I'm in my late 40's, my kids are on their way out of home. I got more time to play and spend money on equipment than ever 
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When you hit your 40's and 50's...
- Thread starter Valvehead
- Start date
D
45. Owned a bass since i was 16 or something.
Mixed sound in crappy clubs for a couple years, worked as a live sound tech for a couple years, toured as a concert and entertainment lighting tech for 20 some odd years doing clubs to stadium shows around the world.
Kids came along and I stopped the touring but kept gigging on corporate shows and one offs till about 5 years ago.
Playing bass has always been there. Still is. Now i live on an island, found a few people to jam with and were having a blast making original music. My kids (Early teens now) play cello and viola as well as Piano, a bit of bass and a smattering of drums.
my wife and kids always came first. Bass never went away but maybe collected some dust at times.
Now, im a fair (as in decent) carpenter by trade and have more time than i ever had before to play and modify my bass(es) and gear.
Good times even in this crappy year.
Mixed sound in crappy clubs for a couple years, worked as a live sound tech for a couple years, toured as a concert and entertainment lighting tech for 20 some odd years doing clubs to stadium shows around the world.
Kids came along and I stopped the touring but kept gigging on corporate shows and one offs till about 5 years ago.
Playing bass has always been there. Still is. Now i live on an island, found a few people to jam with and were having a blast making original music. My kids (Early teens now) play cello and viola as well as Piano, a bit of bass and a smattering of drums.
my wife and kids always came first. Bass never went away but maybe collected some dust at times.
Now, im a fair (as in decent) carpenter by trade and have more time than i ever had before to play and modify my bass(es) and gear.
Good times even in this crappy year.
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Being semi-retired I keep an acoustic guitar with an extra wide nut and a 12 string capo next to the bed so i can pick it up and play it anytime the inspiration strikes.
I'll be 56 this week. You have to make the time. It is difficult sometimes. My kids are grown now so it's much easier. Still gigging almost every weekend. This was this last Saturday...
Well I started young (15) and played hard through my mid-20's, including touring for three years with a nightclub group. We played a crazy schedule - 5-nights a week, 50-weeks a year, for three years. Met my wife while touring and just a little before our daughter was born, I stopped the road touring. Played weekends and to be honest I practiced at home and the kids learned to sleep through it. Moved to Oregon in '76 and within about two weeks, while waiting for our apartment to be cleaned and painted, the house we were staying in was burglarized and I they stole all my music gear - '65 Jazz Bass, Standel piggy-back amp, and two Shure mics. Later that year our third child was born.
So there I was with no musical gear and a young family trying to make ends meet. So I did without. Did get a 12-string guitar for Christmas that my wife bought from our next door neighbor, so I played that. I'd play at friends weddings, birthday parties, and other get togethers, but no bass and no band gigs. So not a lot of time devoted to making music.
Did find a bass with the same neck shape and profile as my '65 in 1985 and bought that. It's an '82 MIA passive Jazz with maple neck. Didn't get much chance to play it outside of leaning the back against a bedroom closet to use that door as a sound board so I could hear it. Wasn't until 21 years after my gear was stolen that actually got to play it in groups again and started playing some gigs. That 20+ year gap is why I chose the screen name of Rip Van Dan (you know...like Rip Van Winkle sleeping for 20-years). Our three kids had all left home by then but I only played at a weekly Blues Society Jam each week because I only had the $$ to drive into town once a week. Once the kids left home I was amazed at how much time I had on the weekends to do stuff...that is, once I'd mowed the lawn and done the trimming...
It really wasn't until 2006 that I really started playing gigs a lot again and I was living in Virginia at the time. I was 56-yrs old at that point and got pretty active in the local music scene. Was able to slowly upgrade gear using gig money to keep improving my sound. Then in 2015, at 65-years old, I had some health problems. I retired and moved back to the west coast.
