We ALL have that ONE bass...

[zon5string]

I still own every bass I ever had, except for two, and I don't regret getting rid of either one.
Zon Sonus V I got in 1997 is still my baby, but my recent acquisition of a "Classic 70s Precision" has made a strong showing at #2.

 

[biggles]

My first bass was a cheep Kent (Sears special) bought used. Then when I learned to play well I bought a used 1970 Gibson EB3 in the picture and could never part with it. It is still my go to bass and no matter the weather the neck has never needed an amusement. The other is a 1974 BC Rich Eagle that does need adjusting depending on the weather but is a nice playing and sounding instrument. Never needed any more basses than them.

 

[dannydabiker]

Bought an Ibanez Roadster in Germany in 1981....black with maple fingerboard. Decided I needed a fretless (don't ask!!) so I ripped out the frets, used liquid wood to fill the board, and used what Jaco used...Petit's Marine wood sealer. It came out sweet! Smooth fingerboard, white pickups in a black body and....fretless!

Fast forward to 1990....traded the thing with case for a new SM57 with cable and stand. Have regretted it since (but bought a Squire fretless...that is never used.)

 

[GZboat]

1. Wish I still had: Harmony H22/1 double cutaway one-pickup bass. I very stupidly left it in the back seat of a locked car in a bad neighborhood in Charlotte, NC in 1977. Almost caught up with the thieves at the closest pawn shop, but missed them by about 10 min. The pawnshop owner had been suspicious and hadn't bought it, but hadn't stalled and called the police either. Grrr............
2. Still have, wished I'd taken better care of: Micro Frets Rendezvous one-pickup bass. It was given to me to replace the Harmony. I was playing in a folk trio at the time so sanded all the original finish off to refinish it "natural wood". Refinished it badly. It looked kinda good and appropriate in the setting (the body is very pretty maple) but would be worth more now, and be cooler as well, in it's original red-and-white. At a minimum, the natural finish needs to be redone properly this time. Great sounding bass that's a great player too, for a 34" scale. I've never gotten completely comfortable with long scale necks but can tell this is a good one. I play it only very rarely (that long-scale thing) and threaten to sell it regularly. Yet I always back away because it has great sentimental value. A good friend thought enough of me as a person and a player to give me a bass when mine was stolen so I could keep working. Hard to part with it.
Greg

 

[Barrister]

1966 Rickenbacker 4005 . . . I sold it for $300 in 1980 to pay for my first quarter law school text books . . . while I have earned a life-long excellent return on investment, I think of that bass almost once a week and long for what it represented.

 

[candiehappy]

First bass was a mid-70's Gibson Triumph I paid $300 for in 1986 brand new!

Sold it to pay for fixing my car after I wrecked it for $200 and a beat to hell mangled up Peavey T-40. T-40 finally died and was not worth the parts. I have not sold a single instrument since the Triumph.

Wish I had just walked instead of fixing the 72 Chevelle. T-40 was the only bass I ever owned that was heavier than the Triumph.

 

[madmikebass]

My first bass was a ~1967 Vox Apollo IV. Still have it today. I seriously regret trading my Steinburger for some bedroom furniture whenI got my first house. Arh! Loved that thing. Now its worh about $4500.

 

[Kevin Colt]

there are too many for me to want to remember. the 59 p bass and the 72 rick stand out the most.

 

[Marc DLarosa]

there are too many for me to want to remember. the 59 p bass and the 72 rick stand out the most.

Funny...
Two of mine were a '58 P, and a '71 Ric.
I'll tell that debacle soon...

there are too many for me to want to remember. the 59 p bass and the 72 rick stand out the most.

 

[Gwyn ap Nudd]

I didn't sell it. I gave it to my nephew. So it's still in the family and is getting played often and in ways I never did. I'm trying to replace it with a Grez custom. We'll see how that goes when it gets here.

 

[js1]

My one non-regret. First bass was a Kent, more useful for archery than low end.

Three regrets. My 72 Precision, which I bought new, was not one of the good ones, was heavy, and had some issues. Sold it in the mid 90s for, IIRC, $500. I know now that most of the issues, aside from the weight, could have been addressed. Especially since most of the issues were me. Last year, I ran across a 73 P bass selling in GC, picked it up, and it felt like home to me. Now priced out of my reach.

My early 80s G&L L2000 fretless. Beautiful bass, I was crap at fretless and not willing to put the work at the time (I have since). Couldn't make rent, so it had to go, again stupid cheap.

I also had a Vantage (Matsumoku) that was pretty cool, though it did have a bad case of neck dive.

 

[BBassBassington]

I've actually been pretty good with basses, that said:

Regrets (both are only minor really:

I once got a custom 5 string fretless single cut bass in a trade for a Peavey 115. No brand name attached hence why I got it for a cab. It was stunning to look at though. The only thing is I a) hated the electronics, and b) didn't play 5 string (at the time, love em now). So I traded it for a Warwick Fretless (good bass) that I traded for a Jaguar bass (not so good bass) and a small guitar amp, then sold both.

