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Found a cool old bassist, need some help?

GeneralElectric

GeneralElectric

Dec 26, 2007
10,314
1,375
36
NY, NY
#1
So, there has been this guy that comes into my job every now and then to get a cup of coffee before he goes to work as a day laborer. Sometimes he comes in at night to say hello to one of the cooks who he's friends with.

So one day at about close, he was talking to the guy who plays guitar here on friday nights. He said he was a bass player. My response? "No ****, I play bass too!" So we ended up talking about music. This guy used to be a big-ish bassist in the 80s and went by the stage name of Butch Porter. He played a 5 string spector and a couple of other fivers (don't remember what they are now) and was on a couple of Top 40 and Top 20 records. He's got some videos up on youtube, and I wrote them down, but I can't remember them off the top of my head.

In the 90s, everything fell apart for him and he ended up having to sell all his bass gear to pay for rent and still ended up being homeless before starting his career as a day laborer. He ended up saving up enough money to buy himself an amp (an old Trace Elliot combo) and was borrowing his friend's bass. His friend ended up moving and he's been without a bass now for a few years. I let him play the P-bass I had here at work, and I've never seen anyone so happy just to be playing for 20 minutes. The dude could tear it up!

So what I'm looking for is a cheap budget 5 string to maybe get him. Money for me, right now, is really tight. Ideally I'd like to spend under $100 bucks, and that'll take me some time to get together right now. Anyone have any suggestions or have an old beat up 5'ver that I could buy off of them. I don't mind fixing it up if its broken. :)
 
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#3
Shoot, I had a cheapo samick 5 string from the 90's I tore apart for parts/no reason other than stupidity, I would've given it to you. SX seems like the route to go, or just keep an eye out on craigslist for a squire or something. Maybe a pawn shop or two, try to haggle them down.
 
#14
i am out of work and just got a letter today that i can get on unemployment on1-5-2010.so in a couple weeks i could help a little ..bet if a few others chipped in we could do this without any one of haveing to spend more then a few bucks. i think it is a nobel undertaking .
 
#15
GeneralElectric said:
So, there has been this guy that comes into my job every now and then to get a cup of coffee before he goes to work as a day laborer. Sometimes he comes in at night to say hello to one of the cooks who he's friends with.

So one day at about close, he was talking to the guy who plays guitar here on friday nights. He said he was a bass player. My response? "No ****, I play bass too!" So we ended up talking about music. This guy used to be a big-ish bassist in the 80s and went by the stage name of Butch Porter. He played a 5 string spector and a couple of other fivers (don't remember what they are now) and was on a couple of Top 40 and Top 20 records. He's got some videos up on youtube, and I wrote them down, but I can't remember them off the top of my head.
:)
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Great story. Look up those videos and post the links for them for us here. No bass player should be wasting his bass-playing hands on day labor! Hopefully those videos can generate enough interest here among us regulars that we can cover an SX 5 string from Rondo. (Personally, I rather favor the black, blue or sunburst with the old headstock) In fact, I'm sure we can do it! The Christmas spirit isn't just one day a year.
 

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