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What’s your oldest bass?
- Thread starter Dlew919
- Start date
The one I had the longest is this 1967 Rickenbacker 4005WB I got when I straight-traded my first bass, a late '60s Jazz Bass for it in 1973. After 38 years of caretakership I sold it when I got an offer I couldn't refuse.
The oldest I currently have is this Guild B-301 from 1978. I found it at my local Sam Ash last November.
The oldest I currently have is this Guild B-301 from 1978. I found it at my local Sam Ash last November.
My story is relatively modest: including the 7 currently owned, I've gone through 23 basses since 2008, the year I started playing bass. I've tried Jazzes, Precisions, Peavey Grinders, Epi and Gibby Thunderbirds, EBMM Sterling, Explorers, Rics, Yamaha BBs and this is where I stand, 15 years later:
Jazz basses were my first love: I still an American Special Olympic White, converted to a PJ;
Thunderbirds are my great love: after years of playing various models, I've settled down with 7enderBirds Jazz necks, my 3rd currently being assembled;
Stingrays are my quirky love: when I want to go for something different, I go for either one of my two SBMM ray24cas, both modified with Seymour Duncan 3-band preamps and alnico pickups.
No bass ever deceived me, just flipped them because they weren't my thing. The Explorer was the hardest to part with, but I just couldn't handle that telephone pole of a neck.
EDIT: My oldest: 2011 American Special Jazz, also the one I owned the longest, bought it that year.
Jazz basses were my first love: I still an American Special Olympic White, converted to a PJ;
Thunderbirds are my great love: after years of playing various models, I've settled down with 7enderBirds Jazz necks, my 3rd currently being assembled;
Stingrays are my quirky love: when I want to go for something different, I go for either one of my two SBMM ray24cas, both modified with Seymour Duncan 3-band preamps and alnico pickups.
No bass ever deceived me, just flipped them because they weren't my thing. The Explorer was the hardest to part with, but I just couldn't handle that telephone pole of a neck.
EDIT: My oldest: 2011 American Special Jazz, also the one I owned the longest, bought it that year.
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My '65 Jazz that I bought used ~ 1972 is the bass that has been with me the longest - 51 years now. My oldest bass, '39 Kay upright, I acquired maybe in the early '80s and it is still with me.
I tend to buy instruments and gear to keep. I still have my first real bass amp, an Ampeg SB-12, purchased new in 1967. My other basses - Fender A/E Precision fretless and Turner Renaissance V fretless, Roscoe Beck V - have been purchased used, and have been with me for more than 20 years. The exception is my Kala Exotic Mahogany U-Bass, which I bought new about 6 years ago.
I tend to buy instruments and gear to keep. I still have my first real bass amp, an Ampeg SB-12, purchased new in 1967. My other basses - Fender A/E Precision fretless and Turner Renaissance V fretless, Roscoe Beck V - have been purchased used, and have been with me for more than 20 years. The exception is my Kala Exotic Mahogany U-Bass, which I bought new about 6 years ago.
This is a '64 which I acquired during the early 80's. Had it refinished and installed EMG pickups (I know, I know, right?!?!?!):
It has a nice quality tortoiseshell guard on it now.
It has a nice quality tortoiseshell guard on it now.
The 4005WB got gigged a whole lot over the years, from college dive bars to big festival stages....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!
Live and learn.
The first bass that I played was a Fender (Jazz, I guess) belonging to the cultural club of my university (CREA, for the Dutchies), in 1977. I was the worst guitarist in the Pop Band course...
My own first and second "basses" were pedals I used with my Morris Telecaster Deluxe guitar: first an Electro-Harmonix Octave Multiplexer, then a Maestro OB-2 guitar synthesizer.
Storing the equipment after the course workshops confronted me with the cooling down of tube amplifiers. It made me want to have transistor-based gear. (I have long disregarded the "effect" side of amps.) So I played "bass" through my 30W Barratt guitar amp until I could buy a real bass amp in 1980 or 1981, a Lab L2 (the only Lab I have ever seen, except recently on YouTube). That's what precedes my purchases of bass guitars.
I've got three basses, all of which I use regularly, depending on the band I'm playing with. I'm no collector and I don't want things lying around that I'm not using frequently.
My oldest - both in terms of how long I've owned it and its date of manufacture - is an early 90s Warwick RnB, which is also my avatar. I got it in trade (plus cash to me!) about 15 years ago for a 70s Precision that was causing me lots of shoulder pain. Best bass gear decision I ever made!
My other two were bought new and were made in 2019 & 2022, respectively.
My oldest - both in terms of how long I've owned it and its date of manufacture - is an early 90s Warwick RnB, which is also my avatar. I got it in trade (plus cash to me!) about 15 years ago for a 70s Precision that was causing me lots of shoulder pain. Best bass gear decision I ever made!
My other two were bought new and were made in 2019 & 2022, respectively.
It's this thing -
From best I can tell from the serial number, it's a 1985 Ibanez Destroyer DB700BL that I bought used in 1987. The original owner had hogged out the neck pickup cavity and fitted it with an active EMG P/J setup and painted it with that Rustoleum stone texture spray paint. which they didn't properly prep the original paint and it was literally flaking off every time you touched it. I gave it a proper 80s hair metal swirl and a good refresh a few years back with brand new EMGs and some DR Neon strings. I'll never part with this thing.
From best I can tell from the serial number, it's a 1985 Ibanez Destroyer DB700BL that I bought used in 1987. The original owner had hogged out the neck pickup cavity and fitted it with an active EMG P/J setup and painted it with that Rustoleum stone texture spray paint. which they didn't properly prep the original paint and it was literally flaking off every time you touched it. I gave it a proper 80s hair metal swirl and a good refresh a few years back with brand new EMGs and some DR Neon strings. I'll never part with this thing.
Search ran down this old pic for me, sorry it's fuzzy... It got knocked over and broken after that point, have yet to fix the crack...
I'm not "one and done", but I am thinning the heard, these days.
I've decided I'm keeping three basses (and which ones they are would surprise most).
My oldest (less than ten years) is my '79 P-Bass. We used to call it "The Tomato", when it belonged to my friend. Now, I call it "Lucille (as in Ball; not taking my cue from B.B. King)".
I've decided I'm keeping three basses (and which ones they are would surprise most).
My oldest (less than ten years) is my '79 P-Bass. We used to call it "The Tomato", when it belonged to my friend. Now, I call it "Lucille (as in Ball; not taking my cue from B.B. King)".
2005 Lakland USA. Almost 3 years. Only photo I could find. Sold the Fender.
1984 Ibáñez. I have had it since the early 1990s. It was the only fretted electric I had for many years and still plays like a dream (two refrets in, I've played it so much). But it kinda always sounds aggressive. Even with the tone rolled off, it is kinda walking to the ring prowrestler-esque.
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Bought my StingRay new 44 years ago.
Gibson EB-2 bought new (traded in a year old Fender sunburst Jazzmaster) in 1964. Supplemented with an SG (also cherry) in 2002, a Rob Allen fretless MB-2 in 2003, a Sadowsky NYC in 2017 (used) and a Fender American Mustang in 2018 - sunburst with pickguard replaced with basic black. Taylor GS mini too!
