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Your first bass vs. what you play now

#341
Putting aside Ric, Rivoli, Longhorn, Hofner, Carvin, Eko, etc., My track in J basses (my main bass) is this (in past 12 years, but I play guitar since '69):

Fender mid 90's US Deluxe J (cardboard sound) > Esh J (couldn't dial out highs) > Lull J (Bart's were too polite and quilt top was too uptown) > Sadowsky Metro (great specs, dead wood) > Dan Ransom J (bliss, ordered a second tonight).

P's: Mid 90's US Deluxe P (cardboard) > '81 P (nice but slow) > Dan Ransom P (bliss, ordered another tonight.

Yup I ordered two basses tonight.
 
#344
My first bass about 6 years ago was rather ambitious. Ibanez SR506. I managed to psyche myself up for a 6 string as a first bass. Managed to train my hands to handle the wide but thin neck but found that I formed bad habits becos of the wide neck. So sold that off for a 5. My basses are as follows:

1. Ibanez SR506 (new)
2. Traben Array Limited 5 (new)
3. OLP MM3 (used)
4. BC Rich single hum (used)
5. Charvel 3B (used)
6. Warwick Vampyre SN 5 (used)
7. Warwick Dolphin SN 5 (used)
8. Yamaha TRB5PII (used)
9. Yamaha Attitude 5 standard (used)
10. OLP Tony Levin (used)
11. GIM custom 6 string fretless (used)
12. Warwick FNA 5 (used)

Currently I've trimmed the herd down to 2 Warwicks. Dolphin SN 5 and the FNA 5. I figured Warwick is the way to go for me...:)
 
#345
my first was a Squier Affinity P, next up was a MiM Jazz (I've been upgrading this one over the years), then I let go of the Squier and got a Yamaha rbx775, later traded the rbx775 for a fretless trb5, then got a Gibson T-bird, sold the Yamaha trb5 to buy my Ampeg rig, and a month ago I picked up a Jazz copy for €20 (planning on smashing that one at the end of a show)
 
#347
1st-Ibanez SR300
Now - Warwick Streamer Jazzman 5 string and Corvette Standard Fretless

I was sax player for about 15 years before I switched to bass. I new already that i needed a good feeling and sounding instrument as soon as I could afford it. That way I was only myself holding back my progression. The Ibanez didn't do it for me tonally but it played well. Heck even my Streamer isn't isn't my ideal bass as far looks go but it plays and sounds perfect to me. My "vette FL is my baby. It can do no wrong. It was the first bass I feel in love with. You know the one that give you jolt of lightning everytime you pick it up.
 
#348
My first bass was a horribly trashy Hohner (I think) bass--or was it a Made in Taiwan thing? Anyway it was from the 1980's but it might as well have been from the 1480's. The action was so high it could have been a medieval tourture device designed to cripple your hands. I traded it for some groceries. Good riddance.
 
#349
first bass: 1964 Framus Stratostar with shorting switches and knobs, and a horribly fat neck with guitar tuners that broke within a year. I later converted it to a fretless, then i let it rot in my garage till i threw it out. silly me...i see them going for $400 on ebay now. my parents bought it for me when i was 13 and paid $50 and i thought they got ripped off.

current main bass: 1995 Fender Precision Lyte with Duncan QP PJ's, soon to be replaced with my 1976 heavily modded precision as soon as i get off my lazy butt and fix it.
 
#350
My 1st was a T-40 Ash/Maple Black pickguard. I still miss it (not really) but kinda do. Got in 1980-81 My grandma bought it for me along with a cab that had the biggest speaker I had ever seen in it. It also only had one switch. ON LOUD or off. the good old days ....Now I have a Dave Pushic DP5 that was built before he even owned a router and the cavity was just 3 holes drilled w/ spade bit I think. Love it though. I think he makes awesome basses I also have basses that I built for myself. and I have a 70 jazz that was my teachers. He gave it to me. If I saw him now I would give him a hug.
 
#351
1988 my first bass was a Kaman GTX - P/J config, 24 fret neck with sharkfin inlays, passive with high mass bridge, bolt on neck...splatter rainbow finish.

