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Has any one regretted selling a certain bass?
- Thread starter Josh Emmons
- Start date
I somewhat regret selling my SX P/J with the natural finish and old headstock. I sold it to help pay for my Greg Bennett Semi-acoustic so I am not too upset. I love my Royale Bass.
Many regrets, I think it started with my first bass and hasn't ended yet! Here are some to ponder,
Early 80's Music Man Saber I
Early 70's Fender Jazz Maple on Maple Black Big Block Markers
Super early 60's (maybe 50's) Gibson Les Paul Recorder Silver Face
70's 4001 Rick
and the list goes on.....
Early 80's Music Man Saber I
Early 70's Fender Jazz Maple on Maple Black Big Block Markers
Super early 60's (maybe 50's) Gibson Les Paul Recorder Silver Face
70's 4001 Rick
and the list goes on.....
2006 Lakland Joe Osborne 5 string. Modded with Nordstrand split coils and an Audere preamp! Smokin' bass. Only 9lbs. I traded it for a 2007 US Fender Standard Jazz. I needed a 4 string for my old school r&b, funk gigs. I had another 5 string so one had to go but I should have kept the JO5 and sold/traded the other one.
Sold an Ernie Ball Musicman Stingray 4 to buy a five string. Found out that five-strings aren't my cup...
A couple got away thinking I could get them (or equivalence) back in the future.
A few Jazz basses should have stayed.
A few Jazz basses should have stayed.
I had a custom made Sadowsky. Uhhhhg. It still pains me to this day. It was a mahogany body, incredible spalted maple top, ebony fingerboard. That bass was pure sickness. I think what bugged me the most was that bass felt too light. That "cheapy" feeling. I'm sorry I said it but it did feel cheap. However that bass looked stunning and sounded amazing. I'm not even sure who I sold it to, but I don't think it was here in America...I'll never see that thing again, I'm quite sure of that. No one in their right mind would have sold that.
A few that I miss...
An original Yamaha TRB5P, natural finish. It was my first active bass, which I bought cheaply in the mid-90's, and played rarely , as I hardly played at the time, and really was not ready to assimilate 5-string. I ultimately got frustrated with perceived tonal issues, but now know that I could have fiddled with aftermarket pickups and been happier, although I often wondered if some of the overtones I was hearing (weird, sort of like odd-order harmonics jumping out) were a function of the complicated multi-piece body construction...a lot of glue to hold 6 sections (top, bottom and accent line, all bisected by 5-section neck) together. The ergonomics were excellent, other than a bit heavy...loved the very flat radius. Would not have been a good fit with the folk/roots/latin/jazz stuff I pretty much do now, but an excellent axe for fusion/funk forays - an attack bass with heart!
A Yamaha BB2000, natural, with a thick, dark slab of an ebony board. Heavy, but big, bloomy sound...like an upright bass on the upper reaches of the A and D strings, a special voice. Aftermarket Bartolinis, and some weakness on the G string. Again, should have held on to it and explored Nordstrands. Have come to believe that this was part of an early BB2000 run with which the Alembic folks reportedly had some involvement. Oh, well...but that might have been the best $500 bass on the planet. I'd buy this one back in a minute.
A G&L JB2, ash/rosewood. This one came cheaply, with non-functioning aftermarket pickups. I put Nordstrand singles in it, and it was great. Sold it to a friend (pro singer/player) during a thinning of herd and sticking with a P/J I liked more at the time (now gone), and she teases me to this day about how good it is. Happy to see her with it nonetheless. and it's getting a lot of use, whereas I now primarily play 5-string. For the $650 I had into it, including the Nordie pickups, perhaps the best $650 bass on the planet.
I had a love-hate thing with G&L L-2000, passing through several before realizing that the sound of ceramic magnets is not for me - I'm an alnico kind of guy. The best of these was cobalt blue, ebony board, three-way coil switch, with single-coil option. Some quality control issues with the board, but G&L stood by it (I bought it new, something I rarely do), and made it right. It played well, and was just plain beautiful. The only one of my basses that I ever named - "La Cobalta." I hope she remains in the hands of my buyer, who certainly appreciated what this girl had to offer!
A Stingray 5H, 20th anniversary run with ebony board and mahogany tone block. Simply could not deal with the tight string-spacing. Last I heard, this one is in Switzerland. It had an incredible voice, thump and songfulness in equal measure. Truly a great axe; better than several HH versions of the same run with which I dallied. Also one I'd consider buying back...
I've been through a lot of good basses since getting serious about the bass over the last 6 years. I would not now be so blessed in my axes without all that I learned from each of them. But I've generally been lucky in instruments, during my trombone years, a long time ago, and now here in bassland.
So many basses, so little time...
