I bought a standup bass back in June!
I set up a Facebook Marketplace alert for them, and it actually worked; a good option came up.
It feels like Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace are the only options for local sales online, and it’s been that way for a long time. And Craigslist sucks? It used to be this site super fancy people would point to and say see, design doesn’t actually matter that much. Sure, ok, fine. Well, Craigslist still looks like shit, and it’s riddled with scams. I can’t believe it still exists, honestly, but I also completely understand the absolutely no-Facebook people, so I guess I’m glad it does, even if it’s not for me.
I digress.
The woman selling the bass was named “Kay” which I found very funny, because Kay basses are very expensive and sought-after vintage instruments, which this was definitely not.
I don’t even really know what this bass is. It was made in China. It’s… a bass.
Notably, it’s a 1/2 size bass. Most standup basses are 3/4 size, so this is a bit smaller.
It fits in the passenger seat of my van, which I like.
The bass was Kay’s COVID project that didn’t materialize. Totally get it. She wanted $800, and I didn’t haggle.
So it’s mine now.
I don’t even have a case for it; I just lug it around as-is. I’m not very precious about instruments, but this bass feels extra hearty and can handle it.
I’m already a passable bass player in Americana-esque music. But I wanted to get better, and it’s nice to, ya know, actually have a bass to practice with.
I also like having it because it’s a rare-ish instrument to have handy, so I feel extra welcome at jams and the like when I have it, rather than being yet another guitar, banjo, or whatever else.
Plus, I just leave it lying around at festivals, and other people can pick it up and run with it.
OK — end of story. I have a bass now. I put it on the timeline.