We moved up to the Seattle area where my wife had gone to school. Health improved tremendously and got into two music groups. Retiring gave me the time to be able to learn all the different songs the two groups were doing and that's a great thing about retiring. One of the groups was very active hosting Friday Night Open Mic nights plus at least two "real" gigs a month, and that suited me just fine. The other group played much more sporadically but I made more because there were only 3 of us instead of 5. I usually got home from the Open Mic nights around 10 to 10:30, which was really nice, and the "real" 3 to 4-hr gigs, earned me some decent money to upgrade amps, cabs, mics, etc.
It really would have been tough to do so when raising our kids. Besides my normal job, I'd also give private fly-casting and fly-fishng lessons and I was a licensed fishing guide in CA, so I would guide for fly-fishing trips. Also gave presentations at Fly-Fishing Clubs across the bay area, out to Sacramento, and one time to Las Vegas during the winter months when trout fishing was closed. So weekends were often pretty full trying to make a little extra money for the family.
The good news is that I'm a better bassist now at the very ripe old age of 70 than I ever was. The bad news is that a 4-hour gig just about kills me. I love doing it but I can barely walk at the end of the night because of back and joint pain. I did get a stage stool and I'll use that when my leg starts to go to sleep (pinched nerve). I've learned to take 4 ibuprofen immediately upon finishing the last set so I'll be able to get out of my truck when I get home and unload.
If I had a decent internet connection, I'd be using JamKazam to rehearse with my blues/rock group. But you have to have a minimum upload speed (not download but upload speed) of 1mbs to even connect with anyone on that. Our download improved last year to a maximum of 6mbs from a max of 3mbs, but the upload speed stayed right at 0.4 or 0.5mbs on a good day. So that's out of the question too. Now the problem is exactly opposite of my earlier years. Now I've got the time, but no place to gig. Played one outdoor gig at the end of June...in the rain, and it snows here in Washington state during the winter.
I stopped for 10 years when the fourth child was born. I quit a great band that was starting to go thru turmoil and put all my stuff in a closet (didn't have much at the time). Then started playing in the bedroom. Started doing things with the local blues society which led to joining a band but I told them I had a three week vacation/trip scheduled in a few months. When that time came everything was fine until I came back. I got the call that they replaced me because they felt I wasn't dedicated enough to cancel my vacation. They were crappy people anyway, not a lot of fun (except the drummer).
So I went back to doing the blues society support thing again which led to another band situation. This time with marginally talented drummer and BL/guitar guy. Boy that BL was a gig monster, I don't know how he did it but he got lots of great gigs. Other guitar players came in went but I stayed with them for five years never missing a gig (did I mention there were a lot of gigs). The BL decided not to take a NYE gig for 2002, I believe it was, so I decided to go out of state to visit my mother for x-mas and NYE. The BL called me while I was at my mothers insisting that I make the 15 hr drive home for a NYE gig he just booked I said no and he fired me!
Then I became the BL for 12 + years, I never gave any one crap for moving on, never.
So I went back to doing the blues society support thing again which led to another band situation. This time with marginally talented drummer and BL/guitar guy. Boy that BL was a gig monster, I don't know how he did it but he got lots of great gigs. Other guitar players came in went but I stayed with them for five years never missing a gig (did I mention there were a lot of gigs). The BL decided not to take a NYE gig for 2002, I believe it was, so I decided to go out of state to visit my mother for x-mas and NYE. The BL called me while I was at my mothers insisting that I make the 15 hr drive home for a NYE gig he just booked I said no and he fired me!
Then I became the BL for 12 + years, I never gave any one crap for moving on, never.
- Feb 5, 2013
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- Endorsing Artist: Used Fender Lead Sleds and Hartke cabs with bent grills
Just noticed that 5 string Fodera NYC Empire. Tell us more about it...
And yes, 50, 2 amazing kids who are into sports/arts, an amazing wife, 2 homes, tenants, full time job in Product Management, big family BUT I always make time for music/practice/jamming.
