What was your bass progression & why?

[MasonMinor]

??' Main Street Music P bass copy, the one I horribly mutilated. Learned a lot on/from that bass.
Epiphone EB-0, soon to be more or less an electric cello.
02' Squier Affinity P bass, out of commission
Squier VM Jazz bass (in my AVI)
Squier Bronco, modified extensively
Squier Affinity Jazz, I got this yesterday as an early Christmas present. Gonna use it as a backup/guinea pig bass

 

[DirtDog]

After years of playing guitars and drums, I started off with a new Squier P in the early '90s. (Black with white p/g). I had played (but not owned) one bass before that: a Sigma Jazz Bass clone (sunburt, tort).

I had that Squier P for a couple of years before selling it and taking a break.

About 5 years later, I got recruited by a buddy to play in his blues band. The drummer's roommate had a homemade bass. Awful POS. Natural finish, maple neck, like a twister baseball bat. Band didn't last, took another hiatus.

A couple of year later, I joined another band and I bought a used "Spacer" four-string - looked like kind of an Ibanez-y clone best I can remember. White P/J no pickguard.

After that, I upgraded to a new Godin SD4 (blue, white pearloid p/g) and sold the Spacer.

Sold the Godin and made a huge jump after that to a new EB/MM Stingray 4 (black with white p/g). Thought that would be be-all, end-all but I really didn't like the neck.

Sold the Stingray and bought a used '90s MIM Deluxe Active Jazz (sunburst, tort). Also picked up a Japanese Squier P (CAR with white p/g)

Had both of those for a few years while I developed a serious case of GAS for a Custom Shop Jazz. I eventually found one: a used light relic in Oly White and tort p/g. Beautiful guitar.

Found a used Japanese '62 P reeissue in, not surprisingly, Oly White with tort. Kind of a twin sister to the CS Jazz.

Kept that one for a few years until injuring my hand and traded that for a BMI S-10 pedal steel guitar.

Last bass I bought was an early 2000's MIM Jazz in LPB, white pickguard, but going to change to tort!

Total of 10 basses over the last 25-odd years.

 

[joeaba]

1. Peavey Fury
2. Rickenbacker 4001
3. Hohner B5
4. Warwick Corvette 5
5. Fender Dimension 4HH
6. Fender American Deluxe Jazz
7. Sire V7

I still own all of the basses I ever purchased. The Hohner is in pieces and will soon be back together. My Rickenbacker is an old timer and at the luthier getting fine tuned. The peavey is my first bass, the cheapest of the bunch but still plays great and has held up 27 years. The warwick plays great but it's much too heavy. The Dimension is my best sounding bass, plays great too. The Jazz bass is the most comfortable bass and probably my overall favorite. The Sire is a great playing bass and it's currently strung up with roundwounds, I use it for slap practice. My goal is to one day get a spector.

 

[Slevage]

I, IV, V7

then ii, V, I

 

[Wesley R]

August 1968 - New from the JC Penney outlet store, a yellow/ Brown sunburst semi hollow dual pick up, heavy beast of a machine with flats. It was my Birthday, so my Mom & Dad paid half. Of the two local bass heroes one had this bass. I sold it around 1974 to fund a Pedal Steel.

October 1969 - I bought the other bass heroes black and yellow burst dual pick up Decca with a custom hand painted paisley print pick guard. It had tape wounds. Sold around 1976, I do not remember why.

Spring 1970 – New Ampeg Baby Bass. Sold in 2002.

June 1972 – Two week old 1972 burst Fretless P Bass. Bought it from a religious group that when you joined you gave them all your worldly possessions. Traded in 1 semi functional Dual showman head, and about $88 cash. Sold in 1974 to fund a Pedal steel. Dumb move.

June 1974 a new Ibanez Artist bass. Tape wounds. I do not remember were that one ended up. Used it in 1974 & 1975.

