What's the bass/instrument you have had longest?

[Stub Mandrel]

Inspired by the year of birth discussion,  what's the instrument you have had longest? NOT your oldest.

 

Is it the instrument you learnt on, or are you an inveterate flipper and It's only weeks old?

 

Or something in between and does it have a story to it.

 

If it isn't a bass, what bass have you had longest?

[Cat Burrito]

I got rid of everything in my life after my first marriage broke up in 2010, bar a small handful of items. The only musical instrument to survive from then was an F scroll black mandolin. It's solid wood and sounds like it cost ten times the £200 I paid for it in 2005. I've revamped it a few times with decals but it is essentially stock. 

 

 

For some reason, I also have the pickguard / wiring / pickup to my very original 89 MIJ Fender Precision. Because I thought I was so edgy (ahem!) back then, I used to stub cigarettes out on the pickguard. The 51yr old me wonders on what planet that was ever a good idea, on every level! Having owned more basses than most shops stock, I've actually kept the same few since around 2014-16 now and it's much healthier than the constant rotation I had for the decade or so beforehand. 

[hubrad]

Easy selection for me.. I've owned this for about 40 years now. My first ever bass and I still love it, albeit in somewhat altered form.

Sharing this has reminded me I need to look for the photos!

 

Edited May 8 by hubrad

[bassbiscuits]

I still have the Hohner acoustic guitar I got for Christmas 1988. It’s a wreck now but just about ok for campfire jamming. 
 

Basswise, the P bass I bought in 1994. So far we’ve spent 30 happy years together. 

[Woodinblack]

I got rid of a lot of stuff years ago, so the oldest musical thing I have is a Korg 05R/W module that is in the cupboard that I bought new in a music shop in san francisco in 1996. Then I have a few guitars I got in the late 90s, again fairly unused. Then the bass I have had longest is an SR1000efm which I bought and had imported from Utah in the states in 2006/7. I don't really play it that much as it is a 4 string, and I just play 5s, but I am pretty attached to it and it isn't worth selling.

[Rosie C]

37 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

what's the instrument you have had longest?

 

If it isn't a bass, what bass have you had longest?

 

A tenor recorder that I bought in 1999-2000. 

 

I have only one bass guitar, a Squier/Fender hybrid which I bought in 2020.

 

[BigRedX]

The instrument I have owned the longest is this:

 

 

This was my first proper guitar which I got for my 14th birthday along with copies of The Beatles Complete and Simon & Garfunkle's Greatest Hits songbooks.

 

As you can see it's been heavily used and modified. As well as the visible Schaller pickup there's also a piezo fitted under the bridge and both are wired to a TRS Jack socket. This feeds to a box fitted with two foot switches - one to select the pickup and the other to select the amp input. This was my main (and only) instrument until I completed the solid electric guitar I had been making during my last year at school some 4 years later. It's had little use since and I still have it only because it's not really worth the hassle of trying to sell.

 

About 5 years ago I had a big clear out of all the guitars and bass I'd accumulated since my first guitar. I was in a situation where I had both the finances and space to keep most of the instruments I bough over the last 35 years, and I did all my serial instrument ownership during my synthesiser playing days in the 80s. So the bass I have owned for the longest is this one:

 

 

Which was ordered in 2002 and completed the following year and therefore is now over 20 years old. This has had off-and-on use over that time. The red Gus G3 I bought a few years later looks better on stage so it's my first choice for gigs, but this one has a slight edge sound-wise and so is my recording bass for anything that doesn't require a Bass VI.

 

[LeftyJ]

The first instrument I ever bought was a recorder (the flute, not the device). I believe my sister may still own it - and she can keep it, I enjoyed it when I was a kid but can't stand them now! I had lessons for a while when I was about 7-8 years old, but quit at the end of primary school and never laid hands on it since.

 

The earliest instrument I bought that I still own is my Squier Affinity Strat that I bought new in 1999. It's a very basic beginner guitar, finished in 3-colour sunburst with a white single-ply pickguard which is now very yellow from age (I don't smoke, nor have I ever). I've modded it with 3 Gary Levinson pickups from a Blade R2 Strat with 3-way switching between the bridge and neck pickups, and a second 3-way switch that adds the middle pickup in either series or parallel for a total of 9 different sounds. I also added Gotoh tuners, a Graphtech nut and Graphtech stringtrees. It's a fun little guitar, but it hasn't left its case in years,

 

The earliest bass that I still own was the 3rd I ever bought (out of around 30-40), a beautiful handmade 5-string by Dutch luthier Ellio Martina that I got used in 2006 (it was built in 2002). It was my main bass for several years, and it's the one that will outlast them all if I ever were required to downsize. It's incredibly comfortable and has a vast range of sounds, from somewhere between modern Jazz Bass to more hi-fi active sounds. It's not my main bass anymore (my Status S2 Classic headless 5-string is) but I'm unlikely to ever sell it. 

[Lozz196]

I had a Mex Strat from 95 to about 2015/6. In hindsight I wish I’d not sold it.

 

My current longest owned instrument is my Fender US Precision, owned new since 2015.

[Dood]

I do still have my Marlin Sidewinder, my very first bass  bought in 1989. It's not in a playable state at the moment though.

However, that bass most definitely influenced my purchase of the bass that I have played the longest, my (1989) Power Jazz Bass Special (as seen in many of my videos). Hmm, thinking about it, was it the PJBS in magazine adverts that infleunced the purchase of the Marlin?? Which came first, who knows?? ha ha!!

