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What was your bass progression & why?

#83
Mine is a simple story, a musical and spiritual journey from P to a P :)
  • Yamaha RBX P bass. It was the cheapest bass I could find. Had no idea about basses, setup, anything. I put strings on it and played. I think I aligned the saddles to form a straight line, because it looked "correct" that way :) The bass was so poorly set up that once a quasi-pro (studio guy with a daytime job) tried it and couldn't slap. It was OK for me, I played rock, you know, roots and stuff :) Sold it to finance an upgrade.
  • MusicMan SUB. This was the upgrade, one of those US made StingRay copies. I knew a guy who worked at a music store and recommended it. I was also into Red Hot Chili Peppers, so it made sense to get it. I had it for 3 years, but just realized that I'm not getting the sounds I want. I probably didn't know how to EQ it, but still to this day I have an uneasy feeling about StingRay type basses (without neck pickup). Sold it to finance something new.
  • Hohner fretless jazz bass. Don't know much more about this bass, but I got it for cheap and it was my first fretless. Had a sweet tone with Fender flats, but I could not get good enough on a fretless to play it live, so I sold it to get another backup bass.
  • Stagg P bass. This was a cheapie P-bass copy to test the premise that all I need is a P. Fell in love with the P with flats sound (and swore off active basses), but I was not sure the bass was gig-worthy (probably was, I even put a Nordstrand pickup in it)... However, I could not find a well priced mid-range P, so I got the Lakland instead (next) and sold this bass.
  • Lakland Skyline Daryl Jones. This became my main player after the SUB was sold. It was a sweet bass (see my avatar), and worked really well in all kinds of situations. I had it for about 3 years, then gave it to my friend to watch it and record with it while I was in US for school. It got stolen from him. I still miss it, it was a great great bass. Started my "Lakland period".
  • Apollo jazz bass. Some funky copy my drummer had, but it played really well and he needed cash for new drums. He *really* needed the drums, and I was looking to get a new bass as a backup, so we were in business :). I played it as a J bass for a while (with rounds, while I was trying flats on the Lakland), then decided I really want the P, so I had it converted to a stereo PJJ bass. This was my main backup bass, and I ended up with flats on it, and using only the P pickup (on of the J's died, and did not like the PJ sound much). Sold it before my move to US.
  • Eko Barracuda. This was an old Italian semi-acoustic bass with two single-coils, had a really sweet vintage tone with Pyramid flats on it. A friend restored it, and I then gave it to him to watch after it while I went to the US. As far as I know, he's still watching (and playing) it :)
  • Yamaha BB414. For my first bass in US, I got a cheap Yamaha BB PJ bass, and really liked it. But, ultimately, I realized again that PJ is not for me, and wanted an upgrade. Sold it to finance my next P.
  • Fender Japan P bass. My first proper P bass. I loved it, but I found a Lakland Glaub. After having both for a while, I realized how much I truly prefer Lakland necks (the Fender had a glossy finish). Sold the Fender.
  • Lakland Skyline Glaub P bass. Still have it, and is currently my only bass (aside from the Eko back home). This is my favorite bass after my Daryl Jones...
  • Phoenix Electra double P bass. I figured, since I like P basses so much, a double P should be a winner! It was actually pretty sweet, but I never really loved it. I sold it, I think to finance my next Lakland. In retrospect, I should've kept it and modded it to my likings.
  • Lakland Skyline Jerry Scheff. My third Lakland (oddly, all were 2002 models). A sweet bass, like all Laklands I tried. I used it in passive mode (still don't like active basses), and did not like the lack of a tone control. Ultimately realized that while I liked the pickup spacing in theory, I did not really like the sounds I was getting. Contemplated modding it, but instead sold it out of respect, because it was just a bad fit, not a bad bass. It did not deserve getting butchered :)
I'm now contemplating my next P bass, something to mod and mess around with. Whatever I try, I always end up preferring a P, so I'll just try different P designs to see if Leo really did get it right or not ;)
 
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#85
Ashton junk starter kit bass
Ibanez Sr 485 because i wanted to be Korn
warwick rockbass $$ - that freaked me out with how good it was
Warwick thumb Bo - loved it
Cort Curbow fretless - Mwah
spector euro lx4 - hated it
Warwick Corvette bubinga STD - amazing bass
Warwick Infinity Nt - incredible bass, just amazing
Warwick Thumb Nt 5 - best bass i have ever owned (and still own)

anything else i have owned i didnt have very long, maybe a few weeks if that. not fair to comment on.
 
