He (My G&L L2000) died and rose again just long enough to play Easter Sunday... and now?
Poor guy... I retired from band work back in 1987, (to try and keep my third husband) but never planned to part with my main squeeze... My G & L L2000 Bass. Although the band years weren't the easiest for us they were still the best of memories (we even slept in the backseat of a VW bug together... The amp took up the passenger seat.) So I kept him and drug him along with my life. I left him just as he was with the roach clip of beautiful blue feathers flowing from his neck like royalty. (An eighties thing) But now it looks like his glory days are behind him.
Or are they?
He went through a fire in 1998 and had been in outdoor storage (in the hard case) ever since! I never dreamed I would ever play him again, until my church praise team asked if I would play bass for them, and I couldn't say no. I couldn't afford to buy a bass, so I dug through the old shed until I found the case. Which had become more like a coffin! I cried when I opened it up, I was in such shock to see him. The corrosion on the knobs looked like battery acid... the pickups were rusty... and the finish? Well lets just say the beautiful blue had turned to an alligator skin texture of dark aquamarine... dotted with white mold here and there... But I couldn't just give up on him... I had to at least clean him up and hang him on the wall... because after all we had a lot of years and memories together (Toured 42 states and his band even played house at Gilley's–that's pretty good for a couple of nobodies!)
Before I touched him, I took him to Elderly's (Michigan) to have him checked out... and low and behold, he still worked! The techs were impressed! They said it was such a miracle they didn't charge me a dime for the cleaning they did inside to get things working! 11 years with the strings still tight caused the neck to bow... but the steel rod in the neck (with a tiny washer added to bring the threads higher) still adjusted fine, and took most of it out. We took him home and cleaned him up... put on a new set of strings, and he didn't sound half bad!! He was ready for me to start brushing up and remembering how to play by Palm Sunday. (not quite like riding a bike)
The intonation can still use some tweaking... But he has a lot of character and played pretty darn good, considering... So Easter Sunday was a big success when they saw the new instrument in the band. (The drummer desperately needed a bass to save him from the keyboardest... if you know what I mean.) Boy did we cook! I never heard so many hoops and hollers in church... not in ours anyway.
My G&L WAS doing SO good... I named him Jesus.
Then at practice last night he started buzzing and cutting out. He made it through Easter. Do you suppose he rose and then went on to heaven, too?
And I was having SO much fun again! Can you imagine this 53 year old fat chick up there just a jammin' away? (My twenty-one year old son was really impressed. Who'd a thunk it?)
It took me back... the only time I played after quitting the band to work a single, was to sit in with a band occasionally and I would play their bass and sing... then be accused of trying to steal their job... so I quit that... now I feel like I have a place again... and I doubt it will make my husband so jealous... as a matter of fact, he is the one who helped me finish cleaning my G&L up and work on him to make him sound good. (Adjusting the action, etc.)
So I get to be a bass player again! YEAH...
But about the buzzing and the cutting out... what do you think? Should I fix Jesus or retire him?
We are not talking big rock concerts here... just a big church... but some pretty big songs for the old country picker... he needs to be in good shape. (Well... except for looks)
My Cash is low... so the church will have to go without a bassist until I can fix Jesus, or hang him on the wall. I can get a new Tribute that looks just like he did once... but it isn't near as good I would think.
I don't remember what I paid for mine new back in 1981.
I found a new Tribute for 699.00 with hard case... the church might loan me the money to get it now that they heard the band with bass. But should I?
I wish I could just fix Jesus myself. Maybe it is just something simple.
Any suggestions or opinions? Besides "pray for another miracle."
I am SO excited to find this string dedicated to the G&L... hope I didn't make too long of a post. I talk too much.
louietune
Yes, a newbie...
