gafbass02

I really quite like their stuff to honest, just decent, fun pop songs for the most part

I usually take two, but there have been exceptions over the last nearly thirty years of gigging. When I was playing the really big places supporting touring acts, our set had need for six strings a few times. So I had bass, spare bass, sixer, spare sixer on those occasions. (and yes, I did break a string once and also once my bass just quit mid gig for no apparent reason.) Once an old band I played with did a reunion gig, 500 tickets sold out, nice big place, only a few miles across the city, so I took everything. About seven basses, mostly 4 figure plus, my entire trace stack and a dedicated kickback monitor combo, all in the keyboard player's car, because I couldn't drive then. Two songs in, he had a heart attack on stage right behind me and ended up being whisked away to hospital (he's fine now btw, this was over a decade ago). I ended up staring at the mountain of gear I was stranded with, and the only solution anyone had was, 'You'll just have to leave it in his (the stricken keyboard player) car overnight, or until someone from his family can come and drive it back to yours. (It wasn't an entirely savoury part of town, it would've lasted about five minutes!) Now I only take two! (And can drive!) (For those that are interested, the guy's dad came back from the hospital much later that night after the gig had finished (we had to play on without him) and drove me back to mine, even though his son was in hospital. - What a legend!!)

I hate green. But I love that!

Those were the days! Two 4x10’s and a bright box with an AH400smx. An absolute wall of gut wobbling power, and big enough for anywhere. Sadly I got older and more fragile and my venues got smaller. But oh how I miss looking up at that green glow and the sensation of the air hitting me in the back!

I had an acoustic 270 head back in the 90s. I liked it for its volume at the time, but it somewhat lacked any finesse if I recall. A bit ‘barky’. Cool though.

I really fancy one of these, nice one.

A bunch of stuff, but yesterday I focused on Rio, which I’ve never needed to look at before. Love being back on bass after a decade away.

It’ll come as no surprise that it’s my 1990 mij 60’s jazz. Even if it is wonky and battered and the only original parts are the body and three of the tuners. Owned since around 92. Used for thousands of gigs and loved

This is all very encouraging! I’ve been thinking I was getting on a bit for it all at 45, so this is good to hear.

I had one in the 90’s briefly. It was utterly awful!

I did build one once, gigged it a few times and went back to my other toys, kinda wish I’d kept it now.

It’s so true. I’ve always written off P basses as ‘old man basses’ Now I’m of an certain age and the strap has crept higher and the tone control lower and I quite fancy a p bass 🤣

I hate p basses. But dayum I love those! Looks fantastic and I totally want one I may be moving towards being converted

I only own two basses now. I’ve owned so many over the years that I’ve lost count, but it’s well over 200, possibly closer to 300. Warwicks, statii, many stingrays etc etc. But the only two I still own and will never part with are my old ‘Trigger’s broom’ 1990 MiJ jazz and my bassmaster funk. Both owned since the early 90’s and both beaten up and heavily gigged. Incidentally, the jazz special pictured with them here was my very first proper bass. I found it on eBay a few years back and bought it straight away. It still had my initials and my old school band name on the headstock and had hardly been touched since I sold it to fund the blue jazz in 1991/92. Sadly, a few weeks later, I was partway through my dissertation when my computer died and I had to sell it again to fund a new one. Talk about gutted! But the other two will be with me till the end, and really are all I need.

He was my bass tutor at Barnsley college in the 90s. Never actually managed a single lesson together due to clashing schedules!! Always sad I missed out, but he did come and do a masterclass one day and the room was just full of stunned young bass players

My last gig was Cheltenham races. The diary would be something like this... Friday March 13th Race week day four. Arrive at 5:30, bring guitar down from upstairs. Quick set up, with people screaming in my face to play wonderwall. Someone shouts ‘3-4’ when I check mic. Funniest thing I’ve ever heard. honest . Something about a virus, probably nothing. Horde arrives at 6, frantic text from the boss, ‘get started’. Half hour rotations begins with the other two acts. People scream ‘Oasis’ and ‘Wonderwall’ every 2-3 seconds for four hours. Smell is overwhelming. Everyone laughs at a passing taxi driver for wearing a face mask. Something about a virus. People still screaming for oasis and wonderwall. At some point in evening unknowingly catch said virus. 11:30. Collect pay and trudge home, safe in the knowledge that I’ve sworn that this this will be my last race week gig. Very tired wash when I get home, Wife is worried about some virus going around ... Still, next year I reckon I’ll go back to bass, so silver lining an all.