Since 1988 - I've owned Fender, Warwick, G&L (miss the 2500 G&L), and the last 7 years I have just bought cheaper basses to mod.

My current bass is an SX ash 5 string & an SX 4 string.. These basses are excellent once you have a pro setup done, change the nut to something better (I use Tusq nuts), Change out the pots and switches and exchange for better CTS brands, Use an orange drop cap...The pickups on these SX basses are toneful and loud.. I have NOT changed the pups and probably wont...

I take my cheap basses to gravity strings here in St. Louis and these guys are repair pro's.. They take my cheap basses and do the work I desribed above.. a $100 later they sound and play like $1000 basses...

So heres the breakdown..

$120 - $180 for the SX bass + $100 for mods and work done.. and you have the best bass money can but if your a working musician..
 
#352
First bass played was a 1963 Fender P.(I played a Strat & traded off w/ the bass player at our weekly dance gigs during high school years. First purchased was a 1970 Fender J. Present bass is a 2002 MIA Fender P with a Sadowsky NYC V P/J 4 build coming in about a month. P-Bass is in my blood bros.
B.
 
#353
First
1978 - Avon EB0 copy. £35 new.
Action a mile high. No adjustment could make it any better. Inside the big humbucker casing was a single coil. Sounded like an elastic band on a shoebox but with less sustain.
Traded as soon as I could scrape some money together for a very nice Shergold Marathon.

Current
Since 2007 - Fender Precision S1 Am Std.
Love it. Tried lots before I settled on this one. They do vary a bit. Replaced the pickup with a Wizard Thumper and put the useless S1 switch in the bin. Done all my gigs with this since I bought it.
There is no comparison between this and the Avon. Kids today have some really good budget gear to choose from. We just had cheap and nasty.
 
#354
1st bass: Gibson EB-3, (unsure of the year, purchased used in '73 so I'm thinking somewhere between '69 to '72), short scale passive 4 string with the solid peg head.

Current bass: Peavey USA Millennium 5plus, purchased new in 2000. 35" scale 5 string w/active electronics. Main bass since day of purchase, only bass for about 6-7 years now.
 
#355
My first bass was a very cheap Cort bass that was around $100.00 used. It was horrible. Loose tuning keys, bad neck, horrible tone and a real big piece of crap. Eventually I worked my way up to Ibanez Soundgear basses. I still own them and love them but recently, I have also now added several Music Man basses. With my Music Man basses, I am absolutely blown away by the craftsmanship of them. In fact, I honestly don't ever see myself using anything else again.
 
#356
My first bass was a Gibson EB 2 I got from my mother when I started out playing Bass in 1976 (it was at that time very cheap second hand)

From the 80's and up until lately I was into Funk and played a MusicMan Cutlass 1 and a Tobias Growler.

But now I am back playing Stoner Rock on the EB 2 and my new Gibson SG Standard, The circle is complete ;)

Never sell a good instrument it can come in handy again (The EB 2 was lying in its case for 20 years).
 
#358
First bass was a cheap Australian thing. An Ashton... something something. Still have an Ashton bass, but not that one. It's an acoustic. My first bass was a slab of s*** that I loved, with precision pickups. I now have a Am Std Fender Jazz and a 97 Warwick Corvette Standard. I wouldn't say there is any influence, except that maybe I associated P pups with **** basses from this first experience. Don't worry, I see the error in this thought :) All I need now is a Precision
 
#359
My first bass was a Yamaha RBX374... since then I got a deluxe active Jazz Bass.
I got the yamaha because it was good quality, I decided to go for a good bass, despite the fact that it was the ugliest thing I've ever seen. At least the color was pretty.
I wanted to get a Squier Jazz Bass standard instead, but then I decided to go for the better player's bass...
that was a good choice. the Yamaha still sees regular use, it's a great bass, and thanks to that I was able to save up for the jazz bass I wanted for a few years.
Now I'm saving up for a Stingray HH.
As you see... the only thing my first bass influenced me to do, is not ever buy a bass I think is ugly again. because now I had a "good" bass, I could go for a "pretty" bass. (Pretty and good!) Hope you get what I mean.
 

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