Oh, Internet Shopping

I'm on my way to modding; I bought a new bridge and strings for the new guy. I'm going with flats because I wanted flats last string change but chickened out, plus they were on sale for the price of rounds. The bridge is more or less the same as Igor's [which I have no complaints about whatsoever!]

At $42 for the bundle it's not bad at all, now to wait....

Burn That Bridge

I hate the bridge on The Bronco. Much to Pilgrim's dismay [Super helpful member of TB with a modded Bronco] I could not imagine keeping it on. Allow me to get a picture of the evil thing:

As you can see it only has two saddles, so you end up adjusting two strings at once. I actually wasn't too bothered by this, its true vice is the back plate [proper name is bridge plate]. See that bill hanging over the saddle screw? It is from hell's deepest circle. 

First it's impossible to access the saddle screws without scratching the paint. I may not be in love with this bass, but that's still not okay, especially when I get it repainted. [For those of you who think getting another screwdriver would fix this problem, hold on to your hat.] Secondly, that bill always cast the screws into shadow. It can not be gotten around. 

This Made Me Tilt My Head

Somethings you just come to learn. When greenhorns are learning to play they always hear about the one finger per fret technique; if they continue playing bass for two or more days they learn that the one fret for finger often goes against the "just relax" attitude of playing.

This is how most seasoned bassist's fretting hand looks. [Pardon the myriad of Seth Bolt pictures, I have a ton of pictures I've taken at shows.] Fingers all clustered together, somehow snaking around the neck to the right notes.

On another noodle session [which happens twenty times for every woodshed] I noticed my hand was automatically doing that super chill bassist hand thing. I never tried to learn this, it just naturally developed.        

With No Emotional Attachment

Comes what should be horror [when it comes to basses]. I'll let this post be about the strings.
They never felt right, one of many things I disliked about the bronco was that the strings were far too light.

I had a moment of giddiness as I recalled the higher gauge stock strings I kept from Igor. But Igor is a full sized bass, and the new guy is a short scale. TB said not to do it, but as still a teen with a bass I don't love [yet] I had to try.

If the tuners were set up backwards [so that the largest string was set at the top of the head stock] I might of had made it work; but there was no way it was going to happen the way the tuners were set. There was no blood this time, just much disappointment. There was a bright spot of hope as I remembered every teenager's partner in shenanigans, Duck Tape.

Sadly, even Duck Tape could not remedy this [fact Duck Tape can only double as a bridge for strings up to .65 gauge]. So my minion has been setting cockeyed and untouched for much too long.

      

Dealing with the Flip

I am a southpaw bassist. [Yes I dare to call myself a bassist, a bad bassist but a bassist nonetheless.] Yet I don't regret buying a right hand[-er?]. I still grab the neck with my right hand, I still question if the strings are in the right order, but there are moments when it feels so right.

It's so hard to explain, those moments when I'm frowning over adding something else to the to-do list, and I realize how much less I have to think right handed. It's like there's less effort to get out what I want to play, when playing right handed.

Playing southpaw isn't harder, it just takes longer in the millisecond frame of time. It's kinda scary yet totally awesome.

Comparison Time

Two entry level basses: 2002 not fender Bronco and 2005-06 Ibanez GSR200l.

Starting with the head stock I prefer Igor's. I like the look of the in a row tuners but let me tell you that top tuner is a pain the the ass to reach. Igor's head stock looks odd, notably where the head stock meets the neck; but The Bronco's is just too big for the bass. And what is that not tuner metal thing in the middle of the head stock? It's messing with my string spacing and I don't like it.
Last thing about the head stock, Igor has a truss rod cover, this new guy doesn't; it seems cheap and immodest without it. Ibanez wins for best head
stock.

The necks really are two totally different beasts. I can't tell if the maple fret board really 'poppy-er' since I still have stock strings on it. I haven't played long enough to properly compare the two, but the bronco has this strip down the back of the neck like the clocking of a stocking which is damn sexy.

The body is really where the bronco sucks, between the over sized head stock and the small and fat  body, I feel like I'm holding an awkward middle school-er. I miss the nice horn of my Ibanez, I feel like I have nothing to grab onto.

Hardware wise it's give and take. I love where the jack plug is on the Bronco, I still fumble around when plugging in Igor. The knobs are also better on the bronco, they're even with no screw needed.  The Bronco's bridge has to go. I couldn't adjust the action without scrapping paint with the screwdriver, good thing I plan to repaint it, but I have to get a new bridge first. Also there's something very stone age about the tuners.

