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#42
L Anthony said:
I need a dishwasher, too. Is this a Talk Bass thing?
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I think it's a musician thing. I know four other people who play music and also need a dishwasher right now.

So little time and money. And so many beautiful musical instruments. And oh yeah...we need a new dishwasher...

It must be some law of quantum physics at work here. :laugh:

My lady and I are lucky. We're both musicians with absolutely no interest in "keeping up."
 
#45
Forty-Thirty said:
Haha. This poor boy right here (Fredegar "Fatty" Bolger) sees me open my case and, in true hobbit fashion, runs for the hills and doesn't emerge from whatever crevice he's crawled into until after he's sure it's safe. :)

(Note: he does not normally wear a bow tie. This was a little Christmas collar we bought him and thought he looked quite dapper.)
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We're lucky. Our cat Smudge, and our beagle Maxwell, both happened to like music. Especially loud music. Both of them would sit in front the amps or stereo speakers when they were on. Sometimes the cat would even try to hang off a speaker grill while we were playing - which for some odd reason we didn't much appreciate despite being unapologetic animal lovers. Go figure.

Both Max and Smudge are sadly departed. However, we now have this little black rescue dog by the name of "Linc" (not our fault - he came with the name and already answered to it) which somebody abandoned. He doesn't seem to mind loud music. Or think about music much at all. He'll come in when we're playing, spin around three times and flop, and then go to sleep.

No musician could ask for higher praise than that!

P.S. I think Fredegar looks quite handsome with that bow tie. It's him. :thumbsup:
 
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#46
Forty-Thirty said:
I would have a lot of fun just practicing on it, but I think my husband would veto the idea of me buying a $400 instrument that is really only good for playing at home.
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Boooo on vetoes! Here's my take: I bought an acoustic/electric bass for $400 myself once (5-string fretless Epiphone El Capitan) and even though I rarely bring it places it is my main axe. Sometimes it's a pain to set everything up when all you want to do is grab a bass quickly to work on an idea, so the acoustic is the main standby for noodling about/practicing/writing. Therefore worth every penny and more!
 
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#49
40Hz said:
Nothing at all. Precisions are each as subtly different as cats. It's fun to own a few and explore their strengths and differences. But when you're just starting out, and (like most of us) your funds aren't unlimited, getting something different as opposed to more of similar is usually your better option. At least so it seems to me.

The other thing is a PBass is incredibly forgiving. It's pretty hard to sound flat-out bad on a PBass. An acoustic-electric is a little harder to manage effectively. You need very good right-hand technique or it will boom (or swallow) your notes. You also need to pay a lot more attention to muting (both right and left hand) or you'll get a lot of jangly sounding sludge floating around your head. And the notes will ring a lot longer most times. Especially if you play an open string. And (unless you're using flats) the strings can really squeak. That extra bit of tessitura can be a feature. Or least according to the classical guitar playing crowd it can. But it usually doesn't sound that great when it rides along on a bass note. So clean execution on your fretting hand is a must.

An electro-acoustic (or anything that uses piezos really) will keep you honest and make you be more attentive to details when you play. It's an easy instrument to sound really bad on. And it's more work. Which is one reason so many are available on the used market. There's no training wheels on these puppies. They're nowhere near as easy to make sound acceptable -as opposed to a slab bass - which usually just does. Make no mistake, Acoustics are harder to play well.

The PBass, on the other hand, is more like a big friendly dog. If it can possibly do it for you, it will. (Did I say it's virtually impossible to sound really bad on one yet?) That's the brilliance of Leo Fender's design. It just works and sounds good. With minimal need for fussing to get there. Any wonder so many people who only play bass occasionally opt for a PBass of some flavor more often than not? It, and it's close cousins the Jazz and Jag, are what most people hear in their heads when they think bass.

But that's my two cents worth. (Just 3 more pennies and you'll have a whole nickel. Yay!!!) :)
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Agree. The other great thing about Leo Fender is he wasn't Henry Ford (any color you want as long as it's black). Lots of great different P bass colors out there. Some days you feel like a sunburst, some days you feel antique white, etc. Just doing my part to enable the OP.
 
#51
As long as you accept that you'll have to plug it in to be heard with anything other than the gentlest fingerpicked accoustic guitar, if you like the way it sounds and plays then go ahead and get it. Never a bad thing to have a second instrument, and an ABG looks better at an acoustic set and has a unique tone all it's own. It's also a nice instrument for the couch. Of course many semi and full hollow electric basses are also...

As for ABG's in general, the only one I ever found that could be heard against a pair of strumming guitars was the Tacoma Thunderchief and I had to really dig in. Otherwise, your options for being heard unplugged are:
-Guitarron: 6 strings, very short scale and no frets
-Earthwood: Good luck finding one…
-Upright bass: Enough said.
 
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#52
Forty-Thirty said:
Went to the guitar store today to get my Squier Jag adjusted (can't pick it back up until Thursday, and I'm having major withdrawals!). I ended up playing around with a few acoustic basses. I had never played one before, and I fell IN LOVE with Invalid Link Removed. I'm just beside myself I love it so much.

So do I need an acoustic bass? Is it worth the purchase? (Not that I have $400 right now; it'd have to be something I save for.)

I sort of feel like since I'm a beginner, I'm not worthy of having two basses... Like I should be more proficient in order to justify having more than one. I would sort of feel like a poser if I owned multiple basses but wasn't that good yet. Is that weird of me? But this one is different. It's acoustic. So it's really a totally different instrument, right? Please tell me why I should buy this. I know you'll help me out. We're all enablers here.

Here she is up close...

View attachment 647449

It's so gorgeous it makes my heart hurt. The photo does not do it justice.
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You're right. Two basses ain't right. I suggest at least five :)
 
#53
guitarflinger said:
Agree. The other great thing about Leo Fender is he wasn't Henry Ford (any color you want as long as it's black). Lots of great different P bass colors out there. Some days you feel like a sunburst, some days you feel antique white, etc. Just doing my part to enable the OP.
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Looks like you're on it! Onward. Let's get this lady her bass!
 
#54
It's never a bad idea to have a backup bass, I have the 2 Jaguars in my profile pic.
I say that you should get the acoustic bass because it's the ultimate go anywhere bass. Which reminds me I really should fix the Dean acoustic bass that I have...
 
#56
Forty-Thirty said:
...I think my husband would veto the idea of me buying a $400 instrument that is really only good for playing at home.
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You allow your husband veto power? What sort of crazy, upside-down world is this?

In other news, I told him about it when I got home and he says "saving for a dishwasher is our first priority right now." But, see, I could just serenade him with my beautiful new bass while he hand washes the dishes. I think that's a wonderful idea. ;)
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You stand over that man with a riding crop. Give him a taste of it now and then if need be, to underscore your point.

Then tell him how it's gonna be like you are THE BOSS, and tell him to get in the kitchen and make you dinner. Then make him clean up after while you enjoy your new acoustic bass.
 

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