a new bass!

That's right everyone, I got an upright bass! Posted below are some pictures. I've been playing it so much I haven't had time to write many posts but Ash and I have been very active these past few weeks. It seems like nearly every weekend we go into L.A. for some reason or another. For instance, the other day we went to 3rd Street, Santa Monica with Leah and then this weekend we went to a Cinco De Mayo festival at Olivera Street downtown (near Union Station).

The bass was made in Mittenwald Germany and its a little bit older, which is nice. It means it will be more stable in this climate because it's been here for a while. The guy I bought the bass from claims it was made in the 50's but I don't think its that old.

i got one...

Okay, I have no time to post now, but here's a preview:

upright bass

I really want an upright bass.

It has always been a dream of mine to play the upright bass. I took upright bass lessons in college and loved it. I've thought for a while that I wouldn't be able to get one within the next, oh, 10 years or so because they typically cost about $3000. I thought that for now I would just get a 6-string bass and try to teach myself jazz guitar (I even toyed with the idea of contacting Todd Johnson to see if he would give me lessons. I haven't ruled it out...)

We went to a music store that is run by a guy who goes to our church. (Quick fact: it's the music store they filmed "Wayne's World" in. You know where they have the sign that says "No Stairway to Heaven".) So anyway, Ed (the owner) had an upright bass there so I was plunking around on it. I asked him how much it was and he said it was only $800! I have to say that I am very excited about this because that is actually in the range of something I might pay. Here are some potential problems with me getting an upright bass:

1) We drive a VW Jetta. I'm not exactly sure how we would get the bass anywhere if I actually got one. Ed said we could put it in the sunroof. I'm not so sure.
2) Our condo is only 700 sq ft. Including the stand I think the bass would probably take up about 10sq ft of that. I'll have to convince Ash its a piece of furniture.
3) I am supposed to get braces. Yes, its true. I went to the orthodontist and he said I should probably get braces. This isn't that surprising as my teeth aren't very straight.
4) We want to get a couch. Our forest-green-lions-footed couch has served us well these past few years, but we're really looking to get a sleeper sofa so that we can have a place for guests to stay. We went sofa shopping this weekend and those things are pricey and probably more useful than an upright bass at this point.

So we'll see. For now I am borrowing Adam's 4 string electric bass and transcribing some old Miles Davis records. I think if I am consistent with this I'll check back into buying an upright in a few months.