Basses you are emotionally attached to

[CoolHat]

Just wondering, do you have a bass that carries an extra special meaning to you? Perhaps it was your first bass, somebody special gave it to you, you inherited it or you used it to create something memorable. Or maybe it has an interesting history.

I still have my first bass, a red Fender Musicmaster from early 70´s. I don´t play it anymore, but I would never sell it. It´s nothing special, but it brought me so much happiness back in the day. Plus, it made other kids jealous: I was the only guy with a real Fender, everybody else had some cheaper-than-cheap plywood clones

What´s the story behind your special bass?

 

[Figjam]

I tihnk we;ve had a thread like this.

But my Godin SD, simply because it is my main bass at the moment.

 

[CoolHat]

I tihnk we;ve had a thread like this.

Probably, but I couldn´t find it. But I think people are more than happy to share their memories all over again... [grandpa voice on]"Have I ever told you the story..."

 

[dveeus1]

My 1976 Fender Jazz.

I still love the way it feels, plays, and sounds. But, more importantly it is the bass my dad (my best friend) gave me as a graduation present from elementry school.

If I stopped playing bass today I would keep it for the sentimental value alone.

 

[Ralphdaddy]

My Corvette FNA Jazzman 5 was a graduation present to me from my parents last May when I got out of college. Not only have I never played anything I like better but for me that bass is so perfect, I look at it everyday and it's just so damn sweet!!

 

[nicoli]

I'm not so attached to any of my instruments that I couldn't fathom selling them at some point, but I'm attached to all my gear to that point that I have a hard time letting any of it go easily.

I have an old Marshall head that survived a house fire with my Uncle back in the '70s that I've been told is a family heirloom and I can't sell it no matter what because there's too much history behind it.

 

[lyle]

my spector performance 4. (first good bass) got my tapping and slapping down on it

 

[michele]

My Sadowsky NYC 4. I bought it while in New York on honeymoon!

 

[bryan bailey]

My TBC. Cause I bought from a friend of mine, and he regrets selling it now. I rub it in his face all the time.

And my Geddy because over the summer, it sounded awesome and stayed in tune for about 3 months.

 

[tplyons]

My Ibanez SR400 named Molly after my first girlfriend, also my first bass. Got both of them about the same time, one hates me, the other's currently being rebuilt.

My Ibanez AW100 acoustic named Louise, after a more recent girl. I don't tend to play as much bass when I'm sad as guitar, gotten me through a LOT of hard times.

And my Epiphone Acoustic named Jerry after the previous owner. Passed away because of cancer, inherited it, put on a truss rod cover engraved Jerry and gives Louise a lot of competition.

And then there's my Stingray, Ernie. My main bass for two years. No matter what, it's staying with me. I just need a P and a jazz to go with it.

 

[ogyen]

I just got a sadowsky from my fiance as an engagement present, that's staying with me for good. BTW, it's the sea foam green 4 that bass nw had up. I love those cheesey 50's/60's lookin' colours.

 

[M.R. Ogle]

I was over at a company making parts for radio control cars in Fullerton. I look down beside the CNC machines, and I'll be darned... there's a bass neck laying down in the crap on the floor. The shop owner says... "Oh, yeah, the kids go over and raid the dumpster of this place across the alley. They pull all kinds of wood pieces like that out and play army men with them (like little rifles). I told them to get that crap outa here... you want that?"
No kidding.
It was a G&L L2000 maple neck with three tuners and a little"by Leo Fender" decal on the headstock. I kept it for years... moved with it, killed spiders with it, mixed paint with it, used it to prop open a door... it was pretty abused. It was just a piece of junk, I thought.
Flash forward six years: I'm in my office at work, and this co-worker comes down from upstairs and says "Hey, I'm cleaning out my garage, and I found this old bass body... "
I see it... butterscotch color, and my miind immediately flashes back to. I wonder if I still have that old G&L neck in the closet?
You can figure out the rest. I put the parts together, found an old set of P-bass pickups, and it plays like a dream. It's been my number-one bass for years now. I've recorded with it, gigged with it, and I'll never part with it.
It was just meant to be mine.