This new bass makes me really love Igor.  

        

It's Here!

It came! It came! The weekend before I have a test, quiz, and paper due [thank you Murphy] my minion arrived. [Minion isn't his official name, that's just what popped into my head as I carried it into my room and Igor was setting in his stand; yes I felt like I had to introduce them.]

  He's kinda adorable. The head stock is much too big for him, and the body really doesn't give you anything to hold on to. The bridge is a bitch, and the tuners are stone aged, but I'm still so giddy.   

Stiff Left Hand

My left hand is going through boot camp this week as I wait for my Bronco to arrive. I made a point to count my change yesterday [so I didn't feel too bad about spending so much for that bass] and made myself put all the coins back into the piggy bank using only my left hand.

I'm also writing this post with just my left hand. [I've had to stop twice thus far for cramping.] My hand is creaking like an old person's but I have to keep working at it.

Trigger Happy?

I was impatient about this bass. I suppose I was spoiled with my first bass; I bought Igor twenty five hours after deciding what model I wanted. It had been over a week and the only broncos where coming up for $139 used [they're $149 new] which would be more then new after shipping and taxes after it would be all said and done.

Monday I clicked on to GC's website and freaked when I saw three new broncos all within my price range. I was too late for the $79 one, but the $99 ones were waiting for me. I jumped, and cringed when the final price checkout was $132. That's almost more than what I payed for Igor, who I got at 60% off him; and it was not even $20 off retail for the Bronco.

I starting regretting buying it right then and there. Posting about it on TB made me feel better since most said I still payed a good price. Most shocking is when my mom heard that I payed more then I wanted for it. [My mother is the legendarily frugal one in the family.]

"Eh, you love playing, no biggie."

It should arrive by Friday if this storm doesn't muck with the shipping. [Just in time for a load of school work.]        

The Bull's Neck

[This post is so behind the times.]

I spent a solid eight minutes with the bronco [in person] and I have to say, it's not as homey as I remember the Fender ABG's to be.  The neck is thick, quite the opposite of my Ibanez, which causes cramping every so often. I have heard of bassists sanding down the back of their necks [of their basses] since I plan on modding this bass I might add this to my to-do list; but it will be far down the list.

The frets were also sticking out on the neck on the sides. This is a normal problem/easy fix for low level basses, but it's still more work than I planned and I'm unsure if I want to go though of it.

What Luck

Whenever I want to go out to a music store it normally takes about six weeks to actually get there. So when I discovered a bass I wanted to check out [not this one, which I'm totally over] was at the local Best Buy I flipped. I managed to get a ride there within a few days, and the outing went without drama

When I entered the store I was greeted by an employee from some section I wasn't interested in. [It may of been the guy who was the Rush fan, or he thought I was a shoplifter since I was wearing a winter coat.] Upon entering the music section I was pleasantly surprised to see an employee behind the counter [that happens about 1/3 of the time] and it was kinda awesome that it was a chick too. But luckily the bronco was on the lowest level of hangers, so I needed no one's help.

Funny thing, at one point I handed the bass to my mom who was shocked how heavy it was. I never even noticed.      

The Sounds of Life

I remember being younger, watching some Disney as a tick of a clock and the tap of a hand lead to half a dozen people breaking out into song. I tried to make this happen in real life but I only got as far as a few people tapping along to the same rhythm.

The other night I was listening to old songs on my MP3 player [like shit I listened to in middle school old] and turned on one of my favorite songs from that era.

Listening to this song made a smile spread across my face, not from memories of the age [may they always rest six feet under] but from the simple yet fun bassline. I don't know if I always loved this song because of the awesome bassline, but it makes me feel alittle bit cooler.

The next day at school I couldn't help but hear beats in every interaction, or really the pocket to put the bassline in. You know when one person sneezes or coughs in a quiet place and two to five people follow suit? That had me laughing with the great basslines going on in my head.

         

First Try Success

48 hours after attending to move the truss rod, I picked up Igor and two less frets are buzzing! I'm so glad I got the Allen wrench turned the right way on the first try. I searched Google and ended up with the Dummy's page [Why? That book really is no help] The clock motion explanation made alot of sense to me but the picture throw me for a loop. Seriously what models have you access the truss rod from the bottom of the neck?

Since I still had two buzzy frets at the top of the neck I loosened the middle strings, popped them out of the nut and gave the wrench a solid twist. Now to see how the action looks tomorrow.       

Death of a Straplock

I never was able to find that missing strap lock, and the other one is officially almost dead.  There is a huge crack in it. They lasted four months, but for the price I'm thinking of getting another set. At a cost of a dollar a month I think [for my situation] they work.

