Today has been a GREAT day so far!
-Found a nickel on the ground at Walmart - YAY, my retirement is saved!
-Got through Walmart with my 2 year old and left early enough to avoid the usual redneck hoard that ends up rolling through about mid day.
-Grocery Shopping uneventful
-Visited the new Music store in Natick, Music Go Round and was DUELY impressed! More on that later.
-Had an open bluegrass jam with the makers of Becker Guitars
It's been awesome today. So, here we go!
Music Go Round is a breath of fresh air in what is otherwise a callus soulless business of purveying musical equipment to unsuspecting saps like me. I've been eyeballing the place for months as it's been under construction and right next to the Stop & Shop here on Route 9 in Natick, MA. On my way into the grocery story, I noticed they were open and stopped in more out of morbid curiosity than anything else. While the entry is a bit crammed with Drums etc, the place is well lit, well organized and stocked to the gills with all sorts of instruments, the most notable of course being the Acoustic Upright bass standing dead center of the showroom floor. Phil, the owner came up, introduced himself, shook my hand and gave me the lowdown on the place. The staff was pleasant enough and the selection of instruments varied WIDELY. The catch with this place is that everything in there is USED. In general, the gear is in pretty good shape and I found several selections that I liked. By and large the selection is good, they have a few oddball instruments and in true consignment store fashion, I'm sure that I'll have to pop in regularly to find what I like.
So the highlight of my day was a rather impromptu bluegrass session with the makers of Becker Guitars Ryan and a gentlemen who I think was named Mike. I started playing the Banjo just for laughs and it turned into an all out three chord jam session! Standup bass, mandolin, Banjo and "Mike" and I trading off to guitar later on. I'm sure I overstayed my welcome, but I think more stores need to have that open jam feel. There's a couch for example in the middle of the acoustics section and it just BEGS for people to come, sit and play. I then took the opportunity to chat them up on their product. They make a line of Basses and Guitars and recently have signed up artists to use their products from such notable bands as MOE. and Umphee's McGee. Not wanting to insult, I sat down with their 5 string Bass at the request of the Bass's Maker, Ryan. At first glance, it has somewhat of an odd beauty to it. The guitar itself is shaped somewhat naturally, if it's possible to describe it that way, it looks a bit like silly putty when you smash it with your hand and drag it across the table. The finish of the body was a dark sort of walnutty color and I'm not sure how he did it, but the neck was a deep woody purple. In short, gorgeous. Two REALLY clever items about this piece:
1. Wood volume and tone knobs. It fit perfectly with the theme of the Bass.
2. The battery case: The bass has active electronics so there is a 9 volt battery plugged into the back. To access it, there's a really clever design feature, you press a button (also made of wood) down and swing the casing out. This entire guitar is essentially wood and the design just flawless.
Playability: I've played a lot of basses, some cheap and easy to play, others expensive and totally not worth it. The Becker is an absolute treat from head to tail. Good tone, harmonics spot on and the action was flawless. I tapped out a few tunes, played some straight lines and funked up some slap bass. It handled beautifully on all fronts. If I had $1100.00 to blow on this thing, I would! It beat out many of the other models I tried today hands down. Had I not just spent over a grand on my bagpipes this year, this Bass would have been high on my list. Well done gents and best of luck with getting the word out!
I think the bottom line for me today is that I met a lot of really great people doing some exciting things in a time where economically, some people wouldn't have the balls to do what these people are doing. Phil, Ryan and "Mike", Keep going, I love the vibe you're all giving off and I'm very excited to A.) save up for a Becker Bass and B.) visit Music Go Round again!
Well, more to come I'm sure... the beer is again on the back burner until my Diet tells me I can... or I get sick of eating southbeach food!
Cheers!
Rob Anderson
