a couple... Link below!

For someone to walk away from a planned tour with a band they've been gigging with for so long at such short notice suggests something more 'unavoidable' than 'shitty'.

Yes, twice. Both times were for different reasons. The first time was when the long term band I was in got stuck in a rut and I was standing on stage in a club playing the same set list as I had several years before in the same club. I saw the gig out but shortly after I sold almost all of my bass gear as I couldn't see myself playing live again (I kept my headless Spirit XQ2). I was tempted back after a couple of years to the same band (the setlist had changed a bit) but the break had cleared my head of the negative stuff. Of course I had to 'tool up' - I had a bass (as I'd kept up playing because I was recording my own songs for fun) but I needed an amp, cabs etc. The second time was to look after an ailing parent. Although it was an enforced break, I think it was also a necessary one as I'd become complacent with my playing. The B/L didn't like rehearsing and I found myself just going through the motions on stage (literally in some duo gigs I played as a geetard as if I didn't know the song I'd turn the geetar down and mime to the backing tracks - which I'd played on). Once again most of my kit went although I held on to a bass amp as well as my Spirit headless. This was a three year break and when I was lured back into the gigging world again it was to something much better. I joined an Eagles 'tribute' band (more 'songs of The Eagles' than look-alikes) which meant I had to learn specific parts and I really enjoyed the challenge. That was in 2018 and although that band has long gone, I haven't looked back. I think being in a band (The Hulla) that is constantly working on new songs, gigging them, and which has a song list large enough to cycle through several times in a gigging 'season' helps as it keeps things fresh. I'm also in a second band which is getting to the point of gigging and the challenge of that is fun too. My advice from my personal experience is take a complete break if you feel it would do you some good but think carefully about selling all your kit, just in case. Whatever you decide to do - good luck. 😃

I had exactly the same malaise as you, Andy. Wasn't playing bass, so I did an art class, which was great fun. But I'm not able to paint with oils here as it stinks and nearly killed the cat (long story!). Started running again and riding mountain bikes and road bikes and just doing stuff without having to play bass. And it was/is great fun. A few years ago I joined a covers band playing funk and soul stuff, which has been great. No need to practice much as it's all simple stuff, and we play 30 odd gigs a year and I earn £100 for each. I also play guitar and run a charity cafe for older people where I bring a guitar and we play songs. I sold up all but the non-essential gear, and I'm a million times happier. Still a few bits to go. Basically, don't chuck it all away but don't feel bad about losing the passion for it. It'll either come back, or it won't. In the end, it doesn't matter.

no pun intended So earthing works by assuming that if everything is connected to the ground it is always at the same voltage. Mainly this is for safety reasons. The second thing you need to know is that we are surrounded by electromagnetic radiation coming from just about any electrical wires carrying an alternating current. This varying radiation will induce a current to flow in any wire that forms part of a circuit. If everything is perfectly connected to ground then that current will flow through the earth to ground. The problem is that earthing isn't perfect, there is always a small resistance in the earth circuit and a small voltage difference between different earths. Some of that resistance is in your equipment and some of it is in the house wiring. Sometimes it is enough to even give you an electric shock. So if you have a cable between two earted pieces of equipment the cable completes a circuit and current will flow along the cable down to earth and back up the other earth to complete the circuit. The earth shielding in the cable will pick up any electromagnetic radiation and a current will be induced. Most of the radiation will be from the mains flowing through all the mains wiring and things like electric motors so most of the noise now in your cable will be 50Hz hum you might also pick up radio too in this situation or the crackles from something with a loose connection. So (b) the ground lift thing works by breaking the circuit and (c0 no it wasn't the cab. It could be that you plugged the PA and your amp into a different mains socket and that one or both weren't earthed properly or were at the end of entirely different ring mains within the building, then there was a large motor running intermittently nearby during the gig or some other source of electromagnetic radiation. I try to run all our gear off a single socket, obviously you can only do this in the UK if you draw less than 13A in total that reduces the chance of this happening so long as all your gear is properly earthed and it eliminates the shocks you sometimes get from the mics due to floating earths. The ground lift switch is there just for this reason, to break the ground circuit, no circuit no current no hum.

