Cat Burrito

Keith Richards

There's always loads on EBay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-x-precision-bass-guitar-pickup-covers-/160789707634?pt=UK_Guitar_Accessories&var=460068052292&hash=item256fd03b72

I used to but being a rare example of someone who cured their own (fairly serious) problem with GAS I started regularly using just one bass about 3 or 4 years ago. It makes you bond with your instrument more and helped get me a tonne of cash as I sold off everything that was surplus I now own 2 electric basses and it feels great

It's been said before in a round about way but for me it is snobbery - over taste in bands, over gear, whatever. It'd be boring if we all liked the same thing. From my point of view if I wasn't obsessed with music I would be so much further down the career ladder, have more money and probably still be married. Thank god for rock 'n' roll!

I own a couple of late 70s Fenders and this one raises a couple of questions for me. Firstly though, Fullerton is just the factory Fender used which arguably gives it more credibility and as a simple rule, the older the higher the value (condition aside) so pre-CBS is very highly regarded. The neck is a 3 bolt one which tend to be less popular with some collectors. Those knobs are clearly non original and there appears to be surface rust around the jack socket which makes me wonder what the electrics are like - and I note no pictures! I don't recall those paintjobs until the early 80s so I wonder if that body originally went with that neck but I could be wrong. That to me looks like a parts bass with a 78 neck so probably a value around £600. A decent example of a 1977 bass would go for up to £2000 (but less so in the current climate) and this would mean original case, immaculate condition and photos showing the original pots etc. If you are looking to buy a vintage Fender there is a wealth of knowledge on this site so don't get ripped off. Sometimes stuff is priced to sell quickly but there is a lot out there that isn't what it claims to be.

I echo the comments on improvements in bass technology these days. I don't own a bass with roundwounds on at present and play Americana, classic rock, rockabilly, folk and blues. Plenty of gigs are out there for old school players [quote name='iceonaboy' timestamp='1362500447' post='2000257'] I can't understand how Steve Harris gets such a bright sound from flats. I struggle to get such a sound from round wounds! [/quote] He uses a fresh set every gig, that's how

I own one of these too & I'd forgotten how cheap it was. Great for days when the hard case looks like hard work

It's an interesting thread. My girlfriend is always suggesting I buy [b]more[/b] basses but I've done the whole 30 instruments at once thing so haven't bought anything in over 2yrs and sold about 75% of it off since my divorce (by choice!). Just from personal experience (& not judging anyone on any posts here) if you have to lie to your partner or buy a bunch of stuff you rarely play, something *may* be wrong with the relationship. I agree with SpaceChick, this isn't a problem exclusive to one gender. Now if only I could get over [b]my[/b] addiction to shoes....

I moved onto guitar from bass a few years back and stayed at it for about 3 or 4 years before returning to bass. I think when it comes to experienced musicians too much emphasis is placed on our main instrument. I've worked with lots of players who are not on their main instrument and as long as you practice it usually isn't a problem. I was never an amazing guitarist but in the end I went to a teacher and asked him to help me stop sounding like a bass player when playing guitar - and to his credit he did! It's great being back on bass but I've gigged on mandolin, guitar, dobro, upright bass, harmonica, banjo and bass guitar. I'm not a stunning musician but I will put the time in to ensure I don't embarrass myself publicly too much

I haven't seen it in years, last one I remember was Jarvis Cocker / Michael Jackson which I guess was a little while ago now

I played Hofner for a while after 20yrs of Fender. If you practice enough I don't think scale length change makes a huge difference and it's easy to adapt to the change. I reckon it's mostly in our heads and a lot of players are put off short scale before they've really tried them or given them a proper chance.

