Do your basses have sentimental value to you?

[Matthew_84]

I've only had one bass that had sentimental value and that's because it was a gift from my wife... Truth be told, I kind of wish I didn't have these feelings as the bass doesn't really suit me anymore and I'm kind of stuck with it.

I sold my first one as soon as I found a buyer though.

However, I do hate selling basses and other gear. Too much hassle and most of the time, I regret the deal I agreed to.

 

[Jereth]

Interesting array of responses already!

I think it would be very interesting if people would like to add pics of the basses they do have an attachment to and why! I know I'd like to see them and hear the stories behind them

 

[39-Bassist]

I have two basses I built from Fender parts and LOVE them both....PJ Sunburst w/maple neck and a Dual P natural w/maple neck....I have had and played some top end basses but end up sticking with these because they just play and sound so well. It also helps to know it is what I wanted to have...

 

[Bodeanly]

The ones I part together always mean more to me. I will glance down while I'm playing and think, "I've seen your insides."

 

[Jefff]

Nope. I am down to two basses and if either was lost or stolen I could replace them pretty easily.

 

[bolophonic]

Any bass that doesn't have sentimental value gets parted out and rebuilt into something that does.

 

[lfmn16]

I don't have any basses with sentimental value. I have a '68 Tele bass I wouldn't sell just because I'll probably never see another that I could afford. I have a CIJ that I wouldn't sell just because it plays perfectly for me.

As far as a bass just being a tool, I disagree. Try 10 Fender Jazz basses and they won't all sound and feel the same. Try 10 craftsman hammers of the same model and I bet they are enough alike that you couldn't tell them apart.

 

[mikeyjm2]

This is the only one that I have a sentimental attachment to. 1976 Mustang (my first bass) bought for me by my dad when I was 13 years old. I'm 48 now and still have it and will not get rid of it. I have 9 others beside this one and while I like all of them, the Mustang is the only one that I would say is completely off limits to selling or trading. My wife would kill me if I did!

1976 Mustang

• mikeyjm2
• May 29, 2016
• 1
• mustang bass

 

[Cole Louis Allar]

Not really

 

[Jay2U]

The cheapest bass, bought second hand, has some sentimental value to me, because I modified and improved it in many ways.

 

[JimmyM]

Yes and no. A couple have meaning to me due to the circumstances, but I wouldn't be crushed if something happened to them.

 

[Tanner5382]

I'm more happy with my current lineup of basses than I have been with any previous lineup, but only one bass (my Gibson Money Bass in my avatar) has sentimental value. I bought it from a close friend and mentor who has inspired my playing since the early days. It was also my only bass for a period of time.

 

[rogerbmiller]

Absolutely. So many do. the ones that don't are the ones I often end up selling.

 

[godofthunder59]

I still have my first bass, my folks bought it for me in 71. Almost all my basses a sentimental attachment.

 

[bikeplate]

Not at all. I've owned some for years, some for a few days. Hundreds I'll guess. They are tools for my job and passion. Some great, most forgettable

 

[Bigbri]

Something that I have only just realised as I am saving for a new bass (that's too good for my skill level ) is that I actually hold a quite a lot of sentimental value for the basses I have owned.

I've only owned a small few but I still even have my first bass (a $200 Squire Precision) though it's stored in a case under my bed and I can't imagine what would make me dig it out. Conversely I can't imagine giving it away/selling it though I'd struggle to articulate why

I don't expect many would be as severe as that but is there any basses you own - even though they might not be the 'best', what you're looking for right now or just a cheap old thing - that you just would not want to part with?

EDIT:
Interesting array of responses already!

I think it would be very interesting if people would like to add pics of the basses they do have an attachment to any why! I know I'd like to see them and hear the stories behind them

My first Fender p-bass, my father lent me the money for, 400 when I was 15. Other than that no. He was going to lend me 500 to grab a pair of SVT's, thats right a pair. But needles to say they were sold by the time I called back. You could grab SVT's and vintage basses all day long in the buy n sell newspaper in Toronto pre 1990 just before the internet came out.

 

[shawshank72]

I had quit playing music for a couple years and my wife bought me a Squier P Bass for my birthday.
Then i started modding it and playing in bands again.
Can NEVER get rid of it.

 

[climber]

I designed and made this bass while I was working for a luthier named Paris Bianchetti in Miami in the summer of '77. It's Honduras mahogany with maple stringers and the electronics compartment cover in the back is ebony. I used the neck from my '72 Jazz bass and replaced the fingerboard with 3/8" thick ebony. it has a Bartolini preamp and pickups, but originally it had EMG's. it plays incredibly well and is very versatile. I play funk, blues, rock, jazz, everything with this bass. you can't see it, but there are holes right above both pickups from the wear of my thumb. I also have a new Pedulla Pentabuzz for the times I really need a jazz upright sound. I've tried numerous other boutique basses, even had a custom one made for me about 8 years ago. However, this bass is my heart and soul and I've never played anything that makes me feel better.

 

[Clef_de_fa]

I only have sentimental value over one of my basses. My father bought it for me as I was 19 after 3 years of playing, one day we went to the music store and there you go... after that, that bass became my partner in crime as it was the bass I used for my audition to music college and it was my only bass during those years. So yeah. I hold it dear and it still play quite nice actually.

Oh yeah it is a Yamaha BBNEII left handed.

 

[kentiki]

Not anymore. The 2 that had sentimental value were sold in the mid-eighties (I was desperate). The only one that has some attachment is a parts bass I built.