My Mom bought me a 4001 copy when I was 13 or 14. It was so bad it should have encouraged me to play the tuba or something. 
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Was your 1st bass a P.O.S?
- Thread starter SteffanB
- Start date
Heya K, what kind of strings? Do you like them? I'm considering DR Black Beauties.
My very first bass was a Dano-Blaster and I freaking hated that thing, but there could have been some setup related issues. I meant it felt solid in the hands but god it was awful to play and I was inexperienced with bass guitars. I couldn't tell you if a setup would've saved that thing. I bought it off my best friend who doesn't know how to play for like $75 and I'm glad I didn't let it make up my mind. I'm pretty sure I gave it away.
Thank goodness I picked up a G&L tribute belonging to someone else one day and fell in love with it.. and for some reason went out and bought an SR500. I'd probably still have a G&L M2000 tribute where I sold that SR500 with no regrets.
P.S. i have long since figured out how to setup a bass guitar for my comfort level minus any nut or fret filing.
Thank goodness I picked up a G&L tribute belonging to someone else one day and fell in love with it.. and for some reason went out and bought an SR500. I'd probably still have a G&L M2000 tribute where I sold that SR500 with no regrets.
P.S. i have long since figured out how to setup a bass guitar for my comfort level minus any nut or fret filing.
Exactly these, black beauties. I like them, the coating makes them feel really smooth and gentle on your fingers when you play and they sound good to my ears, fat and thumpy. I've talked to one other girl who has the same strings on her bass and she said basically the same thing. I would recommended DR BB in a heartbeat.
That being said, I do like normal uncoated stainless steel strings because it makes me feel like a badass >
Exactly these, black beauties. I like them, the coating makes them feel really smooth and gentle on your fingers when you play and they sound good to my ears, fat and thumpy. I've talked to one other girl who has the same strings on her bass and she said basically the same thing. I would recommended DR BB in a heartbeat.
That being said, I do like normal uncoated stainless steel strings because it makes me feel like a badass >
I started out on guitar, and my first guitar was like the one in the photo. I started playing bass in 2006, and my first bass was a PJ Squier California! Made in China, the worst Squier series I've ever seen.
Mine was an ibanez something or other that my Mom bought for me at a hock shop i was 9. I loved it, but it had issues... one time i was at a lesson and the tuner literally exploded (to the point where it made a dent in the wall behind me), and another time i was getting all sorts of buzz and i realized the fretboard was peeling off. I ended up selling it and going on a series of buy-and-sell adventures till my ibby turned into a '78 peavey t-40, which i still have and am continually surprised how it is still unquestionably my best studio bass. It'll rock a stage, too!
I had a 2nd hand Squire Jazz. I'm pretty sure it has a ridiculously high action, probably the intonation was way off, and only the next pickup worked properly...but as I was new to Bass playing I didn't really notice any of those things at the time, it was decent enough to get me hooked so all good.
When I started, in the 60's, many first basses were unplayable and sounded terrible. Players starting out today have a fantastic choice at great prices, all thanks to CNC machines.
My first bass was a Framus Star bass, small body model. It was the cheapest bass in the shop, even so in today's money it was $542! it was pretty good to learn on because of the short scale, thin neck and hollow body. I could play it acoustically without an amp, which I had to do for a year until I saved up enough for the amp.
My first bass was a Framus Star bass, small body model. It was the cheapest bass in the shop, even so in today's money it was $542! it was pretty good to learn on because of the short scale, thin neck and hollow body. I could play it acoustically without an amp, which I had to do for a year until I saved up enough for the amp.
My first bass was this Brice HXB-405 from Rondo. It is a very nice bass, 35" scale active/passive, and punches far above its weight class for what I paid for it. I still play it and enjoy it, and in some ways it is more fun to play than my much more expensive Warwick Thumb.
I bought it as a guitarist wanting to have a bass for recording/expanding my knowledge. Now I've pretty much turned into a bassist who plays guitar occasionally.
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My first bass was a Norma violin shaped bass like the one below. Purchased at Eastchester Music in June of 1971 for $75 complete with a cardboard case and a MelBay instruction book, it was the center of my attention for the next two years. In retrospect, it surely was a POS but at the time, it was the most amazing piece of equipment an 11 year old could ever hope for. Clearly my parents were impressed with my dedication to music because two years later I was able to convince them I needed a new better bass. My first band would be playing a high school dance and all the other band members had real instruments so I guilted my father into springing for a Jetglo Ric 4001. Nevertheless, that funky Norma will always hold a special place in my heart.
Mine was actually decent.
For a few years Guild had a MIJ line they called Madeira. There were solid body guitars and basses as well as acoustic guitars.
