Flutophone, then trumpet, baritone horn, guitar, electric bass, then upright, in that order. Started on electric bass in 1967, upright during the erly 2000's.
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What Did You Start With?
- Thread starter dramatwist
- Start date
I bought a new mapleglo 4001 in 1977 for right about that same price at Wurlitzers in Boston. I forgot the price exactly but it was something like 429.00 with case. I think I used my tax returns to but it. The guitarist in my band wanted me to buy a new Musicman but i wanted the Ric.
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Started playing trumpet in elementary school
Between middle school and high school I switched to tuba, however I was already signed up for jazz band when my freshman year began. I tried going back to trumpet for jazz band and still playing tuba for marching and concert bands. My chops decided that wasn't happening so that year we had a tuba and a bass guitar. The bass player was a senior and left a hole for me the next year. Our director asked if I wanted to continue with the tuba in jazz band, I volunteered to take up the bass even though I had never played one before. So i took the school's crappy old fender musicmaster bass home over the summer (he wouldn't let me take home the early 70's jazz bass) and tought myself to play. And this was in '82, no YouTube back then! I remember my first concert we played Morning Dance (SpyroGyra) and Spain (Herbie Hancock). To this day those are my favorite songs to just noodle around on.
Between middle school and high school I switched to tuba, however I was already signed up for jazz band when my freshman year began. I tried going back to trumpet for jazz band and still playing tuba for marching and concert bands. My chops decided that wasn't happening so that year we had a tuba and a bass guitar. The bass player was a senior and left a hole for me the next year. Our director asked if I wanted to continue with the tuba in jazz band, I volunteered to take up the bass even though I had never played one before. So i took the school's crappy old fender musicmaster bass home over the summer (he wouldn't let me take home the early 70's jazz bass) and tought myself to play. And this was in '82, no YouTube back then! I remember my first concert we played Morning Dance (SpyroGyra) and Spain (Herbie Hancock). To this day those are my favorite songs to just noodle around on.
1993
Although I did have a a few weeks in the 80's at school with an Alto sax, it's the Bassstation that got me into music properly. Few more synths and drum machines, then a sampler.
2000 flute> Baritone Sax> Soprano> Alto flute.
2012 got an electric Guitar as I wasn't really dealing with chords, so pushed myself.
Moved to Vietnam, and picked up an cheap acoustic until I got my Electric into the country
2015 Squire Jazz bass
Hindsight, I would have got a Bass guitar in 1993, but despite that, I have an inkling for...
Although I did have a a few weeks in the 80's at school with an Alto sax, it's the Bassstation that got me into music properly. Few more synths and drum machines, then a sampler.
2000 flute> Baritone Sax> Soprano> Alto flute.
2012 got an electric Guitar as I wasn't really dealing with chords, so pushed myself.
Moved to Vietnam, and picked up an cheap acoustic until I got my Electric into the country
2015 Squire Jazz bass
Hindsight, I would have got a Bass guitar in 1993, but despite that, I have an inkling for...
I started singing in church when I was 5. Piano from 6 on, by myself after a few years of lessons. Alto and Bari sax in middle school as well as guitar.
I started playing bass at 30 after some severe nerve damage in my left hand guitar an untenable option for a while. At first it was just *any* musical outlet I could. Found I liked it much better than guitar having the percussive element.
My hand could barely articulate a fist back then, but a decade later I have about 70% of my range of motion and 50% of my pinch strength back. I owe that to bass for inspiring me to keep going. I can even play guitar again! Not really shreddy stuff, but I see it as a complete win that I can play chords again!
I started playing bass at 30 after some severe nerve damage in my left hand guitar an untenable option for a while. At first it was just *any* musical outlet I could. Found I liked it much better than guitar having the percussive element.
My hand could barely articulate a fist back then, but a decade later I have about 70% of my range of motion and 50% of my pinch strength back. I owe that to bass for inspiring me to keep going. I can even play guitar again! Not really shreddy stuff, but I see it as a complete win that I can play chords again!
Electric, at 13 (after piano and a bit of guitar). Didn’t play double bass until my wife bought me one as a wedding present when I was 26.
piano in public school, trumpet in grade 7, family moved districts so a ukulele in grade 8 ( hated it, was a year behind classmates and had an "I play trumpet" attitude), moved back to 1st district, so back to trumpet for grade 9, sax as a young adult and electric bass about 8 years ago, a Yamaha RBX270
Started on guitar, but always knew that I wanted to play bass - thank you Sir Paul - which finally happened a couple of years later, more than four decades ago.
