Coronavirus lockdown insanity

[dbsfgyd1]

What has the past six months done to almost drive you over the edge?

Except for one outdoor gig in June, I've spent my time recording a few tracks for a couple of people and fine tuning my tone. I've always gravitated toward P-Basses, but for the recordings, I pulled out a couple of Jazz Basses. This led me to some rather obsessive tweaking: Changed the type of strings on Bass A and liked them; tried them on Bass B and liked them, but decided it was finally time to try different pickups; changed the pickups on Bass B and liked them, but now didn't like the strings; changed the type of strings on Bass B and liked them; decided to try those strings on Bass A, and on and on, down the rabbit hole into microscopic differences in tone which are noticeable only when you're not playing live.
The good news is that I've rediscovered Jazz Basses, which is nice, and I haven't lost my callouses or endurance.
The other thing that happened was that I bought a used bass (referred to as "Bass A" above) the weekend before the quarantine began, and I knew that it needed some rewiring and fret work. Between March 15 and the end of June (when things started to reopen), I had to pull my hair out waiting, because none of the four repair guys I knew could do anything.
One guy in April: "I can put you down for July 20."
Another guy in April: "Call me in June." Called him June 1st. "You've got 250 people ahead of you, but I'll put you on the waiting list."
Another guy works in Manhattan, and that was off limits.

But here's the happy ending:
A friend recommended a local guy, who turned out to be speedy, fair money-wise and very good at repair work. He did the rewiring and a good set up, but the frets still needed attention.
Then, my favorite guy accepted the bass on the morning that he reopened in June, and I got it back a week later, literally an hour before that one gig!

My family is starting to go nuts hearing me endlessly noodling in the basement, trying different combinations of basses and amps in search of the "perfect" tone. ("Don't you ever play SONGS??") Fortunately, I have a couple more outdoor gigs coming up this month and tentative ones in October and December, so I hope to regain my sanity soon.

Sorry about the long post!

Well, I had 20 plus gigs canceled, have played 2 gigs, with one more on the books in November. Been doing recording work, which for me I much prefer to gigging. I have no need to alter or sell my gear. A lot of time, research, and effort went into pulling it together.

 

[Bass Momma]

I bought an old Alembic Series 1, and I'm learning the Jaco bass line to Bright Size Life. Definition of crazy!

 

[walking Bass]

I'm retired, but miss going to concerts. I planted a fig tree a few years ago and lose a few each year to raccoons but usually get enough to eat my fill and give away bags of them to friends.

 

[Marc valero]

Very cool that you worked up a trio. We've been doing very well as a trio for 5 years. We were hit with the double whammy of having our lead singer/cajon player leave in Jan and just as we found a great replacement for him the virus crap hit. Our newest member has worked her butt off, she's a fantastic singer and the outdoor gigs we've played so far have all gone well.

You may learn to really like it as a trio. Venues like smaller groups that don't take up all their space and don't blast them with too much volume, at least that's been our experience. And even with the cajon we are doing some fun stuff that gets people dancing, we aren't the "sit and watch" kind of group and it's been really fun.

Best of luck to you in that new formation!

I have played in trios in the past but not usually at length or in a well rehearsed situation. Yes, I like having some space on stage and being able to play small venues with a smaller setup and I have worked up various techniques to fill things out, so I am looking forward to it and singing more.

 

[MuttThud]

What has the past six months done to almost drive you over the edge?