Other strap locks cost upwards of twelve dollars, but need to be insulted on your bass. It's fairly common to drill into your bass to make them work, and that's one step I just don't want to my bass. I've also heard it can be a pain to get the strap on and off [like grab a wrench] when I actually want the strap to come off.  

With these simple strap locks it's no problem, they come on and off easily enough and give audible warning when I'm being too rough.   

My Date with Allen

I did it, I got out all the Allen Wrenches in the house and I attacked the Truss Rod! Well it was a battle just getting to the truss rod. First I had to unscrew the panel to get to the truss rod.

As you may be able to tell, I was only able to get two of the three screws undone. The screws are super tiny [Look! Something tiny on a bass.] and the screwdriver was causing the black paint to flake off [and made the screw head look like it was stripping] so it was alarming.

Once I put the wrench in I gave it a twist the best I could. Everyone stresses not putting too much pressure on the truss rod, and by extension the wrench; but I wasn't 100% sure the truss rod was actually turning.     

Now I wait, up to a few days for Igor to fully adjust. Igor is hanging out in his stand tonight, I'll see he feels after school tomorrow. Hopefully I actually did some adjusting, but better I did none than too much when messing with the truss rod. [Right?] 

Mary and The Pick Ups

Recall that I took another stab at picking. [By clicking on the red highlighted link.] and you'll remember I was concerned about electrocuting myself. I've since gotten over that fear, in fact, I decided to spend sometime woodshedding picking. That didn't last.

I had the metronome going and everything when the thought popped into my head, about having a place somewhere on the bass for a pick, when it happened. I thought the medal was balancing on strings for a minuet, but it was sticking to the pick up [magnetically]!

That planned woodshed was hit by a science driven train. Cue me seeing if I could get a different sound with the medal on the pick ups. I think there would of been a different sound if I had had more medals...    
  

Voice Tuner?

I've heard from several people that bassists should learn to sing. At first I thought it was meant as to learn another skill to make you more marketable; but upon woodshedding more I discovered singing worked as a form of melody. [Does that make sense?]  

Rock Music 101: The drums make the beat that is the backbone of the music. The guitar makes the melody that will get stuck in your head. The bass acts as the bridge between the two. With my metronome keeping the beat and the the bass in my hand, all I need is get my vocal chords to do something and I take one step forward.

There was one part of my life where I was in a chorus, it was during a very dark part of my life [otherwise known as middle school] which has been hard to revisit. That was quite a hypocritical attitude for me to type, I love how at concerts lead singers act like utter nut jobs on stage, but still it's hard for me to be a goof.

At one point, I was able to scat [scat singing] and kinda mumble in a tune like fashion. I forgot to turn off the clip tuner and even when I wasn't playing, the tuner was picking up frequencies. When I was scatting normally I hit D sharp and when I was fooling around down low I hit a B. Probably useless, but I found it to be amusing.
             

A Bad Twist?

I got one concerning reply to my latest post on TB.com. When I first posted about me tuning backwards a few people brought up how my old tuning could twist Igor's neck. [More tension on the strings, thus more pressure of the neck, in a way it wasn't designed for.]

Since raising the bridge worked on all the strings but the E string, it seems like that might of happened. Some TB-ers suggested that having my bass tuned properly might set it right, since the neck is made of wood which is pliable.

Only time will tell, but it does set my gut in a knot...  

Pampering Igor

Image taken from The Graphics Fairy.

While worrying/waiting for my bass to readjust I decided to clear Igor. I didn't know where the good polish was, and I know better the to use water on metal/wood; so I just wiped him down with a soft dry cloth.

Under a white craft light you can really see the fingerprints, and hairline scratches [but only at a few angles]. I also took some dry Q-tips to the dust encrusted pick ups and found some red color was coming up on the dry Q-tip.

Come to find out the bridge to be the dirtiest part of the bass.       

Emotion

I was upset the other day. Anger, frustration, fear was coursing though my body; stressing my body out to the point of illness. Within a few hours I remembered my bass, and as soon as I could I let loose on it.

I didn't record it or even bother to plug in, I'm glad I did.  It was a horrid, gnarly, buzzing, messy disaster. Just how I felt. Funny thing, I was playing on a windy night and when I stopped I realized I was playing to the rattling window frame as well as my rage.

In the morning both of my hands hurt along with my right elbow and shoulder. I know it was because I was stressed as I played, I know I need to find a way to relax while playing like that, but it felt so, so, good! Interesting enough the soreness went away faster then any other bodily pain I've ever been in.

