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Bass newbie at 52!

#21
Wow, I didn't realize there were so many who did the same thing. Though compared to the OP I was just a kid when I started at age 37, though for most of that time I was mostly just messing around at home while doing some recording with a friend.

However, I just started lessons last fall at age 44. My instructor is only 20 and it's a pretty interesting arrangement.
 
#22
Great story and your never to old.My son at 14 has picked up the bass and it got me wanting one but being lefty not many beginner basses out there for me.I tried a few and fell in love with a Dean edge they had and it came home yesterday.So at 38 I'm a newbee as well and I'm loving it.I'm a drummer for over 20 years but have always wanted a bass but never picked one up until now,man I love my son for getting into the bass.Have fun and enjoy your playing time with your son.

Heres a pic of my new baby:cool:
 

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#23
Thanks to you all for your positive responses and your support for my musical endeavor.

I was once a dedicated "folkie" - just me and my acoustic guitar, out to change the whole world during my twenty-something years. Then in 1989 something happened that totally changed MY world - my first baby! I spent the next twenty years working on this thing called "parenthood". My three boys are now 19, 17 and 15. (How about that - three teenagers at home! Thank goodness, they're all boys!)

Now that my once-lost musical passion has been re-kindled and my 20-yr hiatus is officially over, thanks to Victor and his bass playing, I've decided this would be a good way for me to spend my "mid-life crisis" years learning to groove as I can't afford to drive around in an expensive sports car like some guys do.

By the way, speaking of mid-life crisis, one of the things I've been noticing during the last few years is my musical taste has been changing quite a bit. As an ex-folkie, I used to shun anything and everything that needed to be plugged in to make any sound. Now I even catch myself digging this "distortion" thing every once in a while. One neat thing about my whole situation is so-called "classic rock" is actually all new to me as I try to catch up on all the good stuff I missed the first time around!

p.s. ErebusBass, if not "newbie", how about "rookie"?
 
#26
Great to hear the general consensus of "...never too old to start...".
I just started 8 months ago at 38, and I am in love with the instrument.
Most days (like today) I can't wait to get home from work and get my hands on it....(Especially after spending all day here @ TB;))

I've always had a guitar around, but never learned much until a couple years ago, when I started playing with/learning from a friend. We got a band together and I was playing sort of a 2nd rhythm guitar position at
coffee-shop gigs for about 1 1/2 yrs. Alot of fun, but not much progress on my end.
Then last year the lead guitarist/keyboard player brought over a cheap, beat up bass and suggested I try it out.
The following week I went out and pawned a bunch of tools to get my first bass and amp....
I just love the feel, sound....everything about it.
Sadly, though, I hardly ever pick up the ol' acoustic guitar anymore...
 
#27
I started playing the bass on a beat up ol' Ibanez when I was in 9th grade because our stage band needed a bass player. I knew it was the right instrument when girls started wanting to meet me because they saw I had an oversized man-axe in my hands. :D :hyper:

I stopped playing bass again after high school to focus on finishing my credentials in piano, which I play to a fairly advanced level, but picked it back up last year at 34 years old. Chose an Ibanez again, been practicing a lot more than I practiced the piano. I'm getting right up there in skill, as there's no substitute for practicing.

Anyone who says you can't learn as well at an older age is really talking about a potential for lack of sustained energy and drive to learn. As long as you dedicate yourself to it and don't have physical ailments, you'll go as far as you want especially when you play what you like. Congratulations on picking up the instrument my band teacher referred to as the backbone of the band!
 
#28
You are not new if you have figured out how to post pictures already. I am still trying to figure out how to post full pictures as opposed to attached images. Open up your check book and welcome to G.A.S. pains. You will figure it out later. WELCOME!!!:bassist:
 
#31
Great Story, I messed around for a couple of years (79/80) and decided to take it up again last year (47) Many musical influences in my extended family although I think I'm tone deaf and pretty much talentless. Love the bass and look forward to many,many years of driving my girlfriend and other folks nuts. Rock on, and on and on.......
 
#33
I too started late in life (last year @ 49) I call it my mid life crisis. Play @ church 6-7 times a month and was recently asked to join an orginals band. LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT! But, as was mentioned in an earlier post get ready for some gas pain...I started with a loaner Kramer Hammer Slammer and after a month bought a Fender Dlux Jazz (later sold to buy a 70's reissue Jazz) a Peavey Cirrus 5 string, a Breedlove ABG, 2 Franken bass P's, a home built bass J fretless and a home built 5. Last month I turned 50 and my lovely wife bought me an acoustic g-tar and now I'm up to 3 g-tar's and building a 4th...I think a sports car would have been cheaper (but nowhere near as fun!) Whooo Hoooo!:bassist:
 
#34
Swim to the "deep end" as in deep LOW end!

As for G.A.S. pains, I think I'm ok for now as I've been vaccinated against it. The only problem, though, is the effect of this vaccination is only supposed to last for up to two years.

One of the things that attracted me to the bass this time around, as opposed to picking up on the guitar where I left off 20 years ago, was it suits my personality better. I grew up as a very shy introvert and needed a way to express myself artistically, so being a folkie seemed like a ticket at that time. Looking back, though, I realize I was never completely comfortable with the idea of always having to be in the spotlight - or being the main character - with my guitar and my singing. That's why I wasn't intersted in doing that again this time around.

The bass, on the other hand, would give me a chance to make significant contributions as the "backbone of the band" without the pressure of being in the spotlight all the time. I believe I do function a whole lot better in a more "supportive" role, quietly providing the all-important grooves for everyone else to shine.
 
#35
After years and years of very casual guitar strumming I finally picked up the bass at 45. My wife's band needed a bass player and I thought I'd give it a go. Now, at 51, I consider myself a musician. I never thought that would happen! LOL.

It's cool that you and your son can have music as a common interest. Have a blast with your perfect P and J set! :)
 
#38
groovenut57 said:
Hello Everyone,

My first post here.
Three and a half years ago, my son, then 14, decided to take up the bass to play in the grade 9 jazz band. That's when I took interest in the bass myself and soon discovered talkbass.com as a good place to hang around. It didn't take long before it became my daily routine to spend a fair amount of time around here. I have to say it's been quite an enjoyable experience for me to be able to learn all about bass simply by hanging out here and listening to your conversations.

There are so many valuable lessons you've taught me during the last three and a half years that I don't have the time or space to list them all here, but as a way of my introduction as a newcomer to this wonderful community, here's a photo of my young family - P and J. As you can see, I've taken your advice that any serious bass player should own at least a P and a J.

MyPandJ004.gif


2007 Fender MIM Precision (Midnight Wine, stock)
2009 Fender Highway One Jazz (Sunburst, stock, except black pickguard instead of white)

Both strung with D'Addario Chromes Flats (ECB84 40-100)

So, here I am, a bass newbie at 52, following in my son's footsteps! Let me ask you - any late bloomers like me out there?
Click to expand...

You should put a maple neck on that sunburst J-bass. That would be sexy:
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#39
I certainly agree, you're never too old, unless you give up. Playing bass is a pretty cool way to hang out with musicians, (joke), and drummers too, (no joke). I played from my teens through my 20's, then quit. Took a very loooong hiatus, but came back better than ever about 4 yrs ago. I have more gear now then I did when I was gigging 4x a week. Mostly thanks to this site. So, welcome aboard, and enjoy the ride.
 

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