My best friend's, dad's bass (when I was about 11 years old). A 70s Fender P. 3 tone sunburst with tort guard. I had no idea what an awesome instrument I was monkeying around on!
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First bass you ever touched.
- Thread starter light blue bass
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Our church had one of these. I used to borrow it when I was 11. Covered in red vinyl! The bridge saddle had been replaced with a sliver of wood bolstered up to the “correct” height with folded paper!! Some time later it was stolen from the church.
First bass I actually owned was an AriaProII Cardinal bass. A MASSIVE improvement..!
It was around 1981. I needed an instrument and didn’t know how to play guitar so the guy at Friendly River Music in Portland, Maine handed me a short-scale black 1978 Fender Musicmaster (MIA) and I bought it for $165.00.
Unfortunately, it turns out that I didn’t know how to play bass either.
Unfortunately, it turns out that I didn’t know how to play bass either.
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First Fender I touched was a Dakota red L series Jazz Bass that used to sit in the local Baptist church. I sneaked in and played it once on a Sunday afternoon. A real wow moment. Say what you like about vintage Fenders, but this experience stuck with me. The neck felt simply incredible.
Red plywood no-name short scale P bass copy. In hindsight it was a piece of junk, but it actually sounded ok based on some old recordings I have of it.
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Late 60's or early 70's Pan jazz bass copy. Matsumoto made, plywood with a block neck. Eventually traded for a used 61 Stack-knob Jazz (had to throw in sizeable chunk of cash at the time, 1983 dollars). Had a crappy brown amateur refin, that my guitarist/ luthier refinished several years later, its now my profile pic.
I honestly have no idea what it was - my friend owned it when I was in 8th grade. It was black and possibly an Ibanez SR or Ergodyne? I played it for a bit while we were supposed to be working on some kind of school project (don't remember what). I was hooked. The first bass I owned was a late 90s DeArmond Pilot that I got for Christmas 1999 when I was a freshman in high school. I joined my first band the next week.
The first bass I ever touched was a Gibson Victory Artist in red. Sometime in 1982.....
I have no clue. I’m pretty sure it was un-branded. I do know it was the summer of 1964. Being honest, even after a year of guitar playing, I had no clue what to do with it then., and I’m still working out the details....
‘74 Gibson Ripper. Was in my local music store along with a ‘75 Fender Precision. I’d heard of Gibson because of the guitars but the owner of the shop said Fenders were what most bass players played so that’s what I bought. Glad I did.
I had a black one of those. Really didn’t sound bad, but a bass with a two piece body?
I guess I must have picked up and played basses in shops before I bought my first bass but I can't remember which ones. The first bass I ever properly played was my Framus Star bass, in September 1965. I worked all summer to buy that bass and an amp, and had to wait to work the next summer to save the money to buy a cab. While I was waiting for the cab, the first bass I played through an amp was a Rickenbacker, in a shop.
and you haven’t stopped buying Basses since...lol! I can think of worse hobbies (actually, I’m pretty envious)
1970's Rickenbacker 4001. Was purchased for me not long after, becoming my first bass at age 17.
First I actually played. Pre Gibson Era Tobias through a Trace Elliot stack at the local brick and mortar store.
