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The expression “house poor” comes to mind. The bank’s interest rates were higher , and there were times one had to juggle at the end of the month. But at this point the mortgage has been paid and I am truly the lord of my little manor. Your mind set changes when you become a property owner , if anything breaks it’s up to you to fix it. We have a small house , but a big yard , and Herself is a gardener. And I’m thankful we did it. It was not always easy. For much of it I was self employed and paying business rent and a mortgage. I was the last one to get paid.

Dr Who used the guitar version. … and there was a run on them. Now they’re hard to find again. They look like an upside down Rickenbacker with a hockey stick headstock. (and I say that in a good way) It seems like any time I take it out and play it in a bar somebody offers to buy it. I’m hanging on to it.

The design goes back to the late 60’s , called the Flying Samurai. One of the earliest bass designs by Yamaha , although the one I have was from a small reissue run just over twenty years ago. A friend calls it the ultimate Japanese surf bass. I’ve been known to occasionally play surf music. Truth is , it’s not heavy , nicely balanced , and has a bit more balls than your usual Jazz Bass. The pickup spacing is very close to Jazz specs , and it has the typical VVT setup. The neck is very comfy , nice taper. It’s a great bass. It always gets a lot of compliments. And frequent offers to buy it.

It’s been some years since I’ve owned a Jazz Bass , but this has been described as a Jazz on steroids. They’re not common , but they’re out there. After some years of looking at them for sale everywhere but Canada , finally found one in Toronto for a good price.

this is why we cannot have nice things

Nice rig!

I had that old motor drive on my F. It made quite the racket. I think it was the F36 version. Primitive thing. I was also nutty about Leica rangefinders , and still have some.

I know John Hall has a history of alienating people , but I’ve only had positive experiences with him. After buying my old 4001 I went on the Resource Forum asking about the cap bypass. He took the time to patiently explain it , I didn’t realize until about two weeks later that he owned the company.

Once you’ve had both I think your opinion shifts more to middle ground. At least mine did. Used to be all about the Pbass , now play just about anything but , although I still have three of them. Now I love the big chunky neck on one bass and the rail thin neck on another. I’ve discovered that with a little time I get very comfortable playing almost anything. I do find my approach does shift a bit using different basses , and I like the change. I do seem to favour short scales these days.

stuff the drum that rug really ties the room together

That’s certainly one of the cheesier things in this thread … I like it.

I was originally doing photographic work , and making some large 20x30 display prints for a theatre when the phone rang and a friend wanted to talk. It must have been two in the morning when we met and he explained that a touring band he knew was about to audition for a new bass player. I was the only one that showed up for the audition , we jammed for a couple of hours and I got the job. Immediately traded a Nikon camera for a fairly new 72 Pbass , made arrangements to buy a well used Marshall amp on time and I was on the bus. Well actually one of the ratty old cars that made up our entourage… I’ve been a working musician ever since , and did manage to balance that with various photographic jobs later.

Nikon F ! I got my first Pbass trading an F2 with a pentaprism and 85/1.8. Still have the Pbass , sold the old Nikon stuff but still have an S2

I can walk in a music shop and not see a thing I need , but when I spot a deal on kijiji I’m out the door cash in hand.

I can hardly wait …

Here in Halifax , NS it’s a tough old go being a full time musician , and yet a surprising number manage. We have a few that even manage a good living , but for most it’s tenuous at best. But those that are going to do it are going to do it. Never a big star , I was (and still am) a simple blue collar musician playing the local bars. No regrets. For some years we ratted around the local circuit but I got tired of constantly driving around and opted to just stay in town, managed a day job and played locally a lot. Late nights , early mornings. Now retired I can say I’m surprised to find myself still playing in bars. Enjoy that more than ever. … utterly shameless at this point. So I tell people to follow what they love. There’s no shortage of misery going about and if you can find a path without a direct subscription … go for it. I’d make one heck of a Guidance Councelor.

I don’t have room for racks , but I have nooks where they pile up.

I’ve had an upright for over twenty years now although most gigs are electric. (and a good friend here has six uprights) Mine’s just an old German plywood job. Does the job. My friend works on them , and can’t help himself.

I’ve liked them a lot more than I thought I would. I’ve no idea how old they are but they sound deep and still have a little top end. I’m not in any panic to replace them, I don’t use that bass often. I usually put fresh stings on new basses , most have flats , l do have some with old rounds , and some I keep fresh rounds on. I buy a surprising amount of strings.

I’m up to twenty something basses , there’s only one I have any interest in selling , and the house I live in has too much stuff in it. I watch kijiji like a hawk and generally have a sock tucked away with some musical emergency cash. Last year was good , I only dragged three or four new strays home. Couple amps as well though … I’m not sure I can manage zero growth , but I’m going to try some restraint. Talked a friend into buying a Westone Rail several days back. Even spending their money…

I have read that there are many more burst LesPauls and early Fenders that have been “authenticated” by experts than we’re ever produced. They’re said to play better than the originals. And most American manufacturers now have their own cheaper offshore versions made. I have an Epi Flying V , I’d be reluctant to spring for the real Gibson model , and I enjoy the Epi. It’s very well made (Unsung Factory). I also have a couple of real Gibson basses. I have a Squier Bass VI , and was delighted to find the bass at a nice price point. Doubtful I’d spring for current vintage pricing or even a Custom Shop version. I like the Squier. I put a lot of time on it. Rickenbacker was a little different though , they remained small. And have never authorized offshore duplication of their designs. They threatened anyone they could find with legal action , I’m not aware of any actual cases. But in the eyes of the law zealously protected their copyrights and trademarks.

Recent visitor to the forum and a long time Ric player , although not in my main rotation at the moment , I love a nice Ric. Always have. And had no inkling of any kind or kerfuffle between Ric & BassChat. To be honest I’m not crazy about counterfeit instruments and cheap copies , whether the copies be of Fender , Gibson , Rickenbacker , MusicMan or whatever. I simply wish that offshore instruments were given their own unique identity. Perhaps they should examine the retro futurism evident in some Italian design of the early 60’s , and especially their use of switches , extra buttons , and mother of toilet seat flourishes. I’m weary of Fender shaped copies. And I wish the counterfeiters could be a little more funky. All of this would have been avoided if the American companies had zealously protected their copyrights and trademarks right from the beginning.

I had a Mesa Walkabout for a bit , but it was too much to carry around. Just using it for rehearsals , and parking there was difficult. I had blown up my GK MB150. It was off to repair , but took forever to get a replacement module for it. Liked the Mesa , but it was cumbersome and weighed a ton.

Ha … my friend got the rail ! And will have an in depth review in several days time. I almost feel like I got it myself , getting pretty good at spending his cash. Last month I got him to get a Riverhead Jupiter. edit In the past he sold me an Ashbory and a Riverhead Unicorn , so I’m getting even…

I came across some articles on Epi NYC pickups rooting around the net , but they were guitar pickups. There was surplus stock when Gibson purchased Epi , and Gibson apparently used the remaining Epi NYC pickups on some Gibson guitars after Gibson moved the Epi assets from NY to Kalamazoo. They were a mini humbucker. The Rumblekat uses a new design Epi NYC mini humbucker pickup. I gather Allen Woody was a fan of the original Epi NYC pickups and was involved in the creation of the new one.