Tell the Exact moment you knew you'd be a bass player

qervo · #1 02-20-2013, 08:43 PM

I think we all have that "eureka" moment when it hits you . That moment when you just know that you will become a bass player and nothing was gonna stop you.

For me it was when I would go to my neighbors house when i was 12 and we would go through his dads record collection. His dad played multiple instruments and had a piano, Gretch guitars , and a brand new Peavey T-40. I had fooled around with the guitars plenty of times, but this T-40 was new and my friends dad really did not want us touching it. So of course I gotta check it out ,I wanted to hold it but I was to scared I might hurt it somehow and his dad was someone you don't wanna piss off. So we picked it up ust enough to plug a cable into the jack, then plugged into a Peavey TNT amp. We turned the amp up pretty loud , about 7 , then slowly turned the volume on the bass. I plucked the E string and that sucker let out the biggest chest pounding ,wall shaking , best tone I've ever heard! My eyes got big and my jaw dropped , as I shouted Whoa!! Holy crap did you hear that??!! My friend was like , "I told you this thing is awesome" I had to do it again and again. I knew right there that I loved that sound and the fact that my fingers were doing it ,, well lets just say I was drunk with bass power. You can bet I was at my friends house everyday after school and yes , his dad eventually let me take it out of the case and begin to play. He even showed me a thing or two. That was the moment.

lokikallas · #2 02-20-2013, 08:46 PM

Watching Cliff 'em All the first time.

two fingers · #3 02-20-2013, 08:52 PM

Short version of a very long story.

Was playing bass in the jazz band at school at 15 years old. A neighbor who grew up with my mother was the drummer in a band. He came over one day and begged my mother to let me go out and fill in with his classic rock band for "one weekend". Their bass player had quit with no notice. (Again, I was 15. And every member of the band was at least 30.) She reluctantly agreed. I traveled to a different state and played two shows. When we got back, They handed me $500 cash. It was right about then.

The rest of the story was that I ended up joining that band at the time, and played out pretty much every weekend during my last two years of high school (this was '86-'89). At the time I pretty much thought I was the coolest kid on Earth and had everything figured out. Everybody else was just "suckers". Little did I know.....

Marial · #4 02-20-2013, 08:54 PM

Eighth grade, playing with schoolmates in my first band at a school talent show, and having a bra land on my bass while I played the little bass solo bit in Brown Eyed Girl. Right about at that moment I figured this bass playing thing was for me.

Bassfacist · #5 02-20-2013, 08:59 PM

My favorite bands in High school were the dead kennedys and Nirvana. I would be surprised if I didn't play bass.

sigmafloyd · #6 02-20-2013, 09:01 PM

9th Grade - watching Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii:

qervo · #7 02-20-2013, 09:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marial

Eighth grade, playing with schoolmates in my first band at a school talent show, and having a bra land on my bass while I played the little bass solo bit in Brown Eyed Girl. Right about at that moment I figured this bass playing thing was for me.

I had a very similar moment. 8th grade talent show in front of the entire 4th through 8th grade students . We got a standing ovation and girls were screaming "we love you" . No bra was thrown but just seeing them go nuts over us was enough. That was my first gig in front of an audience , then we got asked to play the 8th grade dance and that just sent me to the moon.

rocmonster · #8 02-20-2013, 09:02 PM

When I was 14 a friend and I spent the afternoon listening to 'Close to the Edge' on 8 track over and over again. I had never really listened to Yes beyond 'Roundabout' or 'Starship Trooper' on FM radio. He had such a great stereo and we were seated directly in the middle between the speakers. I could hear Chris Squire's melody and how it fit into the whole musical composition. His piano like sound would cut through everything else. It was pure ecstasy (and we weren't high or anything). The next day I went hunting for a bass guitar...

Bethelbass1 · #9 02-20-2013, 09:03 PM

Well I started playing bass to help my dad out with his church praise band, but I didn't know I'd be a bass player for life until this moment:

I was playing in high school jazz band. I was, and still am, a quiet person and don't get much attention. I had been playing this tune that starts with a bass ostinato pattern finger style, but my band director asked me to learn slap for the pattern. The day I finally unveiled the slap line everyone's head turned. I was a popular guy from that day on and a bassist for life.

