What happened to your first bass?

[OliverBlackman]

33 minutes ago, AndyTravis said:

My mate has it - post my horrible modifications…😬

A Yamaha? Colour me surprised 😜

[Killerfridge]

39 minutes ago, AndyTravis said:

My mate has it - post my horrible modifications…😬

Billy Sheehan fan at all?

 

Mine is currently at my Mum's (Peavey Milestone III) where it has been for the last 15 years. Pulled all the frets out of it as soon as I heard Jaco; I should probably pick it up at some point (although the G string machinehead is knackered)

[MichaelDean]

Mine was an Aslin Dane jazz bass copy that I bought from Noteworthy Music in Chippenham. I got a bit of money knocked off for a few dings on it, and I also bought a terrible, but within budget practice amp at the same time. It really had a very heavy ash body. Phenolic fretboard too, which was cool. I kept it for 20+ years before moving it on during COVID. I restrung it and took it to a jam with a friend (while it was legal to do so!) and it wasn't bad, but wasn't doing it for me anymore tonally despite twiddling all of the knobs on both amp and bass. I'm not sure my playing suits a jazz bass tone. Sold it to someone else as their first bass, so I'm hoping it can keep them inspired. 

 

I have very fond memories of it, but I'm happy for them to be memories. The basses I have now suit me much better. 

 

[Crusoe]

It's under the bed

[Geek99]

Mine was a German musima p bass copy in white/white/maple

 

it got a jazz bass pickup added, quite badly.  I regret all of this as I didn’t know quality when I saw it

[asingardenof]

My first was a Hohner Rockwood Pro Precision copy, bought as a pack with a truly awful amp for my 18th birthday in 1996 from (I think) Rimmers in Liverpool. That lasted for a couple of years until I got some sweet, sweet student loan money hitting my account and then part-exchanged it for the Squier Precision I still have today.

[Franticsmurf]

I bought my first bass from one of the shops in Denmark St (I forget which one). It was a 2nd hand short scale Telecaster style Jedson. It was truly awful but as a guitarist at the time, I knew no better. I remember as I was handing over the cash, there was an almighty fuss in the shop and people went charging out of the door - it turned out some bloke had come in to pay for gear with a dodgy credit card and had legged it pursued by a couple of staff.

 

It ended its days coupled to an old Kay Les Paul copy as a twin necked guitar - my dad did the carpentry, which was good, and I did the electronics, which were rubbish.

 

The first bass I played was a Colombus Jazz copy and I remember it had matt black strings. It was actually a nice bass to play (I used it mainly for recordings) and it had a great thumping sound on the demos. I played it live a few times in a band where I shared bass duties with the singer. Although I don't recall with any certainty, I believe it went in part ex for my first 'proper' bass - a Hohner Jack headless - which I played as a full time bassist in several bands. That got sold during a break from playing in the early 2000s. I recently acquired a much nicer looking version of The Jack from this very parish.

[fretmeister]

Stolen.

 

A 1980s Aria Pro PJ in blue.

 

I have fond memories of it.

[Mottlefeeder]

My first bass was made with guidance from the non-instrument-playing woodwork and metalwork teachers at my school...

It had no truss rod, no adjustment in the bridge, (apart from lowering it with an angle grinder), a black formica fretboard and it cost me £17 for the parts.

 

I sold it for £17 to another wannabe bass player who brought a friend with him to check it out.

 

It was playable, so I did not feel I was conning anyone, but I wonder whether it was passed on again, or skipped.

 

David

[HornetPinata]

I held on to my first bass for years thinking I couldn't just throw it away. 

There was nothing to like about it, no parts to salvage to give away that would be usable for the task they were supposed to do. But there really was a lot to hate about it so it went in a skip after I took an axe to it to make sure no-one else suffered what it offered.

I'd have preferred to ritually burn it but as it was lacquered it was not an option so even that was a disappointment. 

[JazzyJ]

My first was something called a 'Zenta'. An EB-0 copy which was essentially a lump of plyboard with some strings nailed to it, 25 quid 1975. It was dreadful but I didn't know any better back then. Replacement was a Aria Les Paul long scale, far superior. The Zenta suffered the axe treatment.

[BlueMoon]

20 hours ago, Franticsmurf said:

The first bass I played was a Columbus Jazz copy

My first bass as well!

 

I traded it back in the 70s in exchange for a Burns Jazz, which was made in ‘64. If I remember correctly I had to pay an additional £12 plus the Columbus to seal the deal.
 

I still have the Burns!

 

 

[Steve Browning]

Mine was also a Columbus Jazz, and even had black nylon wound strings on it. I have no recollection of what happened to it. I don't recall it with any great passion.

[Ed_S]

Mine was a Yamaha BBN4-ii in 'yellow natural satin'.

When I went all-in on 5 strings the first time round, I traded it in (might have been against a BB405 in the same finish) and never really concerned myself with where it might end up. It was a really nice instrument, though, so I kinda hope that somebody else enjoyed and valued it after me.

[phagor]

I had a Hondo P bass in the mid 80s. My parents bought it for Christmas when I was 15. They had it under their bed until the big day - I remember sneaking in to have a little play on it.

 

I eventually changed the pickup for a Seymour Duncan, and put an active circuit I built in to it. Finally I stripped the body and defretted it, painting a load of boat varnish on the fingerboard and body. It ended up a sticky, plasticky mess.

 

I lent it to a friend and lost contact with him. If anybody has a tacky, stripped, no-name fretless P, it might be mine!

