ggaroutte
03-25-2011, 12:32 PM
My name is Gary Garoutte, I'm 65 years old, and began playing a bass when I was 28.
I played in three Country/Southern Rock bands in central Missouri for 13 years back in the 70's and 80's. Prior to pickig up the bass, I had no musical experience, but I always wanted to be a bass player. I am self taught, and never learned to play 6 string, although I have owned some very good ones that I got in trades. I still have a couple of old Fenders, a 63 Jaguar, and a 63 Jazzmaster, both of which are basket jobs that I have never had repaired. I have always played a Jazz Bass, although I have owned and played Precisions, I can't hear the E-String on them, so I stuck with the Jazz.
In 1988 I went through a devastaing divorce that I didn't see coming and had to sell all my equipment with the exception of the 6-string Fenders I mentioned previously, and didn't play again until 2001. That year I bought 3 Mexican Jazz basses that year, a 5-string, a 4-string and a 4-string fretless. I just retired as a power lineman in Feb. 2010 and I bought an American Deluxe Jazz Bass as a retirement gift, and it is the only bass I play now. There is a difference. I also have a Bassman 250, and a Ampeg ba210. I like them both but the bassman has the better sound of the two, so I use the ampeg to run my drum machine through.
I have bought a lot of books in the past in an effort to actually become a decent bass player, but I believe the TMBG course is going to be the one thing that the others don't have and that is an actual teacher you can see and and listen to the reason behind the theory. I will go through this course slowly, partly because that is my nature, and partly because I don't like having to return later to learn something that I glossed earlier.
I played in three Country/Southern Rock bands in central Missouri for 13 years back in the 70's and 80's. Prior to pickig up the bass, I had no musical experience, but I always wanted to be a bass player. I am self taught, and never learned to play 6 string, although I have owned some very good ones that I got in trades. I still have a couple of old Fenders, a 63 Jaguar, and a 63 Jazzmaster, both of which are basket jobs that I have never had repaired. I have always played a Jazz Bass, although I have owned and played Precisions, I can't hear the E-String on them, so I stuck with the Jazz.
In 1988 I went through a devastaing divorce that I didn't see coming and had to sell all my equipment with the exception of the 6-string Fenders I mentioned previously, and didn't play again until 2001. That year I bought 3 Mexican Jazz basses that year, a 5-string, a 4-string and a 4-string fretless. I just retired as a power lineman in Feb. 2010 and I bought an American Deluxe Jazz Bass as a retirement gift, and it is the only bass I play now. There is a difference. I also have a Bassman 250, and a Ampeg ba210. I like them both but the bassman has the better sound of the two, so I use the ampeg to run my drum machine through.
I have bought a lot of books in the past in an effort to actually become a decent bass player, but I believe the TMBG course is going to be the one thing that the others don't have and that is an actual teacher you can see and and listen to the reason behind the theory. I will go through this course slowly, partly because that is my nature, and partly because I don't like having to return later to learn something that I glossed earlier.