How bad (or good) was your first bass?

[MultiScaleMale]

My first was a Cort Steinberger copy until I saved up enough to get a Steinberger XM-2TT

 

[ac100X]

It was a bass made in japan around 1964-65, sticker said it was a Kingston. Sounded OK for the time, cost $90.00 new (marked down because it had a paint chip).

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

I got my first bass at 16 in 1984, it was a Goya GX-23, a Korean P Bass copy with two P pickups I have no idea when it was made, but I think it was no more than a few years old when I got it. There is a thread here on TB from about five years ago where someone found one exactly like mine. I cant even remember if I paid anything for it, if I did it was not much. Goya basses and guitars seem to be, sort of, collectable, but if they play anything like mine (I still have it) people dont collect them to play them. I played it for 3 years before I got something decent, and while it sounded pretty good, its a miracle that I didnt quit, its by far the worst playing instrument I have ever put my hands on. It has string through body and the saddles cant really be lowered enough to get the action right. The string tension is super high and the action is super high. When I got it the bridge P pickup was gone and the E-A string part of the rout had been filled in with wood filler and the other chiseled out (apparently with a screwdriver) for a J pickup which was not there. The G tuner had been moved to the bottom of the head stock I guess to copy a Music Man configuration for some reason, I moved it back to the original position. I can only blame myself for the ugly '80s "splatter" paint job, it was brown when I got it. The first pic is showing what it looked like originally and the others I took today of mine.

View attachment 4689209 View attachment 4689210 View attachment 4689211 View attachment 4689212 View attachment 4689213 View attachment 4689214

My first bass, worked for me for over 20 years. GSR 200. Best 100 bucks I ever spent.

 

[tbz]

Fender JP-90. “Made in America” jazz style fender with Pj pickups. Made out of parts that were mim but assembled in America.

Not a bad bass really. They’re somehow north of 1k used now. Makes me wish I hadn’t sanded my down and taken it apart a decade ago lol.

 

[jemerpi]

I started midlife. So, I bought and practiced with two Ibanez basses: An AGB205 (hollow body) with flats and an SR505 active with rounds. Wonderful experience. But, such advantages came with age, as well as the many known and various disadvantages. Lol.

 

[Ant B 2021]

Mine was a GBP 15.99 SG Copy. Made by Kay. Action was like a telegraph pole wire. It taught me. My Mother bought it for me despite us not having two pennies to rub together.

it was a “bad” bass. But in many respects, it was the best I ever owned.

 

[digmeout]

Bagged grocery's all summer, and with a little help from my Dad this was my first bass. Surprisingly other than having a fat neck it played and sounded great. Sorry about the double image.

 

[mike buzzetti]

Mu first bass, worked for me for over 20 years. GSR 200. Best 100 bucks I ever spent.

Damn your lucky or you were poor ?? I did get to use a late 60's Pbass owned by a friend for many years ( in my avatar ) great bass , then went Rick 4001 +++++++ many later

 

[Bass-aholic]

Washburn Bantam XB-100 circa 2002.

I started in a punk band with this bad boy, codenamed the Flying Purple People Eater. Back then, there were actually spikes taped into the lower arm and neck as teeth cause unless I am playing For Whom the Bells Toll, I don't use that part of the neck very frequently. It's hard to see now, but there are actually stickers on the sides of the body in place of them now.

I have used this base for over 20 years with minimal adjustments. I did swap the neck with my other XB-100 to consolidate the best parts and the pickups were swapped with Seymour Duncan Sledgehammers in 2005. Playing wise, there is nothing wrong with it, I will rip it up every now and then for ***** and giggles. It was out on loan a few times the last few years to new bass players or people who wanted to try bass that played guitar, but it will be only played in my house here on out.

 

[hieronymous]

I got my first bass at 16 in 1984, it was a Goya GX-23, a Korean P Bass copy with two P pickups I have no idea when it was made, but I think it was no more than a few years old when I got it. There is a thread here on TB from about five years ago where someone found one exactly like mine. I cant even remember if I paid anything for it, if I did it was not much. Goya basses and guitars seem to be, sort of, collectable, but if they play anything like mine (I still have it) people dont collect them to play them. I played it for 3 years before I got something decent, and while it sounded pretty good, its a miracle that I didnt quit, its by far the worst playing instrument I have ever put my hands on. It has string through body and the saddles cant really be lowered enough to get the action right. The string tension is super high and the action is super high. When I got it the bridge P pickup was gone and the E-A string part of the rout had been filled in with wood filler and the other chiseled out (apparently with a screwdriver) for a J pickup which was not there. The G tuner had been moved to the bottom of the head stock I guess to copy a Music Man configuration for some reason, I moved it back to the original position. I can only blame myself for the ugly '80s "splatter" paint job, it was brown when I got it. The first pic is showing what it looked like originally and the others I took today of mine.

