I started the courses at the beginning of the year with a brand new Yamaha TRBX-304. I’m in Module 5 now and love playing every day. I feel like I have great momentum, and it’s a part of my routine. However, it needs a setup really bad - the E string height is ludicrous, the D string first fret tension is making me press really hard, and the frets should probably be filed down before I hurt a hand. I’m pretty handy, but for the first setup on a first bass (and first guitar setup ever), I want it done by a great shop so I know what it should feel like.
There’s a local guitar shop by me that is well reviewed. I stopped by last week and the vibe is great - I have a real feeling of trust there. The shop quotes about a week and a half for the turnaround. Going to drop it off the beginning of next week, but I worry about losing the routine I’ve developed, which is pretty essential and sometimes difficult for me to maintain.
So, asking for advice - What do you all do to stay motivated, excited, and inspired during gaps in practice and lessons?
if it was me id be delving into simple theory, watching youtube tutorials, immersing yourself in it and just see where the rabbit holes take you. youll maybe come across a few things you want to try out when you get it back.
a lot of confirmation is actually formed while youre sleeping too, so you can drift off thinking about some of the things youve read, watched, learned, and it just seems to stick by morning…..
Buy another bass is the correct answer. Seriously. If another bass isn’t in the cards right now, ask the shop doing the work if they have a loner. My shop offered this service so I didn’t skip a beat.
I have 3 basses for this reason alone. It’s kind of a rotation. A gig bass, a back up and 3rd if one is in the shop to backup the backup.
Thanks for this one. Good tips. I’ve noticed how much sleep matters for practice, and coming back to something the next day really helps. There’s a couple of books I think I’ll read that week, and I’m going to continue watching and listening to famous basslines.
A guy at work offered me a vintage Thunderbird he rebuilt recently for a great price as soon as he heard I’m learning bass. Tempted, but holding off as I just bought a bass amp that came in today. The wishlist grows though.
Don’t sweat the momentum thing too much though - everyone worries about this but in reality it’s a nonissue. Going a couple weeks without playing isn’t going to reset you to zero; a couple practice sessions and you’ll be right where you were.
Also, strongly recommend learning to do your own setups - it’s easy and they are not a one-and-done thing; depending on where you live and the humidity swings, a bass might need minor adjustments as frequently as monthly.
I totally second the getting the tools and do it yourself as well as buying another bass. ok ok hear me out, look around in your local market, buy some cheap Squier or Ibanez even another Yamaha then work on that one.
That’s how I got started. Squier is a perfect brand to start because, you’ll mess up and hand slip make scratches and dings, compare to other brands it’s actually an attractive trait on Squiers and Fenders.
Even better the Strats are super easy to work on. I probably setup 50 of them. My education was pretty much from Squiers and Sterlings. I removed 2 Ukulele frets to practice, I bought from yard sales for like $5 each. Great learning tools.
Thanks everyone for the well thought out and distinguished answers.
I bought a 2nd bass.
It’s a cheap one, and it will live on the guitar rack at my office after I get my Yamaha back so I can play at work. We have a few musicians, and have a music room being built in our new office, so it will fit right in.
I work with a bunch of guitar players, so when the new building was planned they threw it in. Right now there’s a 4x10 cab and a nice amp head in the office, but no one plays because they don’t want to bother anyone working. I usually don’t go to lunch at the exact time as them, so I’m going to start noodling while they’re out.
Perks like this are nice, but they’re meant to encourage you to stick around and take breaks right there. I guess it works.
Yeah, it’s turned out to be a good thing. They’ve had it almost two weeks due to a big rush of people bringing their guitars in. Still waiting on the ready for pickup call.
