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the one(s) that got away...

cosmicevan

cosmicevan

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Inactive
Feb 1, 2003
11,853
22,326
47
The edge of oscillation, New York
www.asteriskband.com
#1
forgive me if this topic has been covered, been a WHILE since i've been on this site and was just fiddling around with my short scale 32" CT no frills and it got me thinking about a 32" pete hilton i had a bunch of years ago when he started first branching out on his own and how much i would love to get that one back which led to me reminiscing about other great basses that i've been lucky enough to have in my possession for a short while.

got any beauties that you wish you could get back?

here's the hilton i was missing (if anyone has this bass i think it is 8108), please hit me up:
IMG_7646.jpg
IMG_7680.jpg


IMG_7660.jpg


some others i wouldn't mind seeing again:
abe rivera (sick bass, but i believe it was a beast in the weight category)
IMG_7072.jpg


vic wooten sig
IMG_5993.jpg


lull m4v - tobacco burst
CIMG0421.jpg


Linc luthier!!!! (the butt bass)
IMG_4841.jpg


and the pavel on the top (oh...dat pavel!!!! that's a bass i miss):
IMG_6953.jpg



so which were the ones that you miss?
 
#2
Well, I've bought and sold and traded (and had stolen, and had destroyed by natural disaster) more basses and music gear in general than I can remember.

I used to have a trio of 1964 Fenders--all sunburst with tort--a P and two Jazzes--one fretted, the other fretless.

I wouldn't mind having those back just so I could sell them for what they would go for today.

It doesn't sound like much, but I'd love to have an Epiphone Limited Edition Ripper reissue again. Had two at various times. I know they aren't much like actual Rippers (and I used to own a '76 Gibby Ripper as well) but I dug them. Never could find cases to fit them though.

The two that I really do wish I could get back the most, to keep for my own pleasure and for sentimental reasons are a Tokai P bass clone I bought at a pawn shop in Tulsa around 1983 for $75. It more than paid for itself at a gig that very night, and I played that bass almost exclusively for nearly ten years through a ton of shows.

The other is an unbranded Japanese Rickenfaker with a bolt on neck. That was a sweet bass.

There are many others I'd love to see again, but those are the main ones...

I'm satisfied with what I have now though...
 
#5
It wasn't really all that special, but it always bugs me I didn't get it for what they were asking. It was a Fender Jaco that somehow made it out of the factory with a slab rosewood board. The orig owner put the pickguard and all the jazz bass hardware on it, and it looked so slick. I don't have a fretless, and given the price, it would have been a good addition.
 
#6
This thread is too painful, and too timely. My bride and I are at wits end over a bass I found on Ebay...a cheap Univox copy of Gibson's EB1...the second guitar I owned...I traded the Sears Silvertone that popped my cherry in on the Univox...traded the Univox in on an amp when I bought the 4001 that I still cherish. It isn't much money, but the timing is all wrong. I think I should sell something to try to balance things out. THANKS!!! That's exactly what I'm gonna do!!!
 
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#8
I played a USA Peavey Cirrus for 10 years as my #1 axe and a couple years ago sold it to buy an American Special Jazz Bass. I ultimately decided that I didn't like that Jazz and traded it in for credit toward my 74 Precision that I LOVE, but I regret letting the Cirrus go at the dollar amount that I did. It had quite a few headstock dings and a spot where the finish wore through from resting my thumb above the neck pickup. It was really a great bass. I'd love to see it again.
 
#10
the harp unstrung said:
This thread is too painful, and too timely. My bride and I are at wits end over a bass I found on Ebay...a cheap Univox copy of Gibson's EB1...the second guitar I owned...I traded the Sears Silvertone that popped my cherry in on the Univox...traded the Univox in on an amp when I bout the 4001 that I still cherish. It isn't much money, but the timing is all wrong. I think I should sell something to try to balance things out. THANKS!!! That's exactly what I'm gonna do!!!
Click to expand...

Umm...glad we could...help?
 
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#11
Precisely this very reason I'm struggling to let go of one of my basses!! I recently received my long awaited Pavel Jazz bass which means wifey wants me to let go of my Yamaha Nathan East BBEAST bass and I know the minute I sell it I will totally regret it!!

Not the greatest pics, but here she is!

image_zpsa6829ef3.jpg


image_zps01791806.jpg



image_zpseb0d6d24.jpg
 
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#15
My one that got away was a walnut brown, 1979 Music Man Sabre I bought in 1979 and held on to until 1999. That was about the time that I started playing in churches and realized I should really seriously consider 5-string, so I sold it for $700 and bought a Ken Smith Burner Deluxe 5 for $700. Seemed like the right thing to do at the time. That was my first 5-string. I had also just recently acquired a 4-string Alembic Spoiler. My first Alembic.