Summer 1978 - about a 1975 Guild JSBII, loved it tape wounds, sold in about 2000. Some had put a huge gouge in it and I just couldn’t bring myself to play it. I felt like I let it down.

About 1998 bought a beater budget Yamaha, 180 or some such way entry level thing. Used it as a loaner. “Can I borrow your bass”, my answer “sure here you go”. Still have it.

1999 bought a Decca bass like the one above, nonfunctional wall hanger.

About 2008 bought a really nice Yamaha BB something, great build quality, jazz bass config with no hum from the pups. I really liked it, played it at my dad’s celebration of life, and it after that was unable to play it. It was sold in about 2010 for next to nothing to a punk rock looking girl who was a student at the University of Minnesota.

Someplace in the early 2000’s I bought a new semi hollow and sold it for a quick little profit. My ex thought it was ugly.

2013 my GF bought me an Ibanez SR500PB. Love it, it needs Tape Wounds when the round wounds die.

Currently own; The Ibanez, the Yamaha with the cracked body, and the Decca that sits on a ledge. 1923 Gibson L-3 that I inherited from my father, an Ibanez acoustic guitar on permanent loan to my oldest son, so not a bad investment.

 

[Slapstyle]

Interesting Thread


1. Aria Pro II 4 string I picked up in a deal before I ever played bass. Got the ball rolling. Eventually I ruined it by doing a home defretting job.


2. Jackson (model?) 4 string. First bass I bought with my own money, purchased from a local shop. It was trans red over flame maple. I would hate it today, but I thought it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen at the time.


3. Ibanez K5. Ebay purchase. I wanted to sound like Fieldy. It was the 90's and I thought that was cool. I didnt, but I still have this bass. It plays like butter. Replaced the pickups with some active EMG's. I wont play it out because of the model, which is too bad because it's a very nice playing and great sounding instrument.


4. 70's? Kramer with an aluminum neck. Super cool bass but HEAVY. Didn't like going back to 4 strings so I traded it for...


5. Johnson 6 string bass. Not bad for a super cheap instrument. Got sick of buying and changing sets of strings and eventually sold it.


6. Some unknown unlined fretless, maybe a Samick. Never played it and sold it to a dude who was shipping it to a poor community in Jamaica? Haiti? Somewhere he felt it would be used because he knew people there and poverty and blah blah. Cool thing to do.


7. Music Man Sub 5. I wanted to sound like Flea. This has become my main e bass, mostly.


8. Ergo EUB. Thought it was cool but sounded nothing like a real upright. More like a fretless P but in the worst way possible if that makes any sense. Sold it.


9. Dean (model) 4 string with EMG's. Wanted to try the 4 string thing again, and was gassing over a sweet Ibanez Doug Wimbish with EMG's. Thought this might be a suitable substitute at a lower price. It was not. Sold immediately.


10. Dean Sledgehammer 5. Cool looking bass. Wants to be a Warwick thumb. It isn't. Sold it eventually to fund some other purchase. Not sure what.


11. Ibanez GWB lined fretless 5. Wanted to try the fretless thing again. Loved this bass but after 4 or 5 years i played it so rarely that I had to sell it to someone who would use it.


12. Conklin Bill Dickens 7 string. Beautiful bass. I was not playing much at the time and felt I couldn't justify letting it sit in the case. Eventually sold it to fund...


13. Warwick Thumb BO. I wanted to sound like Ryan Martiini from Mudvayne. Love this bass. It's been my main bass off an on, between this and the SUB.


14. Shen SB 80 Acoustic Upright Doublebass. Truly my main instrument now. I almost never play electric except for the occasional pickup gig sitting in with someone.


Some of these may be slightly out of order and I may have missed a couple. I've found that trying to sound like someone else is silly. Trying to cop a sound is ok if you will use it well. Trying to take the cheap way out of getting what you really want is silly. Eventually you will sell the garbage for a loss and wind up with the thing you wanted in the first place because if you're like me, nothing else will do.


