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How much did you pay for your first bass?

#263
georgiagoodie said:
Nice bass! I have a Truetone that is very similar. Mine has the 4 on a side "Hatchet head". 'Plays GREAT! Does yours have the funky black/white binding?
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Hey Georgia

Unfortunately, I no longer have mine, but I did have the funky but cool black/white binding!

Yeah - from what I understand Kay had a bass model, and they did minor cosmetic changes and slapped various names on them. I know they made one for Montgomery Ward and the one I had they called "Old Kraftsman" for Spiegel, I could be wrong but I think they may have even had a very similar model they sold through Sears.

Anyways it was a nice bass to start out on, at the time it made me feel very orchestral!
 
#265
My first bass cost me £100 back in 1992 (so about $155).

It was a Westone Spectrum II and it was awful, a very expensive piece of firewood basically. I bought it from a great little shop though, which is unfortunately no longer there.
 
#267
upload_2015-2-21_12-17-44.jpeg
A Marlin Sidewinder KB-24 back in August 1987 paid £87.50 for it. I no longer have the bass and the picture here is one I found to show how they looked.
 
#269
I forget what I paid for my very first bass, a no-name Hofner copy in the '70s. But the first bass I stuck with and played in public was an Electra Phoenix Bass in the very early '90s that cost me $225, if memory serves. I later sold it for $250.
 
#270
I bought my first bass in 1997 from a local music store. It was a new Peavey Fury. I paid $200 for it. My first amp was actually my keyboard amp, which was a Peavey KB300. It had a 15" Scorpion speaker and I disconnected the horn. I bought my first "real" bass amp about six months later from the same music store. They had to order it. It was a Peavey T-Max 115 combo. I paid $750 I believe. I still have the amp (and the keyboard amp) today. I sold the bass years ago to my cousin for $100 who was learning to play bass at the time.
 
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#271
Mr Gaston said:
How much did you pay for your first bass and amp? How long ago and what did you get?

I'm curious how much this stuff cost way back when I should have started.
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Okay…it's Story-Time, kiddies! :bookworm:

I got my first bass back in the fall of 2011. It was a used Fender Aerodyne, which I still have to this day. (If I had to shed all but one or two, it's definitely a keeper!)

I was fruitlessly searching for a discontinued Squier Precision Bass Special in Metallic Pewter when I found it on the website for a chain of pawn shops (formerly a "Pawn Mart" location down in Alabama). In my research, I'd seen the Aerodyne and really dug what I saw, but I figured it'd be way out of my price-point. After all, this was going to be my first bass…no telling if I'd even stick with it, even as a casual hobby.

Since it looked like I'd never get my "Great White Pewter Whale", I started expanding my search criteria and eventually found a smokin' deal on the aforementioned Aerodyne. Certainly, there were some dings, cracks and chips in the finish, but it wasn't anything more than some light, cosmetic issues. It still looked great! So, I called the store, requested some pics, which they delivered promptly. After an evening of deliberation, I decided to pull the trigger. One phone call and a mere $376.01 for the bass and shipping…and violá! My 'Dyne was on it's way!! drool

I did pay $60 for a pro-setup through a local music store, plus another $25+ for a set of new D'Addario Chromes a guy there recommended. A good suggestion, by the way…easy on the fingers of a newbie who has to work with his hands all day long.

Like any newbie, I had a mixed bag of pride and apprehension surrounding my choice, but any thoughts of "bad decisions" were quickly erased. Both times I debuted it at a different store while gear-hunting, someone stopped in their tracks, did a double-take and said, "Is that an Aerodyne?!" Talk about "validation"! And when I expressed interest in possibly getting the cosmetic chips refinished, the overwhelming consensus was to the tune of, "Nah, leave it! It gives it character."

Speaking of gear-hunting…I was in a particularly sticky situation when it comes to "AMPLIFICATION". Y'see, I live with a girl who works from home, is very A.D.D. and is prone to migraines. Any overt amplification would result in my bloody/gory demise! :dead: So, upon further research, I hit upon a Pocket Rock-It headphone bass amplifier for a mere $50. Lemme tell ya, this is a solid piece of tech that has served me well for the past three-and-a-half years! It's especially useful for someone who is constantly traveling from state-to-state.

One last thing to @Mr Gaston; It's never too late to pick up an instrument to learn. :thumbsup:
 
#276
In 1984 I went to see Purple Rain………….a dozen times….

Huge Prince fan….

I went to a local music store in Edison NJ (Lou Rose Music) and promptly bought a black, Hondo Fender, replica knock-off bass for some ridiculous low price that I can't remember now but I know was way under $200.00 dollars.

I took that thing home and tried to learn every Prince song there was, and I've been buying & playing different basses ever since.

hondo3.jpg
 

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