...AND ONCE IT WAS!!!!

[Paul Lindemans (palembic)]

Hey friends,  
 
I wonder always fumbling through these departments on this nice board with friendly people: how did they get involved in bass-playing once?  
I don't mean involved playing an Alembic but involved in playing bass?  
I remember 32 years ago I was playing a beaten up old spanish guitar with a friend after school. We were together exploring the world of (simple) chords. My friend always played the high strings soloing. He made me do solos but I didn't like it. I was always playing those thicker strings. When we listened to a song together we could play I was always humming along with ..the bass-line (can you imagine ...I'm a tenor LOL).  
A wednesday afternoon we met with a guy who had a piano and ...a bass guitar. I took up that 4 string guitar and started playing along.  
The guy said: have you learned to play bass?  
I said Nope.  
well he answered you already can!  
That started a passionfull relationship with the lower frequencies in music and with a SII 5s Alembic at the end (now about 6 years).  
I still play acoustic guitar and rattle around on an old Ibanez hollowbody electric but mainly ...  
I'm staying at the low-side!  
What about your story?  
Once it was ....  
 
Take care!  
 
Paul
 
(Message edited by palembic on January 22, 2003)

[Michael Delacerda (dela217)]

Like a lot of bass players, I started all of this by playing guitar.  I was in high school at the time and a friend of mine who was also a guitar player asked me to come to their band rehearsal to check them out. So I went.  We waited around for a while for the bass player to show up.  Fortunately for me he never did.  I picked up his bass and started to fill in for hime.  It was a turning point for me.  I realized that guitar was not for me.  I just LOVED what I was doing.  I went out and bought a bass of my own.  It was a Rickenbacker.  Awful thing.  Neck like a banana. I started saving and purchased my Alembic in 1977.  Been beating the bass ever since.

[Charles David Tichenor (alembic76407)]

I wanted to be a drummer, the only lessons I could get in the third grade was the upright bass , so I went for it, still wanting to be a drummer I took drum lessons in the sixth grade and was in mt first band by the seventh grade, playing drums, wanting to stand out front, I switched to bass in the nineth grade, my first bass was a  1961 Fender Percision, Then a Hofner super beatle (blond),I traded them both + $1000 for my 76 Alembic Series1 (new) and still have it. and the rest is history
David T (alembic76407)
ps I can't play drums anymore

[Mike Addyman Sr. (dadabass2001)]

I was a junior in High School, and a friend was taking guitar lessons from my father at a local music store. I didn't want to be compared to my Dad (who was a great rythmn player with a large Gibson hollow body from the early fifties), so I picked up a St. George bass (barely playable Fender copy). Formal lessons with my father lasted 2 weeks (I was the worst student in the world). The rest I picked up by ear and osmosis. I heard Jack Cassidy playing with the Airplane and Phil with the Dead and knew what I wanted. I bought a Guild Starfire II in 1973, but quit playing in '79 for 17 years to raise a family. I started again in '96 and bought my first Epic in '98. I now have the Guild, an '81 Distillate, and 2 Epics ('98 and '99). The Guild and the '99 Epic are lined fretless. My energy to practice is high again, due in part to my newest baby, and a fun band to play with (kicking drummer).

[David M. McKenney (david_mckenney)]

I'm almost afraid to admit this. It's the Bad Joke come to life.  
 
I'm a Failed Guitarist.
 
Started off at 10, on a baritone ukulele. Began sneaking my dad's Aria classical into my room and practicing Travis-Picking (ahh, those Peter, Paul & Mary tab' books!) around 12. Got pretty good at it, too. But, when my brother Dan started playing Electric Rock guitar I found I couldn't make the transition, and rather than get left-behind, I started picking up a little Gibson bass the neighbor kid had left in our basement.  
 
And, as I recall now, I played using Travis-Picking technique! Thumb on the E, index on the A, middle on the D, and ring on the G. You use what you know, I guess....
 
Play Nice,
 
David McK.

[Matt Bulmer (prime)]

I started playing about '92 in high school. I guess I knew that I wanted to play bass simply because that's what I heard first in a song. Some people hear the lyrics, others the guitar or drums. I heard bass first, and couldn't begin to tell you what lyrics I'd just listened to. It also helped that my favorite musician at the time was Geddy Lee and that my grandfather and two uncles played bass. I felt I had a connection to the instrument before I ever played it.  
 
