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Was your 1st bass a P.O.S?

Back in the late 70's when I was in Jr. High. I bought my 1st bass from Music Unlimited. This place would be a hot spot for musicians today! Any way, I picked up a copy of a copy of a copy of a Fender Jazz Bass for $35.00. One thing it wasn't was a copy of was a P.O.S!! Action was 2 inches above the fretboard. Neck had to be adjusted twice a month. Stayed in tune for maybe a hour! As much as I hated it, I believe it made me a better player. Anyone have similar stories?

It sure was, still have it, impossible to setup properly!
 
Yes...and I loved it!!! Was a Global bass ordered from the Sears Wish book. I think I got it for Xmas 1977. I had it for years and it was my go to "beater" in both my first rock and punk band.
It now hangs as part of the guitar tornado sculpture in the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPop, formerly The Experience Music Project) in Seattle. Upside down, center, with all the stickers on it.
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No. I have always owned and played excellent-quality basses. My parents were accustomed to paying tens of thousands for a violin for my sister so they felt that $500 or $750 or even $1,000 for a bass was a relative bargain. I was a child of extravagant privilege and very fortunate.

I bought my first bass in 1982 (I think) and it was a 1978 US-built Fender Musicmaster in black/rosewood for $175 with a non-Fender case. The guy who sold it to me at the music store was apologetic that it was "only" a student model. I was twelve years old at the time. Although I sold it less than a year later to get an MIJ Squier Precision, the Musicmaster was still a pretty great bass to learn on.

The hype even then (1982 or 83) was that the Japanese Squiers were very high quality, possibly better on average than what the US factory was producing at the time.

When I was a new player I did not fully appreciate the importance of a good amp—perhaps even greater than the value of a good bass.
 
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Back in the late 70's when I was in Jr. High. I bought my 1st bass from Music Unlimited. This place would be a hot spot for musicians today! Any way, I picked up a copy of a copy of a copy of a Fender Jazz Bass for $35.00. One thing it wasn't was a copy of was a P.O.S!! Action was 2 inches above the fretboard. Neck had to be adjusted twice a month. Stayed in tune for maybe a hour! As much as I hated it, I believe it made me a better player. Anyone have similar stories?
I had a JBP J bass copy for two years. It was great for learning the basics, but was not a practical option for use on gigs. It was a fun time, but I'm glad I let it go.
 
Yup
Mine was kind of like one of these on the bottom right of the page.
Got it in a consignment shop with a crappy little amp.
I broke a a string and stripped a tuning machine the first time trying to tune It to a piano.
It got me through and had it long enough to realize that I wanted to play.View attachment 4302576
I also had one, number 12
 
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Was your '79 P one of Fender's International Series colors? Mine was Midnight Wine with black PG.
If I recall correctly it was a natural finish, black pickguard and a GIGANTIC maple neck for a young player. Funny story about the Kramer - I didn't try it before the first "gig" with it - a High School talent show - it was an active bass and was WAY TOO LOUD. I also wore a fake Fu Manchu moustache and shirtless bar mitzvah suit. OY!
 
My first bass was an electric guitar 1960s made in Japan strung with 4 flatwound strings. My next bass a 1960s Hofner copy made in Japan, my next bass a real 1960s Hofner, my next bass was a 1960s Gibson EB0, my next bass was a 1968 Rickenbacker 4001 ... I kept that one for a while

So ya ... my first bass was a POS, but after that several were quite nice.

and then About 2001 I went crazy buying and selling and building basses
 
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If I recall correctly it was a natural finish, black pickguard and a GIGANTIC maple neck for a young player. Funny story about the Kramer - I didn't try it before the first "gig" with it - a High School talent show - it was an active bass and was WAY TOO LOUD. I also wore a fake Fu Manchu moustache and shirtless bar mitzvah suit. OY!
Same finish/neck as the Mustang I bought in '76 ;) first GOOD bass!
 
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The first bass I bought was an Ibanez X-series. Sort of an Explorer copy with P-J pickups. Black with cream binding. Actually a pretty good instrument, had a setup by a guy who was the guitar tech for the Doobie Bros. But very "metal" looking. Ended up releasing it into the wild (sold it) after it sat unused for ~10 years

opt_6038221a98a88.jpg


^ this isn't mine - but is the exact same trim
 
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