I found a new purpose for TalkBass

[tb-player]

I enjoy TalkBass. I enjoy talking about basses, technique & favorite bass players. But a few weeks ago, I reached out privately to a fellow TB member because of a comment they made about their bass playing experiences. I simply asked for more info on some of the folks they had played with. Turns out, this particular TBer had quite the jazz resume. And they even mailed me a CD of their music. I threw it into my Spotify and have listened to it a lot because it's that kind of walking jazz bass that I've always faked and never been able to play well consistently. It really inspired me to start digging around in that style. I'm not an old dog, so maybe I can still learn new tricks.

Has anyone else reached out and gotten to know other TBers like that?

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

God, yes. Back in the old days, I had correspondences like this with Ed Fuqua, Paul Warburton, and quite a few others. Back then, we were snail mailing minidiscs and the like. Met a few bass mentors that way.

 

[Michedelic]

I enjoy TalkBass. I enjoy talking about basses, technique & favorite bass players. But a few weeks ago, I reached out privately to a fellow TB member because of a comment they made about their bass playing experiences. I simply asked for more info on some of the folks they had played with. Turns out, this particular TBer had quite the jazz resume. And they even mailed me a CD of their music. I threw it into my Spotify and have listened to it a lot because it's that kind of walking jazz bass that I've always faked and never been able to play well consistently. It really inspired me to start digging around in that style. I'm not an old dog, so maybe I can still learn new tricks.

Has anyone else reached out and gotten to know other TBers like that?

I once noticed in a thread that a particular participant in the “Ask A Pro” forum was searching for a certain vintage driver that matched with a certain vintage cabinet. I was a fan of the brand(s), had several pieces, and had a spare of what he was looking for. I reached out, explained myself and my background, we agreed on a transaction, then I drove 2.5 hours into LA. Went to his house, sat in his backyard and we installed the speaker into the cab, and while chatting discovered that we had some mutual aquaintances. Afterwards, he showed me his home studio, and gear collection. Communicated with him a time or two after that, but otherwise had no reason to bother him with anything else.

 

[pb9717]

Jerry Peek, former Bass Player with Steve Morse band is a member here. I had a few short private messages with him many years ago. He Left the business for a more stable lifestyle. Incredible Musician saw him live in the early 80s. I was young at the time and confused as to why he would Leave being a musician behind, I’m understand a lot more now. It can be a tough life, especially if you’ve got the skill to be a white-collar professional.

 

[Markku]

Well I’m here here you can always chat to

 

[SC Bassboy]

I enjoy TalkBass. I enjoy talking about basses, technique & favorite bass players. But a few weeks ago, I reached out privately to a fellow TB member because of a comment they made about their bass playing experiences. I simply asked for more info on some of the folks they had played with. Turns out, this particular TBer had quite the jazz resume. And they even mailed me a CD of their music. I threw it into my Spotify and have listened to it a lot because it's that kind of walking jazz bass that I've always faked and never been able to play well consistently. It really inspired me to start digging around in that style. I'm not an old dog, so maybe I can still learn new tricks.

Has anyone else reached out and gotten to know other TBers like that?

Most of my buddies on TB come from buying/selling in the classifieds. I go out of my way to have conversations with people, partly to help verify they aren't a scammer that lurked into our little community. There are a couple of local (in state) guys that I now text with.

 

[EdwardofHuncote]

I've got a couple buddies on here I correspond with off the boards... by phone, email, etc. Mostly music-related but I consider them personal friends too so other stuff comes up in conversation.

 

[Lo-E]

I’ve met and been inspired by a few people I’ve met on the forum over the years. I’ve also developed an online rapport with some members even though we’ve never met in person.

Forums (fora?) aren’t typically referred to as “social media”, per se, but they were the precursor to it and I think the social aspect of TB is very important. Behind every screen name is an actual person and most of us share a common interest. I try not to allow myself to overlook the idea that TB is a community. Every time I’ve sought out a member in the “real world”, even if it’s just for a deal in the classifieds, it’s been worthwhile. There are a lot of nice and a lot of talented people on this forum.

 

[monsterthompson]

I’ve met a couple of locals through TB. One has a very similar taste in pedals and we’ve bought and sold several items between us over the years, meeting in person to do the exchanges. When we had time we’d chat about life stuff outside of music. It was also super helpful to be able to talk to someone with similar ears and who had experience with boutique/obscure bits of gear I wanted to try myself.

I met a couple of others in my quest for a lightweight cabinet several years ago. I’d message them about checking out certain hard to find cabinets and they each generously let me visit them to try their gear. I returned the favor when I ended up making my decision and purchased another hard to find bit of gear. Again, it was incredibly helpful to talk to someone in person about gear you couldn’t just try at GC.

I think my funniest TB connection is one where I took an international flight and drove across a country to have dinner with a TB member. I think we started messaging about a particular effect question. The conversation went on for a while and the discussion turned to friendly chatter about all sorts of non-music stuff. They lived in Sweden and I have a good friend in Norway, who I occasionally visit. A couple of years ago another friend was in Finland so I made a travel plan to fly to Norway, then drive through Sweden to meet my TB friend for dinner, then take a ferry to Finland. It all worked out.

 

[cubanbass]

Long time Talkbass member here... It is a community. So glad you are making connections.

I remember reaching out to Talkbass for help. While travelling and playing a bunch of festival shows, I left my bass at a fairground in Virginia, and realized that it was missing when we arrived at our next hotel in Pittsburg. It was my turn to work the merch table and I left the load out to the other band members (which was a different kind of drama when we realized the bass was missing).

We were playing a festival stage the next day, early afternoon. It was almost midnight, and I posted a "Help - In Pittsburg - need a bass" thread. Within minutes, Talkbass members started posting offering advice and help. One member posted and said they can meet me at the stage with a bass, and pick it up after the show.

That afternoon, he pulls up behind the stage, loans me his Pbass, and drove off as he could not stay (he was driving kids to another place). He was back after the show and I returned the bass. YAY! My favorite Talkbass moment.

The bass I left in Virgina was recovered by my drummer's girlfriend who was visiting relatives nearby. She drove back to NYC and returned my bass. This was the thread hread from 2012.

 

[rojo412]

Most of my close TB friends and I just typically enable each other to buy more stuff and strategize how to justify it to ourselves and/or significant others.
(I'm not complaining about that either, it's been fun!)

 

[pb9717]

I have developed a pretty close friendship with another member. We text, and facetime often regarding bass repairs, opinions, recent purchases and sales. I have never met him in person, but we’ve become fairly close. I ‘ve never had a friend in my life that I’ve never met in person. Its interesting, but new to this 20th century guy.

 

[roccobass]

I've met a few TBers face to face while conducting sales.
It's always great to talk to a fellow TBer and player. I still keep in contact with several. It's always a good thing.

 

[JRA]

I'm not an old dog, so maybe I can still learn new tricks.

very cool!

IME/IMO: always learning is the greatest mindset for anyone who considers themselves a musician (or artist, creative).

some of us "old dogs" are still searching the horizons (and the dumpsters! ) for new tricks to learn, or ways of polishing some old tricks --- i get disappointed with some of the older hands on TB who have their minds made up re: how to play, what to play, what is music/art --- if you stop growing and learning: aren't you just marking time, standing still?

 

[JRA]

re: the OP:

i've had the pleasure of expanding my TB relationships with several members over the years, usually by DM, but also including a zoom meeting with several at one time. all great fun and/or meaningful!

it's pretty cool to experience each other as 'real people' rather than anonymous posters with opinions we may or may not share!

 

[tb-player]

Most of my buddies on TB come from buying/selling in the classifieds. I go out of my way to have conversations with people, partly to help verify they aren't a scammer that lurked into our little community. There are a couple of local (in state) guys that I now text with.

This has happened to me a lot!! Especially on the DB side. I've bought and sold a few DBs that always required a meetup. I sold my LaScala ply to a guy who was the bassist for West Point. He basically played music for the military and was about to retire with federal retirement benefits. He was buying the bass to gig in NYC. What an interesting guy. I think I may have talked his ear off that day. Then, on my drive home, I was negotiating with a guy from CA about a sweet MTD 535-24. Turns out, we're both in the same financial services industry. We talked shop for about an hour, he bought the bass, and we're pretty close friends to this day.

 

[tb-player]

it's pretty cool to experience each other as 'real people' rather than anonymous posters with opinions we may or may not share!

Yeah, my sarcasm can get a little out of hand when I'm anonymous. It's nice to connect with real folks and realize we're all humans, and we're all just figuring it out the best we can.

 

[S-Bigbottom]

Yup.