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The Bass That Got Away

B

Bassmickeyd

Dec 2, 2003
1,087
11
Hamilton Ontario, (60miles wes
www.kegclub.com
#1
Maybe someone's already done this one but let's see who bites.

It's the bass you had and you let slip from your hands cause you ain't got it now. The bass, when you think about it the little voice inside your head sometimes says; "Dogh!"

Either you found it in a pawn shop or music store and you hesitated and it got sold out from under you. Maybe you hocked it at a pawn shop and missed the one year anniversary. Or maybe your buddy needed cash and wanted to sell a great bass at a great price but you needed the cash too and you lost out. Or for one insane moment you switched to guitar and sold that one bass you finally realized you could never replace after you came to your senses and quit the guitar cause you were sick and tired of being told; "You're not playing it right dude!"
Or maybe it was lost in a fire, a flood, a mudslide or worse a divorce? Or, or, or, or it doesn't matter tell us the tale. .....
It's that one bass, to this day, you can't get out of you head cause it got away on you. And you dream of her still.


1st. story:
Back around 1970 this local musician/bassist around town had a 57-P-bass for sale for $350. I was just out of high school and made about $75-per week driving truck. I went to see him one Saturday afternoon with $250 cash and promised him I could get him the other $100. by next week. He said; "Sorry man but I'm joining Krisna and we need to buy some incense today." ..... "OK," I said; "It wasn't meant to be." .... Not realizing I could have asked my dad for the dough. Anyway I moved on. ..... The kicker is the next guy who walked in the room said to him. "Sure man I got the money outside in my car let me go get it for you. Mind if I take the bass out while I going?" ..... So, surprise, surprise he got ripped off and lost the bass. ...... I knew at least I would have paid him. ...... Fast forward 20-years later and I run into the guy selling the bass. He doesn't recognize me and says "I used to own a 57-P-bass. Like it mattered?" The hair on my neck went straight up and I reminded him "I was the guy who offered you the cash just before you got ripped off."
 
#2
Bassmickeyd said:
Maybe someone's already done this one but let's see who bites.
1st. story:
Back around 1970 this local musician/bassist around town had a 57-P-bass for sale for $350. I was just out of high school and made about $75-per week driving truck. I went to see him one Saturday afternoon with $250 cash and promised him I could get him the other $100. by next week. He said; "Sorry man but I'm joining Krisna and we need to buy some incense today." ..... "OK," I said; "It wasn't meant to be." .... Not realizing I could have asked my dad for the dough. Anyway I moved on. ..... The kicker is the next guy who walked in the room said to him. "Sure man I got the money outside in my car let me go get it for you. Mind if I take the bass out while I going?" ..... So, surprise, surprise he got ripped off and lost the bass. ...... I knew at least I would have paid him. ...... Fast forward 20-years later and I run into the guy selling the bass. He doesn't recognize me and says "I used to own a 57-P-bass. Like it mattered?" The hair on my neck went straight up and I reminded him "I was the guy who offered you the cash just before you got ripped off."
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I dont have any significant story other than loosing eay bids haha, but that story is one of the funniest things i have ever heard. That guy deserved his bass stolen for being that stupid.
 
#3
This rings a bell.

I have been looking for a new bass and just a few weeks' ago I found a lightly used Custom Shop Fender jazz bass (white, red tortise, rosewood) at a local Sam Ash. It was a Saturday, it was loud with all the folks ripping on guitars, and I couldn't really hear it, etc., so I gave the salesman my name and told him I'd come back during the week.

Well, I couldn't get in Monday, and when I came in Wednesday, it was gone....

Mostly I remember how sweet the neck was. And the price was right.

C'est la vie....:(
 
#4
I was a young teen in Florida. Snuck into a club and some dude in a headband was playing some amazing riffs on an old Fender J. I noticed the frets had been ripped out, and the neck redone in some kind of coating. The pickguard had been removed for some reason. After the gig I got say hi, and we struck up a conversation. He took a liking to me after I said I wanted to learn to play bass just like him. He said "Here, take this bass". I said "No thanks, I'll get a bass that still has frets and a pickguard". Oh well. ;)
 
#5
snyderz said:
I was a young teen in Florida. Snuck into a club and some dude in a headband was playing some amazing riffs on an old Fender J. I noticed the frets had been ripped out, and the neck redone in some kind of coating. The pickguard had been removed for some reason. After the gig I got say hi, and we struck up a conversation. He took a liking to me after I said I wanted to learn to play bass just like him. He said "Here, take this bass". I said "No thanks, I'll get a bass that still has frets and a pickguard". Oh well. ;)
Click to expand...


BULL.
 
