ChWillie Posted July 20, 2022 Share Posted July 20, 2022 My 1978 Rickenbacker—first lefty instrument I had. . Had to work six months for Ronald McDonald to pay for it. $750 back then was a fortune. I waited six months for it to come in. Quit the evil burger joint as soon as I had the dosh. What was your first lefty bass? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvia Bluejay Posted July 20, 2022 Share Posted July 20, 2022 2005. I wish I could have had one of these in 1978, when I was a teenager and getting into basslines. I had to wait until I was over 40 to have the motivation to look for a lefty bass and the hope of actually finding an affordable one. Until then I was always offered righty 6-string guitars and people wondered why I had no interest in them whatsoever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChWillie Posted July 20, 2022 Author Share Posted July 20, 2022 That’s a lovely bass. I like it. I was 16 when I got my Ric. It took selling soooooo many grease pit items to my fellow, fat countrymen. Haha. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeftyJ Posted July 20, 2022 Share Posted July 20, 2022 I can't find pics anywhere (probably have some on my Photobucket, but it's been locked since they changed their terms and conditions and became a paid service), but my first bass was a 1970s Condor Jazz Bass that I bought around 20-25 years ago. It was incredibly heavy, had a laminated body with ash veneer finished in 3-colour sunburst and a lovely maple neck with bound maple fingerboard and block inlays. It was decent, and looked, played and sounded like a Jazz Bass should. I sold it when I got my first 5-string (a brand new Yamaha TRB5II) but have always regretted that decision. Years later I tried reaching out to the buyer to see if I could buy it back, but he was much too happy with it to part with it. I found a cheap identical one, but it had a twisted neck and was unplayable with everything but the flatwounds it came with. I hated it, and sold it within two weeks. I've given up my search since, and in 2009 found a lovely Fender MIJ 1975 Jazz Bass reissue that has cured me of any desire for another Condor 😎 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChWillie Posted July 21, 2022 Author Share Posted July 21, 2022 18 hours ago, LeftyJ said: I can't find pics anywhere (probably have some on my Photobucket, but it's been locked since they changed their terms and conditions and became a paid service), but my first bass was a 1970s Condor Jazz Bass that I bought around 20-25 years ago. It was incredibly heavy, had a laminated body with ash veneer finished in 3-colour sunburst and a lovely maple neck with bound maple fingerboard and block inlays. It was decent, and looked, played and sounded like a Jazz Bass should. I sold it when I got my first 5-string (a brand new Yamaha TRB5II) but have always regretted that decision. Years later I tried reaching out to the buyer to see if I could buy it back, but he was much too happy with it to part with it. I found a cheap identical one, but it had a twisted neck and was unplayable with everything but the flatwounds it came with. I hated it, and sold it within two weeks. I've given up my search since, and in 2009 found a lovely Fender MIJ 1975 Jazz Bass reissue that has cured me of any desire for another Condor 😎 A good JB can make you forget the losses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rasher80 Posted July 22, 2022 Share Posted July 22, 2022 MMine was a Squier P Special. Should never have sold it. Loved that bass. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sblueplanet Posted July 22, 2022 Share Posted July 22, 2022 My first lefty bass after years playing righties upside down was a Yamaha BB300. It was later stolen. I also play with bass strung for a righty so not much trouble for me to just flip any bass I want to try instore. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted July 22, 2022 Share Posted July 22, 2022 Aged 15 I wanted a bass. I thought the low strings should be at the bottom, as in lower, right? So I was tempted to get a righty but saw sense and got a lefty. It was a very expensive Christmas present and I'm still very grateful to my mum to this day. Tanglewood Nevada. A sunburst P bass copy. I have always had a soft spot for Tanglewood ever since. After I got my five string fretless for my eighteenth birthday (I was in love with Ten by Pearl Jam so it had to be fretless) I traded the Tanglewood in for something, probably the Zoom BFX708. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChWillie Posted July 23, 2022 Author Share Posted July 23, 2022 Ahh the zoom. Many have traded for worse, I guess. I once traded a Fender bass for a cheap Tele. Still regret that 45 years on. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piers_Williamson Posted July 23, 2022 Share Posted July 23, 2022 What should have been a fantastic Fender Precision Lefty, except it wasn't. I think it was probably that I didn't know how to play it! I ended up hot rodding it with a di Mazio pickup, putting a Badass on it and stripping the sunburst ala John Deacon. All to no avail. 40 years on, I acquired a 77 Precision which must be pretty close to my original (bar a maple v rosewood neck), and it is the business. In the intervening 40 years I've learned to play a little bit better too. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChWillie Posted July 23, 2022 Author Share Posted July 23, 2022 Pretty cool old pic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whynot Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 Interesting that I just found a picture of both together. Camberwell high street, left handed identical colour Jedson guitar and bass hanging up in a non musical shop. Both £22.50. I asked my parents for the guitar and they came back with the bass. Rest is history as they say. https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/jedson-vintage-tele-bass-guitar-307806104 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeresaFR Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 Yamaha BB614 LH. I was 30 and it was my first musical instrument. