I gave away my #1 bass

[deepestend]

All good. Very generous of you and it just makes sense. We had to downsize recently to move out of our place to do some work on it and it has made me a real minimalist.

 

[soulstew]

This is the cool think about being kind. You, a stranger to me, did something for another stranger, and as a bonus it made ME happy. Thanks for making my day.

 

[FrenchBassQC]

Nice of you bolophonic, being nice is not for all but it was the case for you and you made a difference to someone. Sorry for your friend loss.

 

[Charlzm]

I've been wondering the same thing (about my gear); I don't want to saddle my g/f with trying to sell it, so I guess that, when/if I can't play any more, I'll either give it to someone deserving, sell it or a combination of those things.

 

[bassbrad]

Thank you for sharing that story @bolophonic it give me hope of finding proper places for my menagerie of lost basses.

 

[fhm555]

1. I've been getting to that age where I'm starting to look around and wonder what will become of all this STUFF I've been accumulating over time. After setting up my wills and doing a general purge in the last few years, I started to go through my gear with an eye towards how it might be dispersed once I'm gone (hopefully not for a long time.) My wife and kids would certainly have to guess how I prioritize any of it.

2. A few weeks ago, one of my closest friends asked me to add some bass guitar to a recording project he was working on. He and I have worked on music together for almost 20 years and he is definitely the person who has inspired me the most to stick with it and to aim high. He is a phenomenal bassist.

3. My buddy texted me last week to ask me some questions about the bass I used to record. He really liked the sound. I told him it was a jalopy mutt built out of cast-off parts. He asked if I would consider helping him source something similar, which was the highest praise I could think of.

4. This past weekend, another close friend was stricken down at age 49 with a massive stroke that came out of nowhere like a bolt of lightning. We paid our respects and said goodbye to her in the ICU on Saturday.

5. Afterwards, I found myself looking at that bass over and over again and realized that it's just a thing and instead of trying to replicate the sound of it, I could just as easily surprise my friend with the exact bass that he liked and then have the pleasure of hearing it in his hands.

6. I now have a huge hole in my wall rack, so I need to start figuring out which one of my project basses is coming off the back bench into the big leagues. Wish me luck!

View attachment 3739076

Selfless acts are in short supply these days. Thanks for reminding us it's still possible to be good hearted for no reason beyond being moved to do so.

 

[Koog]

Good on you....ya got a great heart. Just think of the pleasure you're going to receive from knowing how much your friend is enjoying it.

We sure need more stories like yours.

Thanks for the deed and for making my day a bit brighter.

Koog

 

[David Jayne]

Why not. I do that sort of thing here and there. I figure if somebody's gonna enjoy it and it's just sitting around and isn't worth a lot of coin, eh. Let em have it.

 

[deepestend]

Let's see that bass! And tell us exactly why it was your number one. That's the part 2 of the story I really want to know.

 

[casualmadness]

Good karma for you OP. Condolences for the loss of your friend. My childhood best friend (was like my older brother growing up) died a few years back. He was three years younger than I am now. So I think about what will become of my stuff often as I don't have kids to leave stuff to.

 

[bolophonic]

Great story, OP. Sorry about your loss! Can we see the rest of the bass? I love a good Parts Bass and I'm curious what kind of pickup combination/positions and electronics created this sound that your friend liked so much

Let's see that bass! And tell us exactly why it was your number one. That's the part 2 of the story I really want to know.

It is a standard MIM neck mounted onto a very old Hondo body with a set of 70's Dimarzio Model P's and an 80's brass bridge from a Fender Precision Special. It is strung with GHS Pressurewound strings. Everything came from the TB Classifieds.

 

[bolophonic]

This is my new boomstick.

 

[two fingers]

1. I've been getting to that age where I'm starting to look around and wonder what will become of all this STUFF I've been accumulating over time. After setting up my wills and doing a general purge in the last few years, I started to go through my gear with an eye towards how it might be dispersed once I'm gone (hopefully not for a long time.) My wife and kids would certainly have to guess how I prioritize any of it.

2. A few weeks ago, one of my closest friends asked me to add some bass guitar to a recording project he was working on. He and I have worked on music together for almost 20 years and he is definitely the person who has inspired me the most to stick with it and to aim high. He is a phenomenal bassist.

3. My buddy texted me last week to ask me some questions about the bass I used to record. He really liked the sound. I told him it was a jalopy mutt built out of cast-off parts. He asked if I would consider helping him source something similar, which was the highest praise I could think of.

4. This past weekend, another close friend was stricken down at age 49 with a massive stroke that came out of nowhere like a bolt of lightning. We paid our respects and said goodbye to her in the ICU on Saturday.

5. Afterwards, I found myself looking at that bass over and over again and realized that it's just a thing and instead of trying to replicate the sound of it, I could just as easily surprise my friend with the exact bass that he liked and then have the pleasure of hearing it in his hands.

6. I now have a huge hole in my wall rack, so I need to start figuring out which one of my project basses is coming off the back bench into the big leagues. Wish me luck!

