Bass Virgin

[Mrs.sitonmybass]

Is there something intrinsically engaging about a Bass Virgin?

I noted when I posted that I "own" a bass, but don't actually play, Forum members immediately responded with wonderful advice for beginning players. Is there a thrill in introducing the joy of playing to another? Is there a bit of nostalgia, remembering when you started to play and/or seeing how far you've come?

 

[silverburst]

I still remember fondly the day my mom gave me my first acoustic guitar (that she gave my dad when they got married), and the day I bought my first bass.

 

[bdgotoh]

I remember buying my first, second and third basses. After that it's more of a blur.

 

[DirtyHippie]

I think about how much fun it is to play bass, and by helping someone else learn, I hope to help bring them the same feeling

 

[RitchieDarling]

Ah yes! My first bass!!

My dad paid $35 for it in a pawn shop.

It had the "G" tuning key missing. I had to use pliers.

It was a Beatle bass knockoff.

I got it for my 8th birthday..................

.....................in 1968!

I didn't get another until my parents house burned down in 1977.

A Fender Jazz Bass..... I still have the free strap that came with it.

UGH! I am getting old.....

 

[five7]

First bass - sg looking bass my high school bought for me to use in stage band. The strings were about an inch off the fretboard at the 12th fret. Saved up and bought my own bass a gibson ripper, another dog of a bass. Then found my baby when I was 18 1/2, a 65 jazz. Put a $100 down on it and when I went to pay off the rest the neck had become ruined after leaning on a heat radiator. Bought it anyway but had to keep playing the ripper. Then a groupie my guitar player Al Jorgenson introduced me to, hooks up with me and then moves on to our drummer and then talks our drummer into driving her to LA breaking up our band. She wants to make it up to me and buys me a fretless p bass neck on their way out of town which I immediately put on my jazz bass. Her and the drummer split and a week later the music store where she bought the neck calls me and tells me she used a stolen credit card to buy it. They want me to bring the neck back or pay for it. So I scrape together $90 and pay for it. I have owned that bass for 34 years now. Almost had it stolen from my last house but I had it in it's original case and the thieves didn't know what a case was so they only stole the instruments I had hanging on the wall and left it setting by my door. Even though I got hit for about $5000 that night I still had my 65 jazz. It was the first quality bass I have owned and I plan on keeping it for a long time. The groupie's name Linda Chikarillo, one hot Native American spured the music store to rename my band at the time "The Linda Chikarillo Experience". Ahh, the good old days! One more thing, that guitar player Al went on to later start some crazy band called Ministry.

 

[Powman]

That J bass had some history to it 57. Wow.

First bass I got was a Squier bass package, but I quickly returned it. The quest for the perfect bass continued quite rapidly albeit unsuccessfully over the next few years. Either I liked the neck but didn't like the sound, or I liked the sound but not the neck. All that is over now with the Sterling and soon to come Bongo.

Took some lessons but that progressed so slowly because I did not have a band to play with That changed about 1 and 1/2 years ago when I signed up for an adult "School of Rock Band" kinda program. It took us 12 weeks to learn Sweet Home Alabama, Jumpin Jack Flash, and Doesn't Remind Me. Then we did a live performance of these songs plus one I wrote. I thought I was going to throw up when I went up to play, but after the performance, I was hooked.

Now one and a half years later I can now learn most pop songs in about 30 minutes, instead of weeks. I now can play about 30 songs and the list continues to grow.

It is such a great pastime. Music means so much to me, and playing with other band members is so motivating.

Mrs. S, I suggest you start with some lessons to get the fundamentals down. Because I did start with lessons, I have very few bad habits. I suggest the same for you.

Then get a band together. It will motivate you to learn, and there is something special about creating live music together in a group.

Enjoy!