The Dan Armstrong Leaves the Attic and the Emergence of Jaco Plotztorius.

Plot has been recording "A Hundred Years," the song he wrote for The Great Ducknik, and he decided it needed some bass. So he went up to the attic to look for his old Dan Armstrong clear plexiglass electric bass that he got after he pretended to play it for a bit part in "The Owl and the Pussycat," which was shot in 1969 on 45th Street, just a couple of weeks after he arrived in The Big Apple.



This is one gorgeous instrument to be sure, and it is a little smaller in scale than most electric basses, so it is easier to play for a guitar player like Plotnik. It's been sitting in its case a long time, but sure enough three of the four strings tuned up perfectly. That bass E...well, it's a lost cause until Plottie buys new strings.

There is no instrument on Earth more fun to play than electic bass, unlike stand-up bass, which is a production to play, and it has no frets, and really, really thick strings. It's hard to keep it both upright and in tune. The Dan Armstrong is the heaviest electric bass you'll ever shoulder, so it would probably be a nightmare to play for a whole night, but this is one sweet sounding instrument, even with three strings. Plot's going to keep it downstairs for awhile.



And thanks again to John the King for offering Plottie the use of John's old bass. This is why Jaco Plotztorius had to decline the offer.