Next purchase: Fender P 4 string. Going back to old school.

 

[NecroticImbecil]

4 string "main" basses, not counting cheap backups or briefly owned experiments.

Grand Prix precision bass copy. Good hardware, plywood body, can't remember how it sounded. Eventually wanted something better. Learned that DIY defretting is easy, unless your goal is a playable fretless bass.

79 4001. At the time it was the greatest thing ever. Eventually tired of the neck dive grew bored with the sound. Sold.

Mouradian CS-74. Similar in some ways to the Ric, but liked it better in every way. Eventually I wanted something that sounded different, but kept it.

Went a little crazy after this. Didn't have a "main" 4 string as I would rotate between the CS and: Alembic Exploiter, Steinberger L2, Tobias Basic. Whichever one I had in my hands at the moment was my favorite. Kept them all. Probably shouldn't have.

Now: CS-74. Been having carpal tunnel problems. Tried them all and the CS is the only one that I can make it through a set with. Still numb by the end, but if I dumb down my playing I can finish.

For 5 strings, started with a restrung Warlock 4, to Gibson/Tobias Killer B. Gave up 5 string. Tried a Ristola 5 in a store, started playing 5 string again.

Got a great deal on an Ovation fretless, feedback issues prompted its sale for a Warwick Corvette fretless. Uninspiring sound and thick neck led to its sale for a Ristola.

Tried Dean 8 and 12 strings, liked sound but huge neck and high tension made them too hard to play. Switched to a 30" BC Rich Bich.

Hopefully I'll be able to play all of these again someday. Would break my heart to sell them for 1/10th of what I paid for them, might just keep them as art objects.

 

[Killens84]

In order, from 2004 until now...

1. Squier P/J
2. Ibanez SR900
3. Fender American Deluxe Jazz
4. Peavey Cirrus USA
5. Fender American Standard Jazz
6. Mike Lull V4
7. Mike Lull M5V (#1)
8. Mike Lull P4 (#1)
9. Lakland USA 55-14
10. Mike Lull P4 (#2)
11. Mike Lull M5V (#2)

I currently still own #6, 10, & 11. The rest were sold throughout my progression. I've been very happy with my current 3 for a while now, and have no GAS to sell one in order to buy a new one.

 

[bassrich]

1. Orlando Beatle Bass - 88
My first bass bought for $75 short scale, learned all about the parts of the bass on it and sold it for...

2. Squier II Black Precision bass - 89
Used this bass to gig my 1st, 2nd and 3rd bands stolen in 97

3 Washburn LB40 P/J - 98
Replaced the Squier II Damaged in 08 but useable

4. Squier CV 50's Precision - 14
Started hanging around TB Wanted one and found it cheap
5. Fender MIM -14
Wanted a real Fender

6. Ibanez AEB5E acoustic - 14
Wanted an acoustic

7. Squier Bronco Bass -14
Wanted a SS

8. Epiphone Viola - 14
Found cheap wanted to replace my Orlando

9. Ibanez GSR-200 - 15
Goodwill find wanted a reverse P

10. Squier Affinity J Bass - 15
Heard good things, they were right

11. Squier VM Jaguar SS - 15
Heard good things, they were right

12. Fender JP-90 - 15
Another gooodwill find wanted a MIA

 

[Dogmatic]

1. Arbor - appropriately named because it played like a tree, c.1983
2. G&L SB-1, 1984
3. Ibanez SR805 Amber, 2015
4. Dingwall AB-1 (6), 2015

I traded number 1 in on number 2. Gave 2 to one of my sons in 2015 and bought 3. 3 was stolen, bought 4 with the insurance money.

 

[Ox Boris]

April 2015
Ox: Long Cool Woman's a bit high for me, can you sing it, Kelly?
Kelly: Yeah, I can get there. The Bass line's easy, wanna play Bass?
[Ox plays Bass at the gig]
Ox: Gordon Bennett! That was fun! I'm learning Bass.
Anti-Ox: You're 47 for Cliff's sake!
Ox: Yeah, so I get a good Bass now and will never have wasted any money on cheap stuff. What's good?
Kelly: I play a Stingray.
Tave: Me too. They've just brought out a neck-through.