View attachment 3739076

But there's no hole in that heart of yours, my friend. Have fun piecing together the next #1.

 

[Mustang Surly]

"My wife and kids would certainly have to guess how I prioritize any of it."

Boy, has that thought ever crossed my mind a time or two.

Great story. Nice to know that something you've prized has gone on to someone else who will really appreciate it as much as you did.

 

[wvbass]

It IS just a thing. And it sucks getting older and reaching the point where you start worrying about losing friends.

It sounds to me like you have your priorities straight.

 

[DarbyC]

1. I've been getting to that age where I'm starting to look around and wonder what will become of all this STUFF I've been accumulating over time. After setting up my wills and doing a general purge in the last few years, I started to go through my gear with an eye towards how it might be dispersed once I'm gone (hopefully not for a long time.) My wife and kids would certainly have to guess how I prioritize any of it.

2. A few weeks ago, one of my closest friends asked me to add some bass guitar to a recording project he was working on. He and I have worked on music together for almost 20 years and he is definitely the person who has inspired me the most to stick with it and to aim high. He is a phenomenal bassist.

3. My buddy texted me last week to ask me some questions about the bass I used to record. He really liked the sound. I told him it was a jalopy mutt built out of cast-off parts. He asked if I would consider helping him source something similar, which was the highest praise I could think of.

4. This past weekend, another close friend was stricken down at age 49 with a massive stroke that came out of nowhere like a bolt of lightning. We paid our respects and said goodbye to her in the ICU on Saturday.

5. Afterwards, I found myself looking at that bass over and over again and realized that it's just a thing and instead of trying to replicate the sound of it, I could just as easily surprise my friend with the exact bass that he liked and then have the pleasure of hearing it in his hands.

6. I now have a huge hole in my wall rack, so I need to start figuring out which one of my project basses is coming off the back bench into the big leagues. Wish me luck!

View attachment 3739076

Wow... that's an awesome story.

 

[BillyB_from_LZ]

It is a standard MIM neck mounted onto a very old Hondo body with a set of 70's Dimarzio Model P's and an 80's brass bridge from a Fender Precision Special. It is strung with GHS Pressurewound strings. Everything came from the TB Classifieds.

A White, Rosewood, Tort P-Bass. My absolute favorite combination!!!

A friend asked me to look at a bunch of basses that she had to see what they were worth. Most were in terrible playing shape and filthy, so I offered to take them home, clean them up and do what I could to make them playable. All were easy to restore and my absolute favorite was an old Hondo Fame series P-Bass copy.

 

[EssEll]

Similar situation here, although I hope it's not something I'll need to do in the immediate future. But I've collected some decent instruments and amps and equipment over the years, and look around once in a while, wondering "where will these all be in 10-20 years?" Maybe still with me; maybe not. I have two sons who are both very good musicians (one's a drummer though -- all I have in that arena is a cajon!) but who have all but disowned me, so the natural next step for my stuff is still a big question. No other youngsters or even oldsters in my family who play. So I'll be mulling on this.... and playing them all as much as I can, while I still can!

 

[Miles_ONeal]

1. I've been getting to that age where I'm starting to look around and wonder what will become of all this STUFF I've been accumulating over time. After setting up my wills and doing a general purge in the last few years, I started to go through my gear with an eye towards how it might be dispersed once I'm gone (hopefully not for a long time.) My wife and kids would certainly have to guess how I prioritize any of it.

2. A few weeks ago, one of my closest friends asked me to add some bass guitar to a recording project he was working on. He and I have worked on music together for almost 20 years and he is definitely the person who has inspired me the most to stick with it and to aim high. He is a phenomenal bassist.

3. My buddy texted me last week to ask me some questions about the bass I used to record. He really liked the sound. I told him it was a jalopy mutt built out of cast-off parts. He asked if I would consider helping him source something similar, which was the highest praise I could think of.

4. This past weekend, another close friend was stricken down at age 49 with a massive stroke that came out of nowhere like a bolt of lightning. We paid our respects and said goodbye to her in the ICU on Saturday.

5. Afterwards, I found myself looking at that bass over and over again and realized that it's just a thing and instead of trying to replicate the sound of it, I could just as easily surprise my friend with the exact bass that he liked and then have the pleasure of hearing it in his hands.

6. I now have a huge hole in my wall rack, so I need to start figuring out which one of my project basses is coming off the back bench into the big leagues. Wish me luck!

View attachment 3739076

I love this.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Great story, thanks for sharing.

It's nice to get to a point in life where it's truly satisfying to give away stuff that has real significance to someone else.

A young guy at my church that now plays in the band always liked the bass I used to play. He and his wife work real hard to scrape by. Since I'm running sound the last couple years, I decided to surprise him at Christmas and just give him that bass. He almost cried.

I haven' given away an instrument that I love, but I have loaned out my most special electric guitar to a teenager learning to play, and not fussed when it came back broken by his kid brother. If someone really wanted it, I would. I did give away a special acoustic. And I've bought a couple of beginner basses to give away.
It's never too late to invest in the next generation (or anyone else, so long as they live).