        

Getting Some New Action

With my [new] proper tuning I found myself banging into the strings harder. Since I dropped my tuning by a few octaves I wasn't surprised since I more times than not mix up pitch and volume. The three largest strings kept hitting the fret board which annoyed the hell out of me, although not uncommon among bass players.

So back up the bridge went. [After much worrying, including but not limited to googling pictures of lefty loosey righty tighty] I got all my strings up to a good height, besides the E string. It's still doing it's smacking thing. Cue one late night cryptic post [sorry TB community!] and it has become clear,  I need to find an Allen wrench.

I Picked Mary

I used Mary as a pick actually [or rather a Miraculous Medal]. 

I have to say I really liked using a pick with some meat on it and the texture of the medal worked nicely as a grip. I didn't have any issue having the medal sliding up the strings like I did with the plastic pick, and I must say I enjoyed the sound.

It was late so I had to wait to try my new technique, which was just enough time to lay awake in bed and remember that Inspector Gadget episode where he handles an electric guitar, gets graphically electrocuted, than wakes up in a hospital. A cartoon Inspector Gadget ended up in a hospital. Suddenly it came flooding back, the fear that kept me a yard away from electric guitars until I discovered my love of mosh pits.

In reaction I posted about the possibility of getting electrocuted on TB.com and looked up just how sacrilegious it is to deface the image of Mary.

Thanks to The Church wanting to get away with idolatry, picking with the medal is no issue; but upon returning to my TB.com post I found several Inspector Gadget fans and one too many mention of Keith Relf. [Is there anyone who was in the Yardbirds that hasn't become famous for some reason???] Long story short, he electrocuted himself with an electric guitar.

Yet my story doesn't end here....                 

How to Use a Gigbag

Please note I am writing this post to document my own stupidity, I do not actually think anyone needs to be told how to use a gigbag. [If you are looking at this for this reason, I won't tell anyone.]

When placing a bass within a gigbag [for you must place one within before you take one from it...unless someone puts one in for you...] Take note of what side is up, for your bass. To just take off my bass and put it in a gigbag means that the logo on the bag has to be on the floor [Since it's a lefty]. Maybe I'll being approaching my gigbag from the other side, or I'll make the effort to actually turn my bass around.

When zipping up your bag [god given it will have a double zipper] make sure to have both zippers meet in the middle of the bass or at the top of the head stock. If you have the zippers meet in the middle UNZIP THE TOP ONE FIRST. I can not stress this enough. If you unzip the bottom zipper first the bass will fall out since it is bottom heavy and crash horrifically on the floor.    

I Need to Stop Thinking

I lay my bass on my bed if I play with it during that day, it's just a little thing I do because I'm too lazy to put him away to show respect. The day of the tuning episode I turned on my music and wanted to sit on my bed before bed; to do this I had to pick up my bass.

It's The Temptations! Get it?

Yeah...

So I noodle about for a bit and decide to try and play along with my music. I realized Florence and the Machine's What the Water Gave Me wasn't the ideal song, but it was late and I didn't care. I try to play along and just manage to utterly confuse myself. I stop noodling near the end of the song and there it is the bass line holding down the harp. And it sounds just like when I was noodling around without thinking.

At 5:09 on this video is when you can really hear it.

Dyslexi-what?

Before Lent I made an honest attempt to learn chords, but I just ended up trying to memorize the fret board in a musically organized fashion. Funny thing, my backwards tuning made total sense until my got away from the nut on the fret board diagram.

Then my mind and hands just switched to how I should of been playing all along. I mean, what the heck Dyslexia?!?! Suddenly my head totally understands where everything should be when the only marker I can see is the string thickness [when it is clearly upside down].

Whoa, I just got this [as in while I'm typing this] this is for a left handed person playing a right handed guitar upside down. So Studybass.com doesn't have an idiot proof website; or maybe that's why they took these diagrams down....    

Ash Wednesday

I tuned my bass like a normal person. If you think that's not enough for Lent [I was leaning that way] it was, believe me it was. Also saying "I don't need to stretch, I'm only tuning" is total bull shit. 

or not...

To say flopping my strings' tuning was a struggle is putting it mildly. First I tried to get each string into the desired note using my snark tuner. The little bugger must know I've been disrespecting it, the tuner was all over the place when it was picking up frequencies at all. At one point the strings were smacking the fret board, when I thought it was good enough to fine tune on my Bronco 40's tuner it sounded like the tiny [I'm unsure if I should call it the tiny string or the tiniest, but not much is small about a bass; calling it by note is out for the time being.] string was a piano string and the other three were a cool growling bass tone, but would hit the fret board if it was played too roughly. [And God, was that tone begging for that!] 

