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Curiosity Question for you young guys under 20

K

Kevin aka Kebo

Guest
Commercial User
Nov 17, 2011
181
63
Princeton NJ
Disclosures
Owner - Kebo's Bass Works
#1
How many of you have
A) Played a gig - bonus points
B) Own some dog of a bass with crappy action
C) Own an amp that is less than steller
D) Play in a band that your more advanced friends think you suck
E) You love it, you breath it, it distracts you at school or work
F) Optional but bonus points - Your girlfriend thinks your a dork because you think more about music than her

You guys who have lots of chops and experieince
* Wouldn't love to trade for 1 day and be a young guy, unjaded, didnt know any better, and all was new and great.?!?!?! I was talking to my 15 year old about this and she asks - "You'd love to be 15 an play a High School Gym, huh"?!?!? Yes, shes right..
 
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#4
I'm 22 but I didn't pick up the bass till I was about 19, so I'm still quite a rookie.

A) Nope, bedroom warrior! The piano player I jam with is trying to set up some gigs for the fall. To be honest though, I'm still lacking the confidence.
B) Nope, my first bass (Ibanez GSR200) was actually a total gem, playability-wise. Sounded like junk but the neck was killer.
C) Yeah, I've owned two Acoustics (the new cheap ones). The one I have now is nothing special but I bought it because it's cheap and LOUD.
D) My more advanced friends insist that I'm learning fast, but I know I still suck :cool:
E) It's all I ever think about. I'm sitting in class right now.
F) My girlfriend actually thinks it's cute how obsessed with music I am, but she definitely gets jealous of my bass sometimes ;)
 
#5
A. I've only done one battle of the bands type thing, so no, nothing paid.
B. My bass is a nice used MIM (75$) , but I'm missing a bridge screw.
C. I play a peavey special 130, which I'm pretty sure is a guitar amp.
D. I really need to get in a group.
E. Yes.
 
#6
Kevin aka Kebo said:
You guys who have lots of chops and experieince
* Wouldn't love to trade for 1 day and be a young guy, unjaded, didnt know any better, and all was new and great.?!?!?! I was talking to my 15 year old about this and she asks - "You'd love to be 15 an play a High School Gym, huh"?!?!? Yes, shes right..
Click to expand...
One day or a week maybe might be fun.
My teens (like most of us) was a special time musically and I look back on them with much fondness.
But.. The past is a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.
 
#7
Just to let you know where I came from... I was a URB player in the Jr High band. When I got to HS, I was introduced to a Musicmaster Bass. I IMMEDIATELY ran to Music City and bought an Aria Pbass (nat/maple) 32in scale and an Ampeg B25. This was 1976. I started a band called "Illusion". Mike DeBiase (Who is my best friend to this day) on Guitar(Gibson LP STD and a V4) and vocs, Tony Campolo on Guitar (Fender Mustang body and Jazzmaster neck and we never new why it was never in tune. he plugged into my amp , Eric on Guitar(Univox LP and blue and orange Univox amp), John Monte (rest in peace and gone way to young) on drums (5 piece grey swirl Luds). Our "set" was Swingtown, Rock n roll, Day Tripper, Satisfaction, Badge, You really got me, Cant get enough, Jail House Rock. Lord did we suck, we played a "battle of the bands" and came in 5th. There were 5 bands but we got a trophy that we blew up on July 4th.. lol.. We breathed it... My next band, well we kinda hit.. I was using a 58 Gold guard P in orig Dakota red and a full SVT rig...I paid 1000.00 for ALL of it! I still own that SVT rig, The Dakota I traded for my Stacker that I still have.. Oh I'd love togo back....
 
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#8
Kevin aka Kebo said:
How many of you have
A) Played a gig - bonus points
B) Own some dog of a bass with crappy action
C) Own an amp that is less than steller
D) Play in a band that your more advanced friends think you suck
E) You love it, you breath it, it distracts you at school or work
F) Optional but bonus points - Your girlfriend thinks your a dork because you think more about music than her

You guys who have lots of chops and experieince
* Wouldn't love to trade for 1 day and be a young guy, unjaded, didnt know any better, and all was new and great.?!?!?! I was talking to my 15 year old about this and she asks - "You'd love to be 15 an play a High School Gym, huh"?!?!? Yes, shes right..
Click to expand...
I'll just answer as if this was a year and a half ago :p

A) Yup.
B) Sold it when I was eighteen. Only great basses since then.
C) Behringer combo for practice. I go DI at gigs.
D) I was the one who thougt my first band sucked (and I was right). No one (that I know of) thinks my current band sucks.
E) I often think about basses, music and/or related subjects.
F) Am I supposed to have a girlfriend?

…I'm twenty-two and none of these answers have changed.
 
#9
Kevin aka Kebo said:
How many of you have
A) Played a gig - bonus points
B) Own some dog of a bass with crappy action
C) Own an amp that is less than steller
D) Play in a band that your more advanced friends think you suck
E) You love it, you breath it, it distracts you at school or work
F) Optional but bonus points - Your girlfriend thinks your a dork because you think more about music than her

You guys who have lots of chops and experieince
* Wouldn't love to trade for 1 day and be a young guy, unjaded, didnt know any better, and all was new and great.?!?!?! I was talking to my 15 year old about this and she asks - "You'd love to be 15 an play a High School Gym, huh"?!?!? Yes, shes right..
Click to expand...

