I went out to lunch with my wife and one of my sons on Father’s Day, and since we were right around the corner from the new music store in town, we decided to walk around and see what’s new. There were a few interesting bass guitars, but nothing that came close to my prized Rickenbacker, so I didn’t pay a whole lot of attention to them. The sales rep encouraged me to take any of them down and try them out, but they all seemed like a step down. I went past the guitars and was about to drift out of the section when I noticed a Peavey Grind 6-string bass sitting on a floor stand right at the edge. It had an interesting shape, a beautiful mahogany finish, and a massively wide neck to accommodate the strings. I have a 4-string bass and a 5-string bass, so I’m comfortable with switching between them. I found the prospect of the extra range intrigueing enough to pick it up and plug it in.
It took a few minutes for my fingers to know which string they were on, but it came pretty quickly. I love having the B-string for that deep bass sound, and then the higher C-string for doing little show-off fills. The neck has 24 frets, with two complete octaves, so there’s not much you can’t hit on this bass. It had a nice, crisp sound on the highs and yet a very clean low end for the deeper bass notes. I’m not the most accomplished player with the slap & pop technique, but what I could do sounded pretty good to me. I must have looked like I was enjoying myself, because after a few minutes of watching me, my wife & son both asked of I wanted them to buy it for me. The price tag was pretty modest for an instrument like this, which was used. I was surprised, because I was not expecting it, so I finished and put it back on the stand. They were both still looking at me like I was crazy for passing it up. I certinaly don’t need another bass. It was fun to play, and I really like that it’s somewhat unique, so I ended up bringing it home.
Years ago, I owned a Peavey Dyna-bass, which was my main performance bass. I loved them tone and the feel of it, so I’m more than okay with the brand.I have a double-sided soft case, which just barely fits it, so I can tranasport it without banging it up, no problem. I have a Steinberger 5-string bass, which is a great sounding instrument, and fantasic for when you’re traveling light, but it’s almost impossible to find strings for. This one should be much easier.
I used it to play bass for a small performance that evening. Standing for a bit, there’s no question that it’s a substantial piece of wood. I think it weighs in at about ten pounds. It was a comfortable bass, though, and no more of a load on my shoulder than my Rickenbacker. It’s got a sound, feel, and look that I’m really happy with, so I can see myself getting a lot of use out of this.