My first bass which I still treasure and would never dream of getting rid of was an older Fender Squire P-Bass that someone had sanded the logo off and tried to sell as an actual Fender. It's made of plywood! I played that religiously for about 4 years until I upgraded to a 6 string Pedulla Thunderbolt. Right now I'm also playing an OLP Stingray (Never heard a better bass for $199 and just as sturdy feeling as the $1300 MusicMan), and a 1982 Ibanez Musician Fretless, while I anxiously await my first custom bass from Alembic!

[Joey Wilson (bigredbass)]

I guess it's all in how your brain is wired.
 
My wife comes from a family rooted in Country and Southern Gospel quartet-style singing.  She can sing any line and she just hears the other three parts.  Play her a CD and she can pick the parts right out of the air.  I don't sing and have no luck at all with this.
 
On the other hand, I hear the bass parts just the same way.  I hear the pedals if I hear pipe organ. I hear the contrabasses in an orchestra.  I hear bass guitar and kick drum instantly, unconsciously, I don't even think about it. It just happens.  I even hear a fundamental in the Cummins engine when an 18-wheeler goes by.
 
No wonder I changed to bass after playing piano after 15 years.

[Paul Lindemans (palembic)]

Hi friends,
 
the fun part about this discussion going over the pond is that I started the thread yesterday-evening (local time) and now it is morning I can check a whole lot of beautiful stories of nice people to start my day with.
Mike: the hold-priod was about the same for me. I quit playing from my 25th to my 36th year. After that I restart playing on a Roland GRB 2000() synth bass lend from my friend Koen a former BIT student. I went studying up-right at evening classes together with music-theory. I did this for 4 years.
I don'thave an upright anymore (another dream to find one ever) but the sight-reading comes very handy on my electric playing with the Big-band.
 
Folks: i can't help to notice that most people actually started playing bass because they were focused in their minds on those sounds. Joey: that's a good comparison: the Cummins engine. A couple of months ago brother Dino started about the Harley-Alembic relation. Now we're really ging for the heavy-wheights! LOL!
David T: I bet you play bass as a drummer ..cfr. brother Mark (King) ;-)
 
Paul

[Jonathan Johnstone (stoney)]

1968, high school auditorium, some guys were talking about getting a band together and needed a bass player.  I was not in the in crowd and quite shy but I spoke up and said, Hey, I can play bass (or at least I had always wanted to) They said, OK, but the guitar player doesn't have an amp yet, when it comes in, we'll let you know when we're getting together.  Fine mess I got myself into!  OK, I've played classical piano since I was four years old. Hearing and feeling bass came natural to me and always wanted to be able to punch out those incredibly cool lines. Trouble was, I had no bass and no amp (YIKES).  Long and short of it was....I found a used Mayfair bass and a case for 35.00 (total)bass was too long for the case, cut off the top of the headstock.  Pulled some money from my paper rout, bought one of those little Hamony amps. Put Midhight Hour on the record player and away I went. It simply just WORKED for me. Fingering made sense, attack, scales, everything. This drove my late father nuts as he had been a professional musician, toured with Billy Butterfield, had his master's degree in music, had his own little quartette. OK, cool. got into the band and played with them until '72. On to college, bought a used '61 Fender Jazz for 150.00 (later sold it for 1500.00) During summers off from college I returned to my home town and was able to play many gigs with my father's band. He said one evening before his gig, son, you're GOOD at that, bring it along and come to my gig (That night I read more charts than a first year medical resident!!!)
 
Fast forward to 1990 Bought my first Alembic but had been craving one since 1975 when I first saw Stanley Clark with Return to forever.  The rest, as they way his history. I'll never own another bass other than Alembic.

[Daniel Tracey (dannobasso)]

I come from a musical family of 8. I played clarinet, bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet, sax, and tuba. My brother studied classical guitar with Juan De La Mata of the Spanish Conservatory. He also played bass in the Catskills. My other brother plays salsa trombone with the top acts around NYC.  Some friends were starting a band and needed a bass player. I said I'll do it. I worked as a Cabana boy and bought a Gibson Ripper L4 ( ala Peter Cetera ). Kept it up, got a custom fretless so I lent the Gibson to a guy whose Rick was stolen. He ended being a heroin addict and sold my bass to Bronen's Music in New Jersey. I then bought a BC Rick Mockingbird Bass in  pearl white in 83. The neck was flimsey. I returned it and made a trip to Sam Ash on 48th street (store credit only). I saw the Alembic line up. A koa spoiler was the only one I could afford. (900.00 no case) I raced back to NJ, got more money and never stopped my affair with Alembic. I got  my second in 86 custom spoiler 6 deluxe neck in quilted maple and purpleheart (body is purpleheart too) w/mop dragon inlay. 93 custom spoiler 6 jazz spacing deluxe neck in flame koa with mop initials. Used 89 spoiler exploiter 4 in quilted maple w double p pups, used 87 SC signature deluxe in rosewood. 2000 Custom spoiler deluxe 7 lined fretless in coco bolo. 2002 custom spoiler 6 deluxe in figured walnut with initials in mop and silver ring and last but not least at Mica's suggestion, custom Excel 2 fatboy pup custom circut in flame maple with almopst black paint. I'm seeing what a twin for it would cost  with ebony board. I've used F1x's since 88, and preach the Alembic gospel as far as I can including a trip to Ireland in 98. My current band is Doomtree www.doomtree.com The recordings were done witn my SC deluxe and the Excel through the F1X. Keeping hope alive!

