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Basses and gear you passed on

SpankBazz

SpankBazz

Nov 23, 2022
417
767
#1
Sometimes we can be big boys and girls and exhibit some self control. I could have snapped these up but logic prevailed. What have you passed on?

Squier Sonic P - People were giving it great reviews and it's dirt cheap. It didn't have the sound I wanted from a P bass, though.

Squier CV 70's Jazz - I used to have a Squier Vintage Modified 70's bass. The second version with the "Fender designed" pickups and I loved that thing. So when I needed to replace it, the CV 70's seemed like the natural choice. I found my #1 (MIM Fender Jazz) and I didn't need the CV anymore. I did eventually buy a Squier Jazz, but not the CV.

Sterling Joe Dart 2 (Jazz), Sterling Joe Dart 3 (P) - I have the Joe Dart 1. I have multiple Jazz and P basses. I would never use them. That JD2 sounds good, though. I love the weight and playability of these basses. Don't judge me if I change my mind.


Carlo Robelli StingRay (The instrument the Joe Dart bass is based on) - Wanted it because it sounds good and is affordable. I don't need it at all, though.

Early 80's Ibanez Blazer P/J - Saw The Free Nationals (Anderson Paak's band) on NPR Tiny Desk. Kelsey Gonzalez had one and he sounded really good on it. I have the P sound covered. Don't need it. There are a couple TB threads on this bass.
The Mighty 'V'

Thread '1980's Ibanez Blazer bass mystery'

Hi all, and happy New Year!

So I saw this Ibanez Blazer bass pop up in one of my groups on fartbook, and it's a bit of a mystery to me that maybe one of you guys may be able to solve:

I'm pretty sure the early 80's Blazers all had only 1 split-coil pick-up and were ultimately Ibanez' take on the Precision bass - Now this one has a P/J configuration; Looking at the different colour of the bridge pick-up, I'd say this one's a modification (along with the 3-way toggle switch). But it also says 'Custom Made' on the headstock.

Anyone able to shed some light on this? And what may...
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JaseOfBase

Thread 'What bass is being played during The Free Nationals new Tiny Desk Concert?'

Anyone have any idea what bass Kelsey Gonzàlez is playing on their new Tiny Desk?



I’m attaching the tight shot of the headstock as well.


Squier Affinity Active Jazz - Another affordable bass with rave reviews. I don't have an active Jazz. Almost pulled the trigger for my birthday. But upon listening closely, it sounds good but doesn't have the bite I need from a Jazz bass.

Squier Mini P - This thing sounds phenomenal and is affordable but, it would be redundant.


Yamaha BB1200 - I have a BB200 and a BB414 (which I pretend is a scaled down version of a BB3000). It would serve no purpose. I just love Yamaha BBs.

Harley Benton JB-75 - I really want it because it sounds great and is affordable, but it would be redundant.

Harley Benton MV-4JB - I don't think these sounds as good as the previous MV edition with the Roswell pickups and Gotoh tuners. I have the P/J from that original MV series and it's phenomenal. The build quality is top notch. The setup is the best I've seen out of the box, needing absolutely no adjustment. I'm a 4 string guy, but I've been thinking about tuning one of my basses to BEAD, which would require a restring. Or I can get one of these in a 5 string.
 
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#3
I very nearly bought a "CPO" Fender Vintage Player II Jazz Bass when it was briefly discounted on Reverb a bit ago. But with some re-assurance in the Squier Owners' thread , I decided my Vintage Modified 77 Jazz Bass was enough.

I was seriously tempted when MF had a Sterling Stingray as the SDOD, but I passed.

I keep looking at PJs, particularly Yamaha 434s and a better example of the Fender Aerodyne I briefly had but returned with a bad neck. A local shop has an older, Korean-made Schecter Model T P/J for a good price. I tried it along with the VM 77 I bought, but the pots were scratchy, the pickguard warped, it was quite heavy, and generally didn't feel as nice as the VM 77.
 
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#6
Sertsa said:
I very nearly bought a "CPO" Fender Vintage Player II Jazz Bass when it was briefly discounted on Reverb a bit ago. But with some re-assurance in the Squier Owners' thread , I decided my Vintage Modified 77 Jazz Bass was enough.

I was seriously tempted when MF had a Sterling Stingray as the SDOD, but I passed.

I keep looking at PJs, particularly Yamaha 434s and a better example of the Fender Aerodyne I briefly had but returned with a bad neck. A local shop has an older, Korean-made Schecter Model T P/J for a good price. I tried it along with the VM 77 I bought, but the pots were scratchy, the pickguard warped, it was quite heavy, and generally didn't feel as nice as the VM 77.
Click to expand...
Those Vintage Modified Jazz basses were awesome.
Why'd you pass on the Ray?
 
