Why One Must Use a Gig Bag Properly

Igor has been sending his sick time on the stand so The New Guy has had the gig bag. One night I was super tired and really shouldn't of pulled New Guy out [or just got distracted]. When I did call it a night I just slid him the the bag and slid that under the bed [where the gig bag lives] without so much as reaching for the zipper.

Later as I stumble to the bathroom my foot hits something that should not be on my bedroom floor: a bass knob. In a sleepy haze my mind tries to figure out where it came from. [I put all of Igor's back on and they require a allen wrench to remove.] New Guy's knobs can be pulled off by hand but they were on as I tossed him [carelessly] into the bag. 

In the morning I confirmed that the knob was from New Guy [though I have no idea how it left the bag] and as I go to pull him from under the bag the bass just slides out. [The zipper on the gig bag faces the wall so how the knob got out is really a mystery.] 

Lesson learned, zip [use] the gig bag!  

Midnight Math

Midnight, New Guy in my hand I'm staring at the fret board, unsure of what to do. I'm normally so punch drunk I'm useless at that hour, but then I recall that the fret board repeats notes after 12 frets, and that five frets down, one string over is that same note as the first open string. [It's actually open string is the same as the eleventh fret, and the first fret is the twelve fret ect.] Using these rules I realized that there is only one G on my A string [of the 19 fret neck] and nailed where both of the G notes are on the E string!

It would be very impressive if I could tell you what frets those G notes were on were, but I can't do that without a bass in my hand. [But that's when it matters right?] 

Scales? Chords?

I took another stab at understanding chords/scales. Plot a scale on a music sheet and I'll know it, but vertical chord charts throw my dyslexia into the point of no return. Regardless I tried Studybass.com and Learnbass.net but nothing clicks.

Why does this not make sense?!?

  

Looking for My Tone

Since New Guy is the only bass I can plug in and get a result with, so I decided to hook him up with the amp and play around with my combo's knobs [because that worked out so well the last time]. People on Talk Bass are always tone chasing [trying to copy X bassist's tone in whatever song]. In the same way you always see guys talking about 'that classic Fender tone' that way basses always sounded on records when they were growing up. I grew up in a double bass/prog rock tunnel [if you haven't noticed by my Rush/can my amp knock people over? posts].

So I turned all knobs down and cranked one up to see how it sounds. My one sucky pick up New Guy didn't really react notably to that so I crank two at a time. For me the the sweet spot was Gain all the way up with midway or all the way up Bass. Prefect mug you, punch you in the gut, in your face sound.  

Playing Blind

I took another stab at kicking fret marker dependence by playing at night. Okay it was a school night and I shouldn't of been picking up my bass [again]. I was playing in the almost total dark [save the weak street light] and it was so much fun!

The fret gradually decrease in size and I found it alot of fun to use my knowledge of the neck and the sides of the frets to get the right note. Not much point to this post, just found  [have I said fun?] and interesting way to almost woodshed.

Igor is Back!

To square one, but that's better off then before! After my Step-Dad battled the soldering gun [having electrical issues of its own] we got the wire back to its proper place and I had nothing, until [oh, blessed until] I squeezed the microchip looking pot:

Back we are to nothing back static, but it's better off then where we were before. Plus I noticed when my hand was on the bridge/bottom strap knob the static changed frequency. I'm not sure what that means but it it means something.  

Polish and Other Things.

Going off Micheal's idea I checked the wire connections again, taking out the pick ups out while I was at it. I had to take out the strings while I was at it and man, are the strings thread bare. It wasn't what he said to check but I discovered I put the second broken wire on the wrong spot. [WAH Wah wah...]

While the bass was string-less I decided to give the rosewood fret board some TLC. I dug this:

[see photo] from some recess of the house. The last item on its list was 'musical instruments' so why not. The fret board had been looking abit thirsty anyway.

I also clipped some the exess before restringing, I don't think the 66's will take another stringing which is a shame since I wanted to try washing strings, but I can't wait to see them go. [Even if I don't have the cash for the next set.]

I'm not sure how he'll sound different with the polished fret board, it's been so long since he's been played and I currently have his strings in not tuned but won't warp the neck tension. So we will see.
    

New Idea

I emailed a good friend asking if he knew of a good tech, in reply he gave me another option as to why my bass is making no sound. He suggested I look at where the wires connect to the pick ups. Unlike the New Guy who has the pick up come through the pick guard, and under the pick guard is nothing but a big whole; [whoa, run on sentence much?] Igor has holes for the pick ups on the front and a whole for the electronic on the back.

I did [slightly] tug on wires that went to the pick ups from the electronics' hole but there was no give. I have a new adventure before me. I just wish I didn't hate restringing.  

I Live in a Dead Zone

Good new is if I ever have an extra $1,000 to send I can totally find award winning double bass techs in my area [guitar repair not so much]. You'd think there would be some options living in the northeastern megapolis as I do, but no, this area is utterly void of well known techs, just like the non-existing music scene.

 Eh, close enough. 

 My options are drive into a city I rarely visit to hand over my henchman, or drop him off with some local tech who I can get no reviews on, and probably spend an arm and leg for. I haven't talked to Micheal in awhile.... 

Stalling Myself

Igor is crippled with no tech in sight, so I took the new guy out of the body [gig] bag. As I've touched on before, once I played Igor for nearly a year my fretting had chilled out from the beginner's stressed out crane hand:

Not exactly what I meant but clearly stressed.

Instead of moving forward and learning chords and songs and such, I want to learn the fret board again. [Actually I don't really know the fret board now, I only have half a clue.] I know I'm anal about fret buzz, but the only way to get over that is get comfortable with New Guy's neck, which  take months.

DUH! DUH! oh fuck...

My mom's Luke broke out the soldering gun. [I've burned myself every time I've handled a glue gun, me with a soldering gun is a bad idea.] It was a bit hit and go with the spotty soldering gun while I timidly pointed at where the wire went but it got connected.

I plugged Igor in, and nothing. I have a slight freak out and than remember to put in a battery [this will be my last active bass]. Still no sound, not even hand static [before the disconnected wire I could get static noise when my hand was near the wiring]. I could get some chirp like sound when I plugged in the battery, but otherwise nothing. Inspecting the pots again I found another broken wire off a different pot.

Round two the the soldering gun and all wires are clearly connected and still no sound. Even the members of TB think it's time for the doc [tech].