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What was your first bass guitar?

#761
A no name short scale bass in 1969. I think it may have been a Jason or an Eko with the headstock badge ripped off, it had a mahogany neck and body and the worst pickups imgainable. Ran it through a single 6L6 ouput stage valve that my father built with a 12" Rola speaker.

First "real" bass a ''73 Fender P in 1973 that I still own and use a lot. Got my L series P bass in '75.
 
#763
My first bass at 11 years old, was a white mid-late 80's short scale Cort (no model stamped). That my father picked up cheap for my oldest two brothers (both guitarists) to mess around on. After nearly 18 years in order I've had: Cort, '92 Beatle bass copy (1st one I bought myself), '96 Fender Precision, WashBurn, '06 Cort Artisan Fretless

Basses now: Beatle bass, Washburn, Artisan fretless.

The starter Cort is still around somewhere. Though the E-string tuner needs replacing. The only reason I traded in my Fender was I wanted something with active pickups. I'm still on my first bass amp (1992). Although the first two years I started with a guitar amp. I'm surprised I didn't blow the speaker !.
 
#765
1st: Grand Prix Precision copy. I still have the plywood body kicking around waiting for a neck that will fit.

Now: a flock of basses ranging from a cheap but cool bass of uncertain origin to an Alembic that would cost $6000 to replace, but also including several unique basses that could not be replaced at any price.
 
#767
Ok, this is good stuff. First bass was a Univox HiFier, then a Gibson EB3, Ric 4001, Ibanez something, Ric 4003, then a long hiatus, then another Ric 4003, and now, yet another Ric 4003, Ric 4001, Gibson Tbird Studio 5, Fender GL Jazz, and an Ibanez acoustic. I guess you could say I like the Rics alot, wish I had them all, don't miss anything else.
 
#768
Then: A black Kramer Striker (PJ Copy) with a maple board.

Now: Two Elrick 5 strings, a fretted bolt on and a fretless neck through singlecut.

Many basses along the way. I should say that I wish I still had the Kramer. Sold it for $80. The neck needed work. It had high action and a buggered up truss rod nut that I could fix now no problem, then I thought the bass was broken. At one point the neck pickup stopped working. I thought it was the pickup, now I know it was probably just the switch. Easy fix. When it was on it sounded great. Regrets!
 
#769
First bass , which barely qualified as a musical insturment, was a Used, plywood Mail order catalog, short scale bass, with a non adjustable bridge. To call it a canoe paddle would be insulting to Canoe Paddles.

Sold that one rather quickly, and replaced it with a '78 Fender Precision. Just a 5 year old used bass at the time.

Traded the 78 for a 64 P, which I still have, and that was my main bass for years.
Currently gig most of the time with a lightly modded SX P copy. I have a second SX P as a back up, an Epi Jack Casady and a Bacchus Single Coil P. Those are my working basses. The no.1 SX sees most of the stage time.

Never saw the need to stray too far away from the basic P bass. I've used all kinds of stuff, but the basic P is what works best for me.

When someone puts something in my hands that works better for me, I'll buy it.
 
#770
I bought my first bass in 1970; a used Ric 4001 with a Fireglow finish, three-piece neck (a dark wood stringer ran through the middle of the entire bass), twisted Grover tuners, toaster pickup, and checkerboard binding. Anyone know what year it might have been made based on those features?

My current bass is a fretless Jerzy Drozd Legend six-string.
 
#772
Debased said:
I bought my first bass in 1970; a used Ric 4001 with a Fireglow finish, three-piece neck, twisted Grover tuners, toaster pickup, and checkerboard binding. Anyone know what year it might have been made based on those features?
Click to expand...

Invalid Link Removed. After entering your bass' serial number, the register form will decode it automatically and give you the year/month in which the instrument was manufactured.

EDIT: You should become a registered user first if you want to be able to edit your entry.
 
#773
Debased said:
I bought my first bass in 1970; a used Ric 4001 with a Fireglow finish, three-piece neck (a dark wood stringer ran through the middle of the entire bass), twisted Grover tuners, toaster pickup, and checkerboard binding. Anyone know what year it might have been made based on those features?
Click to expand...


Hmm... I thought you still had it. Maybe you don't have the sn. :hmm:
 
#774
Alvaro Martín Gómez A.;5129010 said:
Invalid Link Removed. After entering your bass' serial number, the register form will decode it automatically and give you the year/month in which the instrument was manufactured.

EDIT: You should become a registered user first if you want to be able to edit your entry.
Click to expand...

Thanks! Unfortunately, I sold that bass many years ago, and I have no idea what the s/n might have been.
 
#776
My first bass I actually used for a while was my acoustic short scale Alvarez MSB1. I've waited long enough and I got my 1998 Warwick Thumb BO 5 string with a wenge neck! I thought they started using ovangkol in 1998? :hmm: It has the plastic nut ,though. I might change the preamp is I feel like it, or the pickups. Then again, the MECs are pretty versatile.
 
#779
My first one was a used squier P bass, 120 dollars. Now, FOR ITS PRICE, I'd say it's one of the best basses I've ever played.

My next one was to the Squier P as a five star hotel is to a tool-shed. Four string fretless Warwick corvette. From the very moment I walked into Guitar Center and played the Warwick for the first time, I couldn't put it down.
 
#780
My first bass in 1983 was some no name short scale p-bass copy, sort of. It lasted one year since my parent saw I was serious about playing. Next it was a lotus 4-string in 84 then the Heartfield DR5 (still own) in 93. An acoustic 4 string bass from 94-97 and the musicman stingray in 96 (still own).
 

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