First, I have never played bass for money, well except one time in New Orleans when I was in a middle school Jazz band and the bus broke down and we set up on the side of the street and I used my Double bass with nylon strings to play on the street with a few members of the band and we collected a few hundred dollars pretty quickly that the school deemed necessary to confiscate from us in lieu of punishment...
I sold everything but my first bass I owned in the early 2000's. I kept the lowly but hardy Ibanez TR70 P/J bass. I took it out when we moved. It had been beat up from loaning it to a family member that thought he was a rock star. It needs new pick ups, knobs, strings, corrosion cleaned up from high humidity generally after Hurricanes with long time periods of no power and super humid conditions. I looked at it, loved it, and decided it is a project for another day.
So, I did some research. I really wanted a 5 string bass. Turns out that my local Guitar Center had a 5 string Ibanez SR505 for $350. It was listed as good condition, but could be arguably Great Condition borderline excellent. I went and offered $300 for it, but ended up settling for a free set of strings and they gave me 15% off a practice amp, stand, cable, and some other widgets. It came with a Roadrunner case and a sling, it is no SKB, but it will do for now. I will probably make my own leather straps, I make lots of other things out of leather, and honestly a strap is easier than a belt...
Well, while I was looking for that 5 string, I stumbled across a Fender Modern Dimensions bass on clearance for $299... yeah, that would have been a fortune when I was playing before, but I am in my early 30's, own 3 businesses and what the hell, I had them ship the Fender Modern Dimensions bass to my local Guitar center.
So now I have a good set up to play a lot of the metal/nu metal/alternative rock I always had to try to convert tabs for and a good bass for Jazz style playing, I don't care what they call the Modern Dimensions bass, it felt perfect for a good Jazz style machine. Don't know why the Black was $500 and the Red was $299, and I really don't care.
So I have the little Fender 25 8" practice amp. I want to pick up one of these great tiny amp heads that are available today. I sure wish they where that size when I was lugging around gear in the 90's and early 2000's. It was also Gear that belonged to the Louisiana High school association, LSU or if we had to the crap from our Middle school.
Just playing around with no amp, bass and some tabs a ton of stuff just comes right back, but I need to refresh my memory of scales and chords. It was awesome playing bass, you could pretty much do anything as long as you stayed in the chord and it would sound good. Made the playing 5 different concerts a day with the middle school and high school band bearable because they couldn't field anybody that could handle a stringed instrument.
So while I am here. Other instruments that I have played that I doubt I could pick up again. Violin (and fiddle), Viola, Cello, Double Bass (classical, Jazz, and coonass) technically I was a percussion member of the band which meant I could beat on a drum, triangle or cow bell, but they slid me in there so they could have me practice with the Jazz band during school hours. I have never been able to pick up guitar, I don't know my problem, but I love playing bass.
My goal right now is just to sit around and practice at home. Re learn some songs I use to know, get back to where I can play within chords by refreshing my knowledge of the scale patterns. I am playing for fun, and hopefully one of my kids picks up on something they like.
My next plan for purchase is going to be an amp head and cabinet. I can hold out for used. I am not even sure what I want. I looked at both used shops and GC in Baton Rouge and it was either junk or super expensive tube amps. Oh, and I will probably restore my old Ibanez, circa 1999, I got it as soon as it came out.
So thanks for reading my Ramble.
I sold everything but my first bass I owned in the early 2000's. I kept the lowly but hardy Ibanez TR70 P/J bass. I took it out when we moved. It had been beat up from loaning it to a family member that thought he was a rock star. It needs new pick ups, knobs, strings, corrosion cleaned up from high humidity generally after Hurricanes with long time periods of no power and super humid conditions. I looked at it, loved it, and decided it is a project for another day.
So, I did some research. I really wanted a 5 string bass. Turns out that my local Guitar Center had a 5 string Ibanez SR505 for $350. It was listed as good condition, but could be arguably Great Condition borderline excellent. I went and offered $300 for it, but ended up settling for a free set of strings and they gave me 15% off a practice amp, stand, cable, and some other widgets. It came with a Roadrunner case and a sling, it is no SKB, but it will do for now. I will probably make my own leather straps, I make lots of other things out of leather, and honestly a strap is easier than a belt...
Well, while I was looking for that 5 string, I stumbled across a Fender Modern Dimensions bass on clearance for $299... yeah, that would have been a fortune when I was playing before, but I am in my early 30's, own 3 businesses and what the hell, I had them ship the Fender Modern Dimensions bass to my local Guitar center.
So now I have a good set up to play a lot of the metal/nu metal/alternative rock I always had to try to convert tabs for and a good bass for Jazz style playing, I don't care what they call the Modern Dimensions bass, it felt perfect for a good Jazz style machine. Don't know why the Black was $500 and the Red was $299, and I really don't care.
So I have the little Fender 25 8" practice amp. I want to pick up one of these great tiny amp heads that are available today. I sure wish they where that size when I was lugging around gear in the 90's and early 2000's. It was also Gear that belonged to the Louisiana High school association, LSU or if we had to the crap from our Middle school.
Just playing around with no amp, bass and some tabs a ton of stuff just comes right back, but I need to refresh my memory of scales and chords. It was awesome playing bass, you could pretty much do anything as long as you stayed in the chord and it would sound good. Made the playing 5 different concerts a day with the middle school and high school band bearable because they couldn't field anybody that could handle a stringed instrument.
So while I am here. Other instruments that I have played that I doubt I could pick up again. Violin (and fiddle), Viola, Cello, Double Bass (classical, Jazz, and coonass) technically I was a percussion member of the band which meant I could beat on a drum, triangle or cow bell, but they slid me in there so they could have me practice with the Jazz band during school hours. I have never been able to pick up guitar, I don't know my problem, but I love playing bass.
My goal right now is just to sit around and practice at home. Re learn some songs I use to know, get back to where I can play within chords by refreshing my knowledge of the scale patterns. I am playing for fun, and hopefully one of my kids picks up on something they like.
My next plan for purchase is going to be an amp head and cabinet. I can hold out for used. I am not even sure what I want. I looked at both used shops and GC in Baton Rouge and it was either junk or super expensive tube amps. Oh, and I will probably restore my old Ibanez, circa 1999, I got it as soon as it came out.
So thanks for reading my Ramble.
