We've only been together for two months, but I think I knew almost from the beginning that he was the wrong one for me. I was swept off my feet by his smooth operation, his powerful four-reed treble and his ruby-red-mother-of-toilet seat exterior. He was available right when I needed him too, and how often does that happen?
But the Paolo Soprani Elite 1 was maybe just too much instrument for me. It is quite large, quite heavy, and the tremolo tuning and four treble reeds were more than a shy beginner needs if she wants to play it in her weekly session someday, so....
I saw a used Saltarelle Irish Bouebe for sale on consignment at Elderly Music here in Michigan and I went up there today and bought it. B/C, swing tuning, 23 buttons, the stop to remove the thirds, and it feels just lovely, just right and I can play it like I've been practicing with weights on until now. I know that the instrument is not usually the problem, but Paolo and I were not a good match. I am feeling relieved, and excited to get on with learning to play. Now that I've got a D major chord on the push, I'm feeling ready to get serious about the basses too.
I'm going to try to find a local buyer for Paolo, maybe someone who plays for dances and works out a lot. It's not MAD if you are simply replacing an instrument, right?
Suzanne