Except for one outdoor gig in June, I've spent my time recording a few tracks for a couple of people and fine tuning my tone. I've always gravitated toward P-Basses, but for the recordings, I pulled out a couple of Jazz Basses. This led me to some rather obsessive tweaking: Changed the type of strings on Bass A and liked them; tried them on Bass B and liked them, but decided it was finally time to try different pickups; changed the pickups on Bass B and liked them, but now didn't like the strings; changed the type of strings on Bass B and liked them; decided to try those strings on Bass A, and on and on, down the rabbit hole into microscopic differences in tone which are noticeable only when you're not playing live.
The good news is that I've rediscovered Jazz Basses, which is nice, and I haven't lost my callouses or endurance.
The other thing that happened was that I bought a used bass (referred to as "Bass A" above) the weekend before the quarantine began, and I knew that it needed some rewiring and fret work. Between March 15 and the end of June (when things started to reopen), I had to pull my hair out waiting, because none of the four repair guys I knew could do anything.
One guy in April: "I can put you down for July 20."
Another guy in April: "Call me in June." Called him June 1st. "You've got 250 people ahead of you, but I'll put you on the waiting list."
Another guy works in Manhattan, and that was off limits.

But here's the happy ending:
A friend recommended a local guy, who turned out to be speedy, fair money-wise and very good at repair work. He did the rewiring and a good set up, but the frets still needed attention.
Then, my favorite guy accepted the bass on the morning that he reopened in June, and I got it back a week later, literally an hour before that one gig!

My family is starting to go nuts hearing me endlessly noodling in the basement, trying different combinations of basses and amps in search of the "perfect" tone. ("Don't you ever play SONGS??") Fortunately, I have a couple more outdoor gigs coming up this month and tentative ones in October and December, so I hope to regain my sanity soon.

Sorry about the long post!

Not come close to being 'driven off the edge' as such but it's been a weird time. I managed to keep working (day job is corporate stuff, not music) via laptop etc, and it was good not having to commute (I have an exhausting 2+ hours journey into the office and the same again home... it's insane and no fun on top of a 12-14 hour day). But I've really missed seeing friends, live music, travelling etc. What lockdown has done is force me to accept that what (pre-lockdown) were vanishingly small chances that I'll be back in a band and on the road again are now basically down to zero. I'm going to be focused on recording and virtual collaborating only from now on. Once I accepted that, I went all in and built a pedalboard for recording (super clean signal), rebuilt my music room/studio, spent time really learning my DAW and plugins etc. And lots of practicing and writing with my basses. It's all good although the voice in my head is still telling me I will miss being on stage with other musicians.

 

[Thumpin6string]

Other than having to wear a mask at the stores, I haven't changed anything and refused to stay locked in my house. So I'm good.

 

[Nev375]

What's really scary is the "long-haulers." People with long term coronavirus symptoms. I saw a special on that and it could be as high as 30% of the people that have had the virus, even people that initially showed no symptoms.

They are learning more about it every day, which is really frustrating for a society that wants everything instantly and will just make up "facts" if they can't get them.

There are folks around here holding covid parties. The idea is to try to get it and get it overwith so, you know, they can't get it again.

And no. I'm not making this up. They did it at the local college here and yes, they were successful at increasing the number of cases here.

My only hope for the future is that Darwin is right and the next generation will be fathered by folks smart enough to stay home.

 

[Bunk McNulty]

At first, I made some jokey videos singing and playing guitar (at least one of them is up here somewhere), then I turned down a live-in-the-studio show because I didn't want to be indoors with singers, not to mention no masks. Then I started riding my bicycle on a 15-mile loop. I'm still doing that. The highlight of my day is crossing and recrossing the Connecticut River. Then I started taking online jazz lessons, because I was tired of referring to myself as a dumb-ass rock'n'roll bass player. Improved my chops all the way around, but I'm still a dumb-ass rock'n'roll bass player. Then I fired myself from my band because I was getting twitchy about even playing outdoors and didn't want to be a drag on everyone else. Then they refused my self-firing, and told me to take a couple months off--which is what I've been doing anyway--and we'll regroup in a while to figure out what to do next. Usually by the beginning of September we have at least 30 gigs booked for the upcoming year. This year? Nada. Zero. Nothing. I used to tell myself that if I couldn't play, I'd travel. Heh heh, that's out the window, too. I'll think of something. Eventually.

 

[Claymore]

Two worlds beautifully colliding...