#8
A little sensitive this morning? Lighten up :) I'm sure some amazing stories will pop up and make you feel warm and fuzzy again. That reminds me of the time I was backstage at a concert. The bass player, I think they called him 'Ox' (what a silly name for a bass player!) walked up and asked if I was in the market for a bass. I said 'Yeah, but not some bass that looks like a stupid buzzard!" Oh well.
 
#9
snyderz said:
A little sensitive this morning? Lighten up :) I'm sure some amazing stories will pop up and make you feel warm and fuzzy again. That reminds me of the time I was backstage at a concert. The bass player, I think they called him 'Ox' (what a silly name for a bass player!) walked up and asked if I was in the market for a bass. I said 'Yeah, but not some bass that looks like a stupid buzzard!" Oh well.
Click to expand...

This reminds me of the time I was in Sweden. It was 1986 and a few friends drug me into the concert of some metal band that everyone was talking about. I think it was called something "Allica." During the show I saw this guy with really long hair playing a crazy solo on this black bass. After the show I stopped him as he was climbing into his bus. We talked for a while, and I offered to buy his bass. He climbed into the bus and said he would give it to me when they arrive at their next gig.
 
#11
A few years back my local GC was having a labor day or some kind of sale going over the weekend type thing. One of the cool salesman who i know spied a fiesta red 80's MIA jazz that they had like a $499.00 price tag on. They had the bass a week before priced way higher and it was killer, looked almost identical to the MIM road worns red jazz out today all player worn etc.

Anyhow, he called the house and my wife answers. He tells her i need to get down to the store and grab this thing fast but he cant hold it (store policy) She told me after i woke up an hour or so latter...i called...it was gone :bawl: Of all days for her to let me sleep in :confused:
 
#12
An early '60s Fender Precision - sunburst in a tweed Fender case. This was in about 1979, and a bandmate brought it in one day saying his friend was hard up for $$ and needed to sell it for $200. I jumped on it, but hardly ever played it since I liked the Jazz neck better than the wider P neck. Ended up selling it for $200 about a year later. It wasn't mint, but was in pretty decent shape. Boy - if I only knew what I had...
 
#14
bassbully said:
A few years back my local GC was having a labor day or some kind of sale going over the weekend type thing. One of the cool salesman who i know spied a fiesta red 80's MIA jazz that they had like a $499.00 price tag on. They had the bass a week before priced way higher and it was killer, looked almost identical to the MIM road worns red jazz out today all player worn etc.

Anyhow, he called the house and my wife answers. He tells her i need to get down to the store and grab this thing fast but he cant hold it (store policy) She told me after i woke up an hour or so latter...i called...it was gone :bawl: Of all days for her to let me sleep in :confused:
Click to expand...

Bummer dude, truly tragic.:crying:

Last month I drove up to Guitar Center, because he told me they had some killer used stuff there. He left because he didn't have any money. So the next day I went along with him because he told me they had a used Rickenbacker 4001 and a Sunn Coliseum head.

As we walked in the door, some dude was pulling down the Ric from the wall. He plugged it in, and I figured "he'll probably just try it out and go home." After playing it for a second, the bastard walks up to the front counter and says "sold.":mad: I still got the Coliseum so it wasn't a total loss, but it still ticks me off. The worst part is last month I saw the same guy playing MY RIC in a local band.
 
#16
About four years ago I found a very nice used Warwick at a small local guitar shop. He had taken it in on trade and had very little interest in it to that point. IIRC he was asking about $850 for it. It had a very cool silver paint job that I was told must have been a custom order. I didn't know much about Warwick basses so I posted a pic of the bass (linked directly from the stores site) here on TB. The next day I went back to put a deposit to hold it and it had been sold. Owner told me someone outside the area bought it over the phone that evening. That will teach me to put direct links on the web to something I plan to buy!:(
 
#17
MOTORHEADBANGER said:
Bummer dude, truly tragic.:crying:

Last month I drove up to Guitar Center, because he told me they had some killer used stuff there. He left because he didn't have any money. So the next day I went along with him because he told me they had a used Rickenbacker 4001 and a Sunn Coliseum head.

As we walked in the door, some dude was pulling down the Ric from the wall. He plugged it in, and I figured "he'll probably just try it out and go home." After playing it for a second, the bastard walks up to the front counter and says "sold.":mad: I still got the Coliseum so it wasn't a total loss, but it still ticks me off. The worst part is last month I saw the same guy playing MY RIC in a local band.
Click to expand...


Was it my Rick that got away in the late 80s?
Invalid Link Removed

fwiw, I had a Sun Cliseum way back when as well.. :hmm:
 
#19
Just about 2 months ago, I was about $100 short of being the owner of an EBMM Music man StingRay in TRANSLUCENT ORANGE. Sooooo beautiful. It was a 2000 I believe. Called my dad about a week later after it sold...I was just mentioning how awesome of a bass it was...and he asked "Would you want me to spot you for it? Just pay me back when you get home for summer..."


D'oh!
 

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