Anyone else remember looking at this and dreaming of things to come?

[Horrorhiker]

I remember being in talks with my folks about the possibility of getting some kind of instrument, and then seeing this ad in some magazine and thinking..wow. I just found it online and it's one of those things that makes you go right back in time. 

I was 13 or so, going back and forward deciding between guitars and bass as my final request, sure that one of these would be mine. 

We ended up going to a shop and I got an Encore P-Bass (which was actually great). 

Here's to joint Christmas and birthday presents. 

[Skol303]

Yes! I remember that add from Kerrang (I think). A nice shot in the arm of nostalgia  

[casapete]

Am loving the amp the guitar is plugged into 

[Lozz196]

I`ve never had one, but I remember gazing adoringly at the Westone Thunders in my Mums catalogue when I was a kid. Played a couple and very nice basses they were/are.

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

21 minutes ago, casapete said:

Am loving the amp the guitar is plugged into 

 

[Skol303]

25 minutes ago, casapete said:

Am loving the amp the guitar is plugged into 

Haha! Yeah.... it's either very far away or sounds like one of these:

[Kevsy71]

"The bass guitarist: The whole room is filled with power. Your power, pure power. Without you, the core of the song is gone. They need you and you know it."

Has anyone quoted this to successfully negotiate a bigger cut of the band fee? Will try tonight at the Dog & Duck and report back.

[TheGreek]

If I'd seen somebody in leather trousers trying to sell me a guitar with a pointy head I'd have taken up something else......

[Horrorhiker]

5 hours ago, Skol303 said:

Yes! I remember that add from Kerrang (I think). A nice shot in the arm of nostalgia  

That'll be where I saw it I wager. 

[stu_g]

I remember these,I always remember seeing an advert hohner arbor basses I really wanted one 

ended up with a marlin sidewinder and I remember another fledgling bass player at school owned a columbus which in the right light looked a bit like steve harris's p bass and sounded much sweeter than my bow necked marlin.

[James Nada]

I remember this well, RAW magazine (the wannabe Kerrang). I was keen on getting the drumkit but my parents convinced me to get a bass (a Marlin Slammer)

[Horrorhiker]

2 hours ago, James Nada said:

I remember this well, RAW magazine (the wannabe Kerrang). I was keen on getting the drumkit but my parents convinced me to get a bass (a Marlin Slammer)

I forgot all about RAW. I think Raw was the wannabe Kerrang, and Kerrang was the wannabe Metal Hammer 

[DJpullchord]

Hard n heavy.♠️

[stingrayPete1977]

I had an encore guitar and battery powered Realistic amp from Tandy for joint birthday Christmas that year! 

[Cato]

My first bass was a black Axe ordered off the back of an issue of Metal Hammer for Christmas one year.

It wasn't terrible. The J Pickup didn't really do anything and the action was a bit on the high side and aged 14 in the pre internet age I didn't really know how to adjust anything.

I ended up defretting it with a pair of pliers after I upgraded to a Washburn Status.

Edited February 9, 2018 by Cato

[Painy]

10 hours ago, Jean-Luc Pickguard said:

 

If only it were that it's far away but you can see how tiny it is from the curly lead plugged into it.

This guy really is rocking out and head banging in his leather trousers while playing through an amp the size of a box of Swan Vestas. 

[Delberthot]

21 hours ago, James Nada said:

I remember this well, RAW magazine (the wannabe Kerrang). I was keen on getting the drumkit but my parents convinced me to get a bass (a Marlin Slammer)

I was the opposite - I was 12 at the time and my mum and my brother wanted me to get an electric guitar but typical stubborn me decided on the Marlin Slammer. £99 in the Littlewoods catalogue in 1987.

It was red and looked a bit like John Deacon's one that he used in the One Vision video. I don't think his one had the chrome peeling off the bridge after 6 months though 

[Horrorhiker]

3 hours ago, Delberthot said:

I was the opposite - I was 12 at the time and my mum and my brother wanted me to get an electric guitar but typical stubborn me decided on the Marlin Slammer. £99 in the Littlewoods catalogue in 1987.

It was red and looked a bit like John Deacon's one that he used in the One Vision video. I don't think his one had the chrome peeling off the bridge after 6 months though 

 

I was also 'under pressure' to go down the guitar route. Luckily the guitar shop guy was on my side. 'Play bass if you want to get in a band easily'. I owe that guy a pint. 

[Burns-bass]

They’re so expensive aren’t they? I remember buying a bass when I was at college for £15 (must have been 1997) and a Peavey TNT 130 for £85. That’s not a bad rig for that price. By 21 I was gigging an Atia Cat II The Pro Bass. Lovely!

All paid for by a paper round or shelf stacking at Asda.

[Matt P]

I've never seen that advert before but I did actually own one of the crackle Black guitars, my uncle found it in a junk shop and bought it for my nephew, I then had it for a while and set it up. I've played worse instruments, I ended up giving it back to my nephew once it had been sorted. 

[Horrorhiker]

16 minutes ago, Matt P said:

I've never seen that advert before but I did actually own one of the crackle Black guitars, my uncle found it in a junk shop and bought it for my nephew, I then had it for a while and set it up. I've played worse instruments, I ended up giving it back to my nephew once it had been sorted. 

Wow. The 'Rythmaster' in the flesh. I think it's ok to look at actually. You could totally imagine Kirk Hammet going for that, not that it's a massive endorsement. 

[Horrorhiker]

12 hours ago, Burns-bass said:

They’re so expensive aren’t they? I remember buying a bass when I was at college for £15 (must have been 1997) and a Peavey TNT 130 for £85. That’s not a bad rig for that price. By 21 I was gigging an Atia Cat II The Pro Bass. Lovely!

All paid for by a paper round or shelf stacking at Asda.

My first stuff would have been 1992 or 93 or so. Encore Bass, new from a shop I think was just under £100. You got a good deal there I think. 99p for 10 Lambert and Butler, and around £1 a pint..glory days. 

Just made me think my old gear. I got a Laney Linebacker a few years later, the 120B. Must have been £150 or something I think. That was a good amp, and still look quite popular. At the time I hated it, but was always thinking about the 'next, better one'. 

[Matt P]

11 minutes ago, Horrorhiker said:

Wow. The 'Rythmaster' in the flesh. I think it's ok to look at actually. You could totally imagine Kirk Hammet going for that, not that it's a massive endorsement. 

It wasn't actually a bad guitar, it played pretty well and sounded fine, I can't remember if I ever gigged it but it might have been a backup on a gig or two 

[casapete]

1 minute ago, Horrorhiker said:

Just made me think my old gear. I got a Laney Linebacker a few years later, the 120B. Must have been £150 or something I think. That was a good amp, and still look quite popular. At the time I hated it, but was always thinking about the 'next, better one'. 

Mate in a band had a Linebacker combo for his keyboards, 50 watt I think. That amp got 

used for everything over the years - keys, bass, guitar, small vocal PA / monitor,etc - and never missed a beat.

He still has it and it still works great.

[Horrorhiker]

Just now, Matt P said:

It wasn't actually a bad guitar, it played pretty well and sounded fine, I can't remember if I ever gigged it but it might have been a backup on a gig or two 

I remember thinking that these particular one's looked better than the budget stuff you could get in the shop. I think the bass looks good now. I'd certainly go for a real precision of that colour. White with matching headstock would be great. In hindsight I never considered how well they would play, which I guess not many of us did when starting.