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertbass Posted August 23, 2022 Share Posted August 23, 2022 After years of upside down basses and turning the volume down with my forearm, I bought one of these. Bought from Bell's Musical Instruments on easy terms along with a WEM ER 40 and a WEM Starfinder 1 x 15" cabinet. I was a happy bunny! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChWillie Posted August 23, 2022 Author Share Posted August 23, 2022 That's definitely mojo rich! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baker69 Posted September 5, 2022 Share Posted September 5, 2022 My first bass was a Wilson Sapphire Bass, it was white with black pickguard(s) and a black headstock. It was quite a nice bass and was styled on a Burns Bass, I think Watkins also brought out a similar model. I should have kept it but for some reason I didn’t see any reason in keeping after I bought a brand new Fender Precision in 1974. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oomo Posted September 9, 2022 Share Posted September 9, 2022 Mine was a Dean Edge bass in black (20 years ago or so), no pickguard. I pretty much chose it because it was a) black, and b) left-handed, and c) all those Fender-style basses are only for old folks, right? It sounded and played horribly (I didn't know that setups were a thing back then...), and ditched it as soon as I tried a lefty Fender MIM Jazz bass and loved everything about it... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agent 00Soul Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 A heavily modified Hofner Beatle bass. The control plate had been completely replaced with a conventional switch set-up. I only kept it for a short while. About 15 years later I went to see a local band and their bassist was playing it. I'm glad it got a good home, but by that point I so wished that I never got rid of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChWillie Posted September 16, 2022 Author Share Posted September 16, 2022 1 hour ago, Agent 00Soul said: A heavily modified Hofner Beatle bass. The control plate had been completely replaced with a conventional switch set-up. I only kept it for a short while. About 15 years later I went to see a local band and their bassist was playing it. I'm glad it got a good home, but by that point I so wished that I never got rid of it. Man I love my Hofner. I’m getting ready to use it on an orchestral piece I wrote. When I play it just write, it sounds like a plucked cello. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agent 00Soul Posted September 21, 2022 Share Posted September 21, 2022 (edited) On 16/09/2022 at 19:53, ChWillie said: Man I love my Hofner. I’m getting ready to use it on an orchestral piece I wrote. When I play it just write, it sounds like a plucked cello. I did eventually replace it with an Epiphone Viola bass. By that time, I was playing in an electronic longue sort of band (think Air or Koop) and I was amazed to find that it was the best bass in my collection for recording that style of music. I was surprised. Edited September 21, 2022 by Agent 00Soul spelling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rasher80 Posted September 21, 2022 Share Posted September 21, 2022 30 minutes ago, Agent 00Soul said: I did eventually replace it with an Epiphone Viola bass. By that time, I was playing in an electronic longue sort of band (think Air or Koop) and I was amazed to find that it was the best bass in my collection for recording that style of music. I was surprised. Think the guy from Air (his name escapes me) played a Hofner on a few tracks on Moon Safari. On Talisman and La Femme D'Argent you can definitely hear it. People think the Hofner is very one-dimensional but I love my Ignition (w/flats) and I'd never get rid of it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChWillie Posted September 21, 2022 Author Share Posted September 21, 2022 That’s been a surprise for me. The Hofner is in no way a one trick pony. As soon as I can figure out Logic, I’ll use it for my latest compositions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted September 23, 2022 Share Posted September 23, 2022 Serious Hofner GAS here too. I've never had one but I currently have an Epiphone Jack Casady so I'm very tempted to add a Hofner. I also really want to get some vocal lessons to sound a lot more like Sir Paul, sadly my days of being able to grow a Beatles haircut are well behind me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agent 00Soul Posted September 27, 2022 Share Posted September 27, 2022 On 23/09/2022 at 08:13, uk_lefty said: Serious Hofner GAS here too. I've never had one but I currently have an Epiphone Jack Casady so I'm very tempted to add a Hofner. I also really want to get some vocal lessons to sound a lot more like Sir Paul, sadly my days of being able to grow a Beatles haircut are well behind me. If the lefty Jack Casady bass was around at the time I was using my Viola for the lounge stuff I definitely would have bought one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Monster Posted May 17, 2023 Share Posted May 17, 2023 (edited) My first was more out of lack of options than because of choice. Being LH and not exactly growing up near a big city did kind of limit what was available. This is going back 35+ years ago now. So my first was a Japanese made Fender sunburst P-Bass, which in the hands of 13yo me at the time, felt like I was wrestling a battleship. To this day I've never really liked Fender basses, probably from the memories and stigma attached because of that. Edited May 17, 2023 by Green Monster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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