Vintage cheap basses

[Reclaimer]

Nope, but I did work as a repair tech in a Mom-n-Pop music store for a while in the '70s.

Ok thanks! Had a friend Mongo that worked at GC in Atlanta than move to open a store in New Jersey.

 

[mongo2]

Ok thanks! Had a friend Mongo that worked at GC in Atlanta than move to open a store in New Jersey.

Which store?

 

[Reclaimer]

Last I heard he had left the Atlanta store and went to New Jersey to open a guitar center and that’s the last I’ve heard from him. I met him though my brother who worked with him for a short time at guitar center, Atlanta.

 

[bassbrad]

Sure, Peavey USA basses.

 

[TKnights]

This is a vintage POS . Mid 60s Teisco . Real cheap . I had to do some work to it to make it playable . I had to straighten the neck , rewire it , and I put some Carvin tuners . It's a really crappy bass but it's fun to play . Crappy photo too .

 

[GIBrat51]

I would love them a whole lot more if they hadn't made so few leftys. Sadly, even the companies that did make lefty guitars back in the day didn't seem to bother with lefty basses. These days, the handful of "Vintage, cheap" lefty basses you do find? Well, let's just say they ain't exactly cheap any more. For example;
MIJ Epiphone EA-250 guitar, and MIJ Epiphone EA-260 bass. The guitars aren't all that hard to find. The bass? Never seen a lefty; and believe me, I've looked - still am, in fact. And, really: how hard could it have been to make a lefty bass? The body's identical; neck's a bolt on; and the controls are the same. But... that's just the way it is....

 

[JIO]

I'm confused by a terminology issue here. I've always heard the word "vintage" used to justify charging a high price for something that used to be cheap. So, in my mind, there is no such thing as a cheap vintage instrument - if it's vintage, it's no longer cheap.

Regardless of how it's used, the word/term vintage relates to the age of something/anything - 50's vintage, 60's vintage, 70's vintage (car, instrument, furniture etc) Sellers of vintage instruments of any quality or actual worth use the word in an attempt to inflate an instruments perceived value. Yugo's are 70's/80's vintage doncha' know?

 

[JIO]

This old Kay was bought off ebay for $200 and came in surprisingly playable condition. It took just a little tweaking to put it in pretty good shape. It's nice and light and produces a nice variety of tones.
View attachment 3004997

And here I thought the plywood bodies were always painted

 

[40Hz]

Ha, that’s a great story. I hope you get it thumping again. Mine was a Kay, too. I may be wrong, because it was 30+ years ago, but I think it was transparent cherry with two pickups. Maybe not, I wish I had a pic of it. I’d like to have it back but, honestly, I regret unloading that Tele more...

I would too!

 

[mojomike001]

And here I thought the plywood bodies were always painted

The layers look kind of cool.

 

[Marc DLarosa]

remember the alamo?

View attachment 3004832

Sweet Holy Moly!!! I had no idea that they made basses!!! I have a Tiatan II, guitar, and love it!!! You have too many. You should sell one to Me...

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

Yamaha 70's Pulser Pbass. Killer bass. I've had mine 8 years strung with 5 year old flats. Tone is pure awesome in many settings.

 

[NOVAX]

It's all just playable art and/or wall decoration.

 

[GretschWretch]

Is there a a major generation schism in this thread, or what? For me, if it wasn't in production before the Watergate scandal it ain't vintage, I don't care how many years past twenty-five it is.

 

[M.R. Ogle]

If I can remember them being sold NEW, they ain't vintage to me.

You damn kids get off my lawn.

 

[Reclaimer]

 

[Reclaimer]

This was my pre lawsuit Electra p-bass. Active EMG pickup. My brother has it now.

 

[JIO]

This was my pre lawsuit Electra p-bass. Active EMG pickup. My brother has it now.

Those brass-chunk-saddle bridges were on so many 80's basses! I'm a fan of the Electra/Westone stuff! I've never owned one but I did build a bass around a Westone Spectrum LX 80's vintage fretless neck. (this was the fretless neck sold with a fretted necked bass in a case that had a space for the 'other' neck. (the one not on the bass) Who would do that today? I love how crazy cool an idea that was.

 

[Reclaimer]

Those brass-chunk-saddle bridges were on so many 80's basses! I'm a fan of the Electra/Westone stuff! I've never owned one but I did build a bass around a Westone Spectrum LX 80's vintage fretless neck. (this was the fretless neck sold with a fretted necked bass in a case that had a space for the 'other' neck. (the one not on the bass) Who would do that today? I love how crazy cool an idea that was.

View attachment 3005512

You don’t see basses with such style/flair as basses back then. They weren’t afraid to try crazy styles or really weird electronics. I tell my wife this when I find a bass that catches my eye. Does it have those curves in just the right places? Would it still look good stripped down? Does it feel good when you hold it? And most importantly, does it make the sounds you want to hear when you are playing?

By comparing a bass to her she’s always in the mindset I’m thinking of her while I’m looking at a rig I find somewhere. Makes it so much easier when I come home and say “ look what I found”. Instead of “why do you need that/ another guitar”? I get a smile and kiss and she’ll say “ that’s pretty” no matter how much work it needs.

 

[NMTB]

Old and cheap, you say?

*digs around in the back of a wardrobe...*

Circa 1980s. I believe produced in Japan exclusively for the Australian market.
Purchased in a hock-shop sometime around 1990.
Cheap as chips, but surprisingly decent sound and playability.