#music

Iconic ownership. Fender Jazz Bass Guitar.

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My old photograph when I thought I could be like The Beatles.
Fender Jazz. An Iconic Bass.

My wife said

‘We need some groceries. Fresh vegetables and fruit’.

Well…..True. We did.

‘Let’s go to Aldi in Newtown. It’s cheaper and it’ll save us some money’.

Well…….True. It would. But………

Newtown is about 40 miles away and takes about an hour in the car. Petrol? At mortgage repayment costs!

‘We can visit the town centre, have a day out and then go to the guitar shop. Have a look’.

‘I’m not buying a guitar’ I say.

Thing is. The VeeDub has been expensive recently. I love the whole VeeDub philosophy and it rock and rolls for well being. Well….when she behaves. Two days ago, the entire washer bottle for the windscreen wiper emptied itself all over the brand new jute matting in the driver’s cab. Jute and water do not mix. So a huge water stain has darkened the jute. It won’t get lighter either once dry! I just despaired.

Bought new washer rubber hosing and T joints to repair the system today. The culprit? It was perished rubber tubing that split. A VeeDub windscreen washer bottle works by using a bicycle pump to build up pressure atop the inside water level. You push a little dashboard button that opens up, releases the pressure and subsequently the flow needed to chuck water at the windscreen. German genius! Until a perished rubber hose decides it doesn’t want to play anymore. Doesn’t want to withstand life’s pressures so gives up and retires. I completely understand. But couldn’t it have dumped onto the old mat from a few weeks ago!

Back to that guitar shop. This! These photographs are the result. My wife said she just knew something amazing would happen. I asked if she cosmically ordered it. ‘Yes’, she said. ‘I just knew!’.

PLEASE TAP ON INDIVIDUAL PHOTOS TO ENLARGE.

To be honest. I felt like crying. After decades upon decades of never playing ‘that’ bass (well any bass guitar to be honest) I suddenly held a near to close as close replacement in my hands again. My old Fender Jazz was a 1970s iconic ownership of both beauty and drive. It was a powerhouse of a bass. The guy in the shop hooked her up to a Fender amplifier and speakers. I played a bass riff and heaven came tumbling down. My emotions were profound to be honest. I actually did quell tears.

It literally felt like the dam could have burst. My throat ached with the emotion to be honest. Then? I thought of the VeeDub jute matting and decided to hold back the tears. The shop has jute carpet too.

When serious emotional content is involved? Always, always…………End with a joke.

37 thoughts on “Iconic ownership. Fender Jazz Bass Guitar.”

  1. Well done, Angie and well done, Gray. A fantastic guitar for a brilliant guy. I’m so happy that you got it. Have you managed to put it down yet, apart from photo taking??!!😁. I’m sure I know what you’ll be doing this weekend. Enjoy xxxxx

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    1. I haven’t been able to put it down…No. I have learnt a new skill though. Not usually a male ability it is often said……..Multi tasking! I can play a riff and at the same time take perfectly framed photo whilst singing too. The photographs of the bass itself the exception obviously. But in order to practice this extraordinary new found ability I practice by picking up the acoustic and camera. Got to hone these things don’t you know. 😁 Cheers Ianto for being the ⭐️ that you are. Ah! So all your family are, in reality, a collective emojis of ⭐️✨Xx

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      3. I’m taking the kids to the
        Iconic Caffi Carys for lunch. My attempt at MT for the day?? Talking and eating whilst checking my phone. Three things!!!! Full-on olympic standard MT-ing!!! X

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    1. Thank you Victor. I love vintage Fender. You are lucky to have a Strat from that period. My brother liked Strat choice. I had a Telecaster from the 1960s. Loved it. Sold it to get the original Jazz. Couldn’t afford an original 1970s Jazz at the moment. Six string? A Les Paul Gibson every time. What a guitar that is! Marc Bolan (T.Rex) knew how it should of sounded too. All the best.