An original Yamaha TRB5P, natural finish. It was my first active bass, which I bought cheaply in the mid-90's, and played rarely , as I hardly played at the time, and really was not ready to assimilate 5-string. I ultimately got frustrated with perceived tonal issues, but now know that I could have fiddled with aftermarket pickups and been happier, although I often wondered if some of the overtones I was hearing (weird, sort of like odd-order harmonics jumping out) were a function of the complicated multi-piece body construction...a lot of glue to hold 6 sections (top, bottom and accent line, all bisected by 5-section neck) together. The ergonomics were excellent, other than a bit heavy...loved the very flat radius. Would not have been a good fit with the folk/roots/latin/jazz stuff I pretty much do now, but an excellent axe for fusion/funk forays - an attack bass with heart!
A Yamaha BB2000, natural, with a thick, dark slab of an ebony board. Heavy, but big, bloomy sound...like an upright bass on the upper reaches of the A and D strings, a special voice. Aftermarket Bartolinis, and some weakness on the G string. Again, should have held on to it and explored Nordstrands. Have come to believe that this was part of an early BB2000 run with which the Alembic folks reportedly had some involvement. Oh, well...but that might have been the best $500 bass on the planet. I'd buy this one back in a minute.
A G&L JB2, ash/rosewood. This one came cheaply, with non-functioning aftermarket pickups. I put Nordstrand singles in it, and it was great. Sold it to a friend (pro singer/player) during a thinning of herd and sticking with a P/J I liked more at the time (now gone), and she teases me to this day about how good it is. Happy to see her with it nonetheless. and it's getting a lot of use, whereas I now primarily play 5-string. For the $650 I had into it, including the Nordie pickups, perhaps the best $650 bass on the planet.
I had a love-hate thing with G&L L-2000, passing through several before realizing that the sound of ceramic magnets is not for me - I'm an alnico kind of guy. The best of these was cobalt blue, ebony board, three-way coil switch, with single-coil option. Some quality control issues with the board, but G&L stood by it (I bought it new, something I rarely do), and made it right. It played well, and was just plain beautiful. The only one of my basses that I ever named - "La Cobalta." I hope she remains in the hands of my buyer, who certainly appreciated what this girl had to offer!
A Stingray 5H, 20th anniversary run with ebony board and mahogany tone block. Simply could not deal with the tight string-spacing. Last I heard, this one is in Switzerland. It had an incredible voice, thump and songfulness in equal measure. Truly a great axe; better than several HH versions of the same run with which I dallied. Also one I'd consider buying back...
I've been through a lot of good basses since getting serious about the bass over the last 6 years. I would not now be so blessed in my axes without all that I learned from each of them. But I've generally been lucky in instruments, during my trombone years, a long time ago, and now here in bassland.
So many basses, so little time...
I regret selling my old Sadowsky Metro RV4. That bass was every bit as good as my current NYC (maybe even a little better!)
I had a Candy Apple Red '92 MIM Precision that was my main bass for many of my formative bass-playing years, that I used for a lot of fun gigs. A few years ago I got a really, really nice old MIA Precision and I didn't play the red one any more, so earlier this year I sold it to a friend of mine, but lately I've been feeling nostalgic about it. I could use a back-up P-bass and I always liked how it played, so I've been thinking about seeing if he'll sell it back to me.
I also had an old metal-neck Kramer 450B for while when I was in school. I ended up selling it to buy a set of drums, which was (objectively) a good deal at the time, but I liked it a lot and I wouldn't mind having it back.
I've had other basses that I really liked for a while but didn't miss after they were gone---for a while I had a Gibson Ripper that I loved, but I sold it a while back and haven't missed it. The red Precision and the Kramer are the only ones I affirmatively wish I still had.
I also had an old metal-neck Kramer 450B for while when I was in school. I ended up selling it to buy a set of drums, which was (objectively) a good deal at the time, but I liked it a lot and I wouldn't mind having it back.
I've had other basses that I really liked for a while but didn't miss after they were gone---for a while I had a Gibson Ripper that I loved, but I sold it a while back and haven't missed it. The red Precision and the Kramer are the only ones I affirmatively wish I still had.
I miss my EBMM Sterling. Not so much because of how it played or sounded (amazingly), but because USPS lost it on the way to the new owner and something that was supposed to make me money ended up loosing me money and a bass.
I've only ever sold one instrument. It was my first bass, a blue Vantage Flying V. It wasn't the best by any means, but I suppose I place sentimental value on any instrument I own/owned. At times, I wish I still had it.
Musiclogic
Commercial User
- Aug 6, 2005
- 6,505
- 75
- 60
- Disclosures
- Owner/Builder: HJC Customs USA, The Cool Lute, C G O
Many, my 87 Tobias, 89 Streamer, 91 Dolphin, 69 Jazz bass, amongst others. It's what happens when your young, playing for a living and have money to burn. Flavor of the day syndrome. Or as some call it....G.A.S.
cort 5 string jazz so i could buy a hollowbody, which while it was the coolest bass i've ever owned i sold because it didnt get played. now i regret selling both of them.
Not really. As long as I have a few really nice basses to play and futz around with, I am good. I might be tempted to buy back my early EB 'ray with crazy birdseye neck I played as my main basses in my early-mid 20s.