Started piano when I was 6. Played for 5 years. Played guitar for about 20 years, then picked up bass after a 15 break from music.
Pounding on a placenta was where it all began, if I recall. More peppering than pounding, a steady, inquisitive knock-knock-knocking — is there anybody out there? I just wanted out, I imagine. Prenatal punk. Drumming followed, it figures, then voice, though I was wailing too, at every stage. Then gut, steel, spark, speaker — top, bottom, top, bottom, top, if you discount the melodica and the recorder, and other downtime tinkering.
Piano, then drums. Then guitar. Then Keyboard... Then guitar again. Look, it took me a long time to get here, ok.
Started on piano, then switched to baritone horn in 7th grade band, then tuba in 9th grade. Got my first electric (see avatar) by sophomore year from one of the other tuba players.
At home on electric when I was 13. Played a few different instruments before, but bass stuck because I figured most people didn't want to play it so I figured I could always find a gig.
At around age 20, I moved into a house with roommates that I didn’t really know. They played instruments and liked punk rock. Nobody had a bass.
I wanted in on the fun. I started playing the bass notes on one of the extra guitars. They taught me to follow along with the bar chords. The guitar wasn’t cutting it, so I bought a new Hondo P bass from a local music store and put together a bass rig from oddball junk.
A little while after getting the bass, I found an instructional “play along with the Ventures” record at a yard sale It was complete with the book and the record that had tracks with the bass cut out. That taught me some patterns and helped improve timing.
From that point I was able to listen to records and pick-up more patterns, styles and songs.
I wanted in on the fun. I started playing the bass notes on one of the extra guitars. They taught me to follow along with the bar chords. The guitar wasn’t cutting it, so I bought a new Hondo P bass from a local music store and put together a bass rig from oddball junk.
A little while after getting the bass, I found an instructional “play along with the Ventures” record at a yard sale It was complete with the book and the record that had tracks with the bass cut out. That taught me some patterns and helped improve timing.
From that point I was able to listen to records and pick-up more patterns, styles and songs.
During summertime before I started 8th grade, my dad requested my guidance counselor put me in regular music class & school band. For some reason, and we NEVER figured out why, but she hated my folks and was always very rotten and condescending toward me. My folks knew she was bonkers. The class she stuck me in instead was a "business & economics" class with this washed up, drug abusing, half minded teacher, who was chopped down to part time for allowing kids to get drunk at his house by the lake, among various other misdeeds. I was really bummed and my folks were PI$$ED, but we couldn't do anything about it. She wouldn't budge.
Later on at a school assembly, there was this super cheesy christian 80's hair band called Voyager, invited to come offer a positive message for us kids. None of us were interested in what they were doing, but I noticed the 2 guitar players. One of em had this long necked guitar and was plucking at it with his fingers, and I thought that was SO COOL to watch. So I went home that day & told my dad what I saw, he told me "oh yeah! that other guitar was a BASS!" and very excitedly I said I wanted to learn how to do that. So he said "we'll see".
Time went by and I rifled through every catalogue I could find looking for a bass guitar. Sears, JC Penney, Brand Names, all sorts, but my folks didn't seem to really care. Then came Christmas 1998. Ripped all my presents open, and there was one really big one stashed behind the easy chair. My dad said "hey, there's one left, it's for you kid!" So we hauled it out onto the floor, I started ripping the paper, and it was this huge flat cardboard box with a couple bricks keeping it standing. I pulled the box away, yanked it open, and inside was a black Peavey Fury with a white pickguard & maple neck. I jumped on my dad with a huge hug and thanked him like mad for it. I was really bonkers about Metallica back then, I think first song I learned how to play was "Don't Tread On Me". Followed shortly after by "Wannabe" by The Spice Girls.
The rest is history.
Later on at a school assembly, there was this super cheesy christian 80's hair band called Voyager, invited to come offer a positive message for us kids. None of us were interested in what they were doing, but I noticed the 2 guitar players. One of em had this long necked guitar and was plucking at it with his fingers, and I thought that was SO COOL to watch. So I went home that day & told my dad what I saw, he told me "oh yeah! that other guitar was a BASS!" and very excitedly I said I wanted to learn how to do that. So he said "we'll see".
