Will I ever find my first bass?

[Bighouse]

Back in the mid-1970’s I had some friends who were drama/theatre students and musicians who played in various bands. I was a junior in high school at the time and spent a lot of time in our woodshop program. My musician friends would have me work on their instruments, like refinishing them, and in exchange for refinishing a hollow body Martin guitar, I was given a Fender Mustang bass. It wasn’t new and I have no idea of the provenance on it, but I suspect it was an early to mid 1970’s made instrument. I proceeded to tear it apart and refinish it, but never completed the task before college pulled me away from those friends and that life.

My bass sat unused for a few years at my parent’s house. Eventually, after the death of my parents, the bass made its way to my brother’s home. His son, I was told, was learning to play it! That made me feel good knowing that the bass was being played and I encouraged it. Fast forward years, and my once very successful brother, lost his home, his marriage, and his family due to meth. He now, sadly, lives on the streets and has been in/out of rehab several times, each time promising and swearing he’s off the drug for good, but only to return to using. It’s a much greater tragedy than simply losing one’s first bass and I still feel horrible for his children and ex-wife. He occasionally reconnects with one of my siblings and I’m thankful that he still does, but realize that he will likely die on the streets. I’ve resigned myself to receiving that eventual sad phone call some day. (TMI for TB???)

So, everyone is scattered. I have contact with my nieces and nephews through one of my sisters who has a large family of her own spread across the western half of the US. She’s going to text them all and see if anyone knows whatever became of my Mustang bass. There’s a slight chance that it’s still in someone’s possession. There’s also a very strong chance that my brother sold it or gave it to someone in exchange for drugs. There’s also a chance that it was simply neglected and thrown away and its location may be lost forever.

If one of my nieces or nephews has it and they, or their kids are using it, that would be great to hear. They can keep it with my blessing. I’d also welcome the opportunity to retrieve that old, first bass of mine if it’s not being used, and finish the restoration of it that I never completed.

I’ll update when I find any info on its location. Oh, and don’t do drugs.

 

[Malak the Mad]

That was a great story! Sad, but great, nonetheless!

Thank you for opening up like that and I hope for nothing but the best outcomes...for your bass, your family, all if it!

I'm going to "watch" this thread, in case there are any updates. Good luck!

Clean and soberly,
-Malak the Mad

 

[Neck Diver]

Sad story that you have dealt with. Hope your cat and love of music provide some happiness and relief for you. That would be great if you could track that bass down and even to be able to hold and play it. I have seen friends and relatives deal with drug addictions also. It’s tough to watch. I live drug free also, but have dealt with my own addictive destructive behaviors. So many things to get hooked on these days.
Take care of yourself, thanks for sharing. Hope you find out about the bass.

 

[Bighouse]

Sad story that you have dealt with. Hope your cat and love of music provide some happiness and relief for you. That would be great if you could track that bass down and even to be able to hold and play it. I have seen friends and relatives deal with drug addictions also. It’s tough to watch. I live drug free also, but have dealt with my own addictive destructive behaviors. So many things to get hooked on these days.
Take care of yourself, thanks for sharing. Hope you find out about the bass.

Thank you @Neck Diver. I find plenty of joy and happiness in lots of activities, places, people even amidst the tragedy that we all endure, in whatever form they take.

My life’s not so different from anyone else’s: birth, school, work, love, work, more work, more work, hobbies, minor life events, major life events, joy, and sadness all rolled together in various amounts, at various times. I’ve managed to avoid alcoholism and drug use, even though there’s plenty of that in my family tree. Iv’e seen what harm addiction can do, so I try to avoid it, though I’m not without my vices. They’re usually harmless enough, like ice cream, cats, and cookies. It is unfathomable to me how someone could throw away their entire business, their family, their home, their future, for the selfish sake of getting high.

My brother, I believe, has also had mental health issues all his life that he’s hidden from the rest of the family, but in looking back on his life, there were warning signs even when he was a young child. I’ve had two uncles on my mother’s side of the family who died tragically on the streets, both of whom also had mental health issues that were never properly treated. I suspect my brother got those genes. My oldest sibling died from alcohol-induced cirrhosis of the liver. Her final weeks were spent in and out of consciousness in a hospital, battling Hepatic Encephalopathy with a serious disconnect from reality when she was awake. A real tragedy that, had she simply put down the endlessly filled and ever present wine glass that seemed to be a part of her hand, she could have avoided and she would still be here today to love and be loved by her family.

 

[Bighouse]

That was a great story! Sad, but great, nonetheless!

Thank you for opening up like that and I hope for nothing but the best outcomes...for your bass, your family, all if it!

I'm going to "watch" this thread, in case there are any updates. Good luck!