Well, I'm 21, but I started playing at about 14, so I can sort of Ross in here.

1) Yes, I've played many gigs. I played in a bar band from age 16 to 18, even though it was technically illegal for me to be in the bars. Playing with a couple 30 year olds,100 a night, plus tip, two nights a weekend maybe two weekends a month during the summer, less so during the winter. Also played numerous shows with my originals band of guys my age in various venues. Various fill in shows for other local groups.

2) first bass was a dog, beater jazz knock off. Upgraded to a Fender AVRI 62 Precision in high school, followed by a AVRI 62 Jazz and Gibson Zebrabird in the last few years.

3) first amp was a fender frontman 15, followed by an Ampeg B2 combo I picked up for $100. Then a Fender Bassman 300, and that was replaced by a Sunn 2000s and 200s through an original 2000s cab and homemade 2000s cab.

4) can't say I've played in a band my friends think suck. They might not dig the music, but the bands have always been solid (mostly playing with older folks).

5) definitely distracts from school work, oh well.

6) N/A

I personally wouldn't trade it at this point, just because I wouldn't want to give up the skills I've worked on to play in front of largely unappreciative high school peers. At least where I'm from, playing an instrument, or rather playing rock music, didn't bring much of a wow factor. I'd much rather keep all the know how I've accumulated, bit check back with me on my opinion in like 25 years, I'll have probably changed my opinion.
 
#10
A. Yep. Played a handful of gigs in this first year on the bass.
B. 60 dollar squier affinity I found at a pawn shop(upgraded about six months in).
C. Played through a 20 dollar peavey combo for the first 8 months. Also recently upgraded.
D. Nope.
E. Completely true. Practice first, homework second (still a 3.5 GPA though ;))
F. Nah, she just accepts it.
 
#11
Played plenty with high school jazz band and winter percussion ensemble.
Have a cheapo amazon acoustic bass, pretty horrible action.
Silvertone 10w, aka the Walmart Special
Not really, only my instructors think I suck, my friends think I'm pretty good.
Yes, absolutely.
She is a trumpet player. I know more theory than her, so that makes her think I'm a dork. Which I probably am.
 
#12
Kevin aka Kebo said:
How many of you have
A) Played a gig - bonus points
B) Own some dog of a bass with crappy action
C) Own an amp that is less than steller
D) Play in a band that your more advanced friends think you suck
E) You love it, you breath it, it distracts you at school or work
F) Optional but bonus points - Your girlfriend thinks your a dork because you think more about music than her

You guys who have lots of chops and experieince
* Wouldn't love to trade for 1 day and be a young guy, unjaded, didnt know any better, and all was new and great.?!?!?! I was talking to my 15 year old about this and she asks - "You'd love to be 15 an play a High School Gym, huh"?!?!? Yes, shes right..
Click to expand...

A) Nope... not on bass, at least.
B) Fortunate enough to have gotten my hands on a used MIA Jazz, which I taught myself to set up/adjust/wire/solder etc.
C) I have a first-generation GC-brand Acoustic B100 that works intermittently.
D) Well, I jam with my neighbor's blues band which collectively has about a century of playing experience on me, but they're as cool and encouraging as it gets.
E) Hell yeah!
F) Girlfriend... uhh, yeah... nope.
 
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#13
The biggest regrets I have are usually the things I wish I had started doing when I was younger. I don't think I got the bug until college, I waited until my mid-twenties to start playing, and I was into my early 30s before I got serious and consistent about it. If I could go back in time to any of those I'd change something, but mainly I'd tell myself to start playing bass when I was still 15.
 
#15
Kevin aka Kebo said:
How many of you have
A) Played a gig - bonus points
B) Own some dog of a bass with crappy action
C) Own an amp that is less than steller
D) Play in a band that your more advanced friends think you suck
E) You love it, you breath it, it distracts you at school or work
F) Optional but bonus points - Your girlfriend thinks your a dork because you think more about music than her
Click to expand...

All right here we go...

A) Several (5-6 I'd say). 2 or 3 good ones, the others kinda sucked.
B) My first bass was when I got it; I can get a satisfying tone and playability from it now.
C) Yeah, it was a guitar amp. Now I have a niiice (debatable) rig. Edit: It's a Yorkville BM200 15" combo with a slave 100 watt Lidovox amp going to a GK 410B. Somebody tell me if that's good?
D) No. I was always the more technically proficient player, not as creative. Considering I had more experience on guitar than they had, and I had but 6 months of bass experience... scary.
E) Pfft, I take frequent breaks from my homework to go play my bass. I just did earlier, now I'm on talkbass instead of studying for tomorrow's biology exam.
F) Not applicable ;)

Back to studies now.
 
#16
Im 16
A. Yes three so far and two more this month
B. Yes and old Gibson bass with the highest action ever
C. Yes I have a peavey transtube something its like 12 watts and sounds like crap
D. That used to be the case but I progressed at a pretty quick rate so they dont think that anymore
E. I dont do my work at school because Im checking talkbass for new threads so yes
F. Nope i dont have a girlfriend but many of my friends do think that:D
 
#17
I'll answer as if I was still in high school

A) Yes, I played a bunch of gigs.
B) Of course
C) Of course, you've got to start somewhere.
D) I don't think so, if they felt that way they certainly didn't say anything.
E) Yep.
F) No. My girlfriend (the prom queen ;)) loved it. I still spent plenty of time with her.
 

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