EditorialThe standup bass that has been in the possession of Manny Vidal, a pawnshop owner in Jersey City, N.J., for nearly 40 years, on Sept. 22, 2021. (Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times)
EditorialSmutty Smiff, the bass player for the Rockats, poses for a portrait in Reykjavik, Iceland on Monday, Sept. 27, 2021. (Kristin Bogadottir/The New York Times)