Clean and soberly,
-Malak the Mad

I hope to update soon!!! It would be such fun to reconnect to that bass. I’m sure it needs some TLC.

 

[Malak the Mad]

It is unfathomable to me how someone could throw away their entire business, their family, their home, their future, for the selfish sake of getting high.

My brother, I believe, has also had mental health issues all his life that he’s hidden from the rest of the family, but in looking back on his life, there were warning signs even when he was a young child. I’ve had two uncles on my mother’s side of the family who died tragically on the streets, both of whom also had mental health issues that were never properly treated. I suspect my brother got those genes.

It's a very sticky situation, full of vagaries and vicissitudes which I will not go into (risky, possibly dangerous territory), but, speaking as someone who's at the outside edge of healthcare, I will say this...it's a damn good thing the medical community has been looking at "addiction" as a disease, as opposed to the old-school-thinking of "it's just weakness". Overall, it's a much better approach. It would be great if professionals with that kind of approach could do your family members some good.

Doom & gloom aside, can you tell us more about this Mustang? Any details, like the original finish, specs or whatnot? I, for one, don't know much about them, so I see a lot of learning potential here.

 

[Bighouse]

It's a very sticky situation, full of vagaries and vicissitudes which I will not go into (risky, possibly dangerous territory), but, speaking as someone who's at the outside edge of healthcare, I will say this...it's a damn good thing the medical community has been looking at "addiction" as a disease, as opposed to the old-school-thinking of "it's just weakness". Overall, it's a much better approach. It would be great if professionals with that kind of approach could do your family members some good.

Doom & gloom aside, can you tell us more about this Mustang? Any details, like the original finish, specs or whatnot? I, for one, don't know much about them, so I see a lot of learning potential here.

It’s been SOOOOO long…and back then when we wanted pictures of things we had to use this stuff called “film”, so there aren’t any pictures of the bass that I have. It would be cool to find one somewhere! I seem to recall the body was white with a black pick guard, but I could be mistaken. I do know I stripped the finish off the body and it appeared, in my memory, to be made of alder. I remember the weird metal tabs on the bridge- not sure what function then served. I barely knew what to do with the thing and I can’t recall what I even used for amplification…maybe played it through my bedroom stereo somehow??? I hope to hell I didn’t strip the neck! If so I likely would have gotten rid of the Fender decals!

 

[Malak the Mad]

It’s been SOOOOO long…and back then when we wanted pictures of things we had to use this stuff called “film”, so there aren’t any pictures of the bass that I have. It would be cool to find one somewhere! I seem to recall the body was white with a black pick guard, but I could be mistaken. I do know I stripped the finish off the body and it appeared, in my memory, to be made of alder. I remember the weird metal tabs on the bridge- not sure what function then served. I barely knew what to do with the thing and I can’t recall what I even used for amplification…maybe played it through my bedroom stereo somehow??? I hope to hell I didn’t strip the neck! If so I likely would have gotten rid of the Fender decals!

Cool! I'm assuming it had the mini split-coil pickup, instead of a Musicmaster's Strat-style single-coil?

 

[Wyrdlow]

Back in the mid-1970’s I had some friends who were drama/theatre students and musicians who played in various bands. I was a junior in high school at the time and spent a lot of time in our woodshop program. My musician friends would have me work on their instruments, like refinishing them, and in exchange for refinishing a hollow body Martin guitar, I was given a Fender Mustang bass. It wasn’t new and I have no idea of the provenance on it, but I suspect it was an early to mid 1970’s made instrument. I proceeded to tear it apart and refinish it, but never completed the task before college pulled me away from those friends and that life.

My bass sat unused for a few years at my parent’s house. Eventually, after the death of my parents, the bass made its way to my brother’s home. His son, I was told, was learning to play it! That made me feel good knowing that the bass was being played and I encouraged it. Fast forward years, and my once very successful brother, lost his home, his marriage, and his family due to meth. He now, sadly, lives on the streets and has been in/out of rehab several times, each time promising and swearing he’s off the drug for good, but only to return to using. It’s a much greater tragedy than simply losing one’s first bass and I still feel horrible for his children and ex-wife. He occasionally reconnects with one of my siblings and I’m thankful that he still does, but realize that he will likely die on the streets. I’ve resigned myself to receiving that eventual sad phone call some day. (TMI for TB???)

So, everyone is scattered. I have contact with my nieces and nephews through one of my sisters who has a large family of her own spread across the western half of the US. She’s going to text them all and see if anyone knows whatever became of my Mustang bass. There’s a slight chance that it’s still in someone’s possession. There’s also a very strong chance that my brother sold it or gave it to someone in exchange for drugs. There’s also a chance that it was simply neglected and thrown away and its location may be lost forever.