 

[filmtex]

I spent the first nine weeks in our sons 700 Sq. ft, 10th floor condo overlooking Pearl Harbor. I would have gone crazy there but for one of our fellow TB'er's who arranged to have one of his basses delivered for my use while I was visiting. Can't thank Dr. Jim Carr enough, it really made a difference.
After I returned to the Texas Hill Country home I share with the wife and all her dogs, I decided to finaly build the recording studio I've wanted since the very early 1960's. So we are. Building was constructed off site and delivered a few weeks ago, radiant barriar installed, and electrical hooked up yesterday. Today is "get the A/C going" day...I hope. It's 100+ degrees with high humidity, so work periods are punctuated with hydration and cooling breaks in the house.
I did three gigs last month and have one this Friday and another on 9/11- both outside. That's good news and not so good news around here. Good news is fresh air, bad news is- it's South Texas in the summer....Oh well, things are pretty darn good, relatively speaking. Still waking up on the right side of the dirt....

 

[lfmn16]

There are folks around here holding covid parties. The idea is to try to get it and get it overwith so, you know, they can't get it again.

And no. I'm not making this up. They did it at the local college here and yes, they were successful at increasing the number of cases here.

My only hope for the future is that Darwin is right and the next generation will be fathered by folks smart enough to stay home.

Willful ignorance at work. There have been multiple reports of some people already getting the virus for a second time.

 

[TheLowDown33]

What's really scary is the "long-haulers." People with long term coronavirus symptoms. I saw a special on that and it could be as high as 30% of the people that have had the virus, even people that initially showed no symptoms.

I fall into that category. While the virus put me out for almost a month with typical symptoms, I still have days where the fatigue and migraines set in, coupled with an always present brain fog. Luckily it hasn't affected my musical cognition in any recognizable way. I'm in my 20's and extremely health conscious, so there's really no accurate way to predict who will be predisposed to the "post-recovery" issues.

To answer the thread topic however, I've been deep diving into a lot of things that I didn't have time to do with my daily commute + avid gigging. Things like jazz improv, arco bowing on upright, guitar technique, ect.

 

[lowfreqgeek]

Lock down? I've pretty much gone on with life as usual. I've never been busier with work, averaging well over 200hr/mo (all billable as a consultant). All my least favorite gigs dropped off, so I'm totally fine with that. Still doing sessions, including one tonight and more scheduled. Doing as much trail running and mountain biking as I can, working around my property in the mountains, hanging out with my wife and kids, who are home a lot more now and enjoying being 30mi out of town, where our neighbors are friendly and sane, but far and few between. Other than some inconveniences (masks in stores), life has been pretty great these past 6mo.

 

[lfmn16]

I fall into that category. While the virus put me out for almost a month with typical symptoms, I still have days where the fatigue and migraines set in, coupled with an always present brain fog. Luckily it hasn't affected my musical cognition in any recognizable way. I'm in my 20's and extremely health conscious, so there's really no accurate way to predict who will be predisposed to the "post-recovery" issues.

To answer the thread topic however, I've been deep diving into a lot of things that I didn't have time to do with my daily commute + avid gigging. Things like jazz improv, arco bowing on upright, guitar technique, ect.

Hope you feel better. They are really just starting to understand the virus. I saw a show on it last night and it sounds like they are starting to put the pieces together, which is the first step in treating it.

 

[Funky Phantom]

Fresh figs rule. It's been a huge adventure every year trying to fight off birds and raccoons who think so too though.

On-topic: I've designed and built a pretty substantial amount of MI electronics widgets during lockdown. My wife actually seems to like the new tube amp so far, but yeah, more SONGS is mo bettah. I still have at least a couple of months worth of backlogged projects too; nothing commercial, all just for my own edification really.

Nice avatar! Who is zis man? Oddly enough, outside of playing bass, I've been watching
a lot of Hogan's Heroes. It's on like, three different channels. And it's always on when I
get off work, or any time I watch t.v. As Col. Crittendon would say "Chin up lads, see you
in Tipperary!" Good show indeed.

