Gave a Random Kid a Bass and Amp Today

[Riff Ranger]

A kid at my daughter’s middle school started following her Instagram account (lots of creepy visual art), which then led to following mine (lots of gear and metal), which then led to him working up the nerve to ask me if I knew anybody “tryna give away a bass.” I said I would keep an eye out, and within a few weeks, an older friend found a 2000-ish Silvertone while clearing out his adult offspring’s old stuff. He wondered whether any of my kids might want it, but my oldest decided not to play because it would mean having short fingernails, my middlest’s a lefty and already has a good bass, and my littlest’s not quite two; I replied that I knew somebody, though. I got the bass, restrung it, set it up, supplied a strap, cable, picks, and my trusty Blackstar FLY3 BASS micro amp, and handed it off today. Worth it all for the smile on his face! (Eyes blacked out to conceal identity of a minor other than one of my own.)

 

[dramatwist]

...good on you, mate... I've done that a couple of times...

 

[La Faro]

Awesome, love how your filled out the package for him.

Last year a charity was collecting for schools in an impoverished area. I have 20 sets of 12 coluring pencils, but al the red are short for getting the most use. I bought 20 new packs for myself and gave all my old pencils to the charity. But it didn't feel complete, so I added new pencils, erasers, sharpeners and a stack of A5 plain paper.

I'll never get a chance to see their faces, but I can imagine enough.

 

[KohanMike]

I'm in a seniors ukulele group of 50 people. Two of us play bass ukes for the last 5 years. When we first started, the other guy bought a Kala acoustic U-bass and the store sold him on using Pyramid steel wound nylon core U-bass strings, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop it from farting all the time. I gave it a try and the same thing, no matter how careful I was, it farted like crazy. i told him to just change the strings, but he just wouldn't do it.

Over the next year I accumulated over 10 basses, and when I couldn't take the farting anymore, I gave him one of my Hadean solid body bass ukes with Pahoehoe strings. He was quite surprised, but he's been using that one ever since, and I have to say, it's sounds really good.

Then about 3 months ago one of the women in the group mentioned that she's been taking bass lessons using a borrowed bass that she had to give back. By this time I'm up to 25 basses, with one that I was planning to use for parts for another mod, but decided I'd rather give it to her. Needless to say, she was incredibly grateful.