I get my bass over to my amp and discover the three cool sounding [yet impractical to play] strings were tuned randomly like F sharp and shit. Reworking the tuning using my amp [which is a literal pain, the printing is so tiny I have to stoop to see, not fun while holding Igor] I got the E and G strings in the right place [Biggest and littlest strings] but the former troublesome A string was passing on its legacy to the proper heir. 

I was so tired from this tuning ordeal, I just put my bass down, not bother to see how I like the new string tension, which is what I set out to do.                

Strap Placement

I've been standing with my bass again. When I first got my bass I told myself I'd stand up every time I'd play it for some random form of exercise. That actually lasted awhile but now I sit when unplugged and stand when using my amp. I've been reluctant to use my strap but with some reminders that I need to get my strap at the right height. [Too low may look right but it does hell on your wrists.] Since it was a pain to adjust the buckle from near the bottom strap knob I decided to flip it.

That worked, somewhat. It got the cracked leather out of my line of sight, but at the proper height the buckle is on my shoulder which is painful. I play until I am sore and right now my shoulder is the first body part to be in pain.

Also I timed how long I could play while standing, with the annoying strap its up to half an hour.
         

My Left Hand

When I play my bass, my left hand is doing the plucking. My left side has Cerebral Palsy worst [in its mild way] than my right side. When I picked up bass, playing right handed was out of the question because I could only handle two frets in a position.

After eight months of noodling around on Igor, I flipped him over for the heck of it. To my amazement I found I could handle three frets comfortably [my right hand can handle three and a half frets]. My ring finger was rather useless but my index and middle fingers were nearly as nimble as my right hand. This is because of one thing, me playing.

The speed in my first two fingers has tripled since my pre-bass days, so I've been trying to incorporate a three finger plucking technique into my woodshedding when I pick up Igor. It's way above my skill level, and I don't care, thoughts of getting a right handed bass once I have the cash up is all I need.

I can compensate without the extra movement, it is nothing to me but adding a trick to my bass playing.              

Metronome Review.

I bought one of these guys:
Its a Seiko SQ50-V Quartz Metronome. I got it off Amazon for about $20. [Looking about amazon it seems that the price has been upped.]

I really like it, it goes from 40-208bpm but doesn't have every single beat in between. It has a dial set up so all it takes is a quick twist to change up the tempo, no time lost.

It has two 'ticks', one that is very electronic sounding, the other is more like a clock's tock. With my bass plugged in I found that I couldn't make out the electronic sound out, but the tock worked great.

The volume on it was enough for young ears like mine, but I've heard reviews that it can be an issue for older users. I haven't used the head phone jack but it takes everyday music headphones. It has a red light that blinks along to beat but it's rather useless. [This isn't just my visual delays talking, reviewers agree.]

It also has a kickstand, but I've found it sets up on it's own; it runs on a D-Volt battery, which it actually comes with!

I really love that it also lists the Italian music types. [That is most defiantly, not its real name.] 

Taking on Lent

I'm currently a Bad Catholic, still a Catholic mind you I just haven't been to Mass in over a year. Last year was actually the first year I managed to not eat meats on Fridays [I also said I'd pick up my bass everyday-- that lasted four days...]; this year I think I'm going to tune my bass like a normal person's.

This all stems from learning that my mind is really fucked up, after seeking advice from TalkBass.com I've decided to try learning chords [different from chord charts, necessary to know]. With using Lent as a jump off point. Since you know, eating Asian food with chop sticks is getting old, [and never ends up working out].  

Whoa, according to this I've been using chop sticks backwards too...

B&B music

This is a really bad part three. [No reflection on the store] I'm just burnt out on the topic.

Big store, hard to miss, very clean. My first impression was on the corporate side. Due to another corporate music store that shall not be named [behold the tact] this put a sour taste in my mouth. Entering the store I found it stocked very well, if someone was standing in the designated pathways   you had trip over instruments to get anywhere. Again I found an employee eager to help me without attitude [Go Delaware, seriously though, go spread this awesomeness to the Western Shore....pretty please?!?]. Sadly all they had to offer was Ibanez, and like I said I had tasted crack with the fender neck and wasn't interested. That said they had every ABG Ibanez made so major props to them for that.       

