What was your first bass guitar?

[Chopperfreak]

First bass was a 1980s Peavey T-20 and it was awesome because it was heavy as hell and built like a tank. Sold it to buy some garbage Ibanez or Alvarez that looked cool but played like poopie. Got rid of that to build the Jazz in the avatar, then snagged the Stingray with a graphite neck. The Ric 4003 is an '86 and it is my go to bass for everything now.

 

[LUCE]

'76 P, natural/maple/black guard purchased new. Still have it...

 

[jim nolte]

My first bass was a 1968 Kingston which I got that same year. It actually was very playable with a wide but thin neck. My first 'real' bass I got the following year, a '65 Fender Jazz Bass, L series, I still have it.

 

[MYLOWFREQ]

I grew up in the 80's, but picked up playing the bass in early 90's. After a poor p and then a j clone, my real bass was a yamaha attitude custom that became my main bass for about 8 years. It is a Japanese bass made in 81. It went everywhere with me. I played it in recordings, and even when I was in the army. I still do have it, but it doesn't get played anymore. It's a great bass, but I prefer j neck profile better now. Plus it's heavy as hell.. Rock.

 

[crucislancer]

Mine was an early 70s Rickenbacker 4001 that i got in 1990 for a song.

 

[Nohrellas]

My Sandberg Classic Special. My first bass was a Yamaha TRBX 174 and I bought a used de-fretted squier at some point. That's what I started out with but after a while I knew that I wanted a 5-string and I definitely wanted something nicer, so I went all the way and bought something really nice. Still my absolute favourite bass.

 

[bubba-b]

first bass (1981) was a seville p-bass copy. next was my first 'real' good bass. red ovation magnum II. for months i saw it hanging at the local mall music store (serramonte music center for you s.f. bay area cats that can remember when). $500. saved and saved trying to bring it home. when i was closing in on my goal, stopped by the store and saw a 'hold/sold' sign dangling from the rear strap pin. i went home, got my aluminum baseball bat, and proceeded to destroy one of my dad's rain barrels in our backyard. funny thing was that the person that put the bass on hold was my mom (as a surprise; she knew i almost had the funds). so got to bring her home soon afterwards. wish i still had her... so, if anyone does see a red ovation magnum II (the one with the eq) with 'Bubba B' engraved in cursive writing on the battery cover, feel free to let her know to come home!

 

[mcarp555]

Started out with a Kingston violin bass in 1976. By 1980 I was in the process of joining a band, and the BL said there was no way I was going to use the Kingston on stage. The rhythm guitarist was a luthier at a huge guitar store in Orlando, and said they had a nice used '77 LH bass that had just come in. So I managed to get it, for $400. It was my main bass until 2001. I still have it today.

 

[Nunovsky]

My first "real" bass was an Aria Pro II IGB-805 in red metalic that showed up in a local store back in 1994.
I bought it new and I still have it today, but I've modded it with a new set of Delano PU's and a Sadowsky preamp to fit my current needs.
My first bass was a cheap black Aria Pro II, plywood body, pj configuration, action high as hell that I bought used from a friend back in 1991. It fitted my skills back then and it helped me learn to play.

 

[bobyoung53]

First real bass was a 62P (still own it), got it in a trade with a Hofner Senator in about 1968.

Started out with a short scale SG copy that I made in woodwork class. It looked the part but was unplayable past the 7th fret but it was good enough to get me started playing.
Sold that and bought a Japanese P bass copy, used that until I snapped the truss rod.
Briefly had a Hofner Senator short scale semi acoustic with flats, I hated it. I couldn't trade it fast enough against the 62P which I absolutely loved (and still do).

You could say that the Hofner was a real bass but at the time I would have disagreed, it was the exact opposite of what I wanted from a bass.

Those Senators were really cool looking basses though, I have the picture of Stu Sutcliff in mind, I've always wanted one because of that picture.

 

[bobyoung53]

My first good bass was a new Sunburst Fender Precision with tort (of course) I bought in 1971 for 250.00 when I was 18. I put it on layaway in Fitchburg (Ma) music and worked in a sweatshop all summer to pay it off. I loved that thing, came with the covers, flatwounds and the foam mute stuck to the underside of the ashtray. Pulled the covers off the second I got it home and lost them and played the hell out of it for about 3 years until I stupidly sold it for one of those Telecaster basses with the big humbucker on it.

