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Birth Year Bass

#41
Bar Band Bassman said:
For me, a birth year bass is a good news/bad news joke. Good news: there were only 2 choices. Bad news: a 1955 bass is going to be REALLY pricey! Like, $18K for a p-bass with original everything. Gibson's not-yet-called EB-1 but simply "Gibson Bass" may be considerably cheaper, but still crazy $, IF I could find one! '53, '54, '56, '58, yeah. '55? Nope. 🤷‍♂️

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Bar Band Bassman said:
For me, a birth year bass is a good news/bad news joke. Good news: there were only 2 choices. Bad news: a 1955 bass is going to be REALLY pricey! Like, $18K for a p-bass with original everything. Gibson's not-yet-called EB-1 but simply "Gibson Bass" may be considerably cheaper, but still crazy $, IF I could find one! '53, '54, '56, '58, yeah. '55? Nope. 🤷‍♂️

BBB
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I’m not so sure I’d want my birth year bass, unless it was an upright, like a Kay.

I had an opportunity buy one for $400 in the early 80’s. It saddens me I didn’t take advantage of it.
 
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#42
KohanMike said:
The last time this kind of thread came up (2015), I researched what was available in 1949, it was a 1936 Audio Vox 736 created by Paul Tutmarc, reissued by his son that he named the Serenader. Of course none were available, so I had my repair shop, Eric's Guitar in Sound City (yes, that Sound City), modify a Hadean bass uke to look like the Serenader. I even made a headstock decal in the their style to commemorate it. I had to give up that one, so I recently had the replacement modified as well.

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I looked into the Tutmarc but my impression was they were gone by '55.

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#44
I've always wanted a SG style bass - mostly just because they look cool. I especially love the big 2x2 headstock. I had one briefly, but don't like short scale. Anyway, my GAS led me to the early 80s Ibanez Musician bass.

Low and behold, this one popped up on CL a few years back. Really nice price, AND,,, it's a 1979 - my birth year. So I had to snatch it up.

I think '79 was the first production year for these. Further, when I was buying it, I found out the bass was purchased at a shop in Houston in '79 (where I live now), sold and taken to Austin (where I lived for many years) - so I got to return it back to Houston.

It's a cool bass - but defantaly more work to play than my Jazz. And it has SO much growl (too much for me). If I ever start up that 60s psychedelic power trio, this bass will get all the work. But in the mean time, just a cool bass to have around that house that happens to be born the same year as me.

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#45
I got myself a birth year bass this year. For my birth year the amount of money to spend is not the issue but rather what bass to get. It was very hard to find something decent and not too crazy 80s.

But in the end I found a 1985 Ibanez Roadstar II, which is quite awesome! The heart-shaped tuning pegs and the boomerang pins look really cool :)
 

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#46
schaechtele said:
I got myself a birth year bass this year. For my birth year the amount of money to spend is not the issue but rather what bass to get. It was very hard to find something decent and not too crazy 80s.

But in the end I found a 1985 Ibanez Roadstar II, which is quite awesome! The heart-shaped tuning pegs and the boomerang pins look really cool :)
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That's cool. Love the hardware. P-bass, but something a little unique and special.
 
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#48
Bar Band Bassman said:
I actually have the Squire which is really quite spiffy. Other than the 2 screw tug bar and headstock truss rod adjustment it's pretty true to the original. FCS wouldn't be a big improvement for me. I definitely looked at a few, though!

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Are you looking for an improvement over your Squire or a bass that harkens back to your year of birth, be it an original or faithful recreation? I thought if was the latter.
 
#50
At some point in the past decade, I thought about getting a BYB .... '57 for me, but as a Jazz player that would not work. I considered chasing down a '57 P but I hate hate hate maple necks, so given how much scratch it would take to get one (and I actually have the do-re-mi to do it), that pretty much put me off the idea.

I don't feel bad about it at all. :laugh:
 
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#56
dune said:
A "birth year bass" has never been on my radar. If it were I'd need something from '62, and I don't see myself ever paying 5 figures for any bass.
I'm sure that some will consider it sacrilege, but I've never been convinced that vintage basses are really all that to begin with, let alone worth $20,000 or more.
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Agreed. Why is birth year bass even a thing? Was it dreamed by someone hoping to keep the vintage market going? :D
 

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