If one of my nieces or nephews has it and they, or their kids are using it, that would be great to hear. They can keep it with my blessing. I’d also welcome the opportunity to retrieve that old, first bass of mine if it’s not being used, and finish the restoration of it that I never completed.

I’ll update when I find any info on its location. Oh, and don’t do drugs.

Fingers crossed! Good luck - I hope you find it. Sad to hear about your brother.

 

[Bighouse]

Cool! I'm assuming it had the mini split-coil pickup, instead of a Musicmaster's Strat-style single-coil?

From what I remember, I seem to recall the split pickup.

 

[Bighouse]

Not looking promising so far…my brother put a bunch of stuff in storage when they lost the house- and he sold a lot of stuff out of the storage unit.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

A few years ago I ‘re-purchased’ a bass I had sold back in like 1995 or 1996. I saw it in a local music store. Had to have it. So yeah, there’s a chance.

 

[Bighouse]

A few years ago I ‘re-purchased’ a bass I had sold back in like 1995 or 1996. I saw it in a local music store. Had to have it. So yeah, there’s a chance.

I’d have to visit pawn and music shops in Southern California! More than likely it’s at some drug dealer’s hovel, collecting (angel?) dust.

 

[BassMan468]

Going to 4 string is a wise idea. It doesn't matter what time you start on this adventure. Make sure the salesperson does listen to you and caters to YOUR needs, not his commission check! I had salesperson wanted me to buy something I didn't want. So, I recently bought Fender Squier PJ style bass, and I don't regret it. It fits MY needs and that's all it matters! Welcome to the club....LOL!!

 

[bikeplate]

I hope i never find mine

 

[Bighouse]

Going to 4 string is a wise idea. It doesn't matter what time you start on this adventure. Make sure the salesperson does listen to you and caters to YOUR needs, not his commission check! I had salesperson wanted me to buy something I didn't want. So, I recently bought Fender Squier PJ style bass, and I don't regret it. It fits MY needs and that's all it matters! Welcome to the club....LOL!!

My thumb hurts from plucking the strings and my index finger hurts from moving around so much to cover all the bumpy things on the fingerboard.

 

[funkymonk13]

Would be awesome to get it back, or if at least one of your family members is enjoying it.

I will say, keep in mind nostalgia is a helluva drug. It’s not so much the bass but the positive feelings attached with that time in your life. Sometimes we’re trying to recreate that magic, but everything you need for that is already in you.

 

[Bighouse]

Would be awesome to get it back, or if at least one of your family members is enjoying it.

I will say, keep in mind nostalgia is a helluva drug. It’s not so much the bass but the positive feelings attached with that time in your life. Sometimes we’re trying to recreate that magic, but everything you need for that is already in you.

Good points! I’m like 99.999% certain it’s gone forever after my latest chat with family. The ONE person who could confirm that is my brother. However, he can’t be trusted to tell the entire truth in almost any circumstance, so there’s that. I’m quite happy with my current small stable of basses. It’s only two, but they bring me joy when in use. I just thought it would be fun to restore and add the original bass to the stable, the bass that started it all for me.

Interestingly, my nephew, who my brother once told me was playing the bass, tells me he has no memory of ever playing it. That tells me one of possibly two things…the bass had no real connection for my nephew and he gave it up quickly without investing much energy or time into learning it…or that my brother may have lied about that to have me say “okay glad to hear it’s in good hands, he can keep it” knowing that he had perhaps gotten rid of or sold the bass already.

 

[stringthrough]

I gave my first bass (a late 60's MIJ short-scale Victoria bass) to my oldest friend. A few years ago, in a nostalgic mood, I asked him if he still had it, thinking maybe he'd return it. (He is not a bassist, barely a guitarist) He told me he threw it out years ago. He could have at least asked me if I wanted it back before trashing it. I was very bummed!

 

[MCF]

Good points! I’m like 99.999% certain it’s gone forever after my latest chat with family. The ONE person who could confirm that is my brother. However, he can’t be trusted to tell the entire truth in almost any circumstance, so there’s that. I’m quite happy with my current small stable of basses. It’s only two, but they bring me joy when in use. I just thought it would be fun to restore and add the original bass to the stable, the bass that started it all for me.

Interestingly, my nephew, who my brother once told me was playing the bass, tells me he has no memory of ever playing it. That tells me one of possibly two things…the bass had no real connection for my nephew and he gave it up quickly without investing much energy or time into learning it…or that my brother may have lied about that to have me say “okay glad to hear it’s in good hands, he can keep it” knowing that he had perhaps gotten rid of or sold the bass already.

Wow. I really hope you find out what happened to it. And prayers for your brother and his family.

I had a‘68. I grew up in SoCal and there were a lot of Mustangs out and about. Sold it when I needed money for school and wasn’t playing at the time. Wish I still had it.