No. Wish I did though. It was a 1978 Fender Musicmaster, Black with a rosewood board and flats. Bought it new when I was starting out along with a Peavey TNT100 combo.
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Do you still have your very first bass?
- Thread starter Definitely
- Start date
Still have mine, a '92 "big Fender, little Squier" Korean P. I put in a Reverend pickup, CTS pots, Switchcraft jack and Orange drop tone cap. I don't play it much, but my now-wife gave it to me for a birthday present when we were both starving students, so it stays until true poverty hits.
Hopefully, my first bass is on at least its fourth or fifth owner, and still enriching people's lives.
My dad was totally un-sentimental about gear. He was always trading stuff, either to finance a new instrument that interested him, or to go off in a new direction entirely. He also held a strong conviction that musical instruments are functional art, and that it's fundamentally wrong for them to be held out of circulation.
If he'd kept some of the stuff that subsequently turned out to be collectible, he would have made a lot more money. However, with his capital tied up in a growing collection, he would have had to pass on a lot of opportunities. What price could you possibly put on the enjoyment he got from owning dozens of fine guitars, or from learning pedal steel, trumpet, Chapman Stick, chromatic harmonica, harpsichord, 5-string banjo, electric bass, violin, viola, clavichord, synth guitar, vibes, and timbales? And how would you value the way all those instruments enriched his musical vocabulary?
Thanks to his example, I've always held on to stuff pretty lightly. Any time an instrument sits idle for more than a few months, I start thinking about either selling it, loaning it out, or giving it away. The bass I built in 1993/1994, is currently the oldest piece of gear in my music room.
My dad was totally un-sentimental about gear. He was always trading stuff, either to finance a new instrument that interested him, or to go off in a new direction entirely. He also held a strong conviction that musical instruments are functional art, and that it's fundamentally wrong for them to be held out of circulation.
If he'd kept some of the stuff that subsequently turned out to be collectible, he would have made a lot more money. However, with his capital tied up in a growing collection, he would have had to pass on a lot of opportunities. What price could you possibly put on the enjoyment he got from owning dozens of fine guitars, or from learning pedal steel, trumpet, Chapman Stick, chromatic harmonica, harpsichord, 5-string banjo, electric bass, violin, viola, clavichord, synth guitar, vibes, and timbales? And how would you value the way all those instruments enriched his musical vocabulary?
Thanks to his example, I've always held on to stuff pretty lightly. Any time an instrument sits idle for more than a few months, I start thinking about either selling it, loaning it out, or giving it away. The bass I built in 1993/1994, is currently the oldest piece of gear in my music room.
No. It was a cheap SG guitar copy converted to a bass. Guitar scale, guitar pickups, two tuner holes filled in the headstock. I think I paid $15 for it, and it got me started, though, so I can't complain. The only full bass line I learned with it was the Romantics' "Talking in Your Sleep." Did the trick.
My first bass was a Peavy Milestone.. candy apple red. It definately did its job. I seriously don't remember what I did with that bass. I later got a Ibanez bass that I really enjoyed and began performing with that bass. For the last 10 years I have had my Warwick Thumb Bolt-On 4 string.. that has been my baby. It was recently stolen.. but I fortunately got it back.
Still have my '77 P-bass that I got when it was six months old, played lots in bands through college, then life got in the way; sold all the amps, other guitars, except for the P and an old Gretsch Pro Bass amp. Glad I kept them both. Recently got back to playing after 25 years; it was nice to have the old familiar gal to help knock off the rust (did find out the old Gretsch amp that I thought sounded like junk was actually valuable as a guitar amp and sold it for enough $$ to get a good bass amp). If you got the cash and the space and you like the way it plays, keep it.
Yes sir, still gots my 72 4001 Ric and yes she still gets played and taken out on dates by this cat.
That's cool.
I wish I didn't sell my first bass, an Ibanez lawsuit black and maple jazz with black blocks. I sold it to buy a headless Hohner 'the Jack', which I still have.
I still have my first bass, it's an Aria P-bass, with flatwounds to try to replicate Steve Harris' sound 
but right now my third bass is my primary bass.
but right now my third bass is my primary bass.
Still have my late 70s Fender Musicman short scale. Christmas gift from parents in 1980.
I think they paid, like, $85 for it. Wouldn't sell it for 10 times that amount.
I think they paid, like, $85 for it. Wouldn't sell it for 10 times that amount.
godofthunder59
Life is short, buy the bass.
- Feb 19, 2006
- 9,060
- 38,448
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Cataldo Basses, Whirlwind products, Thunderbucker pickups
I still have my first bass, a Klira violin bass my Dad got it for me on my 11th Birthday, that was 41 years ago. It is one of my most treasured possesions.
My starter bass was a piece of crap cheapo from eBay. I wanted to make sure I was going to stick with it before laying down some money. I sold it, and I could care less. My current EBMM Sterling will probably be with me for a very long time.
Yes - a 1978 Fender Precision. It is currently in the shop for repairs (pickup replacement, new nut, fret work, etc.), but I'm holding on to this one for a while.
my first bass was a Gibson EB-1, complete with Nylon tapewound flats. Still have, love, and cherish it, although almost never played anymore. Dont sell your first bass. Although you think that you could easily find another one, the years go by, and none are to be found. I payed $300 for mine back then, and now I see them (in awful condition) on ebay for $1500 and up.
Man, I wish I still had my first bass. It was a Kramer, brand new in 1979. I sold it to fund a cross-country trip, and gave up on bass for 30 years. But I never forgot how a bass felt.
They don't make 'em like that anymore.
They don't make 'em like that anymore.
Sure do, a P.O.S. Stagg .. On a side note, DON'T BUY A STAGG BASS!!!
Nothing is good on the bass except MAYBE the body, and even so, there is no grain, so it'd have to be painted to look nice. I was going to give it to someone who's interestied in learning bass, but in reality, I'm not too keen on giving it to someone knowing the condition it's in, and I certainly couldn't sell it.
So one day I'm going to convert it into a fretless, slap an ebony board on it, and change EVERYTHING about it. It will cost about the same as a new and decent bass, but with what I got planned, I would have to get it custom made anyway, so it will be worth it.
My advice, if you want to get a certain sound or feel from a bass, but it's hard to find in stores, use this bass and do it yourself. If not sell it, or give it to someone who's starting out, if you think it's good enough.
Nothing is good on the bass except MAYBE the body, and even so, there is no grain, so it'd have to be painted to look nice. I was going to give it to someone who's interestied in learning bass, but in reality, I'm not too keen on giving it to someone knowing the condition it's in, and I certainly couldn't sell it.
So one day I'm going to convert it into a fretless, slap an ebony board on it, and change EVERYTHING about it. It will cost about the same as a new and decent bass, but with what I got planned, I would have to get it custom made anyway, so it will be worth it.
My advice, if you want to get a certain sound or feel from a bass, but it's hard to find in stores, use this bass and do it yourself. If not sell it, or give it to someone who's starting out, if you think it's good enough.