December 2015
First Bass: Ernie Ball MusicMan Stingray4 HH Neck-through
Last Bass: See, First Bass.

While I'm lubing myself up, I may as well add that a decent first Bass deserves a decent first rig so I got Ampeg PF500/PF410/PF115 (<I don't care, save it for another thread, this is my gloating thread ;-))

At least I didn't buy a Harley and an ice-blue-over-ivory Austin Healey. I may actually earn some money out of this

 

[Mr Gaston]

2000 - Mex P bass Tried to learn from books for about a month. That didn't work. Took one lesson. Hated the guy. Into the closet went the P bass.
2014 - Got the bass out of the closet. Used the internet to learn a little. Found a good teacher (not necessarily a good bass teacher though).
Bought a Modern player jazz.
2015 - Bought an ESP LTD B-4E. Oh yeah, this is the stuff. Except, it's very "mellow" sounding. Good for some things but not others.
Sold the P bass and modern player jazz.
Bought an ESP LTD J-204. Yikes! This is not in nearly the same class as the B-4E.
Bought an Ibanez SR-650. Oh hell yeah! Could not love it more.
Sold the J-204.

So, I ended up with an Ibanez SR-650 (#1) and a LTD B-4E (#2). I have found my basses and I don't see why I would ever want to buy another bass or sell one of these.

 

[Goatee220]

1. 1988 - Hondo cheapie - borrowed from my brother's friend, and ended up just keeping it. (He didn't want it back)
2. 1991 -Ibanez Roadstar II - traded my acoustic guitar to my buddy for it. Traded it in towards bass #3.
3. 1992 - '92 Fender Precision Plus (USA) - Bought it in 1992 with the money I had saved for an engagement ring for my ex-girlfriend. Still my main bass. Sounds and plays better than ever.
4. 1998 - Fender (MIM) Jazz fretless. Traded it in towards bass #6.
5. 2000- Aislin Dane Stingray Copy. Sold on ebay.
6. 2001 - '01 Fender Jazz Deluxe (USA) - still have that magnificent instrument.
7. 2004 - G&L Tribute L2000 - still have it, but just get it autographed.
8. 2007 - JB Player acoustic bass - crappy acoustic, keep it around to noodle with.
9. 2010- Ibanez SR400 Zebrawood - beautiful bass, but felt too flimsy - sold it on craigslist.
10. 2011 - Yamaha TRB 1004 - love this bass.
11. 2013 - Yamaha TRB 1005F - bought it on a whim, play it here and there.

 

[MrBKerth]

1. Ibanez SR700 - Started in December of 2011 after spending 3-4 years as a worse than mediocre rhythm guitarist. My roomie had a bass and one day I picked it up out of frustration, and fell in love.

2. Fender American Standard Jazz Bass (2011) - I bought this about a year into playing bass because my Ibanez had a warped/twisted neck preventing a good setup. At first I hated this bass because of the size difference and difference in weight. I couldn't get a good tone out of it to save my life. Now, a few years later, it's the only instrument I haven't sold (other than 1 recent purchase). I'll never sell it and would be absolutely decimated if it were taken from me (stolen/destroyed)

I could have stopped here and missed out on almost nothing, but I didn't.
After this purchase I ended up buying and selling all of the listed bass' below.

G&L Custom Shop SB-1
Ibanez Iceman
Fender 62' Reissue (Sunburst)
2008 G&L L2000 (Tribute)
Fender Roadworn Jazz
Fender Roadworn Precision Bass
Fender Highway 1
Fender parts P Bass

After all of this, I graduated from college and got an AVRI Jazz that I put flats on.
It's a Fender 62' Reissue (Black) that I keep for my other band. So I really didn't have much of a progression. More like a 3-4 regression till I accepted that I had more bass than I had talent.