[Bassman Sam]

I had never played a bass before my first gig. I learned all my bass lines on a Fender Acoustic guitar. I had one hour before the gig to master a '62  Precision that a mate lent me. It didn't go too well.  I was 15 at the time. My own first bass was a Jedson short scale Telecaster copy. It went in the bin when I got my '72 Rickenbacker fretless at the age of 17.

Edited February 3 by Bassman Sam
Spelling.

[TRBboy]

I still have my first bass, around 30 years later. A Squier Standard P ('93 I think), which was Olympic white, but I took it upon myself to respray metallic purple when I was 16. I've pretty much kept it all these years out of sentimentality, and because it's not worth anything to sell really anyway.

 

I am thinking about giving it a bit of TLC soon though, maybe change the pickup, and see if it's gig-worthy.

Edited February 4 by TRBboy

[basshead56]

My first bass was a Yamaha RBX 174

My mum bought it for me when I was in high school.

It was a lovely gloss black with PJ pickups and a rosewood neck. The action was horrendous, you could park a bus between the strings and fretboard and the G tuning machine head was loose from day one and rattled/buzzed.

But it was good enough to learn on. I covered it in stickers that seemed cool at the time.

When I passed my exams and got into uni, mum bought me my first Fender. It was an Olympic White standard series Jazz with a rosewood board. I can still remember going to get it from the shop she bought it from (was a two hour bus trip on a cold Saturday morning).

Both of those basses were what got me started. I've had dozens come and go over the years but could never let them go.

I had all of my gear shipped out from Ireland when I moved to New Zealand permanently. However, I decided to keep both of those basses at home, in my old room. Kinda like a safety net lol.

Sadly we lost mum suddenly in 2021 and I couldn't get home cause of the NZ borders being shut and all this covid nonsense... which was incredibly difficult.

But since then I've been incredibly lucky to have my son arrive. And at 18 months old,  he's already obsessed with guitars 🤣

 

My wife, son and I are heading back to Ireland later this month. my first trip home in 5 years. I'm very excited for my son to meet his grandfather, uncle, aunt and cousins etc.

But a little part of me (probably my inner greasy teenager) is also keen to run up the stairs to my old room, pull out those musty old cases from undernearh my bed and play those gorgeous old basses once again and remember the good old days. ❤️

 

There will no doubt be some pics at some stage

Edited February 4 by basshead56

[TRBboy]

17 hours ago, Ed_S said:

Mine was a Yamaha BBN4-ii in 'yellow natural satin'.

When I went all-in on 5 strings the first time round, I traded it in (might have been against a BB405 in the same finish) and never really concerned myself with where it might end up. It was a really nice instrument, though, so I kinda hope that somebody else enjoyed and valued it after me.

Cracking basses! Such great quality and playability for a fairly 'budget' instrument. I think yours was the first iteration though, I believe the 'II' had the soapbars instead of the J pickups? May be wrong though!

 

I love my BBN5 😊👌

[Ed_S]

9 minutes ago, TRBboy said:

Cracking basses! Such great quality and playability for a fairly 'budget' instrument. I think yours was the first iteration though, I believe the 'II' had the soapbars instead of the J pickups? May be wrong though!

 

I love my BBN5 😊👌

 

I think soapbars only came in on the 3rd iteration of the BBN4, but there were definitely some BBGx models around at the same time that had them. As we were back in the days when music shops would give you glossy printed catalogues to take away and make your choices, I remember spending a lot of time leafing through that Yamaha one. I was mainly wondering what on earth you'd need 5 and 6 strings for, and if I'd even be able to play 4 of them, but if you hooked me up to a polygraph I'd say that I remember the model number and also the sticker on the back of the headstock really clearly. 🙂 

 

That's a cool colour for the N5.. and the guard is a clever addition - like it! My BB405 ended up with a pair of EMG-LJs in it, a Neutrik locking jack as I was fed up of the barrel ones failing, and chrome dome knobs. Think I might still have the original pickups and speed knobs in my bits box, but sadly they're all that remains of my formative Yamahas.

 

I do still have what I think was my second (or maybe third..) bass.

 

 

Very much not a Yamaha...

[thebrig]

Here's me playing my Burns Sonic bass in 1967 (please ignore my flower power kipper tie), I was still at school when I bought it so I borrowed £15 from my elder sister who was working, I later swapped it for some fishing tackle because I never thought that I would be good enough to play in a band, I still regret it to this day.🙁

[StingRayBoy42]

My first Bass was a Hohner Arbor P copy that I inherited (stole) from my brother.
I played it for a couple of years until I got my StingRay in 94 or 95.
I thought it would be a good idea to strip the paint, spray it blue, stick a huge Birmingham City badge on it and defret it... none of these ideas were good.
Unimpeded by knowledge or proficiency, I took a pair of pliers to the frets and pulled them out using a subtle blend of brute force and ignorance.
Realising this hadn't ruined the fretboard enough, I attempted to fill in the fret trenches with some sort of plastic wood stuff, which covered up some of the splinters AND covered the fingerboard in dark brown gunk.

It's still at my Mum's. Every time I visit, she asks hopefully if I'm going to take it with me. I really admire her optimism.

[Bleat]

First bass was a black Aria Pro II Laser Electric Heritage which cost me something like £50 from Musical Exchanges if I remember correctly. Must have been late 80's/ early 90's. It ended up in bits after I got my first Washburn B200 which I always considered my first proper bass. I can't remember why the Aria ended up in bits though! All the parts got thrown out eventually. I wasn't that fond of it to be honest even though I did my first few gigs with it.