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Gigging vintage basses; Sinner or Saint?

#21
joelb79 said:
I know a guy who brings a 63' Oly White Jazz to an open mic every night. No refinish, really old strings, original pots, ect.

It just kills me to see it yanked on by non-pro's. But then again, I would gig with it but nobody would touch it.
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This is completely different. I would gig a '63 without hesitation but I wouldn't be passing it around at a jam night.:eek:

I am likely going to be a house bassist for a gig night starting in the summer. I was on Rondo.com today looking at a cheap backup bass. I play my Sadowsky or '74 P and everyone else can bring their own bass or play my SX. Simple!:bassist:
 
#22
I can understand the conflict. But I guess I would rather gig with it then not (theoretically, as I don't own a vintage bass, although the nash looks like one).
I use my vintage rig for gigging, but I'm not sad if somebody suggests to bring his bass cab for general use, so that I don't have to worry about creepy bassists with cheap amps playing over my '78 orange cab, and maybe switching their impedance wrong. I would basically kill them if anything happened to my cab, so the other solution is the best for everyone :smug:
 
#23
I do own a few "vintage" basses and I do bring them out to play on occasion, but I do keep and eye on them at all time and don't let anyone else use them. There is one that is getting just to valuable to bring out but I have a reissue model of it and take that, as the tone is very close. Of course I often enjoy it at home.

Guitars040.jpg
 
#26
3toes said:
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
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I'd be selective to gigs I took a vintage instrument to. Like no bar gigs, where drunk or careless customers may damage your stuff.

I believe like a vintage car must be driven to retain its condition (to a point) the same holds for instruments. If you're gonna put it in a glass-enclosed case, to rarely ever be touched again as an artifact of music, then it's bound to be something that ultimately can't be used.

I have the same argument with myself. I have my most cherished possession, a fretless jazz bass, in which there are moments I want to "retire" it from gigs, but I realize if I am careful with it, some of the best music to come can be made on it, and I need not hide it away. It has perhaps a few more lifetimes of music left in it

I'm just more careful now. I don't feel compelled to play that instrument on every gig, but it does get regular use in either gigs or practices.
 
#27
Jools4001 said:
You have a good point, but Yo-Yo Ma doesn't normally gig in Irish bars with people dancing, tripping over the mike stands or spilling Guiness into her cello
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You've just basically described about 90% of my gigs, Jools! :D

I'm pretty lax about my gear (probably moreso than I should be), but my drummer literally stands in front of his $2500 custom kit in between sets with his arms folded, looking like a member of security (LOL!). The fact that he's about 6' 4", 250 lbs. seems to stop people from messing with his gear, too! :)
 
#28
I guess I feel like most who already posted, using "discretion" while using a rare bass is one thing that is a key factor on most people's minds. But to just let a Rarity/one of a kind/vintage type of bass sit in the case for "SHOW-OFF" purposes, is up to the individual. Players are players, collectors are collectors, some of them could care less about "what it was made for", but more for the VALUE of the item.

pardon the sarcasm:
"you don't buy a $252,000.00 Ferrari one of a kind and not drive it somewhere at one point or another, but you STILL take the risk of it being destroyed in an accident".

my basses have endured 1000's of gigs large and small, and never sustained any damage from a gig, not saying that is the commonality factor here, but some people just want to JAM ON THEM guitars, regardless how cheap or expensive, cause they bought it as it was the RIGHT one for them to use for the music they play.
 
#30
Did y'all know Nick Mason (he plays drums with a band called "Pink Floyd") has a large collection of very expensive sports cars in London and is rumored to drive the livin' pizz out of them?

Something about all that is very appealing to me.:D

Here's an illustration related to the discussion of "vintage: to play or not"
Goodwood2007.jpg


Martin Stretton, the driver, wasn't seriously injured but the ISO Bizzarini will need a truss rod adjustment.:eek:
 
#31
I have a 73 P; I play it whenever it suits the music. I also have a worthless Japanese POS non-copy w/a broken-but-intact-as-long-as-you-don't-touch-it headstock; it will go on the wall. No real sentimental value to either- the P is a(very cool)tool & the POS is now merely decor. I usually sell basses that collect dust, but the POS is not worth the effort.
 
#34
I think vintage basses should be played (but obviously some discretion should be used relating to the venue).

If the bass is really that rare or historically important it should be on loan to a museum like the EMP in Seattle where others can enjoy it (and it is well protected).

Later
Rob
 
#38
i'm sure there are a lot of vintage bass guitars out there gathering dust, me personally, i'll play anything without fear of damage. dings and chips only add to the character of my bass guitars.

i guess some people are worried about their gear getting stolen, but how the hell does a bass get stolen? unless you're a major group with roadies and a tour bus, don't most people handle their own equipment? i've had a stack stolen from me, but that was because i stored it at a club and biohazard came through town, stupid biohazard, and they took it with them when they left...maybe they got confused, no big deal. but my bass, no way am i gonna let them out of my site. straight into the trunk with them after the gig.
 
#39
My uncle gigged his cherry 59 p-bass until his demise a few years ago. The bass and vintage fender full stack were at his funeral. Just because something is old, doesn't neccesarilly make it better or valuable. Most relics, (including my uncles) are barely playable compared with their modern counterparts...He never could figure out how I got the action so low with out fret buzz...lol. Play it 'till it drops, and don't worry about some "percieved" value.
 
#40
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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Well put.I have a 73 Jazz the I got in 1981 that was my first bass.I learned to play on it,did my first paying gig with it,and it's been throught thick and thin with me.That bass has my heart and soul in it.There isn't another Jazz bass on the planet that feels or plays like it.I would never,ever be able to replace it.When you own an instrument that long,it becomes part of you.It gets played at home a lot,but I'd only take it to very select gigs.
 

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