TimR

Double bass and amplifier: http://bicycletruck.blogspot.com/2010/08/lindseys-bass-trailer.html

Me. On Bass. Poking your singer in the eyes with the ends may be desirable in some bands but not the ones I currently play in.

Creep. The audience love it.

Wow. That's a steal! That's exactly what I'm looking for.

25 years ago I turned up to a dep gig with a Jackson Chavel SB, complete with pointy headstock. I was about 20 years younger than anyone else in the band. I'd never met any of them before. The band leader looked at my bass and said "Watch me for the changes and X on rhythm guitar for the chords. And keep it simple, nothing flashy."

There was an Ibanez on Facebook marketplace, not only did it look like it had been used as a spade, it looked like it had been run over by a large tractor and left lying in the mud for a decade. I looked at the photos and decided £10 would have been too much to offer for it. You have a good catch there, assuming the neck stays stable and it stays in tune for a song at a time.

As well....

I'm tempted to pop out and get one tomorrow. If only they weren't so heavy. And didn't sound like 70s Fenders. 🤣

I think a lot of the time, sound engineers are not interested in making the bass sound interesting and different or stand out in the mix. Obviously there are obvious exceptions. But it's easier for them to set the desk how they usually do and concentrate on vocals etc. Hence 'Just use the P bass mate.'

Was it less than £1500?

Unfortunately I got rid of my 80s spandex trousers. They'd be worth a fortune now.

It also makes more sense to just hire an instrument for the big gigs and let other musicians hire it for their big gigs. A lot of money tied up in an instrument you only play a few times a year and have to worry about storing it in a controlled secure environment and insure it.

I wonder if this is part of why these old Fenders are worth so much now. People who now have quite large funds chasing their childhood dreams amd buying instruments they've never been able to afford before, regardless of quality or sound.

The first bass I bought in 1989 was £350. That would have been close to my months take home pay as a school leaver. I think I was paying 33% tax on £6kpa.

They're Germans.

It's not just Chinese, and that labour is no less skilled than assembling any other product. Chinese wages are rising the same way as wages all over the world. China is certainly not a 3rd world country. Luthering by hand is probably a skilled and dying art, many people seem to buy a bass and send it straight for a setup. But I'd have thought any fret levelling, setup, etc, that needs to be done after a few years is a skilled job. But I don't see why it's any different having an in house person doing it at the assembly line.

Yes, but also its no longer taking a month to make the bass.

Is saying you have good taste, a bit like saying you're a good driver?

It's supply and demand. People are obviously paying the prices. The supply chains were broken after the pandemic, and in a lot of cases, we are still feeling the effects plus lag from pent-up demand. Lots of people do have money to spend. Would I buy a bass for £1500? Possibly. I like the look of the Ibanez Premium (£1300), but the SR600 (£800) probably do me once I'd changed the machineheads. A lot of basses seem at first glance to be pretty well made, they're all CNC machined so quality control is higher than it was in the 80s. But whether or not they last the rigours of gigging remains to be seen.

Keys players are usually pretty clued up as they can see the notes of the chords. Guitarists tend to play shapes. Cm, with a few suspense/transition chords like the G7 and the F. The bass line is great with a lot of chromatic lines from memory.

Barrie Palmer formerly of Machinehead Misic is still a tech there as I understand.

What's the line up? What do the two Brummies play? I think that's what I missing. Playing jazz you need drums, bass and, piano or guitar. Anything else is additional to requirements.

Well that's even more confusing. 😂 I just mean that chopping and changing leaves everyone wondering what's going on. For a relaxed 'jam', 'gig', it seems a lot of work. You play bass and there's another guitarist who can't make it, and if they could make it, they wanted something towards travel. You have a guitarist, bass and drums. To me that's sorted. You have a base trio, you're not getting paid, why complicate it?

Buy some other bits at the same time. Components are expensive if you buy them one at a time.

Or new gear.