 

[EdwardofHuncote]

Not sure if my story qualifies as an evolution... I'm still kinda' new to bass guitar having only played it seriously for about 5 years now... I started off on upright in 1986, but my first bass guitar was a Gibson-made Kalamazoo, essentially a good ol' Mud-Bucker equipped EB-0 short-scale.

As much as my little Kalamazoo was getting what little bit of plugged-in gigs I had done, the 5-string bug had bitten.

I'd seen a Rick Turner "Renaissance" bass once and loved it, so when the opportunity came, I bought a Custom fretless RB-5 straight from RT, fresh back from the 2013 NAMM show.

Soon after, I added a fretted RB-5 Standard to the stable.

After that, a lucky ebay bid scored a used Turner Electroline 5-string with a dark tobacco-burst finish.

Purely by happenstance, I bought a Gibson Thunder Series V. I always loved those things, and they are rare as hen's teeth. Mine is Ferrari Red with black hardware.

By Summer 2014, I had developed quite a taste for fine bass guitars. I bought an older Alembic Persuader 5-string and restored it.

September 2014, a fellow TB'r suffering from acute arthritis sold me his Turner Electroline 5-string, which I sent directly to RT and had a lined fretless conversion done.

This past Summer, after gigging my hindparts off, I finally realized the dream and commissioned an Alembic Custom fretless 5-string. Delivery expected in Spring 2016.

That kinda' completes the circle... unless of course I happen to find an old Alembic Series I bass or Turner Model One to restore!

Yes, I gig them all either in rotation or play specific ones for certain jobs. I bought every one of them to play, except for the Gibson, and I play it at home.

 

[blmeier7]

I started on upright bass 30 years ago when I was 10 year old.

A few years later I got a Washburn P bass copy as my first electric.

A few years after that I started getting into 5-6 string basses, fancy top woods, active preamps, and started chasing tones for about 15 years.

After owning around 40 different basses I found that I always went back to 4 string, passive, "P" or "J" style basses.

 

[Biggbass]

68-94 fretless violin bass - I got it free and never had the gas to use anything else -
got my first P bass in 94. Still playing a P for gigs.

 

[socialleper]

Red "Kramer" P bass - It was my Jr High graduation present that my parents used as a carrot to keep me from bombing out of school. My dad, who was a sales rep with a Pro Audio company, said he had a hook up that gave him one of the left overs from when Kramer shut down. Sometimes I think it may have been just a pawn shop knock off; no label on the Kramer looking headstock or serial. Terrible construction, but I still have it in the closet.

1986 US BC Rich ST - My first bass was a POS, so after my folks realized I wasn't going to give this up, we split the price of a used bass for my birthday. Weighs a ton, is neck heavy, and is really scratched up. However, the black and red cracked finish is a classic, and after replacing the pickups a few times, I've made it a usable instrument.

1996 Pedulla Rapture J2-5 - Bought it for a grand when I worked at Guitar Center in 1998. I found it in another store's inventory where the manager had devalued the price to get rid of it. Great looking and great feeling bass, but I've always fought with the tone.

G&L L2000 - It's hard for me to remember how I got this one. My dad's company was connected to G&L some how, probably through BBE, and someone had a demo unit they didn't want, so he gave it to me. Sadly, I was a complete @$%ing mess at the time and didn't really take the time to appreciate the instrument. The frets needed to be filed, the neck buzzed, it was a sunburst (I despise sunbursts), and it wasn't comfortable for me to play so I ended up selling it for rent money. I always felt bad about this one.

2005 Lakland 44-02 DLX - After my folks died and my divorce, I REALLY needed something to get my mind off of the crap hole I was in, so I started playing again after 5 years, and used my Estate Administrator money to buy a new bass. I went with Lakland because of Geezer Butler, and because of the flexible design of the instrument. I never liked the maple neck or natural quilted finish, so it is my back up bass.

