bassbiscuits

Is that the Rigger in Newcastle Under Lyme? My old singer dug out some photos of us playing there in 1992. Hair was bigger, shirts floweryier and headstocks definitely pointier back then.

I reckon I can do this challenge too. I'm not gassing for anything, and more importantly I've not got much money or surplus gear to sell to finance anything so it's about as gridlocked as the current Brexit strategy. I reckon I can last 12 months without acquiring anything new in the world of bass. Count me in.

My longest-lived P has been an original 1969/70 one, so not pre CBS, but still now getting on for 48 years old. It's lovely, its played in and its comfortable, and its only about 3.8kg. It's 7.25" but has been refretted with medium jumbo frets, which is a lovely combination (same as the Nate Mendel P). But for about 10 years I also used a mid 1990s MIA Precision for regular gigs, and while it was very cool, the RWs are probably way closer to how a vintage P sounds and plays. My MIJ Mustang has 7.25" and vintage frets and its actually dead easy to play, so maybe i'm overthinking it.

I wasn't crazy on the 7.25" radius, vintage frets and wide nut when I played one last, as my own P has none of those. But i think i need to revisit these things....

Damn you all - you're making me want one now!

That's that decided then!

Ok so you've established that you don't really want/need the '74. I guess it just depends on whether you're happy to hang on to it, in case the value continues to increase, or have your eye on something for which the '74 would be a ready source of money. No right/wrong answer to that one. It doesn't sound so much like you might miss playing it - more that you might regret what you sold it for in a couple of years.

Mine was one of those pub gigs where nobody claps or cheers whatsoever. And then as you're packing down afterwards everyone comes to say how much they enjoyed it.

Flog it man. Life's too short to have things you're not using clogging up your life, and locking up money that you could use for something you really want. You've already got '64 P, so I think you're covered for cool vintage Fenders eh?

Hey. Nice one.

The wide neck threw me a little on these having been used to a B profile (i.e. Quite narrow) 70s P for many years. But they do sound, look and feel fanastic and way nearer to an 'original' P bass than the modern stuff (which are also lovely, but different).

Ah I enjoyed watching that! Nice one. Yeah Phil sounds like a precision with flats too, tho I'm happy to be corrected.

If you want real neck dive, try an Epi Jack Casady... it's an instrument and a left-arm workout all in one! Cool basses, but don't expect ergonomic balance.

Kim Jon McUn? Sorry. I'll get my coat.

Annoyingly I have one of my own unfinished songs stuck in my head at the moment. Its a decent melody but the words aren't right, but now the whole thing, including the 'wrong' words, is wedged in my head. It kept me awake all night on Wednesday. Doing my head right in.

Ah man - I bought a Tokai Thunderbird a few years back. It looked divine, sounded reasonable but weighed a tonne. It felt like it was the size of my settee onstage. I never considered my main precision at the time to be lightweight ( a MIA 1996 at about 4.2kg ) but the difference was like comparing divers boots to flip flops. However the Thunderbird did make punters play air guitar in front of me onstage, which was nice!

That's cool isn't it. I love to hear music like this sung in a local accent too rather than some Americanised drawl. Good stuff. Impressed he managed to rhyme "shenanigans" with "anger management" too - well done that man!

I haven't bought anything since early June - my MIJ Mustang bass. Maybe some plectrums since then but that's all. Bit of kit that's not going anywhere? That'll be my Schroeder 1210 cab. Faffed about with big cabs, small cabs and absolutely huge cabs, but that's the best all rounder for what I need at the moment. I've used it for every gig since I bought it five years ago. The single thing that's made most difference to my sound? Getting a new guitar player ha ha!

Slight neck dive on mine - but nothing of note at all. Certainly not noticeable when playing. Its got a pretty light body tho and big old 70s machineheads.

I haven't bought any bass magazines for years - not enough interesting stuff. Basschat is a more relevant and comprehensive source of bass info for me.

Another for scratchplates and plectrums here

I got in a similar situation with a local pub here. It was a solo acoustic/singing gig, which i got after doing an hour of rousing 'greatest hits' for their little summer festival in beer garden. The landlord liked it and booked me for some paid gigs. How different they were. Each gig was when people were still eating their Sunday lunch, so I toned it right down, played quietly etc - but a old bloke in cycling lycra insisted on sitting right in front of me moaning constantly about the volume. It got to the point I was playing at more or less unamplified, and he still complained about the volume (while sitting right in front of the stage). Luckily some punters with their kids came up to dance and said thanks, but they were hugely outnumbered by the garrulous old men talking loudly among themselves, completely ignoring me, except to complain every few songs. I didn't get asked back, and didn't ask for any more gigs. An afternoon I'll never get back.