ivansc

No bass solo.... So happily, the drums didn't stop..... (This post brought to you by musicians against dumb solos on bass instruments, or MADSOBI) P.S. Yes a truly excellent band! Saw them live in the US a while ago and they were stunning.

First one was a festival gig years ago. tripped over a loose cable and fell forward. Stuck my hands out to save myself and the tip of my left middle finger got caught between two sections of stage and squished as I landed on the nearest section with all my weight. Pulled it out and it looked like one of mickey mouse's ears on the end. Didn't hurt much until the ear filled with blood. Most of it was callus, so I cut the dead bit off and glued a bit of leather from a riggers glove over the bare flesh with superglue. Took ages to heal but at least I could still play. On a far less "stiff upper lip" occasion a couple of weeks ago, my band had not gigged for a couple of moths (summer recess) and we did a club gig where they wanted 2 one hour sets. At the end of the evening I noticed my left index finger was a bit tender at the middle joint and realised I had strained a ligament! Alert the media. Was in seeing my doc on the Monday for a regular appointment and mentioned it to him. "Well that is because at your age, you can never take a break from playing - playing is the only thing stopping your hands from seizing up - play more regularly" Gee thanks, doc.... I can now see the funny side of it, as it all went away in a few days - done a couple of gigs since and am actually practicing at home for the first time in decades "just in case" AND warming up before I play. Now how does "smoke on the water" go again?

Mine sit in their cases stacked on end, side by side. Easy to get at & since they came with cases, zero outlay once you have the bass. Currently have a row of ten assorted guitars and basses sandwiched between a roll front drawer unit and a pair of bass bins!

Serial number will tell you all you need to know. Within a year, at least.

I bought my 62 precision in 63. Exact same model as the funk machine. James played his ornate bass lines and became famous for it.. I got told to stop being so busy and play the root.

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1415613520' post='2601901'] Thank you for the clarification, good job he wasn't in France at the time as Fourgonnette Carrefour would never have worked! [/quote] Well that was a fourgonne conclusion, wasnt it! Je vais prendre mon manteau....

I have to admit I rather liked all the flams caused by him being ever so slightly out with the original track....

It is all down to learning how and when to breathe. If you dont get enough air in and out of your face, there is no way you can sing in tune or with any kind of tone at all. I had a pulmonary embolism which caused both my lungs to collapse and it took me a few months to regain anything like my original power. Doctor said I had lost about 30% of my lung capacity permanently & I would just have to do a lot of breathing exercises. It worked and I got most of my voice back, but in the process lost my falsetto range and gained bit on the top end "normal voice" range. So the answer is, get a vocal coach who can teach you how and when to breathe or google up some instructional stuff on youtube. Anyone can end up with at the least a passable voice. Oh - but for those of you who were told in school " you will never be able to sing" ignore them!!!! I have only ever come across one person who didnt make it and she was so shy there was no way he was ever going to open her mouth wide enough and yell loud enough for it to sound tuneful.

Ambersil. I used to work at a Cash Converters & we used that stuff on everything for a nice "as new " smell AND look. Great on tolex but in fact works great on anything.

I am 71 & have played banjo bass and guitar since the age of 10. First paid gig was in 1955 - on banjo. Bought my first bass guitar in 63. The limiting factor for me these days is physical. I have real bad arthritis in both hands, but also in my arms and legs. Other than that, I am still growing and learning as a player, but these days I finally realised that groove really IS all that it is about. Best technique in the world cant make you a player other people want to work with. It dont mean a thing if it aint got that swing...

Wal all happened whilst I was not in the UK. They look a bit odd/naff like the JayDee things. What makes them that special? Good to play? Sound doesnt seem anything special from these examples. Enlighten me!

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1419981770' post='2644671'] purely fingerstyle here, mate... picks? That's like for guitarists, newbies and clown-whores with no talent [/quote] *sigh* I so hope this was posted in fun as indicated by the smilies. Useful review but the discussion has sorta got dissipated along the way guys.... oh and the OP has sold her retro2x10 already.

