I'm B and I play bass.
Five Stringer B is my place to talk about gear, gigs, and life. It is the story of a bass player's trek thru various bands and the experiences encountered. I made the move to a five string bass after 12 years and haven't looked back. I play both fretted and fretless.
I have a pet tortoise named Bobo.
I also have a pet alligator lizard named Bobo.
Well, I guess "pet" and "alligator lizard" don't really belong in the same sentence together. I feed her crickets and give her water and she doesn't coil and hiss at me when I clean the cage.
Update on the Bobo twins. Bobo the alligator lizard was let go in the spring. She had grown to a good size but still kept her lovely disposition of hissing at me whenever I came close.
Bobo the tortoise left on his first, of what I expect to be many, adventures. He was moved to the backyard and within two days had found his way across the street to the neighbor's backyard. Once returned, after two more days, he hasn't been found. Either he's burrowed in for the summer, or his navigation is calling him south. I wish both Bobos well. They served as very instructional tools for my boys. Plus it gave me an excuse to catch crickets. |
Playing bass has taken me places and enabled me to see and do what would be impossible without the instrument.
My second car was a 1972 VW Super Beetle. Her name was Betty. She was banana yellow and had real burn marks (which I gave her) above the engine vents. Ten years and three engines - I loved that car. We had a lot of adventures together.
I started playing bass and joined a garage band from a conversation with friends. As I remember it, we were skiing in Snowbird, Utah and consuming beers when the dream of forming a band came together.
I guess the idea stuck with me because after we got back from the trip, I purchased my first bass and amp and away I went. Funny, I can still picture the guy I bought my first bass from - he looked like Tom Scholz of Boston. When I was younger, I fought the urge to be a collector of things - basses being one of them. Thankfully, my older sense won and I only have two basses: the Warwick and the Warmoth. I am a firm believer in playing one bass and getting to know it inside and out.
The great gear hunt continues. While I love, love, love my Warwick Thumb, I'm feeling the urge for new one. Same model of course and same specs as far as neck dimensions. But I want LEDs on the side neck, an updated/enhanced pre-amp, an eighteen volt battery, and more wood (tuners, back plate, etc). It will be a custom job of course and will be almost double what I paid for my current Warwick. My goal is to have it in my hands before Spring 2017.
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I don't sing or dance but put a bass in my hands and I can shake a tail feather.
I've been playing bass for over 30 years.
I have tinnitus. And no, I didn't get it playing tennis. While I don't have a reformed addict's attitude towards ear protection, I do, politely, suggest watching the volume of whatever is going in your ears.
I've been following a "carbs are evil" mantra for the past few years. Processed carbs, that is. In addition, looking into the how's and why's our food is the way it is today leaves me feeling angry and amazed some people/companies put the bottom line before our collective health.
I've been researching a more plant based diet. I've also started to question the "cheat day" concept I've been adhering to I'm beginning to look at creating a more long term eating plan with life extension properties. Ya, ya, I'm getting old. It happens. But while I still love and follow the Slow-Carb eating philosophy, I'm looking at morphing it to a more maintenance friendly program.
As much fun as my Warwick is to play, I've been using my Warmoth Jazz exclusively for a few months now. Everybody seems to like the tone more than the Warwick - both live and in the studio. Its taken a few weeks for my hands to adjust to the higher action and slightly larger neck, but its beginning to feel like home. I do love the roasted maple neck...it smells like syrup.
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A musician is nothing without his instrument and the great gear hunt is part of the story.
I don't like Brussels sprouts.
My one and only time I tried building a bass didn't turn out too well. What I found was a luthier I am not. But then again, if I had listened to Mr. Smith, my 7th grade wood shop teacher, I would have already known that.
I've only had one Fender Precision Bass and that was many years ago. I remember it having dead spots on the neck which caused it to get sold for another bass. I have a plan to build my own P-bass from Warmoth parts some day.
I used to debate myself about bringing my kids into the music performance world. My mid 20's were a collection of failed attempts to be a rock star. As a result, I used the 12 year plan to finish college. But my kids are not me and have their own brains. Thankfully.
Plus, having them watch dad at gigs sort of set the stage for them performing. While I might play other basses in the future, my Warwick Thumb will never be far from my side. It plays like a dream and feels like home.
I have a few projects in the works where I am stepping up to a mic and attempting some back-up vocals. These projects are not ear-friendly obviously. But I'm finding them very enjoyable...and surprisingly so.
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