I started playing the ukulele at primary school. At secondary school the ukulele was joined by a guitar, which in turn become an electric guitar. In my twenties I started playing double bass. Over the years I’ve played and sung in cabaret bands, folk groups, church choirs, operatic societies, orchestras and various other music groups.
Nowadays I mainly play with the local U3A groups for fun. We have a ukulele band where I get to play an electric bass ukulele. It’s a bit like a miniature bass guitar with a 20 inch string instead of the usual 34 inch string. My other main outlet is the U3A jazz combo, where I play guitar and bass.
I have a few instruments and amplifiers. My main instruments are the Ibanez AF95 hollow-body jazz guitar, which is a beautiful instrument to play. I also have a Hofner violin bass which is perfect for jazz, and a Fender dreadnought for folk. My main amplifiers are a Fender ‘Rumble’ bass amp and a Fender ‘Champion’ for guitars. There are other amps lurking around the house but these don’t currently get as much use.
The Kala ukulele bass and and Admira Spanish guitar give other musical options, together with my German double bass (from around 1910) and various ukuleles.
