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Gigging vintage basses; Sinner or Saint?

3toes

3toes

Aug 30, 2006
2,398
942
Denver, Colorado
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#1
What do you think about gigging with vintage basses? If you have any, do you take them out to your regular gigs? If you don't have one, would you if you did? Or do you think you'd be too protective of it to take it to a gig?

Basses are meant to be played, regardless of age. Take grandpa out of the retirement home and put him on stage! :bassist: (Of course I say all this not owning any vintage gear, so who knows how protective I would be if I actually did...)

ps - and of course there's always going to be exceptions on each side of the argument
 
#7
sevenyearsdown said:
If you are just going to admire it's presence, what is the use of having it? PLAY IT!
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Because there comes a point in some basses 'life' when it means more to the owner than just being a musical instrument.

My '73 Rickenbacker may not be what you would neccesarily call 'vintage' but out of the 50 or so years that bass guitars have been around it has seen 35 of them - so it's getting there. I got it in 1976 after saving hard out of saturday job wages and my parents putting up half the money for my 21st birthday. Since then it's seen me through many different bands of hugely diverse genres. It was my first 'top end' bass (back then there were Fenders, Gibsons, Ricks and not much else that would pass for 'pro' grade instruments) and it helped shape me as a bassist. It helped me earn enough gig money to make the difference between my family eating and not eating and survived being sold itself any number of times to pay a mortgage instalment or a couple of weeks groceries (Money was actually changing hands one time when my wife said "don't sell it - we'll get through somehow"). For 20 odd years it was my only bass and even when I had reached an age when solvency was no longer an issue it was still helping pay college fees.

In the last 10 years I have been able to indulge myself with a couple of extra 'top end' basses and a couple of cheapy spare basses, but it's only in the last 4 years that my 5 string fretless has been my main bass and taken over from the Rick.

Of course the Rick is meant to be played and it still does a fair number of gigs (just not every gig like it used to). It's also used for recording and sounds great.

But, one of the reasons that it is in semi retirement is that it has been such a large part in the fabric of my life that I really couldn't bear to see it damaged or stolen. I will never sell it, but what I am going to do is search out for a young bassist (I already have one in mund) who is struggling for a decent bass and when I have assured myself that they have the talent and lifelong passion, and will cherish my Rick as much as I do, I'm going to give it to them.
 
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#8
Jools4001 said:
I will never sell it, but what I am going to do is search out for a young bassist (I already have one in mund) who is struggling for a decent bass and when I have assured myself that they have the talent and lifelong passion, and will cherish my Rick as much as I do, I'm going to give it to them.
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Very cool. You gave me goosebumps.

I act like a kid even though I am 39. Can I have the RIC?;)
 
#9
Jools4001 said:
Because there comes a point in some basses 'life' when it means more to the owner than just being a musical instrument.

My '73 Rickenbacker may not be what you would neccesarily call 'vintage' but out of the 50 or so years that bass guitars have been around it has seen 35 of them - so it's getting there. I got it in 1976 after saving hard out of saturday job wages and my parents putting up half the money for my 21st birthday. Since then it's seen me through many different bands of hugely diverse genres. It was my first 'top end' bass (back then there were Fenders, Gibsons, Ricks and not much else that would pass for 'pro' grade instruments) and it helped shape me as a bassist. It helped me earn enough gig money to make the difference between my family eating and not eating and survived being sold itself any number of times to pay a mortgage instalment or a couple of weeks groceries (Money was actually changing hands one time when my wife said "don't sell it - we'll get through somehow"). For 20 odd years it was my only bass and even when I had reached an age when solvency was no longer an issue it was still helping pay college fees.

In the last 10 years I have been able to indulge myself with a couple of extra 'top end' basses and a couple of cheapy spare basses, but it's only in the last 4 years that my 5 string fretless has been my main bass and taken over from the Rick.

Of course the Rick is meant to be played and it still does a fair number of gigs (just not every gig like it used to). It's also used for recording and sounds great.

But, one of the reasons that it is in semi retirement is that it has been such a large part in the fabric of my life that I really couldn't bear to see it damaged or stolen. I will never sell it, but what I am going to do is search out for a young bassist (I already have one in mund) who is struggling for a decent bass and when I have assured myself that they have the talent and lifelong passion, and will cherish my Rick as much as I do, I'm going to give it to them.
Click to expand...

Wow - great post, Jools! :cool:
 
#12
Jools4001 said:
Because there comes a point in some basses 'life' when it means more to the owner than just being a musical instrument.

My '73 Rickenbacker may not be what you would neccesarily call 'vintage' but out of the 50 or so years that bass guitars have been around it has seen 35 of them - so it's getting there. I got it in 1976 after saving hard out of saturday job wages and my parents putting up half the money for my 21st birthday. Since then it's seen me through many different bands of hugely diverse genres. It was my first 'top end' bass (back then there were Fenders, Gibsons, Ricks and not much else that would pass for 'pro' grade instruments) and it helped shape me as a bassist. It helped me earn enough gig money to make the difference between my family eating and not eating and survived being sold itself any number of times to pay a mortgage instalment or a couple of weeks groceries (Money was actually changing hands one time when my wife said "don't sell it - we'll get through somehow"). For 20 odd years it was my only bass and even when I had reached an age when solvency was no longer an issue it was still helping pay college fees.

In the last 10 years I have been able to indulge myself with a couple of extra 'top end' basses and a couple of cheapy spare basses, but it's only in the last 4 years that my 5 string fretless has been my main bass and taken over from the Rick.

Of course the Rick is meant to be played and it still does a fair number of gigs (just not every gig like it used to). It's also used for recording and sounds great.

But, one of the reasons that it is in semi retirement is that it has been such a large part in the fabric of my life that I really couldn't bear to see it damaged or stolen. I will never sell it, but what I am going to do is search out for a young bassist (I already have one in mund) who is struggling for a decent bass and when I have assured myself that they have the talent and lifelong passion, and will cherish my Rick as much as I do, I'm going to give it to them.
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I enjoyed reading your post. However, I said nothing about any bass being "just another musical instrument". That sir would be implying..or just putting words in my mouth.:rollno:

I too have sentimental value for several pieces of gear in my collection...some of which probably aren't worth a penny.

BTW - I would call your Rick vintage, since it predates my existence!;)
 
#16
My teacher had gigged with his Pbass constantly since when he got it in '63 up until now when he realised just how much it is worth. He know has a Squier Tele bass to gig with, though I still think he takes the Pbass out with him for some of the more important gigs.
 
#19
All I have is a '72 J in pretty good condition, and a '74 J that's beat to hell. Of course I'm not too worried about getting a ding or 2 on the 74 but I don't even think about gigging without either of them - I'd have to borrow something anyway.
 
#20
Chris2112 said:
I think these old relics should be protected and not gigged. They are pieces of a bygone age.

Furthermore, you can get modern basses which perform exactly the same function, so why damage a vintage bass?
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OK, let's put them in a museum or collector's vault, right? Oh but wait, what about all those 290 year-old violins, violas, celli, etc. :p

What would Yo-Yo Ma or Midori say if we had their instruments sealed away as "pieces of a bygone age?" I think they would say they want to do their best as artists, and the instrument is part of that.

Is this a fair comparison? Perhaps Stradivarius, Amati, and the other great builders of string instruments (a few basses, too), built something that can't really be compared to a 1955 P-bass? :D

How many vintage instruments should rest in a collector's vault 'til the sun goes nova? :hiding:
 

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