I've been on the hunt for months ... (thank you to TBDB forum for all the information!). Stopped in at a local shop owned by Mike Asetta (
http://www.mikeasetta.com ) and a Strunal 50/4 jumped out at me. I'm a sucker for pretty blondes, and this was no different. She sounded great, ebony fingerboard and tailpiece, adjustable bridge, Obligato strings, and nicely set up. I couldn't resist, and now I have my
first bass. I'll post some pics later in the week when I pick her up, the stock picture below doesn't do it justice. From what I gather, it's a decent student level bass ... which, for now, is all I really need. I play bluegrass, country, blues ... and don't need a carved or hybrid bass. I paid just a bit more than a similar Engelhardt EG-9 would have been (without shipping) from a major sponsor here, so I'm pleased (until someone here tells me how I got screwed ...
).
I also asked Mike about lessons, and I'll be taking them from him unless someone recommends someone closer to Hartford. I'm like a kid at Christmas ... whoo-hoo!
... I guess that bass guitar callous I had there is NOTHING compared what's coming in the future. I plugged my iPod into my little Roland AC-60 amp I use for small acoustic gigs, and fired up some bluegrass favorites and played along. Any reservations I had about playing DB were quickly dispelled ... this is gonna be a fun trip!
