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I bought my music gear with money made playing music . And for years just had an old Pbass , and then began to pick up some other basses. I wasn’t buying exotic boutique , but many are American made premium brands. When I started just about everybody simply bought a Fender bass , for the most part the cheap stuff was awful , and setting up an instrument was personal discovery , there weren’t any luthiers around. There was no internet. Heck , there weren’t even guitar magazines in those days. We used pitch forks to tune up. Tab had not been invented. Most people learned by listening. Many of the early Japanese instruments were not good . And the cheaper American instruments were not much better. That was to change. And is certainly not the case today. But I still can appreciate a historical premium brand , and a vintage one too.

I seem to have managed to get in twice too.

Those are both gorgeous.

Looks like a couple of Eastwood Rivolta Combinatas on the far end of the rack. … would have had my mitts on one of those in a heartbeat.

I have two older ones , a 4001 and a 4000. Spent years looking for a 4001 , they were rarely coming up for sale in the pre internet days , and then I picked up one visiting Toronto. The sharp edges were never a bother for me and I bypassed the cap and strung it with TIs , I was looking for a thump rather than that prog rock zing. It quickly felt like home and became my primary bass for quite some years. I mostly play short scales now , but still love a nice Ric.

I like the little independent stores although I certainly shop at the big retailer too. Here L&M goes coast to coast. But I prefer the independents despite the limited stock.

Welcome Rav! Funny how we all come to the instrument. I was asked to audition for a touring band , turned out that I was the only one at the audition and got the part. Been at it ever since.

I have Fender , Rickenbacker , Gibson , Hofner , and MusicMan basses . And Epi , Squier , G&L Tribute , Eastwood , and Yamaha too. And find the offshore instruments are as playable as the US built ones , despite the American built instruments having a much higher resale value. I should add my opinions are suspect as my primary gigging basses are reissue Danelectros.

We used to have one middle aged doll that would plant herself in front of the guitar player and demand Que Sera Sera.

I hope that’s the end of the misery. Early in the Covid lockdowns I had a bass go missing for about a week , and then it appeared on my doorstep. I never did get any warning that it was out for delivery , or that it had been delivered. Recent deliveries have been better.

They don’t carry Trace Elliot.

Welcome!

There several here in NS!

I have a couple of Epi basses , and a couple of Gibson basses. The Epis are both from the Unsung Factory in Korea and I have no complaints about the quality , they are very well made. I’m ok with the Gibsons too. Same deal with Fenders and Squiers. The US made instruments are worth more , not necessarily a superior build.

Still , there’s nothing like acquiring nice stuff… guilty

Much of the offshore production has been great . Initially Japan was the source for cheap labour , then Korea , now we’re to Indonesia and China. Being manufactured in Japan does necessarily mean it’s superior to something from China. But we just like to think that if something costs more , it must be better. That isn’t always the case.

My main gig bass is a Dano Longhorn , but my reasons for using it have nothing to do with the price . It has a deep woody thump (ancient strings) and slides wonderfully under the stage mix. And , it’s featherlight. And it’s seriously fun to play. I usually bring a backup bass and have a good selection of stuff to choose from , sometimes I try it for a song or two , and inevitably go right back to the Dano.

And the second practice rig is an SWR Headlite into an Ampeg 210AV cab, although I’ve been looking at the mini Trace Elliot eight and ten inch cabs …

Now that the weekend’s over it’s back to the practice rig . I have two , this little GK MB200 and a PhilJones C2 is a wonderful low volume solution. The MB 200 recently sported the “pink ring of doom” and was fixed by an authorized repair tech. Well worth the repair!

That’s a heck of a good deal. The CV basses have a great bang for buck ratio.

For gigs I usually play a Dano Longhorn , there’s just something about how it’s woody thump slides under the mix , but my favourite thing to play is easily this little Gibson DC Jr. It’s light , sounds wonderful and is really fun to play. And the Ric , well it’s simply a gorgeous old thing.

With some old friends down at the local blues dive , we’ve been doing a Sunday jam there for around twenty five years, some of the usual suspects.

Gotta say the cheapos of today are often very playable instruments , that wasn’t always the case. I have an Epi Flying V! And love the trashy little thing , picked it up used for a good price. I love it , and it’s doubtful I’d shell out Gibson money for one. Last year I picked up a Squier Bass VI , my first Squier. Again it’s unlikely I’d spring for a vintage or Custom Shop VI so I’m thankful for the Squier. And spend a surprising amount of time on it. No complaints about the build quality of either.

I’m in the House Band that’s done a Sunday Jam for the last twenty five years , and sometimes the Sunday jam will be the most enjoyable gig of the week. Certainly the case last night. Oh there were some moments of horror , no jam is complete without both extremes , but there was certainly some great playing , and a great case of fun. Here’s a bunch of the usual suspects.