bassbiscuits

I can vouch for the Fender Mustang basses. Im a lifelong P bass player but last year also started to use an MIJ Mustang bass. Very much in the same sonic territory and doesn't feel at all cramped. And they look v cool and distinctive while still being vintage styled (I'm not really into modern looking basses). Well worth a try.

Likewise. I was in a funk/metal band when i had the Charvel (my first real band that did more than one gig!) but once I started dabbling in old Fenders things changed rapidly... My wallet hasn't been the same since.

Do it! I bet that'll sound ace. I flogged mine back in the day for a Charvel with a pointy headstock which in turn got sold for a precision. They were cool basses tho. Loved the look of that massive pickup.

I played a white Westone Spectrum ST on my first gig! Yours looks like a DX....

Westone Spectrum bass too - I wish still had mine!

Aha now for me that's the other way round with that song - my old band used to play it all the time, but I tried to sing it once mid gig and it's in such a weird key for me that i sounded rubbish! Ill stick to doing the "I got soul...." bit and it'll be fine!

Nah not for me.

Yup I'm a lead singing bassist. As the others have said, try to learn the bass part and singing part separately first to get your head round it. Then just plenty of practising, so you know what the timings are etc. For originals, the same applies but you have the chance to write the singing accordingly. Some songs are nigh-on impossible where the bass and singing don't interact much (ie Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick, Billie Jean etc) but most songs are ok with a bit of practice.

Did a Saturday night city centre gig in Leicester, depping on bass with my old band. Proper busy rowdy one tho - some drunk bloke flossing and pole dancing, and a drunk bloke at some point was pushed/thrown/fell into the stage, destroying the singer's mic stand and splling everything. Oops. The new guitarist also has his own PA and live sound business on the side, so we had an awesome rig and FOH sound. Good gig.

Yup. I've done 15 years worth of gigs on a pretty basic Crafter acoustic guitar. And my cheapo Yamaha bass has outlived and outgigged all sorts of more expensive fantasy gear that just didn't play or sound as good. I do like expensive refined gear tho as long as it sounds great. Makes you feel cool too sometimes!

Ha ha don't mince your words fella!

I like Markbass amps (cabs not so much) and while those basses don't repulse me, they aren't awfully exciting. Like with every other instrument, it would be a case of playing one rather than prejudging it.

Really? Gigging is the best bit of being a musician surely. That's what made me take up bass in the first place.

Fair play then! I stand corrected ha ha! And it is a good song really...

And in fairness it's a pretty decent song too!

True - it looks and feels cool but it's all a bit anonymous as you can't see anyone properly beyond the first few rows. Still, big gigs usually mean big PA and proper soundmen and lights etc, which is always a treat!

We were a five piece rock covers band, all blokes about 40. Woman comes up mid set to ask "do you do any Girls Aloud"?

Cool. Yeah Aynsley and Steve are both good lads, who (mostly) also share my enjoyment of daft jokes (or are too polite to tell me they don't) ! Hope the weekend goes well.

I think my biggest to date was playing at the Suwalki Blues Festival in Poland in summer 2016. We played to about 1,500-2,000 people in a park in the middle of the town. I was depping on bass for a blues guitarist called Aynsley Lister. A cool weekend away!

Cool - which band was that?

Yeah I love Stewart Copeland's playing - really enjoyed the show and looking forward to Tina Weymouth.