First bass you ever touched.

[Rip Van Dan]

2005 Squire affinity p bass.
As expected a cheap average starter bass.

My "cheap starter bass" was an unknown "made in Japan" piece of crap that I bought for $40 in 1965. Then in 1966 I got a Fender Bassman amp and heard that bass for the first time. Just 2 or 3 months later (in 1966) I bought a 1965 Fender Jazz Bass. Just doesn't get much better than that. While touring for 3-yearrs with a nightclub group I replaced my Fender Bassman blackface amp with a piggy-back Standel (MCIIB/SAM30b). Never had to fear being drowned out again...

In 1976 our house was burglarized and that '65 Jazz along with my Standel piggy-back amp), my two Shure mics, and one Atlas heavy-weight mic stand were all stolen. In 1985 I finally found a bass with the same neck shape and profile as my '65. In 2010 I bought an amazing Eden amp from the designer of all the Eden amps and cabs. In 2015 I finally arrived back at the Pro-grade gear level I'd had in the 70's with the purchase of my DNS-410 cabinet by DNA.

So I started out with crap and quickly went to great gear. Then it was all stolen in 1976 and it took me until 2015 to arrive back at that pro-standard of gear once again.

 

[JW56789]

An EB3, in that standard Gibson Robitussin Red Stain, with maroon tapewounds. Yikes !?!?!?!?! It's a wonder I still wound up wanting to play electric bass after that . . . . with this guy yammering in my ear about, 'but THIS is what Jack Bruce plays with Cream !'. Really . . . . .

 

[edr]

It was my dad's, he never really played it. Late 80's Peavey Patriot bass. Still have it, still use it. Took me a long time to properly appreciate it.

 

[Nobis17]

Robin something or another. It was pearl white.

 

[PBandJazzBass]

Greg Bennett (Samick) J style bass. I think they called it the "Fairlane" model. Not a bad beginner bass. Bought it from a friends brother my freshman year of high school for $40.

 

[emblymouse]

It was a Kingston. I was 13. I took the train out to pick it up in Crystal Lake where my friend had moved to. He knew a guy...

$50 of my own money, looking back it was nearly worthless as a proper functioning bass, but had 4 strings and it was mine! It helped me stay interested long enough to get a toe hold and that was all she wrote!

 

[Maynjo]

Ha, I actually believe it was an Ibanez Ergodyne bass at my local Mcfayden Music store. Looked kinda like this.

Man, I was in love with that thing. Thank god I never bought it, haha.

 

[HardNHeavy]

a cheap tobacco burst early 80's hondo i modded. This is what it looked like originally, but not a 3-tone sunburst......$185 bucks Manny's nyc

modded Tobacco burst with SD j pup and esp lefty neck

 

[eastcoasteddie]

First bass I ever touched was probably my uncle’s Sunburst/Maple P-bass. I’m guessing it is from the 70’s but I don’t remember it being heavy - I remember it being average 8-9lbs, I remember the neck lacquer being sticky as hell. I don’t remember if he had flats or rounds, but they had red silk ends. It also had the ash trays on it.
I haven’t seen or spoken to him in maybe 15 years or so. Not sure if I ever will.
I also remember not liking it. To this day I really don’t like P-basses, except the G&L LB-100. Best P bass ever.
However, he did get a Kramer-era Spector NS-2 back in ‘88 or so. His house got robbed a year later and it’s been gone ever since. That bass, I really liked.

 

[kho]

A Yamaha bass, 1970's fender style, in junior high. It was the only instrument in jr high we had to take a test to play... The person who scored the highest was the only one who could play it.



...I came in second, but the highest scorer had to bow out. I felt bad for him. I really did.

 

[bongostealth]

Black and maple 1979 Peavey T-40. It was my first bass back in 1994.

 

[timmo97]

Ibanez gio. Black, unknown year. I've disliked black basses ever since.

 

[Uncle Walt]

This Vantage bass. It was Japanese made and built to look like neck thru even though it was a bolt on. It had a terrible Gibson style 3 point bridge. It was an aggressively mediocre first bass.

 

[Skullheadrac]

Jackson charvel. Some cheap pbass

 

[Mr Cheese]

2005 Squire affinity p bass.
As expected a cheap average starter bass.

1988 Yamaha RBX 800A. Active bass, PJ pickup config, cherry red and made in Taiwan. Got it for $230 a couple years ago, and its my only bass. Still love it.

 

[Marc DLarosa]

1981 Gibson Victory. Got it in June of '82, for My 14th Birfday. I still have it.

 

[Yellow Bang66]

2005 Squire affinity p bass.
As expected a cheap average starter bass.

I remember vividly; It was a gibson EB-1 (that sg style,I remember plucking the E string, amazed at how big and cable like it was! I was playing a cheap horner les paul copy with tiny 8 gauge strings. I was a freshman, oogling a seniors bass. coolest thing ever!

 

[dkelley]

1970s USA Sunburst Fender Precision... no idea what exact year.

 

[Akiyamaha]

First bass I touched was a black Affinity PJ with rusty roundwounds. It was my school's only bass. I bet it still has those same strings now.

 

[Erich Bruning]

'56 Fender blonde Precision. My Uncles main gigging and recording bass at the time.