 

[evilleotter]

My wife and kids having junk food everywhere in the house has driven me close to madness. But, the past 6 months has been the most transformative of my life. With my 40th b-day looming, I started a diet and daily exercise routine that has morphed into somewhat of an obsession.

Since March 1 I've lost 65 pounds and 6+ inches off my waist. I have muscles again and the flab is melting away faster than I ever thought possible. It's taken alot of will power and even more sweat, but it's been a remarkable journey that has helped me find myself again, both figuratively and literally.

As for my bass playing, I've never been a gigging musician so the shut-down it din't negatively affect me. I have actually increased my practicing and getting into shape allows me to stand and hold my basses for much longer periods of time than ever before.

2020 has been a wild ride, but so far it's been a great one for me!

 

[neo 7]

I like to cut up a steak into tiny pieces then cook them in my crock pot with a can of beef stew. Then I pretend I'm eating dog food.

 

[yzarCstahT]

That's awesome, dude. I don't know you but I'm happy you've found a way to make this poopie-show your bitch. I'm inspired. Maybe instead of drinking myself to sleep at night and watching YouTube videos while I should be teleworking I'll do something constructive. My bathroom needs a remodeling, and since I can get away with not showering for days on end I'll finally tackle that. I don't know, but in hearing your story I realize I'm wasting my time. Thanks for sharing!

 

[pedroims]

I have been playing at church all this time, either pre-recording the services, playing outside under a tent and now back inside, this has not been an issue.

The problem is that from March till today me,my wife and kids have been at home.

Working from home, online classes, limited places where to go, add that the summer is over.

For very first time in my life there are several bottles of tequila in my pantry

 

[InhumanResource]

What has the past six months done to almost drive you over the edge?

Except for one outdoor gig in June, I've spent my time recording a few tracks for a couple of people and fine tuning my tone. I've always gravitated toward P-Basses, but for the recordings, I pulled out a couple of Jazz Basses. This led me to some rather obsessive tweaking: Changed the type of strings on Bass A and liked them; tried them on Bass B and liked them, but decided it was finally time to try different pickups; changed the pickups on Bass B and liked them, but now didn't like the strings; changed the type of strings on Bass B and liked them; decided to try those strings on Bass A, and on and on, down the rabbit hole into microscopic differences in tone which are noticeable only when you're not playing live.
The good news is that I've rediscovered Jazz Basses, which is nice, and I haven't lost my callouses or endurance.
The other thing that happened was that I bought a used bass (referred to as "Bass A" above) the weekend before the quarantine began, and I knew that it needed some rewiring and fret work. Between March 15 and the end of June (when things started to reopen), I had to pull my hair out waiting, because none of the four repair guys I knew could do anything.
One guy in April: "I can put you down for July 20."
Another guy in April: "Call me in June." Called him June 1st. "You've got 250 people ahead of you, but I'll put you on the waiting list."
Another guy works in Manhattan, and that was off limits.

But here's the happy ending:
A friend recommended a local guy, who turned out to be speedy, fair money-wise and very good at repair work. He did the rewiring and a good set up, but the frets still needed attention.
Then, my favorite guy accepted the bass on the morning that he reopened in June, and I got it back a week later, literally an hour before that one gig!

My family is starting to go nuts hearing me endlessly noodling in the basement, trying different combinations of basses and amps in search of the "perfect" tone. ("Don't you ever play SONGS??") Fortunately, I have a couple more outdoor gigs coming up this month and tentative ones in October and December, so I hope to regain my sanity soon.

Sorry about the long post!

Not sure about an edge but it is starting to get to me. Getting a little depressed. Haven't done anything but work and be at home. I am one of two people abstaining from band rehearsal right now, but the other three consist of a fake news-er and two kind of reckless types who have restarted without us.

I just want to get out of the house and do something normal but there isn't much normal to be had. Back to work.