BassAgent Posted February 13, 2020 Share Posted February 13, 2020 10 years ago, my brother and I did this: We participated in a Dutch TV quiz. While driving to the final round in my Fiat Panda, we fantasized about what we would do with the prize money. My brother (a drummer) said he'd have a drum kit built, and I said I'd buy a vintage Fender bass. Not long before that I was at Paul's Bass Matters here in NL to have some coffee and drool over vintage Fenders, as I did pretty often back then because I lived very close to his shop. That specific time, I played on a 1966 Jazz that was absolutely perfect for me. It had everything. The colour was right, dots & binding on the neck, sound, feel, the lot. But then there was the price. The 19-year-old me thought he'd never be able to afford this kind of bass. And then we won. The prize money was more or less exactly the price of that bass. I don't recall it exactly but I think I sent Paul an e-mail that very day stating "please hold the bass for me, I'm coming for it". And so, a day before my 20th birthday, exactly 10 years ago, I drove to Nijmegen to pick up my favourite bass of all time. I take it to pretty much every recording session I do, and especially since it got some new frets last year, it's seeing more stages again. What a bass. Everything is absolutely perfect. 24 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jus Lukin Posted February 13, 2020 Share Posted February 13, 2020 (edited) - Edited March 4, 2022 by Jus Lukin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pea Turgh Posted February 13, 2020 Share Posted February 13, 2020 Love it! Well done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueMoon Posted February 13, 2020 Share Posted February 13, 2020 Great story!! Goed gedaan!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teebs Posted February 13, 2020 Share Posted February 13, 2020 Fab! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor Bitch-blues Posted February 13, 2020 Share Posted February 13, 2020 Don't ya love it when a plan comes together !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard R Posted February 13, 2020 Share Posted February 13, 2020 What a birthday present! Did your brother get his drum kit? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acidbass Posted February 13, 2020 Share Posted February 13, 2020 Great story! Nice to see someone refretting a vintage bass without worrying about devaluing it, I would do exactly the same. For me, they are tools of the trade and should be used instead of being hung on a wall or in a cabinet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reggaebass Posted February 13, 2020 Share Posted February 13, 2020 Nice story and nice bass, it takes a long while to find the right vintage bass that has everything you want, I’ve been looking for about a year for my perfect one, I’m glad you found it 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted February 13, 2020 Share Posted February 13, 2020 1 hour ago, acidbass said: Great story! Nice to see someone refretting a vintage bass without worrying about devaluing it, I would do exactly the same. For me, they are tools of the trade and should be used instead of being hung on a wall or in a cabinet. Surely the frets should be seen as "consumables" just like the strings, otherwise if you play it to death you're then going to knacker the fingerboard and sound like crap with unevenly worn frets everywhere?! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acidbass Posted February 13, 2020 Share Posted February 13, 2020 2 minutes ago, uk_lefty said: Surely the frets should be seen as "consumables" just like the strings, otherwise if you play it to death you're then going to knacker the fingerboard and sound like crap with unevenly worn frets everywhere?! I agree, but try telling that to a vintage Fender purist! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary mac Posted February 13, 2020 Share Posted February 13, 2020 Lovely looking Jazz and a great memory for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassAgent Posted February 14, 2020 Author Share Posted February 14, 2020 16 hours ago, Richard R said: What a birthday present! Did your brother get his drum kit? Yes! He had a gorgeous drum kit built in Finland. 15 hours ago, acidbass said: Great story! Nice to see someone refretting a vintage bass without worrying about devaluing it, I would do exactly the same. For me, they are tools of the trade and should be used instead of being hung on a wall or in a cabinet. 13 hours ago, uk_lefty said: Surely the frets should be seen as "consumables" just like the strings, otherwise if you play it to death you're then going to knacker the fingerboard and sound like crap with unevenly worn frets everywhere?! I think it also depends on whether your bass is original to begin with: mine was already refinished, had two screws replaced and was without the original case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassAgent Posted February 14, 2020 Author Share Posted February 14, 2020 The drum kit in question. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 1 hour ago, BassAgent said: Yes! He had a gorgeous drum kit built in Finland. I think it also depends on whether your bass is original to begin with: mine was already refinished, had two screws replaced and was without the original case. If I was buying a vintage Fender two screws being replaced wouldn't bother me really. Better than having old screws so worn you can't get them out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassAgent Posted February 14, 2020 Author Share Posted February 14, 2020 (edited) Apparently I bought the bass from a guy who sold it just because it wasn't original. Edited February 14, 2020 by BassAgent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 26 minutes ago, BassAgent said: Apparently I bought the bass from a guy who sold it just because it wasn't original. Thank goodness for idiots! Beautiful bass and great story 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Burrito Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 Further proof that all the best stories start with a Fiat Panda! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassAgent Posted February 14, 2020 Author Share Posted February 14, 2020 It was my first car and I loved that little thing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewblack Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 Lovely story. You and your brother play together? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassAgent Posted February 16, 2020 Author Share Posted February 16, 2020 We do! We play together in a 2 Tone ska tribute (but I play guitar there), and we play in Violet Hour, an americana band. Debut EP upcoming We've been playing together practically non stop for the last 20 years. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reggaebass Posted February 16, 2020 Share Posted February 16, 2020 5 minutes ago, BassAgent said: We do! We play together in a 2 Tone ska tribute (but I play guitar there), and we play in Violet Hour, an americana band. Debut EP upcoming We've been playing together practically non stop for the last 20 years. What a great track, Underground Railroad , I really like that 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassAgent Posted February 16, 2020 Author Share Posted February 16, 2020 Thanks! We've re-recorded it on the new EP, sounds even better IMO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Horse Murphy Posted February 16, 2020 Share Posted February 16, 2020 I must admit, this story had a much happier ending than I though it would from the title and the way it started. I thought it was going to end along the lines of "sadly my brother was killed a day later when accidentally wandered in to a blind cannibal orgy and to make matters worse, when I got home I realised I'd actually bought a Marlin Jazz Bass, not a Fender". Firstly, congratulations on you both surviving(!!) and secondly on owning such an amazing bass with a great story of how you "won" it 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colleya Posted February 16, 2020 Share Posted February 16, 2020 (edited) I had a similar if much, much lower budget experience aged 14. On holiday in Ireland I bought a mars bar from the local shop, opened it and promptly won £100. Back home, some scouring of the local copy of Loot turned up a Westone Thunder 1A which I promptly bought. It was a serious step up from the battered, no name school bass with two strings (both A) that I'd started on. Stupidly sold the Westone a few years later to fund a fender jazz. No pics either. Edited February 16, 2020 by colleya Grammar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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