They sound like a fun bunch of guys

I think all musicians wind up seeing a band at some point move away from what it started out as and equally we all work with people we don't like so much at some point - so yes to both those. Try and resolve it and if you can't and it bothers you, walk. I've done this for 25yrs now. The next band can always be better. I'm currently playing what I want & like everyone in the band which is why I'm 4yrs in with this lot

We use a cajon sometimes and I think they really are great. First time I saw one it blew my mind so the last 3 bands I've been in we've bullied drummers into getting one

[quote name='BurritoBass' timestamp='1347436328' post='1800658'] For me it's the Hofner Verithin, my only bass I play these days [/quote] I wonder if I'm the first one here to have sold their "keeper" since this thread? No issues for me though, life goes on

I refinished with a, um, no finish! I just love that 70s no paintwork look

Price also depends on if you have the original bridge too as some buyers don't want an upgrade, they want it as original. The £8-900 ones might be for sale at those prices but if you look you'll see they only get listed like that, they don't sell and certainly not in the current climate. I sold mine with the upgraded Seymour Duncan Antiquity pickup, spare white pickguard & a hard case for £500 which was a real bargain & unsurprisingly snapped up within an hour of listing.

I spent the last 4 years gigging one bass for a year & then rotating. My anti-GAS phase finally has me down to 2 basses again and I think it's too early to say whether that'll be a 50/50 thing

[quote name='gjones' timestamp='1360617429' post='1973587'] All the MIJ and CIJ basses I've owned [s](3 jazzes and a precision)[/s] were excellent. [/quote] This is my experience too & all of a similar quality

Just watching this now, looks pretty good. Ideal for those who think we are the rubbish guitarist. All things bass, not just bass guitar [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grDl2aFJUrM[/media]

Probably more from my earliest years buying records. I bought 7" singles by Bucks Fizz, Shakin' Stevens and Adam Ant. Upon reflection they didn't hold up to the records my parents had

I appear to be the most popular answer to every category at present - I have most control over what I play, enjoy the creative process of writing bass parts which comes fairly easily, write for maybe 8 - 12 songs a year and find it easy writing for simple songs. The only point I'd add is that whilst I write a part quickly I do occasionally tweak little bits sometimes even years after the initial writing of the song. For me all of this is the most enjoyable aspect about being a creative person

The beauty of getting a little older is you don't have the hang ups over what others think of you. So I'm afraid I don't care if people love or laugh at my tastes

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1360240640' post='1967168'] I would have thought that now only the kind of money that a major label could offer would be sufficient to tempt a band away from what they could do on their own, given how cheap and easy it is to produce and distribute your recordings. Are the label completely funding your album or do you have to put some of your own money in? What's the budget? What promotion are they going to do for it? PM me if you don't want to discuss these things in the open forum. [/quote] Yep, agree with the first point here and I think the increase at the time of sites like MySpace was when things started to really change. My band at the time had 28,000+ hits to our page which is a far cry from spending the early 90s cutting up sleeves for our C20 cassettes to mail out. Yeah, our label is tiny but very credible within the scene I play. We've part funded a lot but they have done a bunch of stuff we couldn't do ranging national press to endorsements. We're realistic, the Americana scene in the UK is small but dedicated so we'd never hope to make a living with this. We recently did a national press interview with a bloke in the know and his first question was "well, you've all obviously going to need day jobs so what do you do?" I appreciate my circumstances are perhaps very different to some kid at music college or someone playing a different genre. I think some of the smaller sub genres must be similar to what we do in outlook and attitude. And I certainly hope nobody misconstrues any of my points as some misguided declaration that we've somehow "made it". We do ok but it is what it is and operates nicely on the level it is at.

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1360239895' post='1967145'] Wouldn't a 'decent' label with 'muscle and a solid reputation' make them a major label? I'm with UncleP - the terms of the contract should be what counts, not the name of the company A friend's lad has signed with Columbia after his first year of a music and performance course at Bristol uni. Apparently, the labels treat the course (and no doubt others) as a shop window and those offered deals then leave uni to concentrate on their music career - which might suggest that all the graduates of such courses are the ones the record companies didn't want. [/quote] Re your first point, not necessarily and I wouldn't want anyone to misconstrue what I say as a purely Anti-Majors rant. I do think the Majors have ripped off a lot of acts but then I'm sure most on here have also been had over by 2 penny promoters too at the other end of the scale. Some so called Indie labels were always major labels trying to give themselves an edgy vibe by making up a new name but there are plenty of small record labels with some weight behind them. Of course we're all wanting the good contract over the name and only an idiot would sacrifice artistic freedom for the name (plenty do!)