Most expensive 1st bass to learn on ? ?

[Smooth_bass88]

I only had one 'first' bass that I learned on. A cheap Harmony P bass copy I got for Xmas when I was 12. It was a gift from my dad, cost me $0.00

 

[lermgalieu]

Like everyone else, my first bass was the cheapest decent bass I found - a brand new Hondo Fame. 1984. Can't remember the price, but I think it was more than $100 and less than $200. Looked something like this one:

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[Dynomuttasaurus]

I bought a $500 Kramer the summer of 1988. I was 16 and making $2.35/hr. at a fast food joint. Minimum wage was $3.35/hr., but I was a minor so they didn't have to pay me as much.

 

[Oldbasslover]

Or you could just buy a nice bow for your double bass…. Only $4600

 

[lbbc]

My first bass in 1973 was an Aria 1420 model. Wish I hadn't back (more for nostalgia than anything else). I paid $300 with a case.

 

[Buzz E]

A '98 Warwick Thumb. I still have it and it's one of the nicest basses I own.

 

[JohnnyChatter]

I played garbage equipment from 11 to 25 before I could actually invest in some good stuff. I toured the country with a discount squier p bass for years and years. It came with an amp that lasted about 3 weeks before it broke so I was given an old peavey guitar head that I ran through a fender bass cab that was from the 70’s. Honestly I don’t feel like I would have been any better off or played better had I had a nice equipment. Honestly judging by how that bass looks today it’s probably best I started with junk. Honestly I had no idea what I wanted and if I had bought something nice back than it would probably be something I would never use today.

 

[GIBrat51]

Kind of a complicated answer. I learned to play bass on a left-handed, blue '68 Rick 4001 - in 1968. Played through the same kind of Vox amp/cab that Paul McCartney (supposedly) used. Which, for 1968, was all pretty expensive. However... none of it was mine. It all belonged to a friend, who's parents indulged him because his heart problems meant that he probably wouldn't live very long. But, he wasn't a spoiled rich kid, by any means. He insisted that I be allowed to share his lessons, so his teacher taught both of us... I owe him - a lot. However...
For various reasons, having to do with wat I did in the military - and where I did them - I didn't buy my very own first bass until I was 37 - and getting close to retiring. It was - no, it is - a left handed '78 Fender P-Bass with the optional "A-spec" neck. I bought it from a guy I was stationed with, at RAF Wethersfield in 1988. Since it was just a used bass at the time? It cost me $500. Which, now that I think about it, was probably too much... And, yes, I still have it... I didn't actually have to "learn" to play on it; but I was pretty rusty when I bought it. Between the Rick and that P-Bass? My playing opportunities were... pretty sporadic, to say the least. Very few musical opportunities available, when your job is being covered in camo; living under a bush, somewhere that you're not really supposed to be; and praying to GOD that the very unfriendly locals don't find your ass before you can get the Hell out of there...

 

[pbass2]

Had a cheap department store piece of c#*p for 5-6 months but when my parents realized I was serious (and I was already playing with guys 10 years older than me and getting paid) they chipped in and helped me buy a new '75 4001 off the rack. Played that bass exclusively for over 10 years.

 

[Dincrest]

There was an urban legend here on TalkBass many years ago... someone told the story of a wealthy professional who had a gorgeous custom Fodera built for himself and then took it to a teacher and asked, "now teach me how to play it." Again, this is a TalkBass urban legend, so I cannot verify any truth to it.

(As for me, I started playing in January 1994 when I was a sophomore in high school. My first bass was an Ibanez EXB404 I bought for about $275. Because I was working an after school job and responsible with my money, my dad sprung the other half for a practice amp and a hardshell case. Yeah, that library job helped me buy my first bass and, later on, my first car).

 

[Grinderman]

When you were just starting out,
When you were looking to buy your very 1st bass,
Before you even really new how to play . . . . .

What is the most expensive bass guitar you bought to learn on ? ?
Like has anyone bought a custom bass as their very 1st bass guitar to learn on ? ?

You could hypothetically spend $35,000 on your first bass if had the money and inclination, but I don't follow the framing of this question or see where it's going.

 

[Jefenator]

If I could do it over, I would probably not buy a lower end import, brand new. I'd buy used for less $$$ & more bragging rights.
And who knows – if I'd been more shrewd, that $CDN400 in 1989 might have gotten me something I'd have kept using to this day.
No regrets, though; that first decent bass definitely served its purpose.

 

[Grinderman]

My first bass was a short scale Kay I bought in 1966 for $5 and a tab of acid. The action was a half inch high and it wasn’t intonated. But I was determined (it really calloused my fingers) and bought a Fender Telecaster Bass a year and a half later in 1968. I sold the Kay for $35. It still had the same roundwounds on it.

Damn, LSD was expensive back then!

 

[Mike Marshall]

When you were just starting out,
When you were looking to buy your very 1st bass,
Before you even really new how to play . . . . .

What is the most expensive bass guitar you bought to learn on ? ?
Like has anyone bought a custom bass as their very 1st bass guitar to learn on ? ?

I switched from guitar to bass after 2 years and started with an EBO the cheap basses of the 60's are a far cry from the inexpensive basses today. Most guys back then had a St George or Silvertone or a Tiesco

 

[Watchootognbout]

At 20 yrs of age the first bass that I wanted was an Alembic bass.
But sticker shock sent quickly me elsewhere!

My first bass was a '79 pre EBMM Sabre.
Which in comparison to an Alembic was far less.
$650.00
Took me about two months to save for it.

If I had looked around a bit more I should have gotten an Ibanez Musician bass.Which was more to my preference.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

If I remember correctly, Marcus Miller’s first bass was a Fender Jazz. Fifty years later, he still plays a Fender Jazz when he is not promoting Sire. I don’t know how much a mere mortal can learn from the experience of an all time great, but what I get is that he had a quality instrument and he molded his unique style around it. I don’t know how many of us would have the vision to do that.

 

[red_rhino]

My first bass was given to me by an uncle who was a keyboard player. Had action high enough to be used as a longbow. When people would ask me the brand name, I would say “It’s a Kanardly. Because you can hardly play it.” (And once I did learn to play it, everything else was easy.)

Anyone I know who spent big on the initial purchase ended up with the gear gathering dust or rotting away in a corner somewhere before eventually selling it. The desire to play is more important than the instrument itself.

 

[micguy]

1977 - brand new Ric 4001. A good bass (you can get them nowadays for far less than what a Ric costs) is very helpful to a newbie - good playability is important when you’re starting out.

 

[Nebadon2000]

I had a $99 Beatle Bass knockoff but for only a month [awful] and then got good advice from salesman
and bought American Precision for $275 back in 1975; kept till 2000

A Custom Bass may be a bad Idea if you 'Pass' on being a Bass Player you will most likely have a longer list time and take a big hit $ on resale.

But being on this forum I am sure someone has

 

[logdrum]

In 86 (first year I started playing bass) I used Kramer P bass and I paid 450 in todays money, I still have that bass. Converted to fretless and upgrade with a Bartolini P and preamp 8 months later

I bought in 1988 a Pedulla Buzz for 400 and also a ESP passive Fender Jazz copy for 140, 1080 and 405 today. I still have the Buzz and the Kramer