   

Music Stores of Delaware

Remember this post? Well this is part two, written in a much less eloquent way.

Earle Teat Music, small shop, almost drove by it, that aside I really liked the place. It reminded me of your hometown dive bar that intimidates tourists but is a great place for the locals. The walls were cluttered with instruments but the store was nicely laid out and you can move about. They have a nice sized bass section and to my amazement, attentive staff.

To that dude at Earle Teat Music, I'm sorry if my behavior seemed bazaar, I'm from the Western Shore.

I tried out the Fender T-Bucket. To everyone who says acoustic basses are too big in the body, it's nothing. Really. I'm five foot one and have "small" hands and have never needed more then a minute to readjust to a bass. The neck of the Fender, it felt like home in my hand, as odd as that may sound. My fingers were where they needed to be without trying, and never felt like cramping. The guitar wasn't tuned and I was still in a traumatic state since my string snapped so I didn't try to tune it; but I knew an ABG wasn't for me.   

I asked about a semi-hollow body bass and the employee knew off hand [this amazed me] that they didn't have one in stock but that they could order one from Epiphone.

Eh, this is long enough, B&B review will come next [ish].              

New Level of Enlightenment

Disregard everything I have ever said about string and note placement. I am a day away from my 13 month anniversary with my beloved Igor and I have just discovered I have been tuning the strings backwards  this whole time. [Well not really, I've only been playing the right notes for six months I thought the idiot at GC tuned my guitar backwards.]

Long story short, it made the most sense in my head. Funny when you take into account my dyslexia, my right handedness, and my family history of doing one activity with the submissive hand. In my psychotic mind's defense the whole low end/this fret board diagram throw me for a loop.

[Not good on a dyslexic mind.] Now I need to decide what to do, I want to crawl into hole but I can't do that without life sustaining items [ie my bass] so I need to decide what to do. Should I finally get with the program and tune my bass like everyone else or continue my freak show ways because I understand them? I'm taking my plight to TB.com. 

String Review

I've been putting this off doing this review [dare I even call this a review when all I have to compare them to is the stock strings?] because I haven't had my bass plugged into the amp since when the first set of strings snapped. I've been playing before bed so plugging in isn't in the cards.

By god, do these strings beg to be touched [Rotosound Swing Bass 66] I can spend minutes just running my hand up and down the neck listening to the strings whistle [I'm calling it a whistle because it's too sweet to call a whine]. Playing wise they sound like a piano, very pop-y, abit like a guitar.

Interesting enough, the first set of strings [that snapped] felt odd, like there was some kind of coating on them or something. The second set of strings felt more like the stock strings, maybe I got used to the feel of new strings, but I don't think so.       

Lay Down The Chords

And step on them [okay that's just my feelings about them]. Chords make me like tabs, really.

This is what chords look like. At lease tabs and sheet music is set up the same way [horizontally].  This, how the hell am I supposed to tell what order the notes are in!? [Okay normal people would be able to tell A though G but like I've said, I'm not that brilliant] Did I mention the vertical placement throws my dyslexia into havoc? I mean a bass guitar's neck is held kinda catty-cornered, but it's closer to horizontally then vertical.          

For the Love of Music

I've had a thought running around the back of my head, pounce if I saw a Bronco used at GC [I know, I hate the big store thing and the local store is run by jackasses but I kinda slightly trust the website.] for less than $80. But today that plan got put on hold for yet a few more months.

The short politically correct answer is that I needed to buy my mom something for Christmas. The [lets just call it what it is] selfish answer is that Rush added more tour dates. As I posted before I was lucky to see them once, so I'm just checking this off my bucket list [again] which I will continue to do until I must come to terms with the fact that they are moral for limited time:

I did get my only tour shirt at the last Rush concert, and since they are coming closer to home this time I might as well go all deadhead style fan on them. I mean how many bands of this caliber are still alive much less still touring?  

  

Held Frozen

I'm in the cold snap [How sad that? That is what I have to call it with global warming going on in the middle of winter.] and my fingers are always cold even in summer. Since hand injuries have me terrified I haven't picked up my bass.

I tasted crack

Otherwise known as a Fender neck. God it felt so comfortable! I'm sorry Ibanez, I love my little tank of a bass but the neck is just small in my hand. I want a right handed bass, I want one bad. I don't need it, I already have a great Henchman but I want it. I want to play with my right hand, and that neck was just begging to be played all over it!

Therapy is a legitimate reason to get a right handed bass [why is there no word for right handed thinks like lefties have southpaw?]. Even if it will only help me do nothing but play righty better. Being for my left [fretting] hand I'm going to need a short scale, and a maple neck makes a black bass look good [and may sound different].