A lot of basses have come and gone during that time, but I never forgot how great the Sabre felt and played. Then somebody started a thread on Leo Fender era Music Man basses and a lot of Sabres kept popping up. To bring this long story to an end, I went on a mission to find a Leo Fender era Sabre. Found one, then another. I'm happy now.

Music Man Triplets

Music Man Triplets

  • Media owner malthumb
  • Date added
'78 Stingray, '79 Sabre, '80 Sabre

The other one that got away was my 3rd Alembic. I had traded the Spoiler and cash for an Alembic Stanley Clarke Signature. Stanley Clarkes are short scale basses, so I was having a hard time finding strings. Went into a shop in Pontiac Michigan and they had strings. They also had an old beat up Alembic on the wall in the repair area with a $900 price tag on it. Came back the next day and peeled of $475 in cash and walked out the door with it. I had to do a lot of work to get it back to original condition, but I did it. It was serial number 74 84, meaning it was the 84th instrument Alembic made and it was completed in 1974. For comparison, the bass Stanley Clarke recorded the "School Days" album with was sn 74 80. After a few years I converted it to piccolo and decided I was not a piccolo bass player. Instead of converting it back to regular tuning, I sold it. Still regret that. It's the one in the middle. I still have the other two.

Triple Threat

Triple Threat

  • Media owner malthumb
  • Date added
2000 Series II 5-string Coco Bolo
1974 Series I Short Scale, Walnut
1987 Series I Omega

Peace,

James
 
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#16
Sigh...

I've owned and sold a *lot* of instruments over the years - probably north of 150 at this point.

Although I'd be more than happy to welcome several of them back into the house, there's only one I that I really miss:

BRC_FrontFull.jpg


Here's the sob story in my 10+ year old "Gear Wanted" thread for anybody who hasn't seen it.
 
#17
univox bass 2.jpg
Here's a pic of the Univox EB-1 that I bought last Friday morning. It's on the way from Ft. Worth, TX! ETA: Easter Monday. It's very much like the second bass I ever owned...(1971-74)...same model, same year, lots of zeros in the serial number. I stepped up to the 4001 that I still cherish, and traded that beautiful bass as part of a deal for a real, live amp... a Traynor !...bright silver, 2x15, 100 watt head...I was the bomb! Often wondered where my Univox ended up...started fishing out on Ebay about 5 years ago...saw several, but never was convinced enough to pull the trigger. I'm really glad I waited! :thumbsup:
 
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#19
Nothing too exotic for me. I missed buying a Gibson Victory Artist when they were still making them. Meant to, but never got around to it. Then I forgot about it for awhile, and...well...you can guess the rest.

The other was a spankin' new Ric 4005 that looked and played like a dream. Guy that owned it said he was moving and that he really needed an answer from me that very same day. Took me till the following morning to finish arranging the finances. Called him just after noon and got no answer. Tried again a few times around 2:00. Nada! Finally went over to his place with an envelope full of bills around 4:00pm and found his apartment empty. Guess he wasn't kidding. He was gone. And so was that gorgeous Ric.

cd847cd593a31723cfab99870552362e.jpg


Wait! Stop! Come back!

Landlord said he didn't have (or pretended not to have) any forwarding address or a phone number to contact him at. (This was before cellphones or things like Facebook - so that was that.)
 
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#20
cosmicevan said:
forgive me if this topic has been covered, been a WHILE since i've been on this site and was just fiddling around with my short scale 32" CT no frills and it got me thinking about a 32" pete hilton i had a bunch of years ago when he started first branching out on his own and how much i would love to get that one back which led to me reminiscing about other great basses that i've been lucky enough to have in my possession for a short while.

got any beauties that you wish you could get back?



some others i wouldn't mind seeing again:
abe rivera (sick bass, but i believe it was a beast in the weight category)
IMG_7072.jpg



so which were the ones that you miss?
Click to expand...

Now, that Rivera is not at all my type of bass, but it has a certain elegance that's rare.
Quite beautiful!

The one I miss is the '71 Tele (single coil) which had been refinished in a semi satin clear.
Nice swamp ash body with some fairly attractive grain.
The neck was a twisted beast of a thing, but it looked so darn cool, and was pretty light.
 

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