How much did you pay for your first bass?

[GKon]

Astoria, Queens, New York. 1985 (I was 17). My Dad bought the bass for me $175. Rhapsoby P-copy.
No amp that I remember.

 

[vdbass]

$110 for this no-name bass in 1978 (anyone have any idea who made this?). I was 13. No amplifier. I plugged into my stereo's auxiliary input.
Through the years it got beat up badly and fell into disrepair due to neglect after my mother bought me a Peavey T-40 in 1981 ($450) and TKO 80 ($150) so I could join my High School Jazz Ensemble with a "proper" instrument.
I rehabbed it in 2012 with new tuners, pots, pickguard and Hofner Pick-ups. The originals had been danaged and trashed many, many years ago.

 

[T-Funk]

If I recall correctly, my mother paid $135, for a blue 4-string Magnum Jazz Bass, in 1982. It was officially my first bass.

Prior to the purchase, I had a bass on loan from a family friend and fellow church member for about two years.

 

[Photobassist]

1989 traded my alto saxophone for an Aria Pro II and a cheapo amp. That sax was worth way more than the bass and amp, it's no wonder my Dad was so pissed at me

 

[gjohnson441496]

I didn't pay for it but my mom and dad found a Framus Stratostar that cost $50 at a pawn shop and got it for me for Christmas when I was 13. First bass I paid for was a 76 Precision I bought new for $400. Still got it too, although you'd never recognize it for all the extreme modding. Hey, how was I to know that 40 years later it would be somewhat collectable? I modded mine because I had to!

Same here. Took the ashtray and pickup cover off, installed a Badass Bridge on it, installed seymour duncan pickups in it (the ones with the rocker switches that Dug Pinnick swears by), threw all kind of stickers on it, totally defaced the thing, cut up the pickguard so I can have easy access to the preamp battery (as shown in my profile pic). They were our basses and we didn't care about "resale value" or maintaining it's "vintage heritage"... we didn't admire them, WE PLAYED THEM!

However, I have restored mine back to it's vintage heritage. About a month ago I installed all the original equipment, but the Aguilar OBP-3 stays!

 

[A. D. Fairhurst]

1978 - Black Gibson Ripper (used), $250.00

$250 DOLLARS FOR A GIBSON RIPPER!? What year was this? Because I want to build a time machine and go back to there!

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

I thought that I already answered this thread... but yeah - $125 for a Gibson EB-1 back in early 1977. I think it was hot.