Which 1980 bass is worth looking for?

[wvbass]

I'm kinda lucky - I got one right here.

Not from 1981, you don't. 1991, maybe. They were prototyped around the time Rudy Sarzo joined Whitesnake. He joined with the release of the album Whitesnake: Whitesnake, which came out in '87.

Here is the one I own:

 

[wvbass]

yeah -my bad. '81, '91 - it's all a blur.

For me, too.

 

[JACink]

Thank you all for some excellent options, there are many that I have put on my "keep an eye open for" list.

Lost of options are not 1980, but 80's, which sort of defeats the point, but thank you anyway.

 

[MOTORHEADBANGER]

An Aria SB-1000 (or it's passive sisters, the SB-700 and SB-900). A quintessential set of tones from the time and (in my opinion) a beautiful bass.

 

[iriegnome]

The 80's had such great basses from Japan. Peavey was a bass machine and such high quality work. Hondo Professional II's were extremely high quality. Not to mention Aria, Ibanez and everything else that came out of Matsumoku.. Yes there are many 1980's basses that are worthy of seeking out

 

[Bass 45]

I have two Ibanez basses that were made in 1980 - a Blazer and a Musician 924. I recommend the Blazer on a budget and the Musician if you can afford a nice one.

There is one of those 1980 Stanley Clarke basses on Reverb:

https://reverb.com/item/425076-clarke-spellbinder-stanley-clarke-bass-guitar-rare-1980

 

[two fingers]

Steinberger L2. Preferably white. Preferably a five-string.

MM

They made a 5er in 1980???

 

[Mystic Michael]

They made a 5er in 1980???

They were making five-string basses, sure. Don't know if it was as early as 1980.

MM

 

[Mystic Michael]

An Aria SB-1000 (or it's passive sisters, the SB-700 and SB-900). A quintessential set of tones from the time and (in my opinion) a beautiful bass.

They most definitely were/are beautiful instruments. Had kind of an Alembic vibe I always thought.

MM

 

[TomB]

G & L L2000, a superb bass in all respects.
Rickenbacker 4001. Still had the thinner neck profile

In 1980 I was playing a T-40 6 nights a week. It was a worthy axe - a little heavy for 4 sets, but a reliable workhorse. Then I stumbled upon one of the very first L-1000's - natural finish. Sold the Peavey, still play the G&L!

 

[PDX Rich]

Yup. SB1000 all day long. I have the 1991 series 2 with the two pickups that I love! 1980 model I will target at some point. John Taylor for all the awesome.

 

[mikeswals]

I have a 1980 Musicman Sabre.

 

[PWRL]

I vote Rickenbacker 4001 for that year. I played a 1980 4001 that had a fantastic neck, a rounded, comfortable profile that fits the hand very well. I didn't buy it because it had other issues I didn't want to deal with, but if I ever find another in better shape, it's on. I'd buy it for sure. By far the most comfortable Rick I've ever played. I wish they'd go back to that profile.

 

[JxBass]

When I was collecting vintage basses it took me longer to locate my Martin EB-18 than any other:

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[10cc]

When I was collecting vintage basses it took me longer to locate my Martin EB-18 than any other:

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[10cc]

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we like bass po#n

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[Birdbrain]

Charvel 3B. Great basses. I've had this one since it was brand new. Never going away!

 

[Gilmourisgod]

They most definitely were/are beautiful instruments. Had kind of an Alembic vibe I always thought.

Agreed! I almost bought one back in the day for that exact reason, kind of a poor man's Alembic.

 

[Scottkarch]

I have 2 80ish Ibanez Roadster 924s. Love them... kinda big and heavy, but so am I. I also have a Washburn B20. Washburn neck is a hard V shape, narrow nut like a Jazz. The old Roadsters feel like a huge Precision neck. The knobs on the washburn are so close to the strings I constantly turn the bass down while playing by knocking the volumen knobs... at least the top forward one.

 

[acebase62]

P Special! Active/passive toggle, 2 band eq, thumb rest. Kind of a P/Ray hybrid. Would consider swapping the pre with one of these reverse engineered Ray pres. I had an '81 that I sold 23 years ago, when I was young and dumb.

If you're contemplating a T-40, '78 or early '79. Those are PAFs - Patent Applied For. The PAFs are considered first run models. '78-'80 had slab bodies, no contours. I think they started the body contours in late 1980.

Another vote for the Fender Precision Special:

http://www.talkbass.com/threads/1980-precision-bass-special.245398/