The real regret though is selling my EBMM SR4. I bought it in 2007/8, sold it about 2 years later. Paid $1600 CAD, sold for $1000 CAD, now they go for $2700 CAD before tax! I played a few gigs on it. It was black on black with a maple fretboard, and I think it was a Slo Special too. Most comfortable bass I'd ever played for my right hand. The only problem was it a) killed my left hand and b) just wasn't playing/sounding the way I wanted to. Then I got buried in a slow avalanche of debt and had to sell it. I may like my current Ray copy a lot but... meh the EBMM was special to me, even if it became associated with a lot of bad stuff in my life at the time. I don't think about it often but sometimes I wish I was smarter about that one.

Wish I kept better care of it:

My Peavey Millenium J Bass was my first bass (but not the first bass) I ever recorded with. Stupidly though I took out it's pickups and put them in another J Bass copy. Then some months after took the strings off the Peavey and being young and dumb I didn't adjust the truss rod. Fast forward to years later when I think I should make this bass a bass again and the neck is permanently pulled back. I put strings on and tuned em way too sharp then left it for months and no change.

The neck is at the dump now, the body is on a shelf covered in stickers. No pickups, no bridge, a wrong tone knob, and the input jack and pots still installed. Seeing as it was my first bass I may one day buy a whole Peavey Milestone just to gut it and put "mine" back together.

Closing with a happy tale:

After I sold the EBMM (and all the rest of my gear, forgot to mention that) I needed an affordable bass and amp. I settled on a Squier VM Jazz Bass. I played nothing but that bass for a year before getting a Squier VM P5. Both of which I still have, both are probably the best basses I've ever played and no matter how much money someone offers me these two are staying. I honestly think I'd run into a burning building for them.

 

[Garry Raines]

... that we got when we were Young and dumb.

In My case... 3.

We either did something dumb, like... letting it go for a stupid reason.
Or, still have it, and wish that we had taken better care of it.

I fit into BOTH categories. Before I embarrass Myself (and I will, PROMISE), let's hear YOUR story, see pics.
Live and LEARN. UGH!!!

I had a Gibson EBO with a single humbucker that I let go for almost nothing that I kick myself when I think about. It had the slotted head with tuners like a classical guitar. It was the first quality guitar I owned. It was painted red and a previous owner had put mother of pearl inlays and mother of pearl logo on the head. I decided to strip the red paint and took off all the hardware. After this I didn't have a clue how to refinish it and sold it for about 50 bucks in its disassembled state. I think it was a 1965, and this was in 1982. I also has a 74 P-bass I let get away around 2002 for 300 and a pair of Peavey 12-inch monitors that I regret. It had a unique finish. I think it is called the Antigua finish with a maple neck.

 

[BDLNKYL]

My first bass was a Danelectro, back in 1962, then in 1963 I bought a used 1961 J Bass, sold that in 1965 and bought a 65 Gibson EB3...still have it and use it weekly but wished I had the money at the time to have kept BOTH the Danelectro and the Fender but times were different then, unfortunately. However I will NEVER sell the 65 EB3 !!!

 

[Murv M]

My worst kick me deal was when I was a teenager and traded a late 50's Gibson Les Paul that has some mods and was a little rough even up for a Peavey T40 bass that sold for $300 new. I only had about $100 in the LP so I thought I really got a good deal until the next time I was in the music store and saw they had it hanging up on the wall for display. That's been over 45 years ago but I still feel the burn. The worst regret I guess for selling a bass was a Pedulla MPV-5 that was a pretty transparent orange stripe with barts. Of course I've had a bunch more over the years I should have kept but there's always the quest for something different out there.

 

[mcclurer16]

Honestly, no regrets for me !

 

[KPO2000]

This thread has me thinking what if I asked my Mom to stretch her budget and get me that ugly antigua Jazz bass instead of a T-40...how things might have been different?

I can also relate to selling a Ric 4005 before the prices went crazy, but while it was cool looking and comfortable to play, it didn’t sound good. I miss having it though. Wish I could have kept them all.

 

[rllefebv]

I've had several basses and amps stolen, and totally regret not getting those back (If anyone runs across a stripped, oil-finished, fretless '78 Musicmaster, please hit me up!!), but I don't think that's the spirit of this thread

I let a few nice basses get away on less than optimal trades, (Fender Geddy Lee and CIJ Jaguar Bass), but the one that haunts me most is a little '78 Musicmaster that I traded here on TB... Bad trade on my part, and though I have another phenomenal '78, I still would like that other one back...

Other than that, I'm pretty much happy with what I currently have...

-robert

 

[Keger Jupit]

In '72 I bought my first bass, a used Gibson EB2D, for $150 at a pawn shop in DC. I sold it about 6 months later for the same money. They are worth considerably more now.

View attachment 3191894

Same here, except a '68 EB2C, in translucent red. My absolute hero, the guy who inspired me to play bass, one Mr. Sean O'Leary of the Canadian O'Leary's, sold it to me for $300. It was completely hot-rodded from stem to stern. The only things stock was the wood, finish, & input jack. It was de-fretted as well, which means I got learn on a fretless. Not only did it play-look-sound amazing, it was my all time hero's bass!!! What was I thinking? I had it for about 4 years, & a buddy & I started an acoustic duo (Unplugged was all the rage then), so I stupidly decided I "needed" an Applause ABG. Worst gear decision EVER! That Applause was a wretched pile, & the Gibson is worth...? The sentimental value alone makes it priceless, but this is proof that youth is wasted on the young. What an idiot...

 

[Keger Jupit]

Alright OP, are you gonna spill the beans?