Thread: New Upright Bass

So I have been playing bass semi-prefessionally for the last 33 years. At age 49, I made the leap and decided to cross over from electric bass to upright bass.

I rented a Franz Hoffman and a French bow to try to see if I could make the transition from electric to upright. I have been practicing daily for a month and am now convinced that I can make the transition. I am now going to do a rent to own program on a Nice Morretti Italian made upright bass with solid wood top and back instead of the laminates I have been practicing on. I can't wait to get it.

Now, I have to credit straight razor shaving with the transition. "What" you say? "How in the duces do you make that leap"? Well, as I have transitioned from a crappy Mach XXX to a straight razor, I have learned a very simple joy in life. Low Technology - High Technique. The same way I have gone from a High Tech razor to a simple scary sharp piece of steel with the balance made entirely by skill, I am trading in a very High Tech electric bass for a box of wood with strings and no frets - the balance made entirely by hands and ears.

And there my friends is just another benefit of straight razor shaving.

Cheers!
Alembic

Nice!

Any chance of some pics?

Yes
Piccy, pic, pic, pic
I need some viola pr0n!

Sorry I haven't had a new instrument in years.

Hot dog!!! I've been preaching that for years about lots of things. Only lately did I apply it to my shaving.

You know however, this thread is completely worthless without pics!!!!

Ok Ok - I get the Moretti tomorrow and will post pics - sheesh!

Sweet! Pics! pics = it happened

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

Imagine how many sets of scales you could make from that thing. Not to mention the piano!

I'm sure he's running it through the bandsaw as we speak!

Alembic,

Your username gave you away as a bassist (I know they make guitars, but the only people I know who play Alembics are bassists)! Good luck with the upright. I picked up both about a year and a half ago (electric first, then upright) out of a desire to learn something new and the realization that, as an adult, I can "do" whatever the heck I feel like doing, including learning how to play the bass - or should I say, basses. They're similar but also very different, and I suspect you'll enjoy the upright quite a bit.

Happy plucking!

Originally Posted by zappbrannigan

Alembic,

Your username gave you away as a bassist (I know they make guitars, but the only people I know who play Alembics are bassists)! Good luck with the upright. I picked up both about a year and a half ago (electric first, then upright) out of a desire to learn something new and the realization that, as an adult, I can "do" whatever the heck I feel like doing, including learning how to play the bass - or should I say, basses. They're similar but also very different, and I suspect you'll enjoy the upright quite a bit.

Happy plucking!

Very different indeed - don't even try to play an upright like you would and electric - there will be many tears!

You may not believe this, but I picked Alembic because of it being a pot still that was highly refined by Leonardo DaVinci who is my all time hero after researching what the heck an Alembic was.

I had a teacher in high school that taught the Renaissance and he always bestowed the pleasures and virtues of the men of the Renaissance. They believed in developing themselves in art, math, architecture, music, writing, philosophy, athletics - and they were good at all. In fact I have read that the fact that they became experts in so many things is part of what allowed them to be so creative and inventive. And so at age 16 I decided to try and get as good as I was able at as many things as I was able - a distillation of everything I could learn.

And so - Alembic