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#7
What a timely thread! I passed on some nice basses over the first part of 2025:

1. Ibanez SRF 700 Portamento:
This one was for sale locally. But I was suspicious about the seller wanting to meet in a local to him parking lot. I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to plug in and play it before buying it. Plus, it’s a fretless, which I have never owned before. I also realized that I need the money more than I need a new bass.

2. Ibanez SR 1300:
I almost bought this bass because of the plethora of tones it can make and the Nordstrand pickups. But I don’t like how narrow the 4 string Ibanez necks are. I also don’t like the finish.

3. Ibanez SR 1305:
This is the 5 string version of the above bass. It was hanging up at my local GC and it was way too much money!

4. Spector NS Pulse II 6 String:
Too many strings for me. They’ve also been discontinued, so I can’t buy a 4 string version if I wanted to.
 
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#8
Way too many to even attempt counting them, but here are the most notable "non buys" from the past couple of years.

1) Dingwall Super J. A very, very interesting and precisely built instrument but there was a lot I didn't like about it. The most important part was that my muscle memory - which is used to short scale/parallel fretted basses - would go haywire when playing higher up the neck and at my age I wasn't about to go down that route. A "must try" instrument for every bass player though, at least in my book.

2) Gibson EB-750. A *very* rare bird - Google it - and extremely rare in black finish. Sounded great and I have a soft spot for most Gibson instruments. So what went wrong ? Well, the combination of ES-175 style body coupled with a 34.5" scale neck made it utterly unplayable for me from a sheer ergonomic standpoint. I just couldn't find a way of positioning myself comfortably around it.

I'm very glad that I've had the opportunity to test these fine instruments and just as glad that I haven't purchased them because they would spend their lives sitting in a case while they most certainly deserve to be played. Just not by me.
 
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#12
ajkula66 said:
2) Gibson EB-750. A *very* rare bird - Google it - and extremely rare in black finish. Sounded great and I have a soft spot for most Gibson instruments. So what went wrong ? Well, the combination of ES-175 style body coupled with a 34.5" scale neck made it utterly unplayable for me from a sheer ergonomic standpoint. I just couldn't find a way of positioning myself comfortably around it.
Click to expand...
That thing is beautiful
 
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#15
USA Lakland 5594 Fretless. Flame top, ebony board. PLayed it in a guitar center for a long period of time. It was freaking unreal. Expensive but not out of reach. Partner at the time probably would have broken both my arms if I walked in the door with that thing. So I left the store empty handed.

USA Lakland Joe Osborn (4460) five string. Alder/rosewood. Another music store find that I just couldn't swing at the time. It was just incredible. Could not put it down. But had to walk away.
 
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#18
Wisely passed on:
  • Mexican Classic P Bass that played "meh" to me;
  • Epiphone EB-3 bass multiple times;
  • Eko 5-string Stingray clone that needed lots of modding;
  • New Classic Vibe 50's P bass;
  • Jolana Discobass, after realising that I cannot fit a Gibson preamp into it and make it a real RD Artist clone.
Stupidly passed on:
  • An original Classic Vibe 50's P bass or Mike Dirnt bass, I bought and sold a Warwick and found them discontinued;
  • Epiphone Explorer Bass, I bought a Gibson Thunderbird which cost 3x more, sounded similar, and had two less frets;
  • Alembic Essence Bass for $2000, I bought the Thunderbird and then a $2000 Rickenbacker and found the Alembic sold.
 
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#19
- I passed on a Squier P, too. Had it in my hands at the store, couldn't believe how good it felt, but for some reason I didn't take it with me.
- Passed on one of those fancy Ibanez Soundgear basses, that had all dark woods with purple stains and Nordstrand pickups. Insanely good bass, but I was looking for a passive J sound and I had the "fancy modern five string" thing covered at that time.
- Always wanted a Thunderbird but somehow couldn't bring myself to get one when the Epi 60s were still cheap. Now people sell them used for more than they cost in the shop.
 
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#20
Well...
In the 30+ years it took me to fill every spot in my "Bass Herd"? I honestly couldn't tell you how many basses I passed on, before I picked one to fill a particular spot in the herd. For example: when I looked at basses to fill the "Active Bass" spot? The only criteria was that it had to be a 4-string, left handed, active bass. Did not care what brand; what scale. On the day I started looking? The first decent one that popped up on eBay, was a '95 Alembic Epic. Swear to God... And, after doing little research? Oh, yeah; you bet yer ass I bought it... But, I probably would have bought any decent left-handed, 4-string active bass. Just so happened this Alembic popped up first... (And, Hell no, I don't regret it... :whistle:) In my quest to fill every spot in the Herd, I've passed on a LOT of basses. And, since it took me so long? I didn't see any reason why I should keep track of the... hundreds, probably... basses I didn't buy...:cool:
 
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