[quote name='badboy1984' timestamp='1444290279' post='2881831'] I wish I have that problem to deal with, my valve amp is too small to produce that much boom in band situation. My LB30 cuts thru the band onstage when driving abit hard but sounded like lemmy when solo which I don't quite like lol. [/quote] Your amp has a "taste" control - it is telling you NOT TO SOLO EVERY! (snigger) Remember the old joke about when the drums stop.....

I come at this from a slightly different perspective. After happily blatting away on the free Peavey Combo 300 they gave me in the early eighties till I returned from the USA to the UK in 1995, I sold everything up and went over to just guitar when I got really bad trigger finger. Four years later I started playing a little bass again and all was well! Got a gig and needed an amp. Bought a used Behringer BF3000 whatever head - 300 watts into 4 ohms. Built a 2x10 Celestion Neo cabinet and happily gigged it for a couple of years. Pretty decent sound for almost no money. Joined a very loud Sixties band and decided to buy a used BX4500 - 450 watts into 4 ohms. Traded the BX3000 in and the net cost to me overall was £100 in BOTH amps. About three months ago, I started having issues with overheating - turns out the cooling fan in the amp had seized up. I bought a spare fan for £4 on ebay, but when I opened the amp up, all I had to do was clear out the dust of ages and lubricate the bearings! Not bad for a second hand Behringer that until this year was doing four to six gigs a month every month. My only worry now is that the MarkBass Little Mark III I just bought wont sound as GOOD! I will find out Saturday night. But all in all, my experience of Behringer bass gear (and Peavey for that matter - my old 1983 Combo 300 is now gigging regularly in a punk band!) is that with care, luck and proper treatment they can be incredibly reliable and surprisingly good-sounding.

Excellent! Mind you, with all that matt black you may have issues finding it on dimly lit stages....

Is it me or did every single town in the UK have a band called the redcaps in the early sixties? I bought my 62 precision off the bassist with OUR local redcaps.... Here it is in all its three colour sunburst glory https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDuR-_jFk_8 Tony Sa(i)nti playing it

Bought my first precision in 1963 - used. Had to sell it less than a year later to fund the guitar I needed fro the next paying gig. Didnt realise how special 62s were till I finally got another P Bass in 2009. Mexican. Hm. None of the basses I had in the intervening period did it apart from the Working Bass. A P-J setup. And I finally got back to a 62 P bass this year. Well sort of. I am now the proud owner of a 62 reissue USA P Bass complete with the proper case. My original went round in its fender cardboard box till it got stolen from the guy I sold it to in 1964. Not one of the three of us could actually afford the bass AND a proper case. Memories....

Ha Ha! Sound advice about drummers! You forgot to add that they are also very strong in the arms...

Probably all over and done with by now, but dont forget to SMILE, even if you are hating it. At least the punters will think you are having fun and feed off it. And yes, limit the alcohol intake. Booze only makes you think you are playing well. Reality is often a trainwreck.... Credentials: First paid gig in 1954.

Regarding Dick Parry: I`m in my seventies & so is Dick. There are limits to how long you can stay at the top of your game and have the same level of energy. 3 45`s and I am knackered these days. (grin)

Cambridgeshire has its share of "interesting" bands & you are not a million miles from, say, Peterborough.

When I was younger and poorer I could only ever afford to have a bass or a guitar. So the 62 P bass got sold in 63 to fund the purchase of er I think an Eko 335 copy. Went through a lot of basses till I finally sold my 4001 to help finance moving to the USA. Since then (and having been given a factory prototype Epiphone Explorer) I used the same bass from 83 to 2010 when I got a pink MIM Precision.Oh and found a fenton weill bass my son had accidentally stashed behind his wardrobe for ten years! Sold both of them to fund the 62 Reissue P bass I now play. Along with that old Epiphone prototype, which still sounds and plays great. So I have the luxury of TWO basses! Yay!