When did you get your first Bass

[jacko]

I built my first bass in 1974 and jammed in mates bedrooms with it until 1977 when I realised it was rubbish and stuck it on a bonfire. In 1977 the Gibson RD came out and I built a fretless tribute which is still just about playable now 'though I usually only play 5's these days. It's third from the right in this family photo

 

[john_g]

86. Was a Hondo P bass in baby blue.

 

[pbass74]

We rented the string bass (upright) I played in school orchestra from 5th grade through high school. Then, in 1974 I bought my first electric bass, a used Silvertone for $60. The next year, I traded it back in for $80 on my '75 Precision which you see in my avatar.

 

[Pet Sounds]

I got some kind of Hofner copy and a bass combo amp in the early '70s. I'd been playing guitar for a few years at that point. Quite honestly, I thought playing the bass alone in my bedroom was horribly dull and sold the bass and amp. It wasn't until the early '90s that I got into it as a regular thing. At that point, I bought an Electra Phoenix Bass and a Peavey amp.

 

[GIBrat51]

Although I learned to play bass at 17, on friend's (and a fellow lefty) '68 Rick 4001 - in 1968, I spent the next 20 years with no bass of my own. So, when I was stationed at what I thought was my last assignment, I took the opportunity to buy a fellow lefty's '78 "A-spec" necked Fender P-Bass. That was in 1988; 35 years later? I still have it; I still play it; I still love it - especially that neck. Now, with 22 other basses in my herd? I don't play it all the time, and it isn't my #1, go-to bass (that's a Rick 4003); but, it still gets more than it's share of playing time...

 

[C Stone]

‘81 or ‘82 a late 60’s Teisco short scale J
and it was a dog, didn’t know or even think about it at the time just happy to be able to plug in and jam with my pals.

 

[Benj-jammin]

Bought a Univox Hi-Flier, 1974, as a 17 yo wannabe punk bassist. $169.00. I've seen these go for over $500-600 now. Played it for a long time before graduating to a Ricky 4001 and eventually a '79 MM Stingray.

 

[HardNHeavy]

83'
hondo pbass copy

 

[portpc]

Around 1976/77. I played basses at my buddy's house as a regional act used to rehearse in their old Victorian home and there was always instruments around.

I had a Sekova Jazz Bass copy. don't remember how I latched on to that? Ended up lending it forever to his little brother and I soon stumbled upon a fretless Gibson EB3 I bought for $50.00 from a stoner friend. He wanted it to be played as he realized it wasn't going to be by him.

The kid who ended up with the Sekova used to impress me with his Entwistle licks - He grew up to be a big time artist/animator & helped create a couple of iconic household names. I hadn't spoken to him since we were teens but did about 20 years ago.

He still had the Sekova bass.. Sadly he passed in a swimming accident a couple of years ago.

 

[taketwo]

Circa 1990. Dad got me a 1976 4001 Rick. No idea how he snagged that for 600$. I didn't get anywhere with it. It was hard to play. (in hindsight it would have needed a lot of setup). Sold it to buy my first computer, and my career thus began...

 

[bigdaddybass12]

1996, cream colored Fender Precision. Nice pawn shop find. Actually a good bass but I did not like the color. I had agreed to play bass on a revival praise team and did not even own a bass! I had 2 weeks to find a bass, borrow a amp, learn a couple of patterns. Had 5 minute lesson on a upright from a bluegrass-rock-a-billy friend, i actually did ok to have never played bass before.

 

[bmusic]

College. I was learning guitar, and writing songs on a Tascam Porta II. I had been doing bass parts on my guitar with the tone turned way down, when saw this used thing in a tiny music store in Wabash, Indiana (hometown). I think it was $150. This was like 1987. Fender-shaped headstock, some kinda homemade finish (these days, I’d call it walnut). Two pickups, and three knobs that I never put in any position other than all the way up. What a piece of crap. Eventually, when I got a “real” bass, I ripped the frets out so I could try fretless, and some years later, it just went in the trash.

 

[ELG60]

Late '77 or early '78, I bought a white Hagstrom bass with a lot of switches. Looked like this:

By '79 I replaced it with a '69 Jazz bass which I bought at Ed's Guitars on Bird RD in Miami. Still have the Fender. Don't miss the white one.

 

[Doug P]

About age 12. A Hofner Beatle bass copy. A friend in the neighbourhood got bad grades and his mom made him sell it.
So……. RnFnR

 

[Old Fart]

1972. I still have it.

 

[Manticore]

I believe it was '73. It was a EBO. I sold that in short order to buy a new (1974) 4001 Mapleglow. I still own the Ric, a bass played three and four nights a week from the late '70s until '92 when I bought my first Alembic.

 

[Smith357]

1982
An Ovation Magnum

 

[2112]

A Jackson Concert EX PJ exactly like this one in 1993.

 

[sylvanbass]

1990 for my 12th birthday. Think my parents paid like $150 for it. Washburn B2

 

[Ploonter]

1978-ish. Kent p-bass copy. Medium scale, I believe. $50?