#86
First bass
Kent short scale Jazz bass copy
2nd Arbor Explorer
3rd Yahama BB 1600
4th 88 Kramer Spector Ns-2
5th Ibanez Sound gear
6th Olp Music man copy 4
7th Olp 5
8th Lakeland Skyline 55-01
9th Celinder Update 4
10th 1987 Kramer Spector 4
11th Kenneth Lawrence Chamberbrase II
12th 2014 Fodera Emperor 5
13th 2007 Fodera Imperial
14th 2016 Emperor 5 (in production )
I have the Imperial, and the Spector all the rest have been sold. One I really wish I could get back is the OLP 4 ,I really bonded with that bass ,but pawned it and a few other basses due to active alcoholism at the time.
 
#87
BigDanT said:
Just curious as to what others' bass journey has been and why. I know there are lots of us who own multiple basses but for the purposes of this discussion, I'm referring to your primary bass (bass style).

For my own progression, I'll skip a few gaps where I tried something pretty quickly and moved on.

1. Sears Jazz Bass Knockoff -- First bass ever. I learned a lot on this instrument including messing around with setup, electronics, etc.

2. Ibanez Roadstar II -- This was what I considered my first "real" bass and i pretty much liked most things about it. I ended up pawning it for beer money (I know, smart move, right).

3. Another jazz bass knockoff -- Probably gigged more on this bass than any others. It was a beater but sounded fine. Loaned it to a keys player and it disappeared for about a year.

4. Schechter Raiden -- After many years not playing regularly, this got me back into playing bass. For under $400 it was a decent bass. Nice looking fast neck. I just never really bonded with it and thought it always sounded kind of thin.

5. Fender Highway 1 Jazz -- Bought this used for $500 and it served me well. I kept it as a back up bass until earlier this year.

6. Fender American Deluxe Jazz -- Beautiful, well built bass but I didn't care for the pups in passive mode and rather than mod an already expensive instrument I traded it for...

7. 2011 American Standard P Bass -- I LOVED this bass. One of the best basses I've ever owned. It was my first P bass. Foolishly I felt I was missing something without the bridge PUP so I traded this for an Am Std Jazz that I didn't keep for very long at all. I swapped it for another Am Std. P but that P just lacked the mojo of the 2011.

8. Fender 1975 AVRI -- Loved this bass as well but I just couldn't get over missing the P. So, when I got a chance i shifted this and bought yet another...

9. 2014 Am Std P -- this was a very nice bass but after living with it for a while I was missing a little of the bite that the bridge pickup could provide, so I traded my Hwy 1 and this bass for...

10. Fender 70s AVRI Hotrod Jazz -- This is the first P/J i've owned and i'm liking it a lot. It has the thunder of the P but I can also dial in some bite when needed. The only thing I'm not sure about is the neck. Really nice jazz neck but I kind of miss the heft of that 2011 P I had. I've heard people on here say that 2011 might have been one of the best years for Fender Ps in a long time, and judging by my experience, I'd have to agree.

So, that's where I am for now...
How about you???
Click to expand...
I started on a Washburn bass owned by my youth group leader. It was a P clone.

My first bass was a JBP J knockoff.

My second was a Schecter Stiletto Custom 6 bass, my first "real bass".

My third is an Ibanez SR305F fretless, still in possession.

My fourth was a MIM Fender Jazz Bass.

My fifth is a Fender American Standard Precision bass; just bought it October 12 of this year. My absolute favorite bass ever!!

My sixth was a Johnson P clone. Sounded fine, but needed rehab. I abandoned that project.

My seventh is a 1988 G&L USA L-2000. Great instrument, extremely versatile. Satisfies my need for a Jazz or MusicMan anytime I need. Acquired only three weeks after the Precision bass.
 
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#88
Mine's a very short journey so far, but I'll embellish it with my treble guitar history:

Encore Strat (awful....)
1979 Gibson SG (Gift from dad on my 16th, later stolen)
Epiphone Les Paul Standard (Still owned)
Epiphone Explorer Korina (Still owned)
Epiphone SG Gothic
Ibanez Acoustic (Still owned)
Dean Mustaine Signature SMNT Rust In Peace (Still owned)
Epiphone SG G-400 Pro (Still owned)

And then the basses.....

Ibanez Jet King II (purchased between the Ibanez Acoustic and Mustaine VMNT guitars above)
Fender Standard P-Bass (purchased this month!)

I've only played bass properly for a month now. I'm quite happy to retire my guitars to be honest, it had become boring to me.
 
#89
1, silvertone(samick) Pbass copy
2, squier Pbass (heavily modified with two EMG soapbars and pre-amp gigged this for ten years loved it never needed anything else
3, 2008 fender American standard jazz bass( I saved half rest was a present from folks for 18th it was played very carefully at home while gigging squier now it's practically a beater)
4, fender deluxe active Pbass
5, fender deluxe active jazz bass
6, fender cij jazz bass 62 reissue

Plus a few other odds and ends I've forgotten.

obviously I LOVE fender ;) even named my son Leo.
 
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#90
First was a rental, a Univox, around 1975. Parents didn't want to buy anything unless I was "serious".

Proved my seriousness and got a Bradley Jazz bass knock-off about '76.

Caught the Prog bug and picked up an Autum Glow 4001 in '78. That was me for a long time.

Early 90s, "needed" a 5-string, so ordered a Carvin LB75 in koa with a maple neck-through.

By mid 90s I "needed" a Stingray, so got one of those in trans red.

Those three were it until 2013.

Then ordered a '13 Thumb NT 4 because I always wanted one, and could now afford it.

Then I picked up an Am Std P Bass. Had been avoiding a Fender my whole life. Just stubborn I guess. Slapped Labella flats and rocked it.

Early 2014 I wanted a 5 that wasn't the Carvin, so sold the Carvin and I picked up the StingRay 5.

Just this year picked up the USA Geddy. Was GASing for that badly.

So, I started out slow, then picked up steam these last few years as I became musically active again. Only ever sold the Carvin. It just had no personality.

I feel like I've got a great mix now, although lately I've been wanting another P for round-wounds.
 
#91
1980: borrowed Hofner violin bass with an action higher than the Forth Road Bridge - horrible

1980-92: no name Japanese Ric4001-stereo copy (through homebuilt full stereo tube/mosfet hybrid amp w/ L+R 115s - bandmates *hated it*, but it sounded 'ckin fantastic). Gigged the arse off it.

1983: loan Fender Jazz with frets filed down, used for 'unplugged' style jamming in the pub.

1984: loan Gibson Ripper while owner was away for a year, which was hardly touched as it sounded totally pants.

1992-98: Ric4001 with a stunning neck, which was sold as I was putting aside 'childish things' - have come to regret that.

2015: mid-life not-a-crisis Italia Maranello Z semi hollow (avatar). I like the cool retro styling and I was fascinated by the piezo only pickup. Not as bright as I though it might be (thankfully).

2015: walked into the local guitar chainstore to buy a bass lead and saw the Epi Tbird Pro-IV trans black knocked down to 35% of ticket price and had a massive attack of GAS. Always wanted one anyway. The thing is a beast.
 
#92
placedesjardins said:
I did a 1, 4, 5 progression. :roflmao:
Click to expand...
I find myself on I - VI - II - V fairly often.

Anyway, after the first 5 or 6 basses, it gets a little cloudy.

1. '65 Fender P bass (stolen)
2. '80 Peavey T-40 (sold)
3. '93 Fender American Deluxe Plus P bass (P/J, no pickguard, sold to friend retaining first right of refusal)
4. '94 Fender American Deluxe Plus Jazz V (still have it)
5. '96 Lakland 55-94 Deluxe (recently sold)
6. '97 Lakland 55-94 Deluxe Fretless (traded)
7. ** EBMM Stingray 5 (traded)
7. ** Pedulla ThunderBolt 5 fretless (traded)
8. ** Zon Sonus 5 (sold)
.
.
.
28? Lull MV5 Fretless

After that, I can't really remember the order. Other basses that have come and gone:

MTD 535 (traded)
Fender American Deluxe Jazz V (sold)
F Bass BN5 (sold)
Sadowsky NYC Modern 5-24 (sold)

Basses still in the stable:

Breedlove Atlas 250 ABG
F Bass BN5 (not the one mentioned above)
Fender Mustang RI, CIJ
Fender Roscoe Beck V
Fender American Deluxe Plus Jazz V (mentioned above)
Fender American Deluxe Jazz FMT V
Fodera Emperor Elite 5
Fodera Viceroy 5 (bolt-on)
Jerzy Drozd Obsession Excellency 5
Lakland Joe Osborn 5 (pink)
LeCompte VB-5
Lull MV5 Fretless
Sadowsky Metro RV5
Sadowsky Metro UV70 5
Sadowsky NYC 25th Anniversary Modern 5-24
Yamaha TRB5-PII
 
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#93
1. '07 Ibanez BTB 205 [2007 - 2010]
2. '86 Charvel Red [2008 - Now]
3. '86 Charvel Black [2008 - 2015]
4. '87 Charvel Reverse P/J [2008 - 2015]
5. 2015 Dagger Killer [2015 - Now]

Started out on 5-string but didn't like the string spacing for giving a good live show. I "abuse" my basses to oblivion on stage to the point where other bands come ask me if my fingers are OK for doing stuff like that. It came naturally (while playing rock/metal) and I won't change it because it's not "proper technique".

Never owned many basses because my father has lots of cool stuff like a Fender Jazz / 5-string fretless high C / 5-string with low B. I just mostly do the rock/metal thing.
 
#94
I consider myself obsessively curious, and while it feels like I've owned more than a hundred basses, it's probably somewhere between 40 and 50. At least too many to list, and even remember. So, if we only stick to basses that I actually played in band settings and for gigs, it would be:

Ibanez SG series (from vague memory). Spaghetti neck, all I remember.
No-name 6 string, the body looked and felt like a bowling ball. Had no sound at all.
Carvin 4 string, koa body and neck-through. Played that one for a few years, nice bass.
Fender '69 Jazz. Main player for many years.
Warwick Fortress Flashback 5-string. Amazing bass.
Skjold 4-string. Backup bass for a few years.
Skjold 5-string. Main 5-string for a few years until I got an offer I couldn't refuse.
Godin A4 fretless.
Läkland fretless (US, 4-string, forgot the model number). Very nice.
Rickenbacker 4001 fretless. We didn't become friends, but it looked good.
Fodera Monarch Deluxe 4-string. Nice.
Fender '63 Precision. Amazing rockbass.

And currently owned:

Ritter Roya 5, fretted
Ritter Royal Platinum Concept 5, fretless
Ritter Okon 4, fretted w. trem and built-in OD
Carl Thompson 4, fretted

Not going to change for a long time now.

Random list of what comes to mind of other previously owned basses:

Rickenbacker 4001 midnight blue
Fender Jazz in several reissue versions
Fender P in several reissue versions
Pedulla Thunderbolt
Mørch Jazz
Mørch Custom
Celinder Custom 6-string fretless
Martin ABG (NICE!)
Tokai Jazzsound
Greco Jazz
Danelectro Longhorn
Fender 5-string
Egholm 5-string
MTD 535
 
#95
First bass was a Framus Star bass, the one with the small body.

My aim was always to get a Fender Precision, which I did when playing with my first pro band.

That period lasted 20 years. Then I got into active with a Fender Precision Special.

The active 4 string period lasted another 8 years.

Then 22 years ago I discovered 5 string basses. They are perfect for me. I've progressed through an MM SR5, Wal Custom mk3, Lakland 55-94 and finally a Lull PJ5.

As of August 2015 this journey has taken 50 years. I've owned about 10 basses in all but only gigged the 7 listed here. Not a big total in TB terms but it's a quality list.

Now I'm looking forward to the next 50!
 
#96
  • Ibanez GSR100: bought it third-hand; just needed a bass to learn on; good sound, good playability; eventually donated it.
  • Harley Benton B650: bought a 6er because I'm a Dream Theater fan; it needs a setup badly, but for playing a few songs it's fine.
  • Fender MIM Standard Precision: current main bass, and probably the last. Maybe I'll get a Jazz in the future, but so far my GAS is over.
 
#97
I am strange in regards to my bass progression (and in many other ways I am sure!)
1970 something Aria SG - still have it.
1993 Yamaha RBX 350 PJ bought new

That is it. I still gig and record with the 350. Don't get me wrong, I have had many other basses and have tried to find something to replace the 350. I went through phase where I wanted an expensive bass. I know the parts, wood and build quality are better, but I kept coming back to "Old Blue". So glad I never sold it to finance an upgrade.
 
#99
First was a Marlin Slammer - P bass copy bought from a catalogue in about 1986. It was awful and put me off Precisions for years.

Next was my Washburn '83 Force 40EQ, my first "real" bass, bought in 1987. Brilliant bass with a super-slim neck and PJ pup configuration. Great tone and so easy to play.

I bought two basses in 1997 - my Crafter acoustic and the Peavey Millenium 5-string. Both bought purely because I wanted an acoustic and a 5-string. As it turns out, the acoustic is now the most played in my collection, mostly due to it's convenience.

Lastly, there's my Fender MIM Blacktop P, bought this year. I like the idea of a P bass with double humbuckers and when I played one at music shop, I knew I had to have one. It's by far the easiest bass to play in my experience, it looks cool and it sounds awesome.
 
#100
1) Ashton cheap thing that I de-fretted. Still have it, because it would be cruel to inflict it on anyone else.

1 1/2) Old Romanian double bass. Still own and gig regularly on.

1 3/4) Home-made uke bass (I think it's on these forums somewhere as 'Box-ulele bass') which recently went kapoot due to the flimsy plywood box I made it from.

2) My first proper build, the 'Pizzicato': Invalid Link Removed
 

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