First bass you ever touched.

[rtav]

My 1966 Precision Bass... Christmas 1977.

 

[Tim Grant]

Mid 80's Yamaha. Similar to a Pbass. I borrowed it from a friend until I could get my own.

 

[LaklandLaksNADA]

Ibanez gio sr200

 

[Bret Music]

I remember what my first bass looked like, but dont recall what it was. I remember it being a short scale p bass, but shaped like a Rogue back in 89 or 90. Only had it short time before i decided i wanted something bigger and better so i consider the Ibanez SR 800 my first bass. It was silver metallic, man i loved that thing along with my Ampeg B2 15. Huge step up for me.

 

[Yaralag]

Some 60s Teisco thing. Really awful.

 

[captainofsmooth]

I started as a drummer at a young age. That was my first love. But I had a best friend who was a drummer as well. In the beginning I was objectively the better player, and I was better attuned to the theory and technical parts of playing. I had been fiddling with piano and guitar, but nothing seriously. Plus, there aren’t multiple drum kit player spots in country bumpkin GA Middle Schools. So my friends extremely intelligent and enterprising Doctor/Musician of a father one day said to me, “hey you ever tried to play a bass?”

I was handed a Washburn AB-20 A/E in black. It was history from there. He still has that bass. I hope to inherit in one day. Sorry for the Long trip down memory lane.

 

[BoomFish]

Some cheap violin shaped import bass that weighed like 18lbs in the late 70's when I was 15 or 16.

Then I decided I wanted to play guitar (boooo!).

I stopped playing any/all instruments when I was 18 (1982).

I didn't start playing again until 2007 at age 43. I got myself a Music Man Stingray Sub USA model, Black with the faux steel diamond plate pick guard.

Then the flood gates opened of buying and selling many basses.

I truly respect all of you who have held on to your first bass or at least held on to them for many years.

I believe I'm literally insane buying and selling "searching for that one holy grail" bass

 

[Durham52]

1971, some second hand Japanese semi hollow in red burst with pointy horns, not rounded Gibson style, name unknown now. It was the first bass I ever held and owned, though not for long as some friends were starting a Fairport Convention type band and wanted a mandolin/2nd guitar player, so I sold the bass and bought a mandolin. (That band lasted about a month, which coincidentally was the length of my time as a mandolin player.....)

 

[lbbc]

1976 Natural Fender Precision Bass...given to me to play in a contemporary christian band by the pastor...in 1976

 

[DJ Bebop]

1971, some second hand Japanese semi hollow in red burst with pointy horns, not rounded Gibson style, name unknown now. It was the first bass I ever held and owned, though not for long as some friends were starting a Fairport Convention type band and wanted a mandolin/2nd guitar player, so I sold the bass and bought a mandolin. (That band lasted about a month, which coincidentally was the length of my time as a mandolin player.....)

Not this, was it?

This Bass Might Be Responsible for the Pointy Headstocks of the '80s

 

[Ric5]

 

[59jazz]

It was 1973, My best friend & I were HS freshman, he wanted to join jazz band and learn bass. He got one on loan and we worshiped it!

 

[QweziRider]

Gibson Ripper. Still have it.

 

[DogsNbeer]

First bass I ever owned....
Sunburst Univox HiFlyer whichever edition has the p-90 esque pickups

 

[M.R. Ogle]

One that looked identical to this... Teisco Del Rey!!!

 

[pbassjbass]

Wow this brings me back, first bass encounter was a Japanese 60's Teisco jazz and it was a short scale, it was my best friends older brothers. My buddy just recently pulled it out saying he did some tile work for him and big bro asked him if he wanted to take it with him since it had been a wall hanger since the late 80's was missing an inlay so I reshaped one out of an old quarz stone for it. This is the bass and notice the missing inlay?View attachment 3977354

That looks like I remember my first Teisco Delray. Got from a department store, in I believe 1967, $40. Sold it at a yard sale a couple of years later for $20. (after having bought a used EB0 for $80.)

 

[Ggaa]

Red Epi solid body, I think.

 

[LSquared]

off-brand Hofner copy, with one not-connected pickup, loaner from my brother.. It made just enough noise to learn to play on.
back in fall '77

 

[brother21]

1976 White Fender Musicmaster I got to play it. It's amazing that a low end student bass can sell at today's prices because of the neck label.

 

[selowitch]

and you haven’t stopped buying Basses since...lol! I can think of worse hobbies (actually, I’m pretty envious)

@dbsfgyd1 I’ve unquestionably bought quite a few basses in the last several years. I did have about a twenty-year lull between 1994 (the end of grad school) and 2014 where I think my only purchase was a 90s-era MIM 60s Reissue Jazz Bass (that became my only bass at that time).

Right now I own seven basses, but two are in varying states of disassembly (i.e., “projects”).