What did you play back when... Nostalgia

[SLaPiNFuNK]

We all have those fond, and not so fond, memories of yesteryear. Share with us what bass you played and why you played it. Let's just have a little fun...

I'll go first...

I played this GTX for a few years...

DUDE! GTX was my first bass! Mine was a 5 stirng... the finger board was pulling off the neck!

BUT IT WAS COOL!

This makes me nostalgia... from before I started playing bass...

They are releasing a 20th anniversary edition that I am thinking of getting...

 

[stepswork4me]

DUDE! GTX was my first bass! Mine was a 5 stirng... the finger board was pulling off the neck!

BUT IT WAS COOL!

This makes me nostalgia... from before I started playing bass...

They are releasing a 20th anniversary edition that I am thinking of getting...

Right on! Mine was a 5'er too. I just couldn't find a pic. I bet the bass would've really rocked with a good preamp and pups. It was very light and played well. Oh and the guy in front of you... his face is AWESOME!!!

 

[doc540]

Now, that's some awesome hippy action... looks like a fun gig.

Stone Steps Surf Contest, Encinitas, Ca

sun, surf, sound, and hash oil

 

[Justice]

1976 Hagstrom Swede - still own it, will never sell it.

 

[RedsFan75]

Started playing in 1976 on a 1974 Fender P through a bassman. Wish I still had that rig!

 

[Chef]

Justice: that hagstrom is awesome!

 

[sitonmybass]

I'll be 52 this year and have been playing since I was about 14, so around 1972 my first bass was a "Mayfair" bass. It had a sunburst finish, tortoise-shell pickguard with white binding, a 20-fret neck, a "non-split design" single neck position pickup, a rosewood fretboard, an "old-school" treble-side finger-rest, chrome bridge cover, white enumerated volume and tone knobs, front-mounted input jack and a matching headstock. It was purchased in Cleveland, Ohio.

Has anyone ever heard of this brand or model?


My next bass was a Fender Mustang black/black pickguard/rosewood. I was thrilled to get it!

 

[stepswork4me]

Stone Steps Surf Contest, Encinitas, Ca

sun, surf, sound, and hash oil

You were most definitely GRVIN'.

 

[Hoover]

Man, I've gotta figure out what I did with all my old pics...

My first bass was a Sekova (Korean POS copy of a Hofner Beatle Bass) that I got for $60 from We Buy Guitars on 48th St NYC in 1975. For a year before that I borrowed the Fender Mustang that my band's other guitarist owned. In 1976 I sold the Sekova and started an interminable series of long-term loans from friends who didn't need or play their basses, including a '72 Fender Precision, a '71 Gibson EB-0, a '73 Fender Musicmaster, and a '77 Gibson Ripper. Finally bought my first "real" bass in late 1978, another Gibson Ripper. That got stolen a year later. Bought a brand new 1979 Peavey T-40. A year later that got stolen. Bought a brand new 1980 Peavey T-40. A year later that got stolen. (I'm not making this up!) Went back to a long-term loaner from a friend, this time an SD Curlee. Finally got a Steinberger L-2 in 1982 and have somehow managed to hang on to it ever since.

 

[bmc]

1974-Hondo II P bass Copy with Texas Special pickups through Univox 30 watt Bass amp and converted 6' wooden refridgerator shipping crate with an 18" Radio Shack speaker with metal cone with wood shaving "birds nest" packing..... Sounded awsome! Then to PV Series 400 PA head through PV PA 4x10 towers then 2 Acoustic 4x12 sealed guitar cabs

In this 1978ish 79ish newspaper photo, the 2 PV towers were on the left Traynor amp on top. We would swap bass and guitar during the show...the other guitar/bass player wearing the hat is Gary Tisdale.....BTW the outfits were reversable...White w/Red Buttons on one side and Red w/white buttons on the other with silver lightening bolts...smokin baby

Savannah Civic Center ball room

 

[BritFunk]

My Friends,

My first bass was a Hofner violin bass on loan from my older sister. I eventually traded her out of the bass but then in a fit of stupidity (actually, it was more like dire financial straits) sold it.

The first bass that was actually "mine" was a cheap plywood P.O.S. picked up at a yard sale for $25 - the headstock had a sticker that said Strad-O-Lin. The bridge was a piece of bent sheet metal with notches in it that greatly facilitated breakage of strings - I was going through one set of Rotosound Swing Bass strings a week!

Then came my beloved Yamaha BB300 during Christmas 1986 - that bass has been through a J-bass pickup installation, two refrets, and a complete rewiring/shielding job. I still have it and will have it until I die.

My first amp was a Radio Shack MPA-90 PA amplifier through a pressboard cabinet my Dad made with a 15" Radio Shack speaker in it. The cabinet weighed a ton and the tone was just abysmal.

The first "real" amplification I ended up with was a Peavey Century 100W "musical instrument amplification system" through a Traynor 2x15 cabinet with replacement "Pyle Driver" speakers. The extended frequency range of the amp gave me a top end on my bass that was just unreal - I still greatly miss that amp setup.

Someplace I still have pics of some of that old gear - I'll do some checking when I get home tonight...

----
Kurt

 

[kjpollo]

ahhhhhhh the 80's lol My Charvel n Peavy amp with a complete set of DOD bass effects

I often wondered what happened to the headboard from my old bed!

BTW- nice Charvel. I had one of those in the Firecrackle Red finish. Would LOVE to have that one back!

 

[SJLee]

 

[Crabby]

I started with a Vantage Avenger in 1984. It was a transparent red body with a split p pickup. I wish I still had that bad boy. They were pretty cool entry level basses in their day.

 

[Moe Monsarrat]

I got a Teisco copy of a 51 P bass in 1964 from the factory in Tokyo in an endorsement deal. We actually went down there and picked out stuff. It was a POS & was very hard to play, but sounded ok. I also had a GuyaTone model of the same bass. Both were awful. I bought a brand new Ric in 1969 for about $700 if I remember correctly.

 

[Chef]

not too terribly old, but, still back in the day compared to some...
1988-ish Fender Jazz 5 Deluxe with Lace Sensor pups and kubiki pre:

 

[Fuzzbass]

My very first: Guild medium-scale EB-3 wannabe (model unknown), purchased 1976
Link Removed

My first awesome bass: a 1978 Fender Precision bought used in 1979. I installed the DiMarzio pickup
Link Removed

 

[Mike M.]

Started to teach myself bass back in 1970 (!?!?!) when I was a junior in high school. Bought a used Crestwood bass from a buddy for $30.00. Hollow body, two pickups and I thought this thing was the bee's-knee's!

Worked after school, weekends and during the summer to buy my first good bass, a new Gibson EB-3. Cost $345.00 with the case!!! Saved some more and eventually bought two Traynor YBA-1 head's and 2-15" SRO speakers with each one housed in an "Eliminator" styled cabinet that I made. That setup kicked!!

In time I aquired two Ric's (4000 and 4001 models) Musicman Stingray, Fender Jazz, Ampeg SVT.....had a few differant cabinet configurations along the way as well.

All the equiptment is gone now except for my '73 Jazz Bass which really needs a new neck.

Good times with it all, back then.

 

[Chef]

fuzz: acoustic rig?
nice!

 

[Dave12]

I played a Guild Starfire through a Dual Showman 2X15... I loved it but it was heavy after 4 hours. One of our roadies backed the van over it. I could not even look at the pieces. I had just finished paying for it. Still hurts.