Today i got my 1966 Hofner violin bass back from the shop at Lakland Basses. Now I have Paul McCartney's sweet buttery tone. It's friggin awesome.

But that wasn't enough. I went to Andy's Music and bought a sitar, AND i bought a pair of tablas. Still, after all that, it cost less than a shitty midpriced guitar.

Deena said it was o.k. to buy these things, but I don't think she understands how much space they're going to take up, so I'm going to make an awesome dinner to try and ease the "where are we gonna put that" blow. Poor girl had to go in to work on her day off. The only person I know that spends more time at work is my buddy who's an ER intern.

I'll post pics if i can find her camera and figure out how to use it, because i'm a luddite.

so considering what i got, a great vintage bass (had already bought it, but got a sickeningly good deal on the repairs... it's nice to be respected and taken care of), a high quality student sitar, and a professional pair of tablas, I hardly spent anything.

the sitar sounds awesome. Are they hard to play? Do you know how to play them? Is it similar to the Gitar?

It's not even based on the western system of half and whole steps, plus this one's got 19 strings.

You also have to sit with your left leg underneath, balance it on your left foot and use your right forearm as a fulcrum. So far, I can sit like that for almost two minutes. I don't know how these fuckers do it for like 3-4 hours at a stretch.

I gotta take a break. I'm heading to the grocery store on my bike, and try and work the kinks out of my leg that way.

this shit is hard.

dinner however, will be awesome. Crab, Lobster and spinach lasagna in a tomato vodka sauce.

did she have to go in on her day off to pay for your stuff?

Sugar-mamma!

Now now timmy, i earned these rupees all by myself.

She had to go in because she's short staffed (held up by the higher ups, no fault of her own) and because the staff she's got has crappy availability, and the chick working tonight started puking. So she gets screwed every single day she's got off. And i mean every single day. We can't remember the last day off she had that she didn't go to work, not counting when we jaunted off to L.A.

Home and just ate dinner. Seriously, you guys want this recipe. Sooo good.

you bought the sitar? sweet.

wait, what happened?

MEGA, B called me around six and was throwing up. I, being the idiot/or nice person I am actually answered my phone on my day off. I had to go in and close so she could go home and be sick.

I really need a day off.

brutal. sorry deena :/

Phil, I'm sorry we're on a music board, and nobody but me, Bloor, and maybe Busty knows how cool a Hofner is.

Proppa.

He did a great job fixing it for Phil. It's real prudy, Phil was playing it earlier and it sounds awesome. A great ebay find.

Purdy even.

She's tired.

sounds like replacement sitar strings might just cost more than the sitar itself when it comes time to replace.

The bass sounds cool. I probably missed the thread in which you described how you came across it (ebay?), but sounds awesome nonetheless.

The strings aren't expensive, and the tension is so unbelievably low that it would take an idiot to break a string during tuning or playing. My guess is that they just go when they get old or week.

The hofner I got on eaby for $1030 after shipping. I dropped $90 into a fret redress, new flatwounds, cleaning up the pots and contacts on the electronics, and redoing the wiring to the pickups. Considering strings are like $45 for a good set of bass flatwounds, I made out like a bandit.

Pictures soon... if deena ever gets a day off. poor girl.

Nice. What year is it?

I bought a Microkorg yesterday. I have no idea how to play music though.

1966, and in great shape for it's age.

good luck, try playing along with albums. Do you have an amp to put it through?

Awesome find Phil. I was just looking at a lefty Hofner reissue online the other day. (not to buy, just for fun)

Used to know a dude who had a sitar. He turned into a Jesus freak though and I lost contact so I have no idea if he ever figured it out.

How are the reissues?

You playing with anyone anymore?

i dunno how they are. They fucking look pretty cool.

And no, which is why I'm not buying any new guitars. To be honest I really havent been feeling it much up until recently I've had some more time and less stress. Pretty hard to find like minded individuals in these parts these days, but I should really start with a buddy of mine who is a percussionist/drummer and lives like right up the street from me. It would probably do us both a world of good.

That's wicked Phil. I'm so happy for you.

Wow. A sitar, that's so cool. The bass sounds wicked as well.

A guy I know from Montreal---Ricci from the High Dials---busts one of thsoe out now and then and it sounds amazing. It's cool too to see people getting in touch with their roots and rockin' it.

I'm especially happy for you because this thread is proof that you're not really quitting music. As cheesy as it is, a little musicial shopping spree can be quite inspiring. I guess what it comes down to is that sometimes as musicians we associate certain things with a particular instrument (e.g. my whole experience with my band soured singing for me for awhile). Having other totally different instruments to play can make it all seem new again. When I don't feel like singing (um, like for the past 6 months) I just bust out my bass, or mbira, or glockenspiel, or...Polysix.

Yay. I knew you couldn't quit it.

And now, a rockbanana for you: