Yeah, today's strip is definitely from true life experience.
I got my first bass guitar at age 15 or 16... I don't rightly remember, though I'm certain that by 16 I was playing as much as I could, whenever I could.
Yes, during this time I had no electricity (and no amp) so I spent all of my time just playing the thing, and not being able to hear much of what I was doing. This lead to very, very raw fingers as I had to play much harder than necessary to hear what I was doing.
My first rig was the rather unsexy-at-the-time Peavey T-40 bass. I bought it from my step-uncle who was a bass player and radio DJ. He was awesome, and sold it to me for $200. (Probably the cost of the killer case.)
While I wanted a tough metal-looking bass with tiger stripes and points (like a BC Rich Warlock) I had this wood-grained thing that looked like something that Kenny Rogers might play with New First Edition.
Looking back, it was a pretty great bass overall and a very solid choice for a young player.
Sure, the rock-maple body was as heavy as all get-out, but the benefit was that it was solid. It stayed in turne forever. It had a warm tone. The neck was good. The plastic form-fitting case was the best that I've had. (Even since.) It just worked and it was a frikkin' workhorse.
I added a bunch of stripes to the thing with some layout tape from my Journalism class, trying very hard (hoping) to make it look a bit cooler.
Daniel with the beginnings of what would become a Class-5 mullet
Eventually, me and the T-40 had to part ways. Me, I'd gotten a couple of other axes, and just didn't ever play the thing any longer. I'd gone to renting it to different friends for months at a time, who were trying to learn the bass on the cheap.
Eventually I let her go for $200 to a young person who wanted to learn how to play.
I bet that workhorse is still solid as a rock today. And as heavy as Krokus + cow.
- Daniel
Lanterna Spirit Badge
Villainous Research & Engineering Shirt (XSmall)
Monster Commute Book 1