 

[mcarp555]

Those Senators were really cool looking basses though, I have the picture of Stu Sutcliff in mind, I've always wanted one because of that picture.

View attachment 1158941

Actually, Stu (Sutcliffe) is holding a Hofner President; it was the two-pickup model. The Senator was single pickup.

 

[bobyoung53]

Actually, Stu is holding a Hofner President; it was the two-pickup model. The Senator was single pickup.

Well he was a Beatle.

 

[Shannon]

First bass I ever owned was a Peavey Foundation in white, 1991. I had to return it after just a week due to a financial crisis. A bummer, because I really liked it.

Of course, there was the bass at my high school, but there was exactly 1 bass, so you only got to use it based on grade and academic standing. I believe it was a Fender Precision from the late 60's that had been donated to the school. I remember it having the bridge and pup covers, a maple fingerboard, tort pickguard and black block inlays with a natural finish body - and the tug bar *below* the strings.

It may well be at the school still. I hope so. Every kid deserves a chance to play a bass. Even if you have to wait in line till your senior year.

 

[somebrains]

CP Thornton 4-string, my buddy consigned all his gear at the shop I worked at when he quit playing and moved to SLO to get an education.
This was around 92, I really wanted a Warwick but they started going down hill with bolt ons to diversify their lines, and cheaping up their electronics (MEC). I ended up with a Thumb bolt on instead of a used JD Thumb, what a mistake. Either way I bought it and still didn't use it much bc the Thornton was better in every way.

Before that it was a bunch of 80's stuff like a BC Rich Warlock, a Charvel, a really early Schecter.
I didn't get cool stuff like a pre-eb stingray sitting new in the shop I took saxophone lessons at.
Didn't get any Alembic, Zon, or Modulus I'd see used bc in the Bay Area they were plentiful.
I didn't buy an early NY Spector I saw in a pawn shop in Oakland.

I bought junk, bc it looked cool, and was cheap.
Even my buddy I started playing in the band room with had the sense to get a pinkish Kramer with a Haz that sounded awesome, he even still has it.

 

[bobyoung53]

First bass I ever owned was a Peavey Foundation in white, 1991. I had to return it after just a week due to a financial crisis. A bummer, because I really liked it.

Of course, there was the bass at my high school, but there was exactly 1 bass, so you only got to use it based on grade and academic standing. I believe it was a Fender Precision from the late 60's that had been donated to the school. I remember it having the bridge and pup covers, a maple fingerboard, tort pickguard and black block inlays with a natural finish body - and the tug bar *below* the strings.

It may well be at the school still. I hope so. Every kid deserves a chance to play a bass. Even if you have to wait in line till your senior year.

If it had block inlays in must have been a Jazz unless the neck had been changed, P basses never had them until recently.

 

[veebass]

The Ibanez Flying V Bass in my Avatar. I bought it in about 1977/8, it was about 2 years old at the time. I still have it.
Still plays great.

 

[somegeezer]

Funny enough, my first "proper" bass is Chinese made. But it really came to be "proper" through a couple of modifications. Some Warwick machine heads, a Schaller bridge. At some point, I'll probably mod it so much, I'll just be left with the original wood. But it sounds great as it is, and works a charm. Not really done me wrong in a good long while.

I have another bass I got before it. Also cheap thing from somewhere in Asia. It's fine. But it doesn't really keep up with the other one. I have some flats on it, so I can at least so something a little different, that my "proper" bass can't. Not without swapping round the strings every time, at least. Makes it so it at least stays useful in some circumstances.

 

[Wesley R]

A two week old 1972 fretless P. It cost me a semi functional dual Showman head (about $125-$150 in that day) and $87 cash. One of the best bargains of my life.

 

[PunkNerve]

My first bass was a Tanglewood Rebel 4K given to me by an old friend of mine who didn't play it much anymore (he preferred his 5-string Ibanez).

Tanglewood Rebel 4K

• PunkNerve
• Dec 31, 2016
• precision bass

First bass. Received for free as a gift on the 6th April 2015.

Needs heavy upgrading. The bridge saddles need to be replaced because there's no height on the set screws left, the pickups are noisy as hell (even the P pickup) so I plan to replace those with a set of EMG GZR P/J. It's really light too, so I'm going to have to do something to balance the neck heaviness, I'm thinking maybe a heavy straplock on the bottom strap pin.

What I really like about it tho is that it has 24 frets, making it useful for songs like Orion - Metallica or Unnatural Selection - Muse that need that extra range.