This was my selection a while back. The one on the end is a 5-string I bought from @6feet7, but I didn't quite gel with it and sold it back to him a year later when he had seller's remorse. I've now got another jetglo ('88) instead which I bought from some Guy. I may pick up one or two more if/when the right ones pop up...

Yep, cool shirt!

The last band I was in was in 2016, last gig was then, too. Every now and then I feel a flicker of interest to get back into that side of things but, when I'm honest with myself, I've little interest in going through the ballache which comes with being in a band and absolutely zero desire to spend any more of my life on motorways driving to rehearsals and gigs. Young me would just get back on the horse and start again, older me is a little wiser, perhaps a little more cynical too, but sees less validity in wasting time on people who don't really share the vision and repeating the process. I could probably find a cover band closer to home but it's a scene I've never been into, it holds no interest for me at all. I never want to play covers just for the sake of gigging. Instead, I've busied myself with writing and recording. I still love trying to come up with new music and I've got plenty of half-written songs which I was always waiting on bandmates to contribute to in order to finish, which I have taken it upon myself to record and finish. This means recording on instruments I'm not exactly proficient on, having to work to get to an acceptable standard on them, writing lyrics, singing (which I'm still massively uncomfortable doing), sound engineering and producing. I want it to sound good, not just crudely put together for the sake of it. As pretentious as it sounds, I'm seeing myself less as a bass player but more of a musician. It's all on me, though. There's no more getting frustrated with anyone else's lack of commitment or skill, songs only get finished if I have the requisite work ethic. The finished piece of music being the reward at the end of it all instead of the feeling of being let-down by others again. The monthly comp was what got me started thinking I could do it myself, provided I was prepared to learn new skills outside the realm of bass playing and really challenge myself. Have a think about what you want to do. If you love music, and I think you must do to be in the position you are, then maybe you don't just get back on the horse and do the same thing you've always done. Maybe you need a different approach how you satisfy your musical urges?

Not quite as rainbow-ish as yours @BillyBass, but mine are quite a colourful bunch!

I’m almost at the point of giving up. I’m no longer in a gigging band, the three basses I own have never left the house since I bought them, I only play bass when I’m recording and only need one bass for that. I don’t even own a dedicated bass amp anymore. I’m not likely to tour again and recent family developments have moved me towards the ‘Swedish Cleaning” mode, if you know what I mean. I’m ready to start listing a load of gear on Reverb, and everything else - instruments, clothes, books, records, CDs, personal effects, furniture, etc - will soon be up for grabs too. Not having any dependents, and soon no next of kin either is making me look at ‘stuff’ in a very different way than I would have done before. It’s quite possible that my personal health situation is also a contributing factor to this, but there’s an almost visceral urge within me to let it all just go. I’d bet I’m not the only one on here in a similar situation.

I've had a 15-year hiatus from gigging that came to and end in May. I was never, ever going to play in a band again, and then my friend tricked me into jamming with him, which became a non-gigging band. When that came to a natural end, I felt the pull, bought a bass and formed a covers band (something else I was never going to do). I'm having the most fun I've ever had with my pants on. You can put it down without having anything more on the agenda than just putting it down. Whatever you do, do what you fee is best for you at the time.

Just tried it on my laptop and it worked straight away, evidently something to do with mobile browsers... Anyway, this is my new band with my daughter on piano. I was really pleased with the double bass sound on this recording and the piano sounds amazing, a big Steinway in a space with a superb acoustic. Got a gig coming up if anyone in Bristol fancies it... https://www.headfirstbristol.co.uk/whats-on/el-rincon/thu-26-oct-sounding-seas-94150#e94150 Edit: Just been remastering the audio so here's a new version with greatly improved sound and a restrained vintage vibe on the visuals...

