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What’s your oldest bass?
- Thread starter Dlew919
- Start date
The one I've had the longest would be my '76 Fender Musicmaster. My oldest bass, on the other hand, is my 1917 The Gibson Mandocello. I have a harp guitar that dates to 1881 also.
(I think I recently told this.)
I have bought all my five basses new.
1981: Ibanez MC-924DS (electric)
1981: Eko Chetro (acoustic)
2021: Fender CB-60SCE (acoustic with piëzo)
2022: Harley Benton MJ-4EB (electric)
2023: Harley Benton MJ-5EB (electric)
Currently, the MJ-4EB is the only one with round-wound strings. The Chetro has its original strings back; they feel flat-wound, are non-magnetic.
I may add another acoustic one with piëzo bridge, but there's no urge.
I'm 72 yrs old.
My oldest bass that I own, I bought brand new back in 1983 is a Carvin LB50 (Google photo.)
Sadly, I am 18 basses and done............I'm in the process of selling down to 10 or so.
I'm done "fliting" whatever that word means, ha ha ha. Ain't an Aussie. Yeah, no more bass buying for me! The addiction is conquered. GAS is done!
18 basses and reducing. Although the Carvin LB50 is my oldest owned bass, for 7 years now, I've owned a real deal and 100% original 1953 P Bass! I consider myself very lucky to have it!
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My oldest bass that I own, I bought brand new back in 1983 is a Carvin LB50 (Google photo.)
Sadly, I am 18 basses and done............I'm in the process of selling down to 10 or so.
I'm done "fliting" whatever that word means, ha ha ha. Ain't an Aussie. Yeah, no more bass buying for me! The addiction is conquered. GAS is done!
18 basses and reducing. Although the Carvin LB50 is my oldest owned bass, for 7 years now, I've owned a real deal and 100% original 1953 P Bass! I consider myself very lucky to have it!
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ing over both of those! I learned on a '54 (my brother's), and my LB-40 was my very first fretless (I've always wished it was an LB-50 instead).
I have an arsenal. I have bought very few basses new. My first is a 1979 purchased used in 1986, which I still have. My oldest is a 1952 Kay upright. My oldest electric is a 1972 but it's far from original.
My Ken Smith burner 98', bought used in 2012 as my 40 birthday gift. I've just updated electronic since: glockenklang 2 band preamp and Bartolini 9J-L1 / LN1 pickups. Killer bass. It's now one of my 2 backups and work-horse when i plug a bass at home.
1974 Rickenbacker 4001 MapleGlo, purchased from a pawn shop in January of this year.
1969 Kent Violin Bass bought used in 2018 ( a reall hollow body thumper) and a 1973 Fender Precision Bass I bought new in1974. That baby has been through everything with me and still in very good condition (unlike me), with mods along the way to fit the times like we all did back then. Replaced the pickup for DiMarzio, replaced the bridge with Bad Ass etc..
I am fortunate enough to have owned a 1959 Fender Precision Bass that I purchased in 1975.
Everything's in storage at the moment, some unplanned house renovations sigh, but I'll see what I can dig up.
the oldest in my bunch is ~13 years old, purchased new. my previous oldest was ~20 years (also purchased new, a custom build). no "vintage" trophies for me. these days, i'm more into "newest!"
and i think i just heard my number being called! 
seriously, i appreciate that machines (CNC) have changed the bass-playing world forever. consistency used to be a crap shoot, but in the current/modern era we can expect ever greater amounts of it...thankfully.
so, an old, 'perfect' ax is a priceless experience if it truly plays the best for you and if you're lucky enough to have it. respect to the players who have the old ones, especially the old ones that are still being used to lay down those all-important grooves!
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Bought in 1977. It's a 3 bolt so I think that puts it at 1974. Didn't buy another bass till about 2010. Now I'm sitting on a small herd that floats around 20 basses. I am in the process of thinning the herd since I've recently "retired" from the bar bands. This bass will either be passed on to my kids.... or maybe they can bury me with it.
The way it first looked
The way it first looked
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My first was a 67 Jazz that i bought from a friend in its birth year. He bought it new. Stupidly, I sold it to finance a beach date that did not produce the desired results.
Now my oldest is a 68 P that I bought around 98 or so sight-unseen in an ebay auction, and that luckily is completely awesome. But I also have a couple of Am Standard Ps from the mid-90s that I still think of as new basses. Aside from those, various Ibanez and SX of various vintage including a really cool 6 string jazz that was super cheap, and a plain-jane 4 string jazz that was $89 including shipping, and sounds great, plays well.
Now my oldest is a 68 P that I bought around 98 or so sight-unseen in an ebay auction, and that luckily is completely awesome. But I also have a couple of Am Standard Ps from the mid-90s that I still think of as new basses. Aside from those, various Ibanez and SX of various vintage including a really cool 6 string jazz that was super cheap, and a plain-jane 4 string jazz that was $89 including shipping, and sounds great, plays well.
I bought this bass new at Oxbow Music in Chapel Hill in 1983. It still sounds and plays great. After I had a few other basses in the stable, I loaned it to a friend until he could buy a new bass. He needed it for a standing church gig. Never did want to give it back, I had to go do some research and remind him about the tenth and eighth commandments to get it back!
I currently have 6 basses, so this one's retired from gigging. But I don't see ever parting with it, is it still gives me great pleasure to play.
I currently have 6 basses, so this one's retired from gigging. But I don't see ever parting with it, is it still gives me great pleasure to play.
My 1972 Jazz bass that I bought used in 1994. My other 12 basses were all purchased in the last 10 years.
2008 Warmoth DIY fretless although I owned a 78 Precision I bought new for a very long time. On the upright side 1860's German 4/4 bass that is da bomb.