Playing at church for me.
3 - 4 gigs per month, 2 sets of 4 songs each, I usually practice the songs Saturday morning 1-2 hours, church give me access to multitracks where I can play along with the other instruments, big plus: Most band members are amazing well seasoned players, zero drama, great sound equipment, beautiful ''stage'', my family always attend my gigs, audience of 300-400 always engaged, breakfast provided, I am back home by 1pm
3 - 4 gigs per month, 2 sets of 4 songs each, I usually practice the songs Saturday morning 1-2 hours, church give me access to multitracks where I can play along with the other instruments, big plus: Most band members are amazing well seasoned players, zero drama, great sound equipment, beautiful ''stage'', my family always attend my gigs, audience of 300-400 always engaged, breakfast provided, I am back home by 1pm
You make the time. I used to wake up early in the morning to get maybe an hour + of practice in before having to go to my straight job. Unless your making a living is music; teaching, or in a working band, you just have to make the time. Now in my mid-60s I have a LOT of time!
Funny, I only had 2 fretted and 1 fretless bass when I was a fulltime bassist for 7 years. If I got a new bass, one had to go, and I didn't buy many basses in those years either. Now I got 20, and I'm not even in a band for the last 2 years. 
My solution was not to have kids. It's working out great for me... the main things that have put a damper on my music output are 1) many other folks in my bands have kids / other priorities / practice at rehearsal instead of at home / cancel rehearsals for pretty much any reason. 2) covid.
It's funny, the drummer in one of my bands has a kid and is mid 40s like me but drives 90 mins to rehearsal each way, is always prepared, and very rarely skips a rehearsal. And he plays in a second band...
It's about one's own priorities and choices.
It's funny, the drummer in one of my bands has a kid and is mid 40s like me but drives 90 mins to rehearsal each way, is always prepared, and very rarely skips a rehearsal. And he plays in a second band...
It's about one's own priorities and choices.
Tell me about it. Three years ago I went from pretty much single my whole life to jumping into a house, wife, stepkids. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy, but between responsibility and renovations, I have barely played whatsoever... And I'm only turning 41! . I keep looking at gear, and telling myself I will get back into it when renos are done, and I WANT to, but have no idea if that will ever happen. Le boohoo!
Turned 62 yesterday, played the high country bar circuit in the 80s thru the mid 90s, great time, skiing all day rocking all night, got married and gave it up for a decade or so then got divorced and back into it 05 and hit it hard with a highlight of playing in front of 8000 or so at Cheyenne frontier days. A couple years ago I thought my playing days were done due to rheumatoid arthritis. Lifestyle and diet changes brought that under control so now I’m energized to hit it hard again. The one thing I see coming from this pandemic is ther are a LOT of people like myself who are sitting in the woodshed creating some incredible music. When this pandemic passes, and it will, there will be an explosion of musicians ready to kick ass, and a whole lot of people ready to hear it. So practice, stay positive and get ready to lay it down!
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Where do I find time? I spent most of my 20s working and going to school while playing in bands. I’ll be 40 next year and I now work 4 ten hour shifts and have every Friday Saturday and Sunday off. Perfect for a weekend warrior who also likes to relax and catch football on Sunday.
I'm 53 and have been playing on and off since I was maybe 17. Never played gigs in a band, but messed around with some friends in my early 20's.
I play 1-2 hrs a day, Wife works 1st shift, I work second shift and we have no kids.
It's great except I don't know any other musicians, so it's just me playing along.
I play 1-2 hrs a day, Wife works 1st shift, I work second shift and we have no kids.
It's great except I don't know any other musicians, so it's just me playing along.
Thanks!
No, it's one of two Warmoth builds I did back in the 90's which I updated w/ TV Jones pick ups at the same time Fender was releasing the Cabronita, unbeknownst to me. But I have a Cabronita too.