I bought a bass that was based on the Guild JS-II which was their SG-lookalike bass of the time. The Madeira was bolt-on rather than set neck, the bridge had plastic saddles rather than wood and the tuners were cheapos. No idea what woods were used, but mine came in a natural finish. They also had red, maybe black as well. I paid $185 with a chipboard case brand new in 1973. I sold the bass in 1980 for $150 after I got a T40.
Here's one on Reverb right now for $259. Check out the body laminations. Mine was not so obvious.
On the other hand, the amp I got at the same time, a used Univox UB-250 for $75, was a POS. They redid the cosmetics a few times, my first version head looked like this. The final version had 2 band EQ. The problem with the single tone control was that even fully CCW there just was not enough tone
This pic is from an ad for a "vintage, rare amp" 
I know some other TB'ers had one. Although a "stack", the head was a featherweight, a whopping 20 transistor RMS watts on a good day, advertised as 60W "music power". They should have made it a combo, no idea why they didn't. I bought an EH Hog's Foot bass boost pedal for $10 (yes kids, pedals didn't cost hundreds of dollars in 1973) and it immediately overloaded the preamp for an impressive fuzz. When I replaced this with a tube Bassman I was amazed that the pedal was really just a clean bass booster.
For a few years Guild had a MIJ line they called Madeira. There were solid body guitars and basses as well as acoustic guitars.
I bought a bass that was based on the Guild JS-II which was their SG-lookalike bass of the time. The Madeira was bolt-on rather than set neck, the bridge had plastic saddles rather than wood and the tuners were cheapos. No idea what woods were used, but mine came in a natural finish. They also had red, maybe black as well. I paid $185 with a chipboard case brand new in 1973. I sold the bass in 1980 for $150 after I got a T40.
Here's one on Reverb right now for $259. Check out the body laminations. Mine was not so obvious.
On the other hand, the amp I got at the same time, a used Univox UB-250 for $75, was a POS. They redid the cosmetics a few times, my first version head looked like this. The final version had 2 band EQ. The problem with the single tone control was that even fully CCW there just was not enough tone
This pic is from an ad for a "vintage, rare amp" I know some other TB'ers had one. Although a "stack", the head was a featherweight, a whopping 20 transistor RMS watts on a good day, advertised as 60W "music power". They should have made it a combo, no idea why they didn't. I bought an EH Hog's Foot bass boost pedal for $10 (yes kids, pedals didn't cost hundreds of dollars in 1973) and it immediately overloaded the preamp for an impressive fuzz. When I replaced this with a tube Bassman I was amazed that the pedal was really just a clean bass booster.
Lafayette J bass clone. The pickups were chrome w/ gold fabric underlayment and bolted directly to the face of the instrument. Strangely enough, it also sported a multi-lam neck similar to those found on Hagstrom and Kubicki basses. Sorry, no pics.
Riis
Riis
Same here. I bought a Japanese Teisco SG copy in 1967 for cheap from some kid I knew. The action was high, it made my fingers bleed, but I thought of it as a rite of passage. My fingers sure got strong.
I sold it a year later for $25 and bought a Fender Telecaster Bass. What a difference!
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Mine was a lovely CIJ Fender Jazz that was fantastic. My only bass for my first 12 years of playing, and i gigged it so much the frets wore out. It is currently on extended loan to a friend of mine's son.
Oh yeah — a 'Heit' short-scale that my dad brought home from the bargain electronics store.
Before I was through with it I had given it a rattle-can refinish, pulled out all the frets, and basically ruined it. But I loved it and it's the instrument I learned on and played in my first few bands. Total POS.
Before I was through with it I had given it a rattle-can refinish, pulled out all the frets, and basically ruined it. But I loved it and it's the instrument I learned on and played in my first few bands. Total POS.
Nope.
I'd played upright for a few years so my parents bought me a new 1995 MIM Fender Standard Precision.
Still have it, though everything but the neck and body has been modded. Its got a great neck and is nice and light.
One bit from the OP I'd comment on is the myth that a difficult to play bass makes you a better player. Any competent teacher will tell to buy a good instrument because a poorly setup bass teaches bad habits. If you become a better player its by your own hard work in spite of the inadequate instrument.
I'd played upright for a few years so my parents bought me a new 1995 MIM Fender Standard Precision.
Still have it, though everything but the neck and body has been modded. Its got a great neck and is nice and light.
One bit from the OP I'd comment on is the myth that a difficult to play bass makes you a better player. Any competent teacher will tell to buy a good instrument because a poorly setup bass teaches bad habits. If you become a better player its by your own hard work in spite of the inadequate instrument.
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Late 90s Squier P-Bass Special (PJ with a J neck). Ski jump neck made it impossible to set up properly. I should have known better and never walked out with it.
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