Ibanez ATK (GC Special) - Though I would dig it, but after a week of messing with it I couldn't get a sound I liked. Returned it to finance the purchase of a TA600.

LTD TA-600 - I fell in love with the look of the bass and pined after one for years. The tone is punchy, the neck is fast, and it does great with lower tunings. Sam Ash had one with a ding in the paint they wanted to clearance and I got an amazing deal on it. It is a little modern sounding for what I'm doing now.

2008 Warwick Corvette $$ - I REALLY wanted a Warwick at one point because of the amazing tones some of my favorite players were getting from them. Unfortunately they are stupid expensive and very hard to come by, so I settled on a used black $$ that I bought from someone here. I never got a tone I was in love with out of it, the ergonomics were hard to over come, and the neck kept giving me splinters, so I sold it to someone on CL.

LTD B1004 - Found a used one at Sam Ash. I thought if I liked my TA600 so much that I would like it. Sounded OK in the store, but sounded like crap in the mix, so I returned it the next day.

2006 Lakland 44-02 - Black with rosewood fret board and tort PG. Total Geezer bass; couldn't resist it. The LH electronics were jacked up so I had the pickups replaced with Delanos and the pre rewired. This is my main four string right now.

2005 Lakland 55-02 - Black with rosewood, matches my 4 string perfectly. I went with an older model because I prefer the sound of the Barts over the Lakland\Hanson stuff. This is my main 5 string now.

Holy crap! I didn't really realize I had gone through so many basses!

 

[Ken J]

Wish I had the time for this one maybe Ill come back.

 

[The BurgerMeister]

1. 1979 Ibanez Roadster Bass - my first bass and main player for years and the one i learned on. birthday gift when i turned 12.

2. borrowed Fender Jazz Bass (mit flats!) - belonged to my high school. played that through a huge Fender combo for all the jazz gigs in high school.

3. borrowed student upright - belonged to my high school, used it for all the orchestra, pit ensemble, wind ensemble, etc. gigs all through high school.

4. mid 19th-century Czech upright bass - bought for college/possible beginning of a professional orchestral bass career. didn't play much electric during this time.

5. Ibanez BTB405Q - band i was in was all like, "you should get a five-string! i think those low tones would be awesome!" sold it shortly after leaving the band.

6. 1968 Fender FrankenJazz (neck is a 1974) - bought it because, well, it rocks. that pointymodern Ibanez BTB didn't fit the mold of the new band i was in... we were going for more of a classic Rock vibe. still my main 4-string. i love it.

(6a. while working a steady job (at Guitar Center) and having no woman on my arm, i bought and sold an obscene amount of basses, amps, cabs, effects, etc. etc. etc.. bought and sold Fenders, G&L, vintage MusicMan, Matsumoku Electra, etc., but just ended up with my Jazz, and...)

(6b. after losing track of the '79 Ibanez Roadster, it came back to me! i had loaned it to a friend who had loaned it to a friend, then they kinda stopped being friends. still have to track the case down... i think the first friend has it.)

7. Douglas Sculptor 5-string fretless - bought it for pit band gigs (specifically, The Last Five Years, which i played last summer). they almost always call for "opt. fretless" in at least one song in the score, and most, if not all of the modern shows are written with 5-string in mind.

8. borrowed upright (forgot the name, but it's a nicer student model, i'd say) - for whatever gigs i happen to need it for around town, including the ensemble i borrowed it from, which doesn't have a bassist. i've used it for concerts with that ensemble, recording, and a pit gig (You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown) recently.

9. (on the way) Yamaha BB425x - need a 5-string for the aforementioned pit gigs, and it can be used for most things i do, anyway. it might turn into my "main player," or sorts.

there it is! am i done? no. never. but i'm happy now, and i've learned (i think) what i like and what i need.

i also sing and play lots of guitar in life.