View attachment 4689209 View attachment 4689210 View attachment 4689211 View attachment 4689212 View attachment 4689213 View attachment 4689214

Nice! But wait, where are the pickups?!! lol

I got my bass about the same time - 1983 or '84 - I wish I knew for sure! I lived in Tokyo from 1982-88 - my first bass was a Greco EB-3 copy - an upperclassman kind of talked me into selling it to him - I kind of regret it, but it's water under the bridge at this point. Wish I still had it! Very cool that you still have yours!

 

[Bassmike62]

Peavey Grinder 4 str, soon followed by its 5 tr sibling. Inexpensive and decent basses to start with and a good introductio to neckthrough basses. Wish I'd kept the 4 stringer, but I hardly played it after getting a Fender American Special Jazz.

 

[beatdatthang]

My first bass was awesome. I saved up all summer mowing lawns and delivering newspapers when I was 12 years old to buy an Aria Pro II ZZB deluxe in a local pawnshop. Such a nice, great playing instrument and way-cool for the time didn’t get much more 80s. Everyone who saw it, loved it. Played it in a handful of garage bands throughout high school. Wish I still had it. I ended up playing guitar for a few years in the early 90s and traded it for a Marshall 4x12 cabinet. I regret that now!

 

[J-Bass RMR]

1978 Fender fretless P-Bass Wine Red was the 1st Bass I bought and paid for with my own (gig) money in Jan of '80.
Good bass at the time. Great Bass now.
Now that it's set up properly, and the fingerboard has been professionally dressed. (just didn't have the resources back then like we do now).
I restored it to stock a couple years ago. (it's also the heaviest bass I own at over 10 1/2 lbs)
For a couple months before I got it, I was renting a 70s something Mustang, because I had gotten recruited into a working band and had never even played electric!

Technically, 4 years earlier, it was a 1945 Kay "O" upright my folks bought for me so I wouldn't have to play the schools fiberglass bass anymore.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

I got my first bass at 16 in 1984, it was a Goya GX-23, a Korean P Bass copy with two P pickups I have no idea when it was made, but I think it was no more than a few years old when I got it. There is a thread here on TB from about five years ago where someone found one exactly like mine. I cant even remember if I paid anything for it, if I did it was not much. Goya basses and guitars seem to be, sort of, collectable, but if they play anything like mine (I still have it) people dont collect them to play them. I played it for 3 years before I got something decent, and while it sounded pretty good, its a miracle that I didnt quit, its by far the worst playing instrument I have ever put my hands on. It has string through body and the saddles cant really be lowered enough to get the action right. The string tension is super high and the action is super high. When I got it the bridge P pickup was gone and the E-A string part of the rout had been filled in with wood filler and the other chiseled out (apparently with a screwdriver) for a J pickup which was not there. The G tuner had been moved to the bottom of the head stock I guess to copy a Music Man configuration for some reason, I moved it back to the original position. I can only blame myself for the ugly '80s "splatter" paint job, it was brown when I got it. The first pic is showing what it looked like originally and the others I took today of mine.

View attachment 4689209 View attachment 4689210 View attachment 4689211 View attachment 4689212 View attachment 4689213 View attachment 4689214

Mine was good only in the sense that at age 15 with no job, I could afford it. Other than that, I can say with a great deal of certainty that the remains lie in a land fill somewhere around Pittsburgh, PA.

 

[burgerdj]

First bass was a ‘95 Yamaha somethingorother with a P pickup. I’m sure it sounded great, but I was obsessed with a natural wood bass, so off it went to be traded towards a Washburn Bantam XB. You could drive a truck under the 7th fret if that bass, but it served me well for a couple of years before I mowed enough lawns and served enough tables for a Warwick.

 

[HardNHeavy]

80's hondo 830 series?
first pic is not mine but it's exact, tho mine had the string-thru body... @11lbs with a fat p neck and cheap tuners and huge brass bridge.....was fine for a few yrs and added early Bart pups and then added a jazz pickup, rosewood neck etc.

before

after

 

[LowActionHero]

My first bass was a Series 10 that I bought for my wife because it was the lightest thing I could find. She lost interest right about the time I paid for it, so I played it. I still have it, it's surprisingly decent. I play it pretty regularly, cuz I'm too lazy to take my G&L out of the case for late night practice.

 

[MVE]

Power Jazz Bass Special.
I was 12.
I am now 44.
Its still my best general purpose PJ bass.

 

[Grizelda100]

I was playing lead in my H.S. band for a couple of years but I just wasn't feeling it.
Bass was where I was at, so I traded in my axe. An Ibanez Jem that I worked and saved for all year. It was way beyond what I had any business playing and I didn't know how to care for such a fine instrument.
That and some cash got me a Laney head and cabinet and my wonderful Washburn Mercury. Fantastic instrument that I still play 30 years later. I refinished it last summer.

 

[Old Fart]

Mine was an unbranded Japanese "lawsuit" copy of a Gibson SG EB3. It was a terrible bass but I did not know that fifty years ago. I played the poop out of that thing. I still have it.