My options are The Bronco which is so cheap fender won't even but 'Squire' [the name for the bottom of the line fender they don't actually call it fender] on it. It's what kinda accompanies my amp, so cheap it doesn't have a fretboard but can be found used for under $100. The other option is a Vintage Modified Mustang which is cost enough to have 'Squire' written on the headstock. [$250] Sadly this model has only been out two years and can not be found on the used market, but that's a good thing...right?

      

I'm not as bad as I thought!

When it comes to calling myself tone deaf.  I found that if I had one string tuned, I could tune the other string by just comparing string tension. It always got me into right note [I want to call it a letter so bad! Is that bad?] always in the red of my snark tuner but still in the right ballpark.

On a whim I checked out this website which was linked from a TB wiki labeled "Test your ears",  and it says with my score of 61.1% I have good ears. At 2.77% a question I believe I got in on dumb luck since less than 60% is average [and less than 50% is 'you should go see a doctor']. I've sent the website to my classically trained friend to see if it's worth a grain of salt. 

  

DE is Mystical! Part I

When I called Delaware 'The Mythical Land" it was due to its lack of sales tax [a point I think I've beaten to death with a stick]; after actually spending some time in shops there I have to say, it's freaking Narnia! [Okay, so no Christ-like talking lions about, but they have nice, attentive, sales people!] Story Time!

[I lied] Prologue: Two days before the trip I 'laid down dramatically' [stolen from Tea Hacic-Vlahovic's article on xoJane] causing a pulled tricep and forming a huge knot on my shoulder that took three days to get back to normal size. Of course this all happen to my left side, making the thought of playing right handed cringe worthy. By the day of the trip the knot on my shoulder was about half its original size but I still really didn't feel up to playing.

Actually Story: Heading in the direction of Dover I was totally prepared for what's happened in just about every other music store on the Western Shore [GC of Rockville, you are the exception.] It looks something like this:

But then I walked into Earle Teat Music.....              

When I can't have wine give me bass!

Every so often I get head aches, four times out of five aspirin will take care of it; but every once in awhile I'll get that one head ache that will walk the line of migraine. Just a pounding head ache that'll last for hours with points where most lights seem too bright.
When I was in Spain I discovered sipping a glass of Sangria for an hour made me feel better, but alas, I am not legal here. My only options are trying to time my aspirin intake throughout the day so I don't go over 900mg [mediocre results] or lean the pounding part of my head into something hard. [Like a lobotomy but not.]
I don't remember how I stumbled upon this considering high pitches make my head aches worst, but one day I listened to P.O.D.'s Satellite and within three song my headache was downgraded to deal-able. That CD has been my go to for head aches for years and I've never been able to figure out why it works; P.O.D.'s record Murdered Love also works but not as well.
  

The other day I was bopping around Youtube when I came across a playlist of bass tracks. Upon playing it I discovered it! Without a head ache I was getting that zen, very relaxed feeling of bliss. Bass waves have been want I always needed.     

The Mythical Land

Oh Delaware, My Delaware! Pardon me singing my state song unto thee! Delaware, the really awesome part of Eastern Shore. [As apposed the already awesome Eastern Shore, but a wee bit cooler with the no sales tax.] I'm going to try and hit up two music stores while there.

Here's to hoping it's better then MD music stores!   

I'm in Pain

So what am I doing? Thoughtfully typing this out. Its from playing last night, I've been playing before bed every night. I'm not sure how long since I don't have a working clock in my bedchamber [yeah that's my history buff slipping] but it can't be more then twenty minutes.

Odder still is that I actually remembered to stretch. I don't think I did enough work on my right [fretting] wrist because that's what hurts the most. My ring finger is also sore, I made a point to do those bend back for 15 seconds but it seems that I put too much pressure on it or something.

To bed with a heating pad tonight I go and no playing tonight.  [And to Youtube for my bass fill, how about some southpaw pride?]

    

"The Worst"

Broke out the metronome today. Going off the second most given piece of advice on TB.com I set it to the lowest bpm [beats per minute, on my metronome that's forty bpm] That is so slow! I wish I was kidding when I say it putting was me to sleep.

I found playing to every other click helped alot, it gives you space to not play to. [advice said by every other TB member.] Though I did find it odd when it seemed to speed up in my head but that might my delayed audio processing again.

Overall it was really fun. I think this it what people mean when they say 'woodshedding' but it's hard not to noodle just while playing/not playing. [You know, just randomly running around the neck.]  

