It's a four-string Squire Telecaster bass (without a pick-guard) made by Fender, featuring both P- and J-style pickups. What all that means is that it's a low-end bass made by a company known for the quality of their guitars and it can be used to play either rock or jazz.
I bought it to help keep me from getting depressed. As I've stated before, coming home to an empty apartment can be difficult, so to combat those feelings of loneliness, I decided I should pick up a hobby that requires me to learn a new skill. I figured that an instrument would be a good fit and I picked the bass because it's portable and learning to read music for it will also help me when I sing, since I usually sing bass. Also, since I know the basics of standard guitar playing, I reasoned that most of those skills would transfer to the bass, meaning I wouldn't be starting from scratch.
I looked up bass guitars on Craigslist and this one looked like a good fit. (One weird thing about basses is that they're available in varieties with more or fewer strings. Four strings is the most common, followed by five strings, but they're also available with as many as nine strings, though those are pretty rare. I wanted one with four strings because it most closely resembles the double-bass from the Big Band days). I emailed the owner about it, but then I found a no-name brand bass on Wal-Mart's website for about half the price. Since it would be my first bass, having a super cheap one wouldn't be too bad. I considered emailing the guy from Craigslist to tell him I changed my mind, but I decided to pray about it. The Spirit told me to go with the one from Craigslist.
I was surprised that the Spirit directed me to buy that one; the answer I received wasn't "keep your word," it was "you should get the one you already emailed about." It was at that point that I realized that the idea I had to learn how to play a new instrument had not originated from me. I do need to be more proactive about keeping myself in good spirits and learning to play bass can be one way to do that.
After meeting the seller in a mutually convenient parking lot, I inspected the instrument. It had a few scrapes on the back of the neck -- I'm guessing it was leaned up against a table or desk and got bumped a few times -- but otherwise it was in good condition. The man said it was his son's, but he hardly played it, so it was time for it to go. I paid him for it and drove home, so excited I was giddy.
Remember when I said that the few skills I had on guitar would transfer to the bass? Turns out, they don't. The strings are much thicker and are a lot harder to hold down, you hold the neck differently in order to reach all the strings, and you pluck the strings with your first two fingers instead of picking or strumming them. It's been tough, but I'm earning my callouses and I can already kind of play a blues scale. I've got a long way to go, but I'm making progress.
It feels a little weird to start learning a new instrument when I'm in my thirties, but I know this is something that will help me and be fun at the same time.
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