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    1. I never thought about the Corona link to be honest. Bit of my nurse past there too then! It is like the Gibson re:issues of their Les Paul guitars. Fender have produced this with a really gutsy sound. Be fun to use over the coming months. It’s about 10 months to get right for the festival. But recordings will happen sooner.

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      2. It’ll be hidden with it being on the back. A little self reminder. Gutsy in the music shop on a decent combo. Need an amp and speaker really. Know the sound produced and work on it. But yes. Writing new variations, bass riff wise, on old songs. You know yourself re: vocal range. The songs are needing key changes. To suit an older voice. 😊.

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      4. Sometimes the song loses resonance. A change of style can make all the difference though. I turned a little rocker of a song into a slower thoughtful softer song a few years ago. Weird when you get other famous singers taking popular songs into another area. Christmas adverts often do it. Especially the John Lewis ones. The Beatles songs covered so many different ways! And so many different key choices too. Love ‘Across the Universe’ version by Rufus Wainwright for example.

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      8. That’s a great analysis of the imagery in the video. Chaos alongside the focused relaxation of having escaped it all with music and headphone cocooning from the world outside. Brilliant. OM 🙏🏽 too.

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  4. beautiful, Gray 🤍
    … and aaaw… the emotions that came with it… precious I’d say.
    a question if I may please… the other instrument.. (looking very much like a dholak to me? )… I googled for a English term and can’t find one lol. Is it that and do you play?

    to you and your music… enjoy enjoy enjoy 🤍🙏

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    1. Hi Destiny. I believe it to be a dholak, but there are subtle differences re: names I think. I’m have no expertise in these at all. And no, I can’t play it with any true skill. I have a smaller version I bought about 20 years ago which I played for a while trying to get some kind of skills base. But they are difficult. Found this one in the photograph a couple of weeks ago in a charity shop. But it needs tightening to tune properly. At the back is a djembe. Believed to be owned once by a drum master. I can play djembe okay. Love the well being it brings. I realised yesterday with a lightening bolt realisation that, due to my Aphantasia and having a dark canvas behind my eyes on closing, I cannot recall any imagery from my past at all. I cannot create mind images of any kind. I don’t bring up faces, objects, etc. Upshot is……I have nothing in the imagination to hang memories or emotions on. So when I physically handled the bass in the shop, it was so akin to the old bass I played way back, that emotions took a massive impact. I was visually seeing what I hadn’t seen since 1982 and that very image triggered the old days in the band. The whole episode actually brought a lump to my throat. Thank you once again for your amazing reply. All the best to you and good fortune in your poetic skills.

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      1. the dholak, tabla and harmonium I am familiar with. Have a set passed down 😁
        you describe such a beautiful and special experience, Gray. so glad for you.

        Thank you again for this wonderful share and all the best your way too. 🤍🙏

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      2. Good to know you have your own drumming and musical opportunities then. Priceless. Drumming as an inner rhythm base is vitally important for taking time out. Just sitting, playing and not thinking is bliss. 🙏🏽 to you too.

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    2. Sorry. That was weird. As saying our music is pretty basic rock and roll. So like to keep the notes low. This Jazz is not as light as my old 70s one because the neck is a Warmoth with steel rods inside. So a bit of getting used to. But a lovely sound. Just need a Fender Rumble amp/speaker combo. Cheers Danny.

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      1. Just curious as I am musically declined, I enjoy music I simply know nothing about it. Recently I was enjoying band with a 5-string base. They played 90% rock, anything from Metallica to the Beatles. I don’t understand the value of a 5th string.

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      2. I actually don’t really. I play acoustic 6 string and any bottom E and A notes create the ‘crunch/chunky’ sounds. Bass was deeper and drove the sound with the drums. But I can see the value to use extra notes on a bass. But I am not musically knowledgeable enough really.

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      5. Gray, I just stumbled unto an interesting WP subscription setting. Go to Reader. You should find Subscriptions towrads the top right. Next to it is “manage” see if my post notifications is turned off

        Like

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