SactoBass · #10 02-20-2013, 09:05 PM

It was 1971 (I was 15) and I heard Chris Squire grinding away on his Ric w/Rotosound strings in the song Yours Is No Disgrace.

I saved up and bought my first bass the very next year, and I've been playing ever since.

qervo · #11 02-20-2013, 09:08 PM

Sounds like Chris Squire launched a lot of careers.

two fingers · #12 02-20-2013, 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SactoBass

It was 1971 (I was 15) and I heard Chris Squire grinding away on his Ric w/Rotosound strings in the song Yours Is No Disgrace.

Just YouTubed it and listened through pretty nice ear buds. What a jam. Haven't heard it in years. That bass grind..... that Hammond organ....... man.... good stuff.

Back to the stories. Great thread.

pbass6811 · #13 02-20-2013, 09:12 PM

Many moons ago, my parents forced us kids to go to a new church with them. Didn't want to go, and wanted nothing to do with the whole thing. Sat in the back pew wishing I was anywhere else in the world, then the band started playing...

From where I was sitting, I watched a gentleman by the name of Dan Matney playing what I think was some some kind of Gibson bass. It was solid black, with black tapewound strings and he was playing through a Kustom rig, and he was the coolest cat around! I started going to that church.

I don't really go to church anymore, but several years ago, I happened to run into Mr. Matney and I was able to thank him for the inspiration...

Then I saw Geddy Lee...

mogpipe · #14 02-20-2013, 09:30 PM

The moment I knew......oh yeah, when Galen (our bassist), said he had to quit.
Then I was bass AND vocals.

qervo · #15 02-20-2013, 09:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mogpipe

The moment I knew......oh yeah, when Galen (our bassist), said he had to quit.
Then I was bass AND vocals.

Sounds like you got Paul McCartney'ed.

Portphilia · #16 02-20-2013, 09:33 PM

I stepped into the band hall one morning in 7th grade and watched the jazz band rehearsing. I saw the bass player scrambling for notes and thought to myself "I could do that..." The next year I was playing the school's P-bass in the jazz band and even got an unexpected award at the end of year for outstanding performance.

ChloroPhil315 · #17 02-20-2013, 09:43 PM

I was in the seventh grade. The school had an annual spring concert that night and it was the last big night for any seniors to be in a show at the school. One of the seniors was called up on the stage after her senior solo and was given this weird looking guitar that didn't have enough strings (I did not know what a bass was until this point in my life.) I tunred to the person next to me and said "What is that?!" I got the response "It's a bass." and now here i am!

EnviroMetal · #18 02-20-2013, 09:49 PM

I told my aunt that I wanted to play the drums and she then suggested "Why not the bass? Your uncle used to play the bass." and at that time I thought my uncle was the coolest person alive (he worked for NASA). But I didn't even know what a bass guitar was so I asked my dad and he said he had always wanted to play the bass guitar too. Found out a guy he worked with was an avid player and gave my dad an Ibanez GSR200.
Both been playing ever since. I think i was 12. This was back in 2003.

Mike M. · #19 02-20-2013, 09:57 PM

I remember being blown away by the bass and drum into to "Engine, Engine Number 9" by Wilson Pickett. Didn't know it was Duck Dunn at the time, just knew I couldn't stop moving my feet when I heard it!! That was probably the first bass part where I went..."Whoa!!!"

But the album that really grabbed me (for the bass parts) and really made me want to learn was "Strange Days" by the Doors. Doug Lubahn's bass parts and tone floored me then and it still does. I think that's when I finally said "that's it."

PipeRain · #20 02-20-2013, 09:59 PM

I was asked by some friends to learn bass and fill in in a crossover punk band until they found a real bass player, and if they couldn't by a certain date, I would get the slot. They did in fact find a guy who was a whale of a player and flat out put me to shame, but it was handled well on all and and there was no hard feelings. At any rate, I knew this was gonna be something I would always do at some level the first time I played with the full band. Having the drums, two half-stacks and my (then) 2 X 15 cabinet all going full throttle was exhilarating to say the least.

It was sealed when an all original band I joined about 6 months later played our first show and absolutely killed it; much to everyones surprise, including ours!