Basses and gear you passed on

[TrevorR]

I passed on this Wal for 18 hours and so, of course I missed it…

Martin Kemp of Spandau Ballet’s main Wal - the one he played at Live Aid. Saw it hanging on the wall of a shop in Denmark Street when he was selling all his Spandau gear around 1999 or 2000. It had just come in. I dithered, then came to my senses and went back in the following day… of course, it had already gone.

 

[Yahboy]

I pass lots of current day Indonesia Squier Classic Vibe, especially the CV50P (bought 4 new and 1 used ) due to QC issue . Can't get up to china Squier CV50P I been own, but the sunburst has nice look.

Proud to own both well china made Squier Matt Freeman P and Bacchus BJB1RMS.

Yamaha TRBX 504 are nice bass, but the tone just sterile, suck preamp MID EQ range and duck quack G string. I can't live with it.

Ibanez SR premium with Nordy pickups. After compare to model with Aguilar pickups, those Nordy sound dry and lifeless.

 

[Kubicki Fan]

I recently passed on a USA EBMM Sterling fretless. Still kicking myself over that one LOL.

USA EBMM Stirling, limited edition. EBMM only had to weigh it for me, but wouldn't.

EBMM 4-string passive StingRay. Direct.

35 Anniversary StingRay 5, block inlays. Too heavy. Cosmo Music.

FCS - several Jazzes. Too heavy around the neck as well as the pocketbook: Warmoth to the rescue.

Nash - P, G&L to the rescue.

I have absolutely no regrets about my choices, except for the boat anchor SX Jazz 5, which I should donate.

The only thing still tempting me is a Warmoth project.

 

[bigdaddybass12]

1. To each their own: I have sold every fender p bass I have owned. Just can’t dig the p pickup sound. I passed on 2 black on black fender blacktops. It is the double humbucker fender. It’s like a G&L m2000. Plus black basses sound the best.

 

[bigdaddybass12]

Passed on a USA SUB for $600. It seemed like a lot at the time

I passed on one in 2019 for $599. I really didn’t know what I was looking at. But last year I saved up my tips, sold a fender p and bought a really nice USA SUB with nice compact hard case & 3 pickguards for $900

 

[edwinhurwitz]

The big one for me was one of those weird little 6 string instruments. This was in the summer of 1978. I was a teenage teacher at a summer arts camp and resident oboist. The photography teacher had a Strat that two tone sunburst in a tweed case, with all of the case candy. He got it from his neighbor whose husband had passed away. He was on the verge of trading it straight up to me for my Hagstrom II but backed out at the last minute because he thought his neighbor probably didn't want to see it leave the neighborhood. I'm guessing it was a '57 and it was dead mint.

 

[MrAB4003]

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.

I'm writing a second post because I forgot about one bass that was heartbreaking for me to pass up on.

5. 1976 Rickenbacker 4001FL
So I went to my local GC one day in the fall of 2022 and I saw something awesome hanging in the back of the bass room. It was a 1976 Rickenbacker 4001FL in mapleglo and I really wanted it. I played it in there for about an hour and it was easily the best fretless bass I've ever played! I talked to a manager about trading for it because I had a 1972 Fender Jazz Bass at home that I wasn't playing. He said to come in with my Jazz Bass tomorrow so they could look at it.

The next day, I go back to GC with my bass and they appraised it for $1,400 (typical lowball GC offer). They told me that it was refinished in a poorly done clear coat (I had no idea about that) and that were was other cosmetic damage. But whatever. The 4001FL on the wall was $3,300, so GC wanted my bass plus another $1,900. I didn't have the money, so I had no choice but to walk away. The next time I went back to try out basses, it was gone! It was the bass that got away.

However... a month later, I traded my old Jazz Bass for my 2022 Rickenbacker 4003 in Satin Autumnglo. I still have, play, and love this bass. And the guy who acquired my old bass was very happy to have it. So all's well that ends well.

 

[Ellery]

About 10 years ago, 70’s Ampeg SVT head that had just been serviced with new tubes. At the time I thought $1200 was too much for an amp head.
Glad that I didn’t pick it up, legendary gear for sure, but falls short in the portability and maintenance categories. Since then, I have figured out how to get the vintage tube elements into my tone that matter to me using solid-state amps and pedals.