A year ago I had acted a little rashly.
After buying the Standing in the Shadows of Motown DVD, watching it, and later listening to a great bass player playing a gig at a local restaurant on the same day, I started hearing bass lines in my head...
I had just learned that Jamerson played a Fender Precision, and I asked the bassist that day if his full of mojo vintage bass was a P-Bass. He said "no, it's even better. It's Leo Fender's best bass - a 1981 G&L L-2000".
So now I hear the bass in songs where I'd never heard it before. And there's the world's greatest bassist that I had never heard of before. And there is a brand of bass made by Leo Fender that isn't Fender. It was a minor revelation and epiphany all in one.
So what'd I do? I bought a bass and told myself I was going to take lessons. I had grown up playing the cello in a youth symphony, and the first three A, D and G strings were the same, and it was still bass clef, all I had to learn was one extra string. I can do that. Plus, these fret things make things easier.
What bass? A mint used Premium Tribute L-2000 in Amber for $399. Sort of like that 1981 natural L-2000 I had seen.
I start with lessons (and I've kept with them), learn about all the music theory I never knew before, learn the three strings are in the "wrong" order from my cello, and find out the bass fills a musical need of mine but is in no way easy. I also get addicted to the G&L Forum at Talkbass.com, easily spending more time here than practicing.
But today is the beginning of a new year. I'm going to make a fresh start, by more practice, and by better practice. You see, I was inspired by a guitarist I met today, who has picked up the bass by necessity. He's told me about getting a new band together to play some Motown standards, and how a group of people with different skill levels, different levels of dedication, but a common interest in music work it out together to practice a set list of 20 standards. Some day they'll gig.
I loved telling him about the SITSOM book and all the bass transcriptions. I loved it when he put on Marvin Gaye, and I could tell him "it's in the book".
But I really loved what I left his place with.
You see, 2008 was a bad year for lots of folks. Along with Talkbass I'd been looking on Craigslist and eBay for another G&L - maybe a US model, maybe a vintage L-1000 in mahogany finish, or an SB-2, or even a replacement US L-2000. But today all that wasted time looking at ads for a better bass than I deserve or could afford, paid off, big time! I know 2009 will be a better year!
You see, I was the second one to reply to a local Craigslist ad, and the first one to drive there with cash (a Christmas gift no less) in hand. And so my New Year's Day story begins with a 1983 Black and Maple G&L SB-2, full of mojo, a relic'ers dream (all the wear damage is in the right places). It cost me $250.
My GAS pains are cured, maybe permanently. Now I can practice more than hitting the ads. This is a Fresh Start to the new year, a good start, and making a resolution to be a better bass player is something I'm willing to make.
I'll still be reading the forum here, but I promise myself not more often than practicing.
Here it is!
http://betruf.com/SB2Web/
And for $250 you stole it.