Time went by and I rifled through every catalogue I could find looking for a bass guitar. Sears, JC Penney, Brand Names, all sorts, but my folks didn't seem to really care. Then came Christmas 1998. Ripped all my presents open, and there was one really big one stashed behind the easy chair. My dad said "hey, there's one left, it's for you kid!" So we hauled it out onto the floor, I started ripping the paper, and it was this huge flat cardboard box with a couple bricks keeping it standing. I pulled the box away, yanked it open, and inside was a black Peavey Fury with a white pickguard & maple neck. I jumped on my dad with a huge hug and thanked him like mad for it. I was really bonkers about Metallica back then, I think first song I learned how to play was "Don't Tread On Me". Followed shortly after by "Wannabe" by The Spice Girls.
The rest is history.
Electric 4. I did get an upright in my junior year, but it was a very old student model that had no low end and not much volume.
Started on trumpet in late elementary school. Almost quit because my lips wouldn't fit in the mouthpiece 
, but stuck with it through middle school, high school, and some of college. Played a bunch of other brass instruments throughout those times as well. Dabbled in percussion and arranging/composing. Concert, jazz, marching, summer camps, all-state, state honor band... Anything I could get into..
Once I left college and had no musical outlet for a few years, I eventually bought my first bass at around 26 years old - A Nirvana Black Rockbass Corvette - along with a Fender Rumble 25. Jumped in and started transposing stuff I liked by ear. Never knew I'd get into it as much as I did, but I'm glad I did.
, but stuck with it through middle school, high school, and some of college. Played a bunch of other brass instruments throughout those times as well. Dabbled in percussion and arranging/composing. Concert, jazz, marching, summer camps, all-state, state honor band... Anything I could get into..Once I left college and had no musical outlet for a few years, I eventually bought my first bass at around 26 years old - A Nirvana Black Rockbass Corvette - along with a Fender Rumble 25. Jumped in and started transposing stuff I liked by ear. Never knew I'd get into it as much as I did, but I'm glad I did.
Two years ago at age 66, with no musical experience or obvious talent I started trying to play guitar for some reason, but arthritic fingers made that a no go.
An ex-friend heard I was trying to learn and said "you gave me this broken Ibanez Sound Gear bass years back and I've never fixed so why don't you take it back". I didn't remember a thing about giving it to him but said OK and took it back.
I soldered one wire and installed a mismatched tuner so it made music, and swapped in new strings so it sounded pretty good for a free bass.
The big fat strings fit my big fat fingers and I found out I could even play it some.
Two years later I've got a Fender P bass, Godin 4-string, fretless Yamaha BB350F and a 5-string EBMM clone OLP and I play them (badly) every day.
Only now I'm in Baja Mexico BCS (Todos Santos) and I'm having bad bass playing withdrawal symptoms after 10 days (also booze and cannabis withdrawal pangs since I'm doing a sort of self-rehab but that's a different story-Cabo, biggest party town ever, what a spot for self rehab).
The dope and booze discomforts are bout gone but the bass playing jonses are getting worse. It's hardly even music but it's one of the best of my therapies and coping mechanisms.
So if any Todos Santos bassists are reading this, please drop by Hotel Maria Bonita and bring me your ax to play for a while. Or La Paz, I go there Thursday.
Help me Obi Juan Pastorias, you're my only hope!
Willy-In Mexico call me Memo
An ex-friend heard I was trying to learn and said "you gave me this broken Ibanez Sound Gear bass years back and I've never fixed so why don't you take it back". I didn't remember a thing about giving it to him but said OK and took it back.
I soldered one wire and installed a mismatched tuner so it made music, and swapped in new strings so it sounded pretty good for a free bass.
The big fat strings fit my big fat fingers and I found out I could even play it some.
Two years later I've got a Fender P bass, Godin 4-string, fretless Yamaha BB350F and a 5-string EBMM clone OLP and I play them (badly) every day.
Only now I'm in Baja Mexico BCS (Todos Santos) and I'm having bad bass playing withdrawal symptoms after 10 days (also booze and cannabis withdrawal pangs since I'm doing a sort of self-rehab but that's a different story-Cabo, biggest party town ever, what a spot for self rehab).
The dope and booze discomforts are bout gone but the bass playing jonses are getting worse. It's hardly even music but it's one of the best of my therapies and coping mechanisms.
So if any Todos Santos bassists are reading this, please drop by Hotel Maria Bonita and bring me your ax to play for a while. Or La Paz, I go there Thursday.
Help me Obi Juan Pastorias, you're my only hope!
Willy-In Mexico call me Memo