We're supporting The Long Ryders on Tuesday 17th in Manchester, if that's your sort of thing.

I Knew the East Kilbride When She Used To Rock n Roll — Dave Edmunds

Don't Go Brechin My Heart - Elton and Kiki

I wonder where that came from? I used to have the entire stock upstairs, they were made by a chap in Totnes. Small world!

...but what a way to go!!! ROCK AND ROLL!!!

Some interesting viewpoints here. I think that it's natural for our love of music to rise and wain, finding something that reboots that love is what is important when you feel lost. Personally, even though I also have periods where I struggle with my desire to play, I really can't envisage a time where I would want to be without a bass I can just plug in and play.

Completely un-associated with the thread, but your avatar GIF has just reminded me of what an ex-GF did to my new, early Fender Custom Shop Fretless jazz bass. Exactly that same move. The crack in the heel finish thankfully never went through to the wood.

I took up drumming about 10 years ago. When my enthusiasm for bass is on the wane, I do more drumming, and then after a while the need to play bass comes back and the emphasis swaps. It seems that between the two instruments I’ve alway got enthusiasm for one and it keeps it fresh as there’s always a challenge. I’d say playing drums has made me a better bassist as well.

Rather than giving up bass, I've added a new instrument alongside it - keyboards. Very diverting, a real wake-up call for my synapses, and an entirely new outlet for my GAS.

Still wearing mine Dave.

I have now switched the order to a 4 string as I never play 5 string basses.. In the mean time as this bass is going to take at least 18 months, another 2nd hand Sei Flamboyant 4 string bass appeared for sale at the Bass Gallery, so i thought i might as well just buy this one to keep me company whilst waiting for the the build to complete (the one on order will have a maple fingerboard and EMGs for a brighter funk sound...) If anyone knows who the original owner was, it would be interesting to know the history of a bass & what all the knobs and switches are for??? Picking it up on Saturday & asked John to put som 45-105s on it...

I get it and I wish there was more communication. However, I joined the band because they have a good booking strategy and for the money. I know a few bands that rehearse relentlessly and have open communication but have little to no gigs. I could never play in a band like that. For those that have both communication and lots of gigs, that's ideal Blue

No longer mine.

Agog. Simply agog. Wasted on the little blighters who will doubtless swing it about like extravagant troubadours, and then use it to surf down the stairs when they discover how awkward playing an F is.

I've said before to new builders, 'It isn't that experienced builders don't frequently make rookie mistakes - it's just that they get much better at hiding them!' And a case in point: "When you use a binding router, don't forget to put in a temporary end graft in the slot" Because if you don't, then the router guide will drop into the slot and your binding channel will suddenly become 2mm deeper than you intended" Which is why, all of a sudden, I've decided to fit some herringbone purfling on the back! Back binding now done, ironed on as above, ready for some serious sanding: Folks who have followed some of my other builds will know that I generally use the Tru-oil slurry and buff method to prepare the finish even if I am going to ultimately varnish it. This is no exception. The back of the neck will be left slurry-and-buffed, but the body and headstock will be eventually gloss coated with standard, brushed-on high volatiles (sorry!) polyurethane varnish. What I use the tru-oil slurry for is to grain-fill, gap-fill and to prepare the surface for finish varnishing. And don't you just have to love what Tru-oil does for wood! First coat applied with 180 grit emery and wiped off. The top is at the moment simply plain sanded - tru-oil won't be used here as it has too strong a colour and so,at the appropriate stage, I will apply just polyurethane varnish to it: So, starting to get there. But it may well be at least a couple of weeks - MrsAndyjr1515 is starting to recover from Covid and is finding many more jobs for me to "more usefully occupy your (my) time with" - and we have the said little people here over next week and so it's all going to have to be tidied and hidden away!