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Your first bass vs. what you play now

#63
My first bass was a 1982 Fender 57 RI Precision. I bought it in 2000(1?) in a pawn shop for a mighty $400. I still have it and its my go to bass even though the herd is in the double digits.

IMG_3013.gif
 
#65
cdef said:
Um... to be accurate, the tone controls on the T-40 also dial in the single coil/humbucker modes of the pickups. It's perhaps the most versatile system ever devised for a passive bass.
Click to expand...

I just never heard much of a difference when using those modes. It's possible that mine had a wiring problem, but even after having it redone, it still never had what I'd call a wide range of tones. In single coil mode it was really thin and not very inspiring, so I left it in HB mode.

My next bass was a Carvin LB75 with 2 stacked HBs, a 9V active preamp with Bass & Treble. In comparison, the Carvin had a much more versatile set of controls compared to the T-40.
 
#66
1st bass was a peavey milestone bought for my 16th birthday it taught me to develope a technique which has become part of my sound to help me cut through the mix rather than relying on active EQ's and pedalboards it also taught me how to make the most of budget gear and how to get a low action on any bass be it cheap or megabucks

now when i buy a bass i dont care who makes it or how fancy the electronics are if it doesnt sound right or if there's too many dials and buttons i wont buy it
 
#69
My first bass was a cheap Global model out of the Sears catalog. It didn't get me very far.

My first "real" bass was an aluminum-necked Kramer. Despite some flaws, its sustain, even response, and lack of dead spots pretty much spoiled me. Many of my favorite basses since then have had composite necks of some sort.

A case in point would be my two main basses for the last several years, a Curbow Jazz 5 and singlecut 6 with Rockwood necks. I've also owned Steinberger, Modulus, and Zon basses, but the Rockwood-necked Curbows are my favorites.

Mike
 
#71
My first was a Squier MB-5...one of the few uniquely shaped models squier has...until you realize it's pretty much a passive Ibanez GSR400. (or at least the MB-4 is..the MB-5 is a J/J.)

It's still my main bass, but I've put some much better pickups in it...the sound of it is to a Warwick as a T-40 is to a Ric, if that makes sense. (took me forever to figure out something that it sounded like)
 
#72
I don't have as much mileage on my bassist card as some of you guys, since I only own two basses. But they're quite radically different.

The first is a P Bass (that I bought because of my favourite bassist, John Deacon). And the second is a Dingwall AB.

Radically different, but still both passive because I don't have enough money for a Dingwall Zebra yet.
 
#75
My first bass was an Ibanez SDGR (I think) with what can only be described as a spaghetti neck - so soft you could raise the action an inch by pushing the back of the headstock...! I can't remember anything else about the bass, except I think it was sunburst, and I'm pretty sure it didn't inspire any of my current bass preferences.

Now I play an old Jazz, an old Precision, a Fodera Monarch Deluxe and a fretless Ritter.

No spaghetti necks there :D
 
#77
Started with an Ibanez GSR100.
Now I play a Geddy Jazz bass.
I did experiement with other basses in between. Ie:Steinberger XT2, Fender Pbass, Epiphone thunderbird, Kramer. I always go back to thin necks and (physically)low, single-coil pups.
 
#79
Kgoodrich said:
my first bass was a Ibanez, and my second bass was a Ibanez, my current bass is a Ibanez, I have a feeling my first 6 string will be a Ibanez.
Click to expand...

my first bass (4 string, unsure of the model at the moment) is an Ibanez (still have it... needs work though.. new pickups and such.)

my second bass (SR-885) ... Ibanez...
and my new bass (just bought)

you'll never guess...


oh wait... that's right.

Ibanez.... (SR-506)

i'm rather pleased with Ibanez, and have played other basses that are nice, but ... usually out of my price range... or just something about them that just doesn't work for me. (though i would upgrade to at least a Warwick if given the opportunity. those do have a beautiful feel and tone to them)

on the other hand... i've NEVER liked fender. too heavy, too much you have to do to them to make them work.
it's like hot-rodding a ford escort.

[spunj13]
 
#80
My first bass, (I still have it), was a Royce shortscale I got when I was 9, as a birthday gift. Its sorta playable but sounds real bad, I used it messing around till I was about 14. At 14 I started playe'n with friends and played a borrowed 70s P-Bass, Fender, that belonged to my best friend. We both hated Fenders because they were mainstream, and prefered more modern looking basses, Alembic , Ibanez, he played a Framus. Now cheapo knockoffs were everywhere around here, and the fact he even had aquired the Fender was a fluke Ill cover some other time. I used it from 1976 till 1988 in a bunch of bands, more than I can count, and in evey highschool bass program, we had. I owned a Vantage bass during the 80s, didnt play it much, quit playing alltogether in 1988, sold the Vantage, kept the Royce, and gave the P-Bass back to my friend. Forward to 2005, I get back in it, I buy a Squire just to see if I can still get it, I could, Im back in the band scene, playing Fender basses, a mia, mim, and a Geddy lee which is my main bass. Oh I do have an Austin 5ver I use when needed.
 

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