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Did you keep your first bass?

#142
I like the thumb rest. I know it's not the right way but I rest my thumb and like the idea.

tabdog said:
Not at all Balton. Most aren't interested because
it's just an old Electra Westone X640N made in
Japan.

But, it has an 18 volt preamp and coil splitting
and has always been easy to dial in any sound
I wanted without having to go mess with the
amp settings.

It has a Jazz neck and sounds great and can
do things that I have never seen any other bass
do, sound wise.

8-6-8-1.jpg


6-1-3.jpg


Nothing has been adjusted on this bass . Not
the intonation, truss rod or anything. It is just
as it was when I bought 28 years ago.

Tabdog

Edit;

I forgot.

I did install a thumb rest and strap locks. Other
than that and changing strings, it is just as it was
when I bought it new in 1984,

Tabdog
Click to expand...
 
#144
I got rid of my first guitar, a bargain bin Epiphone, recently about 22 or 23 years after I got it. It saw some electronics upgrades over the years, but the neck was cheap to begin with and eventually it just wasn't playable any more. Although it had some sentimental value, repairing it would have cost more than it was worth and I was tired of just having it taking up space and never being played. It went in the trash after I stripped it of anything usable.

As far as my first bass, I sadly don't have that anymore either. It was an Aria Pro that I really enjoyed. I have no idea what happened to it. I guess I traded it in on something along the way (something which I probably no longer have either).
 
#145
I still got mine.
A cheap Jazz Bass that my dad bought me for R$300 (U$150).
The previous owner sanded the decal off the heastock, so i never got to know what brand it is.
It's currently in my father's Music School (where these photos were taken), so new bass players are learning with it, just like i did. It has a great tone, just a little noisy when plugged. And i lost the pickguard so i'll buy a new one soon.

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#146
I still have my first bass and it had been my main player for 20 years. It's a late 60's/early 70's Maya Jazz Bass, Japanese knockoff. It was beat up when I got it for $90 when I was 13 at a pawn shop and I never owned another bass. But over the years, the neck developed a slight twist and it's not so playable anymore. I had some work done to get it as good as it could be and it's much better, but not good.

maya.jpg


So last year I picked up one of those Squier Vintage modified Jaguar basses and I hate it. It has no soul of it's own. No vibe, just not for me.

So today I hunt for a new Bass. A Gibson Ripper, G3 or Grabber. The 70's Kiss fan in me wants it. And it cannot replace my old bass, just be different. But my first bass will be cremated with me when I'm gone. Nobody else will ever appreciate it like I do.
 
#147
My first bass was a '60s Kay hollow body that I bought used in '81. A couple of weeks after I bought it I was playing on a hot summer night. Sweat running down my arm dissolved the glue and the top pulled off. I cashed a $200 savings bond given to me by my deceased grandfather (that was supposed to be for college), and replaced the Kay with a '78 Fender Jazz that had been badly abused by the previous owner. I consider that to be my real first bass.

In the next couple of years I:

- stripped the original finish
- painted it sky blue
- replaced the stock pickups with DiMarzios
- stripped the finish
- painted it gold
- stripped the finish
- replaced the original damaged neck with a '69 Precision neck
- had it refinished by a professional
- pulled out the frets
- refretted it myself at the kitchen table

For many years I could not afford or justify buying another bass, no matter how much I wanted to. Now my old Jazz shares the music room with six vintage G&Ls and two newer G&Ls, and doesn't get much playing time. I wouldn't consider selling her for anything though, or changing anything other than the strings.

When I do play the old Fender, every scratch, ding and trace of old modifications reminds me of several decades of enjoyment. Many of my closest friendships were forged with that bass in my hands. From a totally sappy viewpoint, it's also my only lasting link to a grandfather who passed away when I was too young to remember him. There isn't another instrument on the planet that could match or replace any of that, even though it's not that hard to beat the bass's feel and sound.

OK, on second thought that refret job wasn't very good and I've really developed my fretless chops since then...just maybe one more mod for old time's sake...
 
#148
I still have some parts of it :-)
The bass was destroyed by me trying to make it better/playable... (it was a semi acoustic Egmond, extremely bad stuff) :-)

My second bass was so bad, I had to replace it within a year with the Fender I still own. (which serves as wall decoration today)
 
#149
Traded my 1965 single-cutaway Kay (from Spiegel's catalog) for a Gagliano, made by Hofner, in 1966. Bought my first P bass in 1967 and sold the Gagliano to a friend. The Kay was terrible, even by the standards of the day, but the Gagliano had the same electronics as the Beatle bass and sounded pretty good, but all the local bass players told me I had to have a Fender.
 
#151
My first bass was an Applause P bass copy, it was like a high maintenance ugly girlfriend. Every time I changed the strings the truss rod had to be adjusted cause the neck would go so wonky I ended up just leaving the strings on and changing them one at a time. My dad finally got pissed off always having to drive to the music store to get it fixed. So we traded it in and I got a Samik P bass copy with Dimarzio pick ups I kind of miss that bass.
 
#152
balton4 said:
... i got this bass last year for a christmas present, and i am not sure if my dad would appreciate me selling the gift that meant so much to me. :hmm:
Click to expand...

Have your dad put a greeting (To my son...), sign it and put the date he bought it for you on it.

Hang it on the wall and keep it forever.

You'll thank me when you're old.

Wish I had done that.

Building memories....
 
#153
fucanay said:
... But over the years, the neck developed a slight twist and it's not so playable anymore. I had some work done to get it as good as it could be and it's much better, but not good.
Click to expand...
I suggest putting a new neck on it and making it playable. No new bass needed!

Keep the old neck for posterity and have fun with your new/old bass!
 
#158
i still got my first bass maybe because i played its frets to dust so that nobodys gonna buy it. Its an ibanez gsr180. If I find a replacement neck for it cheap I might take it gigging again. but now it hangs on my wall reminding me of the good days we spent together.
 
#160
tabdog said:
Not at all Balton. Most aren't interested because
it's just an old Electra Westone X640N made in
Japan.

But, it has an 18 volt preamp and coil splitting
and has always been easy to dial in any sound
I wanted without having to go mess with the
amp settings.

It has a Jazz neck and sounds great and can
do things that I have never seen any other bass
do, sound wise.

Nothing has been adjusted on this bass . Not
the intonation, truss rod or anything. It is just
as it was when I bought 28 years ago.

Tabdog

Edit;

I forgot.

I did install a thumb rest and strap locks. Other
than that and changing strings, it is just as it was
when I bought it new in 1984,

Tabdog
Click to expand...

First bass and bassball :hiding:
 

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