My first was a 2000 (I think?) Fernandes Tremor 4 standard (the one with the MM/J pickups and passive electronics) in emerald green metallic. Nothing special, I had realized I wasn't going to be much of a guitar player shortly after my folks bought me a perfectly functional couple of Epiphone guitars (a J-45-style acoustic and a G-400 SG) and it was on closeout at MF for $180, so I bought it. Again, nothing special, but I thought it was amazing.
Over the years, I realized that it actually WAS kinda special in that it accidentally played and sounded better than all kinds of nicer instruments I played, and I souped it up with better pickups, pots, a sanded/oiled neck, and shielding (paint, I didn't yet know about copper shielding). It took heavy beatings for years, but always stayed 'sweet', and although I had several other, nicer basses (all of which I sold when I got hard up), I always held onto ol' 'Cecilia'.
7 or 8 summers ago, I was supposed to play a little 'festival' gig with a friend of mine and a coworker at said coworker's friends' place. I rode out and practiced with the guys like 3 times, and left all my gear out there, but didn't pay attention to how we got there since I wasn't driving and since I was drinking way too much back then. Well, on the day we were supposed to play, my drummer buddy (we didn't really know the other guys, I had met the guitar player at work just before we got laid off) called and told me he was sick and wouldn't be able to pull it off. I told him to call the rest of the guys and tell them, as I didn't feel like it should be my responsibility to 'call in' for him. Fast forward to 3 days later: I got arrested for P.I. and had just gotten bailed out. My cash and phone were missing. I didn't know any of their numbers except my drummer buddy, who also didn't since I was the link between them. Neither of us could remember how to get to the place (way out in the boonies of WV), so we started trying to find people who knew the guys that put on the mini-fest.
After probably 30 people telling me, 'I know those guys, the one that owns the house is my uncle!' and things like that, and after having been given the same number probably 8 or 10 times and leaving probably 40 messages, I gave up on seeing my stuff again. My rig consisted of a Hartke 3500, a rack tuner, a power conditioner, and a rack drawer in a rack case, several high-ish-end effects pedals and cables, and a Hartke 410XL, and my Fernandes. The guys were decent dudes with good jobs and no drug habits, I really don't think they would've sold my gear. I always assumed that they were using my rig for various bands to practice with in their garage, as the 'house' rig there was a beat Peavey combo.
I don't care anymore (and haven't for years) about any of that nice gear, but I wish that I had my first bass, just for sentimentality. Maybe I'll find her again one day.