 

[keb]

I was over at a company making parts for radio control cars in Fullerton. I look down beside the CNC machines, and I'll be darned... there's a bass neck laying down in the crap on the floor. The shop owner says... "Oh, yeah, the kids go over and raid the dumpster of this place across the alley. They pull all kinds of wood pieces like that out and play army men with them (like little rifles). I told them to get that crap outa here... you want that?"
No kidding.
It was a G&L L2000 maple neck with three tuners and a little"by Leo Fender" decal on the headstock. I kept it for years... moved with it, killed spiders with it, mixed paint with it, used it to prop open a door... it was pretty abused. It was just a piece of junk, I thought.
Flash forward six years: I'm in my office at work, and this co-worker comes down from upstairs and says "Hey, I'm cleaning out my garage, and I found this old bass body... "
I see it... butterscotch color, and my miind immediately flashes back to. I wonder if I still have that old G&L neck in the closet?
You can figure out the rest. I put the parts together, found an old set of P-bass pickups, and it plays like a dream. It's been my number-one bass for years now. I've recorded with it, gigged with it, and I'll never part with it.
It was just meant to be mine.

That's a great story!

 

[Fuzzbass]

I've owned more interesting basses (such as a 1964 P-bass) but my sentimental fave is an '89 EB MusicMan Sabre. I've been the only owner. It has a bunch of mods and war wounds, but was my #1 bass for many years and has lots of personal history in it. I no longer gig with this bass (I do 5 string exclusively) but I can't bear to sell it.

Ugly but still beautiful to me

 

[Stevious G]

I love all of my basses. But my first bass, (a Samick with a Ritter-esque black marble finish,) was my first bass, and will be stickin'with me for a looong time. I couldn't see myself selling any of my basses. Ever.

 

[Spector_Ray]

When I was in the military, there was a small music store on a little Air Force base in Panama. I found an Ampeg SVT 350 head and two 4x10 cabs that were priced so low that even thought I didn't have my cheap Mako Warlock copy with me, I had to buy it. Later on, I purchased a Jackson Concert bass and two Spector NS-2A's from the guy. I think I may have spent no more than $1500 total for the equipment over the 18 months I was stationed there. I was stationed in San Antonio where I finally bought a blonde U.S.A. made Spector NS-2. I was in heaven. All of my equipment was stolen and I've yet to replace any of it. I would have to say that the Spector had special meaning because it was the first "real" bass I ever owned that I really worked my ass of to get. I'm still working my ass of for one and hopefully one day soon...

 

[Jazzin']

my only bass i have!! fender jazz
but theres more to come in the future.

 

[Jazz Ad]

Definitely my Zipper Bass, because it was my first custom and has been my main bass for the last 10 years.
Many people don't like it, to me it's perfection made bass.
Link Removed

 

[Brian S]

My first bass was a Guild Bluesbird that my parents gave to me for Christmas in 1975. It has a short scale neck and had a bridge that was mounted on to the body (not set in) with two screws. I replaced that with a BadAss Bass Bridge (set into the body) which increased it's sustain and it was my only bass for the next 25 years. It has nicks and chips in the paint and belt buckle rash right down to the wood in the back, but I'll never part with it. It still stays in tune and sounds fine.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

I have been through so many instruments that none really has a long standing sentimantal value to me any more, however, if I had to do over, there are several I would never had sold: my very first bass given to me by my mother, my old Rickenbacker 4000 (my first real quality bass), a Pre-Ernie Ball Stingray that I got for $250 (self explanatory), Yamaha BB 2000, Guild Pilot V (first good five), Alembic Essence V, and a bolt-on Ken Smith Six.

Realistically, I wouldn't have had all of those if I had not traded and sold so many times, and I could also add my old Roscoe V, Yamaha TRB VI, either of my Stingray V's, or my last Modulus Quantum V to that list. I guess that's why I tend to be very suspicious of my GAS. Although I have occassionally upgraded. More often than not, I ended up letting go of a great instrument that I ended up missing.