I’m very much with Lozz on this one. I’ve been gigging solidly since the early 90s and have had some remarkable experiences. I just wish I could remember more. They all started to blur into one after a while.

I’ll always miss owning one of these. It was just brilliant and I’ve never felt as satisfied with my tone since. I ran one with two 4x10s and a bright box for years, used it in some massive venues on some awesome tours. It was just perfect. looking at the scratch on the front panel it could even be my old one!

Love that!

I had a super cheapo £50 Harley Benton back in the day that I loved plunking on. It wasn’t sophisticated, but was surprisingly good for the price. I used it on radio once and the preamp was too noisy, so they banged a mic on it. You can hear it here if it’s any use.

Yeah, it’s not crazy light, but it’s way lighter than my fender.

Well it all got a bit weird! I bought this Chapman pictured below as my ‘congratulations for not dying bass’ after the whole COVID thing. It was money I couldn’t afford, but I was struggling to manage the weight of my jazz bass and found that playing really helped me mentally and cognitively. So I bought it. ...But I had to keep it in the living room for fear of mould getting in the open pore wood (my gear is in the cellar) which wasn’t ideal. Nor was having borrowed the money from savings to buy it, or the fear of damaging such a beautiful (to me) finish with my clumsyness or the kids knocking it over in the living room, or making a dent with my thumb while playing (done this to Warwicks before). So sadly, I sold it. I also, even more sadly, sold my lake placid blue fender marauder guitar as I’m not playing guitar anymore. I started looking around at Harley bentons, (I needed a maple neck for the cellar an all, and I fancied a musicman humbucker ) I also looked at sire (I fancied active, but like having a passive tone control and like fender shapes) But also quite fancied a P bass sound...but don’t like p basses...and I missed the lovely blue of my marauder and whatever I got had to be cheap and light. A big ask! Then I spotted this Cort GB74 ‘gig’. Cort is a brand I’ve always sniffed at. It was cheap, light, had a maple neck, was the right colour, with a p pickup, a humbucker a jazz single coil and active electronics with passive mode with a tone control! Literally everything I’m looking for in one bass. Bar the block markers (decals incoming!) I pulled the trigger and it came on Weds Apparently it’s made in the same place as Lakland skylines and it has a sandberg preamp. It feels lovely and familiar, is set up perfectly, hip shot ultra lite tuners are dead stable. Sounds fab and let’s me jump from passsive p to active jazz to musicman (ish) all in one bass. Plus that brilliant truss rod adjustment location and what is basically a badass bridge as standard. Its not the prettiest or most prestigious bass I’ve owned. But it’s perfect for the music I play and I’m not worried about it getting bumped or nicked. The negatives... I don’t like the plain white pickguard, I’ll have to have a custom Pearl one made. The bridge pickup has a little buzz. Only a little. The satin neck looks anaemic but feels amazing. no blocks and binding. The MM sound isn’t quite as close as I’d like, but whatever. It has a silly name! (Who calls a bass ‘Gig’) I certainly won’t be sniffing at Cort anymore! It looks ‘stretched’ in the pics, it’s not. It’s a jazz shape near as damnit. I just took poor pictures🤣

Brilliant. Thank you

I’ve owned two or three, the best by far was the black all wood energy model. I loved how easy they were to play, the action could get really low and the spacing was really comfy. The green one looked stunning and always turned heads, but sounded a bit, well...’sterile’. I still long for a nice status four string. Sadly it’ll never happen. I say def give it a spin