I have only been learning the bass for three months but have found so much useful info on here already I decided to sign up. I am 44 and have never played before but have always wanted to. I decided to bite the bullet after a recent flare up in my inflammatory arthritis. I appreciate this may sound weird but having had the disease for fourteen years I am determined to stick two fingers up to it as often as possible and learning the bass seemed a good way to do it. I will be getting 'lessons' from a couple of guys at work who are very musically talented, one is mostly a guitarist and the other plays all sorts of things to a very high standard but nothing with strings! (Hoping he will cover the theory side with me). We are working together on a few songs for our Christmas works do which is helping a hell of a lot.
Presently using an old Aria and a Marshall bass state B150, also have a (dreaded) stagg that I leave at work for practising if I get a few minutes.
I listen to a wide range of music but 80% falls into alternative/ punk. I doubt I will ever be brilliant but just want to be able to play well enough to join a band and have some fun.