The Older Guys, 55+ - Page 2

lomo · #21 08-28-2009, 07:11 AM

I'm 46 and took up music and bass at 39. I couldn't find guys to play with (small town scene) until I'd been shedding for 4 years-then I hooked up with a colleague who'll turn 61 this year. His drum kit was bought in '64, when I was 2. He had played jazz as a kid but was hankering to play rock. We attracted a pair of guits int their 30s and play eclectic rock and pop. Everything from Beatles to Zeppelin, with some new stuff like Stone Temple Pilots, Tragically Hip and Collective Soul, as well as offbeat numbers like Psycho Killer (which has become our anthem, LOL) and vintage tunes like Not Fade Away. Gentlemen, it is indeed all good!

DeluxeRed · #22 08-28-2009, 07:38 AM

One reason I really like playing now even more than as a kid is the quality of the freakin' equipment. I don't know about you guys/gals, but I remember blowing through Bassman amps every coupla months in the '70's before finally getting a Peavey lump that at least could get over the drums. Peavey and Kustom tuck-and-roll PA columns, anyone? (PA columns! Ugh!) I mean, I was a kid and these were garage/Prom bands out in the Midwest, but decent electronics were durn hard to come by. Pulling speakers out of console stereos, antiquated VotT house systems, dangerous light panels. (Though the instruments were pretty fine. I wish I still had my pre-CBS sb P that I had as a kid. Ludwig drums, etc., were pretty common. But there were lotsa nasty imports, too.)

Now I can order an amp from MF and have it in 2 days, and buy strings and picks and microphones 24/7 at Kroger.

I'm in a pretty neat band. The lead singer is a young gal with the tats and piercings and life dramas, and the gp is a semi-retired oil guy with a nice studio/bar to rehearse in and a taste for Les Pauls. My PA cabinets are 500w powered and weigh 28lbs. I'm having a ball!

Knockin' on the door but not quite a member, yet...

DaZombieWoof · #23 08-28-2009, 07:56 AM

When you've been at it for a while you hopefully learned something, have become such that you are not intimidated by much, and you learned when not to play. It helps to have learned to take the music but not yourself seriously.

I still long for a Salsa gig for my EUB and would like to do Lengingrad Cowboys covers sometime. Happy Being Miserable and I'm Not an ******* rule.

Vakmere · #24 08-28-2009, 09:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by guitfiddle0409

I'm 56 and I'm playing more than ever! I think having your kids grow to adults frees you up immensely.

This is true. However the gear gets heavier every year....this is why my band travels light.
Spoons, fiddle, and balsa wood bass.....

chuck3 · #25 08-28-2009, 09:34 AM

just because you're 55+ doesn't mean you can't rock that bass -

etoncrow · #26 08-28-2009, 09:44 AM

+10,000 to Lum York

55Panhd · #27 08-28-2009, 09:45 AM

Just turned 54 in June. First band was in '71 played 'till 83, started up again in '89 been playing ever since. 2-3x a month average. Outdoor gigs in the summer rock! Picked up a 15" Mesa Walkabout Scout a few weeks ago, selling all the rest of my gear, I love this amp! Current band, www.soulbarons.com

Jim Campbell · #28 08-28-2009, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 55Panhd

Just turned 54 in June. First band was in '71 played 'till 83, started up again in '89 been playing ever since. 2-3x a month average. Outdoor gigs in the summer rock! Picked up a 15" Mesa Walkabout Scout a few weeks ago, selling all the rest of my gear, I love this amp! Current band, www.soulbarons.com

not to derail but i had a 55 too.......sigh

TimmyBoomBoom · #29 08-28-2009, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaZombieWoof

At 55 I'm probably playing smarter and have a way better tone concept of what will work for what situation. I haven't totally escaped my Jack Bruce, Tim Bogert, and Jack Casady busy tendencies.

LOL! Me either! And I'm 57. another thing which can come with age is $$$$. I can afford to play on quality equipment. Getting good stuff was difficult in my 20s. BTW, how old are Jack, Jack and Tim now?

jelpo · #30 08-28-2009, 10:01 AM

Not sure what the point of this thread is exactly, but I wanted to say let's hear it for the mature gentlemen and ladies too! They rock, jazz, or funk!

I play in a band that has an age range of 21 to 57. We have two hotties, aged 21 and 25 up front, a 51 guitard, 26 sax, 24 keys, 57 bass and me (drums) 34. We just need someone in their 40's.

We all get along great, and love playing together. This current configuration of the band has been around for 6 years now.

bluewine · #31 08-28-2009, 10:56 AM

Yes the gear is so much better than back when there were 2 amps, Fender Bassman and Ampeg's B-15.

Knockin' on the door but not quite a member, yet...[/quote]

bluewine · #32 08-28-2009, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TimmyBoomBoom

LOL! Me either! And I'm 57. another thing which can come with age is $$$$. I can afford to play on quality equipment. Getting good stuff was difficult in my 20s. BTW, how old are Jack, Jack and Tim now?

I would think they are all around 65.Most of the guys we listened to and admired as teen were 10 years older than us. When we were 17 those guys were 27 years old. Good days, well I guess it wasn't all good.

I had a 57 Pre CBS P Bass, but i was a poor kid, didn't have a decent amp until i had my 1st real job. i purchased one of the 1st generation SVTs.

Pilgrim · #33 08-28-2009, 11:07 AM

I'm 59 and took a 23-year layoff before picking up bass again a decade ago. I play in a surf band that ranges from 62 to 51 in age.

We all know we're not trying to tour, or get rich, or get girls. We're playing music we enjoy, simply because we and the audiences enjoy it. No arguments about covers vs. originals (we have a couple of originals), because it's a surf band...so you play surf and period stuff, and that's why you're there.

Speaking personally, I have a ton of different things going on and I don't have time to put in the practice needed to become an excellent bass player. However, I do have time to master the stuff we play, and I visit jams to keep my fingers nimble and present myself with new challenges.

There's still plenty of room for creativity in a band like mine - ferexample, we start one number with Stray Cat Strut, ease into a bit of Walk Don't Run, slide from that into a few bars of the Pink Panther theme, and back into Stray Cat Strut.

The only downside to playing at my age is moving the gear - it's a helluva lot more work than it used to be. The speaker cabs are indeed much better, but moving my 90+ pound 4x10 and 80-pound 1x15 takes a heavier toll than it used to. However, I usually only need one of the two.

**zenrad** · #34 08-28-2009, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ed Fuqua

he still takes the horn out of the case every day.

I plan on doing that whan I'm 87

Moe Monsarrat · #35 08-28-2009, 12:36 PM

I turned 58 today. I have always played for a living since I was 13 years old. I raised 4 kids & was married for 25 years. I've made a lot of money & I've made none. I am in 3 bands now & work all the time. Thank God I have the talent to make money as a performer & songwriter. I would be worthless at most other jobs. I will perform as long as it is physically possible to do so. To do less would be ignoring & disrespecting the gift I have been given. Right now I sing & play better than at any time in my life & I play with people who are my dear friends. I like my writing better now that I'm older as well. At least I know what I'm singing about. I give thanks everyday for music!