[Paul Ellsworth (elzie)]

Well, I actually started playing a synthesizer and keyboard in the seventies. As I was playing for a bit, a friend of mine had a bass with only three strings on it.  
 
He wanted to sell it to me for $20, but I didn't have a job at 13 years of age, so I borrowed the money from my mother's emergency cash jar. My brother had a hollow body 12 string that he didn't know how to play, so he gave it to me and my collection was born!
 
I play guitar also, but like Malcom Young, it's strictly rythm Bass really was a natural feel for me and the guitar quickly took a back seat even though I still have one left and play it occasionally. Guitars come and go, except for the one that I still own. The same goes for basses. I have had many, but will not part with my Fender, Warmouth or Alembic  And since I've owned the Fender for over 20 years, it holds a very special place in my heart.

[Paul Lindemans (palembic)]

Daniel,  
   
i went to Doomtree and loaded down a MP3. I'll listen !  
   
Paul  
Jeeeeeeeeez.... I just noticed I became an advanced member of this club. I really can't hold my mouth shut. But wait you friends out there: in a couple of years I'll be an advanced bass-player too LOL  ;-)
 
(Message edited by palembic on January 23, 2003)
 
(Message edited by palembic on January 23, 2003)

[Simon Taylor (staylor)]

My dad played guitar and bass most of his life, though he took the typical hiatus when us kids came along.  Mom also played guitar -- she could pick out just about any song after hearing it only once or twice!!  So, all through my childhood I had messed around on the only 6 string accoustic guitar that my parents owned, but never really got that interested.  
 
By the time I was 16 or 17 years old, a bunch of my band geek friends were starting a rock band (I had 6 or 7 years of trumpet under my belt at that point).  I was pretty interested in the idea of playing music in a band, but trumpet really didn't fit into their thing.  The last member they needed was a bass player, but my family was too poor to buy a bass for what was really more of a social activity than anything else.  Plus, they already had a guy they thought was going be their bass player, Scott.  
 
Scott didn't really have a musical background, but he wasn't poor. So, when he decided he was going to become a bass player, out he went to the music store and back he came with a Fender P-bass and a new Peavy combo 15.  It seemed a sure deal that, whatever else happened to finish my high school career, it would not end with me playing bass.
 
Fast foward a few weeks.  Scott wasn't really working out, as he apparently had no rhythm.  Still, I had no bass, so it wasn't like I was going to step in.  But then one sunny afternoon my friend Bill (he was in the band) showed up at my house and said, Scott's really not working out, but I found this bass at a pawn shop -- you owe me $70.  Practice is tomorrow after school.  

[Paul Ellsworth (elzie)]

That must have been cool growing up with musician parents Simon. As for a trumpet not fitting in with rock, I'm not too sure about that. Back in the 80's there was a band around the Boston area that I used to see in clubs called Heavy Metal Horns. They had a three or four piece horn section with a rock band and were quite good.
 
Does anyone else from the Massachusetts area remember them?

[Simon Taylor (staylor)]

I've always thought I had a really lucky childhood.  My parents were very cool.  Especially because they never tried to force anything on us in terms of playing guitar or some other instrument.  Just support us as best they could.
 
Oh yeah, don't get me wrong.  Horns have a great place in rock -- it just wasn't going to work out at the time.  Sometimes I still want to pick up my Olds Studio and build my chops back up!  I think the braces that I got when I was 18 changed the shape of my mouth so much, though, that I'm not sure if I could get those chops back.
 
You should have seen that bass though . . . the nastiest 3/4 scale piece of junk I've ever encountered.  Bad electronics, warped neck, bad intonation.  It was really a piece of garbage, but for $70 I couldn't expect anything better.  Totally funny now that I look back, but it was frustrating at the time trying to make it do anything at all ;-)