If this is the worst of playing bass, I think I could do this for the rest of my life.    

He is Well

I tuned Igor, and he is now in tune. No impulsion, no snarky attitude on behalf of my bass; I am positively in shock. I had told myself I wasn't going to tune Igor until I had my college applications in, but I let my Id and sleep drunkenness sway me. [You know that girl who's loud and crazy just when she has a drink in her hand? That's me tired: I stumble, I find everything funny, I end up with smudged make up, and my decision making is sub par] This is a reason I make myself wait a day before posting in this blog.

There was no horrid string snap, there is no fret buzz. Just by sitting on my bed, with my snark tuner [yes, I actually looked at the thing and noticed the N] which did have some attitude of its own, but that's not important.

The important part is that I did it.

I did it.

I feel like a proud five year old and I don't care.     

From the Time Capsule

When I ordered my bass my mom went to dark corners of her Grandmother's basement to find her electric guitar that hadn't seen the light of day since 1975. The lone savable item from the stash was a three inch wide leather leather strap that cost my mother a pretty penny when she bought it as a Jr. High student. The leather and strap width alone would make it worth $50 today. [The awesome part was when I saw nearly the same strap in MIB III!]

It has been a year and I began to noticed a crack forming from where the metal strap knob meet the tab part of the leather strap. Since I don't have $50 to blow on a good strap I  posted my plight on TalkBass.com.  Ignoring the suggestions to use duck tape and super glue [I'm hoping it was a joke, sorry if it wasn't but it made my history buff self shrink back in terror.] I decided to try out 96tbird's advice of leather balm.

This is what I'm trying, it's Vermont's Original Bag Balm. It was laying around the house, seemed good enough. I'll let you know how it goes.

I'd also give a shout out to Auguste who's advice to have my strap sewn up, it will be used in the future. Thank you to all who replied!   

Changing Strings Take II, there was blood.

I did it all by myself! [more on the blood later] At first I tried just winding the strings without cutting them but they were too long and popped off. I cut off about four to five inches, but it will depend on the style of head stock you have to say how much you should take off.

First thing I learned was not to chew gum while changing strings. It will [under the law of God's alter ego Murphy] die when you are in the middle of changing strings.


I had just finished coaxing the A string on [need I say why?] when I looked at my hand and saw three fingers covered in red, my thought process was as follows:
What's that?
It looks like Red M&M dye came off on my hand, but I killed the M&Ms days ago.
It doesn't taste like blood.
Why isn't there blood everywhere and not just my fingers?
Okay that finger tastes like blood, but where is is coming from?
There's some under my thumbnail, is that from cutting my nails two hours ago?
Unlikely, did I bite a hangnail absentmindedly?
That's a possibility, oh look, there's a red hole in my finger that wasn't there before.
I could just hunt down the source of the blood and suck on it, but that'll take too long; where are the band aids?

After doing the beautiful bandage job you see above I seat down and as I was unstringing the D string from the bridge the pad of my thumb snagged on a unnoticed hangnail on my finger causing pain and more blood. Giving in I sat there with my finger in my mouth for five minutes. After that all went well, there was one moment of panic when I discovered part of the bridge was free standing and can be moved.

It's to the point that the strings sit in the nut but I'm waiting to tune it because I promised myself that I'd send in my college apps before I'd play again. [And I'm alittle scared.]          

Terminology Confusion

In my months of bopping around TalkBass.com two terms came up just enough to make me raise an eyebrow at they're meaning. The terms in question were "Woodshedding" and "Gassing".

As I've said before my Grandfather worked with wood, even had a drying shed out back; I thought people were saying they were working on their craft. Well they were [in a kind of, not really way...keep reading] What they were really referring to honing their skill [which is another way of saying 'working on your craft'...] This history of the term goes to back to the days when you needed a woodshed to keep your wood burning stove going. The woodshed was the original Man Cave. Yes men didn't always have the basement like back in the days of yore when women folk used the cellar for can goods [held in mason jars!]

[In case you haven't noticed I'm abit of a major history buff.]      

The term gassing again invokes thoughts of the pass, the unpleasant past of 1930s-40s Europe. Come to find out Gassing has its root in G.A.S which stands for Guitar Acquisition Syndrome. I just call that lusting, but being the larger portion of male musician I'm not surprised by the not so grammar-icly correctness. [Hell look at what I just typed! Okay you may ignore me now.] But am I the only not surprised by the maleness and the typically gross word meaning something good? [well for your id, not so much your wallet.]