Susan’s Basses
A year ago, I never thought I’d own a bass (that I bought or was specifically purchased for me) — much less 3! Here’s the story:
Yes, I had actually played a bit of bass in my younger years (30’s – 40’s) —- but only twice, as a member of a teacher-band in our school’s annual “Talent Show.” My husband Mike showed me what to play and I memorized it.
Nowadays, I still learn what to play from Mike….BUT!!!…..I also have figured out how to add additional notes to the basic (ha ha) bass parts. Paul McCartney refers to these as “fiddly bits.” I have a looooong ways to go. It’s no secret that I am the most amateur member of Harmonic Dirt. (They let me play with them since I write the lyrics!)
So why do I have 3 basses now? My original bass many, many years ago was a Hofner-like loaner that ended up breaking. It was also hard to keep in tune. My 2nd was a used bass (bought off of a friend of our oldest daughter’s) and was huge and heavy. I would often hold it upright between my knees and try playing it like a standup bass. Flash forward many years….and a cute little Uke bass showed up under the Christmas tree in Dec 2017 for ME! I loved it!! It sounds a lot like a standup bass! But, it had some limitations. In April 2018 I found myself in an Ithaca guitar store and $300 later, a Fender Squire Jaguar (short-scale) bass was in my hands. Then, in August 2018 we hosted the incredibly fabulous western-Canadian band “Leeroy Stagger and the RebelTone Boys” at a house concert. Bassist Tyson Maiko let me play his gorgeous Hofner with Thomastik flat-wound strings. It was a joy. Soon after, Mike ordered me a (lower cost version) Hofner bass! And just yesterday, I received a package of flat-wound strings in my Christmas stocking.