The one that got away

[MichelD]

Do you have any bass guitars you remember being for sale that you just for some reason or the other were not able to buy or were too indecisive that you left it too long before someone else bought them?

I have a few in mind, not that my life depended on getting them, but they were:

!. A pre-CBS sunburst P-Bass I was offered with Traynor amp for $500 in 1975 I couldn't afford because I was just married and saving to buy land to build a house.

2. A local shop had one of those Dan Armstrong Ampeg lucite basses I just couldn't bring myself to spend on.

3. Same shop had a vintage Danelectro short scale for sale on another occasion. I was gonna bring an amp up to try it out but it got sold before I could.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

I barely no where to begin, but since I have bought and sold so much, it probably makes no difference.

That said, two standout for me: a wide spaced JJ Pedulla Rapture at a local GC maybe 12 years ago and a fretless Music Man Sabre I played in 1982.

 

[JRA]

i remember feeling "i let that one get away" a few times, but i don't remember what the instruments were. c'est la vie!

 

[Steveibanez]

I had one and sold it. I had travis bean #538 bass that I bought brand new and 3 years ago traded for a PRS artist package cu24. Now I'm back playing bass. Knew I should have kept it!!

 

[alembicbones]

Steinberger XL-25. There were a few times they came up over the years and I was hesitant to pull the trigger. Now anytime they come up, the price is just too much for my blood.

Bones

 

[4sight]

I kinda sorta miss the Mark Hoppus bass I had, but I don't like Quarter Pounders and the 2003 MIM neck wasn't the best.

No regrets though, waste of time and energy

 

[Bass V]

I offed a killer bass once, never again, and missed dream pieces for lack of emergency chump change, but overall I've done well in the world of bass and enjoy an embarrassment of low cost wealth ...with more to come!

 

[bucephylus]

I had a very fine Pedulla 5 string Thunderbuzz, for which I had visited the shop to pick out woods etc. But, I found myself needing an upright and put the bass up for sale at a local shop. After seller’s remorse set in, my wife and I decided we could try to swing the budget, and I went back to the shop to get it; only to find the bass had been sold 15 minutes before I got there.

Turned out it was sold to a TB’er, who was an active poster. I exchanged emails with her requesting first refusal, if she should ever decide to sell it. She blew me off and sold it otherwise. I gave up on the bass and picked up a very nice Zon Sonus Special Fretless; which blunted my interest a good bit.

A good thing, because the bass came up for sale twice more here on TB, with both sellers being pretty difficult to deal with. C’est la vie, just wasn’t meant to be.

 

[Volker Kirstein]

Do you have any bass guitars you remember being for sale that you just for some reason or the other were not able to buy or were too indecisive that you left it too long before someone else bought them? ...

There was this one crazy violin bass....

 

[BobKos]

I let a Fender Walnut P-Special go that I regret terribly. It was a thrashed road warrior. It needed tons of work and was very overpriced. BUT - It was far and away the best P-Bass I have ever played. I screwed around too long and someone smarter than me ponied up for it.

 

[wagdog]

Turned down an early 60’s jazz and a B15 being sold together for dirt cheap. This was in ‘76 and I didn’t want that old crap.

 

[juancaminos]

I played a new white fretless that I loved sooo much at a local Sam Ash. It sounded awesome but I try not to make impulse buys so I went home to think it over but it was gone the next day. It was a squire or a MIM Jazz or some Fender lower level bass but man did it sound and play wonderful!

 

[Blues Bass 2]

When Alembics came out they had one at a local music store for just over $1000 . I was lusting over that for weeks and thought about getting another loan to pay for it but it would have been awfully hard at the time . I was making 7 bucks an hour at a kitchen/bath cabinet factory and was tight on money . I had a Guild StarfireII for a bass but did regret not biting the bullet and getting my Holy Grail of basses .

 

[Davbassdude]

More recently there was a Fiesta Red EBMM Sub Bass with an ebony fretboard I played every time I was in there for a few months and while I wasn't crazy about the color, it just felt and sounded really great! It started at $299, was later reduced to $249, then later reduced to $199! I decided I would purchase it, the next time I went to that store. When I returned the following week, it was gone!

 

[Element Zero]

Yes. Well, no... kind of. Last year a very particular Music Man popped up on the classifieds and I hesitated. Mostly my inner “you need to be good” voice, but also I didn’t want to upset my wife. It sold. I showed her the bass and the story behind it. Said she wouldn’t have been mad. Long story short, it’s now her new bass (she plays too)... and lemme tell ya. It’s the best looking/sounding SR5 I’ve ever seen/heard.

 

[corndog]

For me it was a MIJ Jaguar that was 60% off. Was the rare blue colour with an outstanding neck. Was a great looker and player. I was rushing after my kids drum lesson and had to get home, didn’t put a deposit on it. Went back the next day and it was gone.

 

[NecroticImbecil]

More than one. Always the same reason, could not afford. First one was a Guild flying V style bass made for one of the more obscure bass players in one of the more obscure versions of Black Sabbath. It was a nice bass. Later I dreamed about the Alembic doubleneck on Ebay, but the one that really stings I managed to save some pictures of:

Some may recognize the headstock.

 

[Dincrest]

Several years ago, back when Bass Specialties in Bensalem PA was a brick-and-mortar store, I was in the market for a good 5-string. The best one I played there was this preowned Devon 5-string on consignment for about $1600. That thing looked, felt, played, and sounded like a million bucks. I even had a twinge of "my meager skills are not worthy of such an exquisite instrument." However, it was about $600 more than I had to spend so I ended up going for a floor model Zon Mosaic Standard 5-string instead. The Zon was a fine instrument, but I wish I had splurged on that Devon. To me, that's the one bass that got away.

 

[FatStringer52]

I really, really wanted (and still do) the 2017 Limited Edition Fender American Vintage '58 Roasted Ash Precision. I just couldn't justify buying one at the time. Fast forward a year or so and I finally had the funds. There was only one left in the US that I could find. As soon as I expressed interest in it, it was removed from the site. Now there are only 3 (new) left, all in Japan, and they are selling for 150% of the original price. I won't pay that price. But if one ever pops up used and in very good condition and at a reasonale price I'll be all over it!

 

[Dr. Cheese]

I had a very fine Pedulla 5 string Thunderbuzz, for which I had visited the shop to pick out woods etc. But, I found myself needing an upright and put the bass up for sale at a local shop. After seller’s remorse set in, my wife and I decided we could try to swing the budget, and I went back to the shop to get it; only to find the bass had been sold 15 minutes before I got there.

Turned out it was sold to a TB’er, who was an active poster. I exchanged emails with her requesting first refusal, if she should ever decide to sell it. She blew me off and sold it otherwise. I gave up on the bass and picked up a very nice Zon Sonus Special Fretless; which blunted my interest a good bit.

A good thing, because the bass came up for sale twice more here on TB, with both sellers being pretty difficult to deal with. C’est la vie, just wasn’t meant to be.

When it comes to basses, love the one you’re with!