Back in the day,
Steve Harris used to call me, trying to persuade me into buying his Fender P Bass.
I don’t know if you ever heard his name; he’s the bass player in an English band
called Iron Maiden. That particular instrument was, as he told me, his favorite
bass guitar. He was so persistent, that he almost got me into trading my second
hand copy Aria P Bass, with his own custom made Fender P bass. Hell no, not me.
I stood my ground for almost two years, back in the day.
Then one
morning, and I do believe it was raining hard as I now recollect lovingly, I passed
by the music store downtown, when I saw my next-to-buy bass guitar; Fender P
bass, 4 strings , MIM (No, MIM doesn’t stand for Molecular Interaction Maps, if
you get what I’m saying. It’s Made in Mexico). Steve was right after all; I fell
in love with the bass instantly.
Great feel,
great sound, great tone. Mine has an amazing sunburst shade, with a black custom
made pickguard, especially made by my best friend. Passive electronics and it’s
all I ever used for twelve years. Till January 2013, when I…
bought my next
bass guitar. Yamaha BB414 RBR (RBR standing for Raspberry Red). A four-string
red thunder. It was the first time I was playing a bass guitar with two pickups,
and I was amazed by its capabilities and its unique tone that the bridge pickup
produced. For quite some time, I was torn between my two bass guitars. Fender or
Yamaha? Yamaha or Fender? Should I stay, or should I go?
For the most
part of 2013, till now that is, I choose my Yamaha for the gigs. It just feels
better to know I have a few more options for my sound, right down my fingers. I
used it in a studio recording too, and it passed the test with flying colors. Hurray!
And then, another
Yamaha came in the family. A newbie yet to be tested out in the wild, or in the
studio or at gigs, if you prefer this wording. Yamaha RBX 374 BL (Black as
Death himself), 4 strings, active, sweet. Yes, a winner in his genre, it will
blow the drummer’s head off and leave the guitarists worried about their place
in the band. And don’t get me started about the singer’s reaction to the new
beast I will show them, or the girl’s, THE girl that plays keys and sings. I
will torment them, my bass fire rekindled, till it bursts out in a flaming
orgasm of bass riffs. Feel my bass, rockers!
And so, that
concludes my collection of bass guitars. Next time, I’ll talk to you about
heads and cabinets, effects and multieffects, if you get what I mean.
Well, till next
time, ta ta.
