The Admiral Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 In the midst of some BC surfing the other day, I came across a forum member offering an old Jap bass for sale - which was the exact model I first bought for £118 in 1982 from Russell Acott's in Oxford - a Satellite through neck precision copy. Mine had a factory sticker on it, which pointed out the pick ups were DiMarzio's, and looked lovely when it was polished up, and I wish I'd kept it, as it sounded nice too. Bloody heavy though. This made me think about how the price of instruments has changed over time - so I had a look for a UK inflation calculator, to work out what £118 would be worth today - and the answer : £311.52. If you want to do the same - here is the calculator link : [url="http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/historic-inflation-calculator"]http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/historic-inflation-calculator[/url] If I then think about the quality of the instruments available today as beginners basses - Yamaha RBX 170 for instance @ £120 on the internet - there is just no comparison, they are so much better and easier to play. Also, not only are the basses better, but the breadth and availability of teaching aids is astounding now : MP3 bass trainers, internet video lessons and even school music grades on rock instruments (unheard of in the 80s) etc. Yet a friend who teaches guitar and bass, regularly moans about the inability of his students to stick at the instrument through the basic 'pain' stage of scales and building up their hand strength, and their attention span seems so short too. He gets paid irrepective of course, but his main beef is that so many of them don't do any work between lessons, the progress is painful for both he and the kids, and they seem to want to be Jaco, without doing any work! He also finds plenty of kids, guitar players particularly, who can't pick up anything by listening, and have no idea where to start unless it's Tab, and whilst they can play any amount of widdly widdly solos, have no idea how to play chords and the rhythm guitar parts. That said, if I was 15 now - I would probably be pretty much the same - so it's not a serious rant about the youth of today, and perhaps it would be more interesting to build a thread on 'first bass, what was it, where from, and how much in today's terms?' Anyone fancy filling in the gaps here? First bass was : From : It cost : Which today is : Cheers A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyJohnson Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 [quote name='The Admiral' post='378587' date='Jan 13 2009, 07:21 AM']First bass was : From : It cost : Which today is :[/quote] #1 - An Arbiter SG bass (white) #2 - £35.00 #3 - £202.30 (Interesting that my second bass - a Columbus Jazz copy @£65 equates to £376.00...blimey) Good thread. P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gafbass02 Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 First bass was a used kaman GTX53 bought for £100 In today money that's £156 And to stick with the theme some years later I also picked up a Columbus and a satellite jazz bass copy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ardi100 Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 (edited) First bass was a no-name hollow body that my parents couldn't have spent any money on. Twas a pig (looked beautiful, thought!). When I used to weork in a music shop I loved selling beginner basses. The spiel always began, In my day . . . Edited January 13, 2009 by ardi100 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnylager Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Piece of sh*t Kays catalogue P-copy - £100 in 1985, £221 now. That would get me a VMP and a big night out today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Cooke Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 first bass was a hand-me-down beat up '69 P-Bass my cousin gave me... This was back in '77 before prices for old basses went stupid and back then, the old bass was seen as a bit of a clunker by him... I went slightly nuts and painted it with white gloss paint so it looked like Sid's P bass because I couldn't afford a new Olympic White one... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-77 Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 my first bass was a kay, it was a gift so i don't know how much , but i figure about £100 so from '81 that will be £295 my first bass i bought new was my '82 Fender P £345 1983 now £838.35 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 First bass was a Gibson EB2, bought privately and cheaply for £50 which is now £415. It was a dog, trouble is they now go for £1200 plus... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merton Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Only 16 years ago so less of an impact... First bass was : Vester Stage Series Jazz copy From : Rockbottom in West Croydon It cost : £175 in 1993 Which today is : £248.50 I still can't afford another £175 bass, let alone a £250 axe! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 12 years ago - a secondhand 1990 Hohner Jack for £200. That would be £264 now which isn't a lot more but how much more bass would you get for that money now?! Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crez5150 Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 First bass was : Ibanez Musician same as this one - From : Monkey Biz, Romford It cost : £249.00 Which today is :605 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musky Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 First bass - a Kay precision copy ( KB-24) from 1980. Cost then was £70, which is £243 now. It played and sounded rubbish. Interestingly the new Precision I bought a year later cost me £250, which at £737 nowadays seems marginally cheaper than the cost you can get a USA P Bass now. The case for it cost £50 though - that's almost £150 now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynepunkdude Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 (edited) My Encore I bought from Cash Converters in 1995 ( I think) for £43 now £58.91. I still have it if anyone wants it for £60 Edited January 13, 2009 by waynepunkdude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deep Thought Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Bass:-Westone Concord I From:-Modern Music, Truro(still there), 1982ish Cost:-£120, now £316.80 Still got it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jase Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 First bass was : Vox Clubman From : Bought in 1980, my first bass. It cost : £ 10 Which today is : £ 34.80 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevB Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 First bass : Columbus Jazz (modified by owner) Cost : I think about £30 Equiv now : About £70 I subsequently changed pretty much everything on the bass apart from the body, gave it to my niece to learn on and she still says its her favourite to play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Admiral Posted January 13, 2009 Author Share Posted January 13, 2009 [quote name='KevB' post='378699' date='Jan 13 2009, 10:21 AM']First bass : Columbus Jazz (modified by owner) Cost : I think about £30 Equiv now : About £70 I subsequently changed pretty much everything on the bass apart from the body, gave it to my niece to learn on and she still says its her favourite to play.[/quote] If anyone is like me they may not read the thread starting post, and simply guesstimate the inflation factor. For those that wish to use the actual inflation calculator - I'm posting it again ; it's here : : [url="http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/historic-inflation-calculator"]http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/historic-inflation-calculator[/url] Cheers A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ziggenpuss Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 (edited) My first bass was a 60's Epiphone semi-acoustic that I had swapped a 1974 , ash bodied, Fender Strat for around about 1989. I went on to swap the Epiphone for a solid body no-name plank. No idea how much the Epiphone would be worth now but I saw a similar Strat on an Australian collector's web site last year valued at £3,500 GBP (after conversion from$Aus) I had bought the Strat for £80 as it needed a re-fret. Bought a second-hand Columbus P copy after that for £40- £68.40 today Edited January 13, 2009 by ziggenpuss Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prosebass Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 (edited) First bass was : 63 Ibanez in 1976 From :Big brothers mate It cost :free Which today is :£0.00 Yamaha 150 watt 3 x 12" powered bass cab and pre-amp secondhand in 1978 £210.00 equivalent to £898.00 now Hofner S7B £218.00 in 1982 = £575.00 now a Wal at the time was £230.00 = £603.00 Interesting to see 6d (sixpence) was worth £2.00 back in 1914....although my parents reckoned in 1948 they could go to the pictures and buy a bag of chips on the way home for 6d which is the same as 67p now.....cheap as chips Edited January 13, 2009 by Prosebass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutToPlayJazz Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Columbus bass (sort of black Charvel/Jackson copy) bought from Foulds in Derby. Cost in 1986 £175 In 2009 £364 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-soar Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Ibanez Blazer in natural with black guard, £99 in 1984 £229 in 2009. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Fudge Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Having been a g****r player for many years to buying a bass (for Geddy Lee reasons of course) I bought an active hohner jack bass. Didnt really know what I was looking for. It was about £300 in about 1990ish. I wish I still had it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Funkmaster Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 First bass was : a Jedson short scale bass From : Contact in Leeds (think of it as a 1973 version of Crack Converters!) It cost : £19.50 Which today is : Dunno what £19.50 is in 'todays money' but the bass probably wasn't even worth £19.50 back in 1973! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynepunkdude Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 [quote name='Funkmaster' post='378801' date='Jan 13 2009, 11:40 AM']First bass was : a Jedson short scale bass From : Contact in Leeds (think of it as a 1973 version of Crack Converters!) It cost : £19.50 Which today is : Dunno what £19.50 is in 'todays money' but the bass probably wasn't even worth £19.50 back in 1973![/quote] Use the converter that was in the very first post. [url="http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/historic-inflation-calculator"]http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/historic-inflation-calculator[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJ Phillips Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 hehehehe.... great topic. I can't teach young students anymore for that exact reason. It was really frustrating when they came back the following week and the 'homework' was still under the bass in the case where it was put a week before. "What's this string called"? - "The top one"? :0P I even went as far as de-tuning the G and A strings after the lesson only to find the bass still out of tune the following week. It was a waste of the parents money and I told them. That was 14 years ago! Little B**tards. All they wanted to do was play 'Love Games' and 'Almost There' - Anyway, I am happy now and the treatment and therapy have paid off. First bass: 'Kay' Rickenbacker Copy (with warped neck) From: A great little shop in Camberwell, London can't remember the name. (11th October 1979) Cost: £52 (with new set of strings - Rotosound Swing Bass) - Still use them and love them. Today: £205.40 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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