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The bass you'll never sell


keefbaker

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Still has to be my flame red GMR 5 - my first bass, fit like a detachable body part from the minute I first picked her up, looks and sounds beautiful, and irreplaceable. GMR afIk only made bespoke basses, so someone went in and specified this and then let her go. It's been a hard journey and I would have given up many times in the first 18 months, but she wouldn't let me. It's only fair I can't let her go.

My new-to-me black Jazz Aerodyne is now a close second, just feels perfect to play, and drops jaws wherever she goes. I've gigged her a few times in Nashville (where I got her) and last weekend at Aynsley Lister's excellent guitar tuition weekend, and both places had other bass players (and guitarists) almost physically drooling over her. Exceptional. I'd have to be more or less on the streets before I'd part with her.

The others (Fender Jazz + 5, Encore P-clone, Vintage acoustic) have their reasons, and I'm glad to have them and enjoy playing them, but I could let them go to a better home for a fair price if I had to.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Proves how fickle I am - I recently parted company with the 'bass I would never sell' - it having been usurped by another I re-united it with a former owner.

The new 'bass I would never sell', right up until I sell it, is a JV Squier Precision in black with a caramel aged maple neck that has a holographic flame in the neck and now sports a black pick guard, Gotoh Resolite tuners and Schaller bridge. Weighs in at 8lbs.

Edited by Paul S
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I sold my favourite bass in a moment of madness. I was going through a divorce and not thinking straight I guess. It eventually found its way to Paul S, and he reunited it with me about a month ago as he mentions in his post above. It even acquired a nice case in its travels! So what is it? A Jolana D Bass, which is a mid 1980s Rick 4001 shaped four string with P/J pickups.

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I have 2. A 1976 Jazz ( different pick-ups, ugly-dodgy varnishing from a previous owner etc. etc.). Not by any means a looker, but I love the sound.
The other is an original prototype of SKCs Bogart bass. It has a humbucker on the back and a jazz pup at the neck. Before they went all graphite, they had wooden, jazz bass bodies with carbon fibre necks and that's what mine is. A warm, fat sustain that goes on for days without losing thickness, yum yum. I got it in 1990 and showed up last year at "The Holy Grail of Guitars" event in Berlin. When Stefan from SKC saw it, his eyes nearly popped out. We hadn't seen each other in over 20 years.

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[quote name='chriswareham' timestamp='1476536485' post='3155041']
I sold my favourite bass in a moment of madness. I was going through a divorce and not thinking straight I guess. It eventually found its way to Paul S, and he reunited it with me about a month ago as he mentions in his post above. It even acquired a nice case in its travels! So what is it? A Jolana D Bass, which is a mid 1980s Rick 4001 shaped four string with P/J pickups.
[/quote]

Actually it was another I was referring to, not the Jolana. A medium scale Squier Precision in a beautifully aged creamy white that sounded magnificent and played even better. Now residing with the chap who also wished he hadn't sold it. I had a happy couple of weeks re-united basses with past owners.

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As well as my 30th birthday present bass mentioned earlier in this thread, I just collected my longest serving guitar from my parents house. It's a Westone Rainbow 2, a Matsumoko offering from 1986, a Y.O.B for me. I've had it for about 20 years. It's beautiful and they're pretty difficult to come by.

I LOVE my bass, but I'd still probably sell it before this guitar.

Edited by M@23
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[quote name='M@23' timestamp='1476555690' post='3155228']
It's a Westone Rainbow 2, a Matsumoko offering from 1986, a Y.O.B for me. I've had it for about 20 years. It's beautiful
[/quote]
Having just googled, I concur. Very pretty.

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[quote name='Painy' timestamp='1474402193' post='3137791']
I'd guess it's probably my Warwick Corvette but only really because it's so knackered it's almost unplayable and therefore probably not worth enough to bother but equally it would likely cost more than its worth to get it up to scratch again.
The bass I wouldn't part with by choice thought would actually be my Squier VM P5.
It was a present from my wife for a start which makes it pretty special for that alone but also the neck sits in my hand just so, I've got it set up perfectly with a lovely action and there are a couple of modifications that I've made to it which make it quite unique to me.
It's 'just' a Squier but it's unquestionable my favorite bass I've ever owned and if rather sell a kidney than this bass!
[/quote]

Well the Warwick was actually sold tonight - fortunately there are people in the world with more skill than me at getting basses back to their former glory and who are willing to do so. I'm sad to see it go as it was my longest serving bass but happy that it's gone to a home where it'll be given a new lease of life.
The Squier is still going nowhere though :)!

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  • 8 months later...

I'd probably keep the most confortable and versatile bass I own IMHO, which is this 1991 Precision Plus in black pearl burst :

[URL=https://www.hostingpics.net/viewer.php?id=61116020170705121400.jpg][IMG]https://img4.hostingpics.net/thumbs/mini_61116020170705121400.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

But I really don't mean to sell most of my other basses :)

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My Status Trace Elliot SE T-Bass is my keeper for life I reckon. Had it a few year now and it still wow's me each time I play it. It just sounds and plays awesome!

Oh also my first ever bass. My Peavey Milestone III, the bass that kick started my love for bass. I didn't even want to learn bass :) funny how things turn out.

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My Washburn XS-4. Its a dog, has been modified, resprayed badly several times, original pre-amp replaced, original PJ pickups removed then reinstalled, recently fitted a Hipshot D Tuner and a new set of Wasburn Branded Gotohs to it.

I bought it new in 92/93 from Musical Exchanges in Coventry.It is the bass that playing in a National competition dressed all in white I ripped my nail off half way through the set and didnt notice till the end of the song when the strings were getting "Sticky" that the bass and my white T Shirt/Jeans resembled a murder scene. I finished the set THEN the pain hit. My DNA is literally in the wood.

Basses have come and gone but this one stays. They only made them for 2 years - Its not worth much (even pristine) or sought after BUT it is relatively light for an Alder body, the neck is so playable and I just cant part with it (Even though my main is now a Warwick Vampyre which I love to bits).

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The Epiphone prototype Explorer bass (that never went into production) that I was given in 1982.
Mostly because I have played it to death & I dont think anyone would want to buy it!
Jusrt realised how OLD that thing is!
35 this year....

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Yamaha bb1100s from the 80s, which I've owned for 20 years, worth nothing but a great , versatile, powerful bass with lots of great memories attached. Also my 2000 Rickenbacker 4003 mapleglo which I was pursuaded into buying last year by my lovely wife! That was the culmination of a 40 year dream.

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