 

This isnt my Marlin

, 

 

 

 

THAT advert from Bass Player Magazine in 1989. (Which blows my mind to think that as a teenager, I'd never have dreamed I would write for my favorite bass magazine in years to come! 

 

It took me until around 2003, maybe as late as 2006 to get my first Power Jazz Special. Here's what it looked like stock.

 

And here's what it still looks like today with my usual chameleon flip paint finishes, EMG electronics..

Edited May 8 by Dood
Edit for correct model of Marlin.

[Dad3353]

The one I've had for longest, bought from a junk shop in Weybridge, very early 70's, is my Hofner Comittee. It has its own history of refurbishment, over a period of a couple of decades, when the headstock got snapped off. S'alright now, though, thanks very much...

 

 

The bass I've had for longest is my Hofner Verithin bass, bought from a bloke in Nottingham, very early 80's. I changed the strings for a new set of Rotosound TruBass Black Nylon, which are still on it. Not for slap, but has a nice bassy 'thump'...

 

 

Yes, I prefer semi-acoustic stuff, and I have never had any interest in 'flipping' stuff. I buy for keeps. 

Edited May 8 by Dad3353

[Belka]

My 1987/88 Jazz Bass Special. I got it in either late 1993 or early 1994 when I was 15/16. Around 1998 it was converted to fretless but the frets went back in a couple of years ago. The only other alteration is the Seymour Duncan Hotstack (Duff McKagan mod) jazz pickup (still have the original single coil in the case). It's missing the F cap on the tone/TBX control and the finish on the bridge has oxidised badly (it was brown/olive rather than black even when I got it, but it's more blue now) but the QC on these was great so it's still good to play after all these years.

Edited May 8 by Belka

[neepheid]

The bass I've had the longest is my 2004 Epiphone Les Paul Standard, which I acquired in early 2009 and stock it looked like this:

 

 

It was subsequently tricked out with EMG-HB pickups, an EMG-BQC 3 band EQ, John East knobs and a pickup selector switch in the usual LP location:

 

 

I then stupidly sold it.  Then I found it and bought it back.  It acquired Schaller straplocks on its travels.  Then I got bored of the EMG sound and also wanted to make it black and gold.  So it got gutted, then rebuilt with DiMarzio X2N-B pickups, a Babicz bridge (only there because I couldn't find a gold three pointer for love nor money), gold Wilkinson tuners and a passive VVTT setup with series/parallel push/push pots on the tone pots.

 

 

So yeah, I've had this bass on and off for about 15 years.  I did some of my earliest gigs with it, and I guess it's going to stay with me.  Not my first bass, but probably my first "good" one.

 

 

Edited May 8 by neepheid

[chris_b]

I still own the Fender Precision I bought new in March 1969.

 

It went through a serious modding in the mid 80's and hasn't been used since 1996, when I switched over to 5's.

 

I'll never sell it. I'll be buried with this bass.

 

 

[BassTractor]

 

Still owning:  a Chinese dizi  -  a bamboo flute that has a hole (second from left in the pic) that you cover with a membrane, which creates a nasal sound.

Instrument owned the longest but now sold: probably my Yamaha TX802  -  an FM synth.
Behind those few buttons are like a 1,000 parameters to adjust, if one wants to. Building just one sound could take me eight whole working days.
Stellar synth, though, and one learned how to be quick at editing.

 

 

Bass owned the longest: probably my beloved 2007 Bongo 4HH Dargie Delight - the original olive green version with martini glass fretboard inlays. Have to admit those inlays charmed me.
BTW, this is my actual bass despite the shop pic. The inlays pic is borrowed from someone.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 21 by BassTractor

[nilorius]

As i remember - Fender 2003. Jaco signature jazz bass.

[TrevorR]

Still got my first ever bass… bought new in 1982. An Aria Pro 2 SB700. Fabulous bass. Still love it and sounds great.

 

Playing it in a university musical around 1985..

 

Playing it last November for an “80s” set…

[Staggering on]

I bought a brand new Gibson J50ADJ acoustic guitar in 1967 and have played it in hundreds of environments and venues from gigs in posh hotels and restaurants to campfires and house parties. In late '67 you could still travel by ocean liners(NOT cruise ships) and I took a ship from Vancouver to Sydney and spent 5 months in SE Australia on a Honda 175 Srambler (!) with my Gibson strapped on the back. I had great  fun on the ships both ways playing at parties in the bars and cabins and playing at the various amateur nights.

The guitar has survived all that abuse, the only repair was just after I bought it when the bridge developed a crack and had to be replaced. I don't play it much these days but it always feels and sounds good and the narrow fingerboard works well with my small hands. 

My next oldest is a Baldwin Ode tenor banjo that I bought new in 1975 to play in a nostalgia/trad/20's-50's trio. We played a lot of club gigs and parties for the 8 months the band lasted including two month long house band stints, one in Toronto and the other one halfway across the country in Regina. No repairs and I still play it, in fact I used it just last weekend in the trad set that the swing/trad band I have been in for 7 years includes in most of our shows. It's tricky going from DB for the swing to that little skinny banjo neck but it's fun to play and adds some sparkle to the music and an authentic sound. That banjo was $CAD 1100.00 when I bought, a huge price at the time.

I also have a 1988(?) Yamaha RB 750A bass that was bought new and I gigged (jazz, blues, pop)with that until I went upright with EUB and the DB in 2015. EUB (Stagg then Yamaha SB200) in 2015 and the to DB in 2018 after I travelled over to the Basschat DB Bass Bash in 2018 and that started me down the DB path.

As you can see I am not one who wants to keep buying and selling and luckily managed to find instruments that work for me and have given me thousands of hours of enjoyment over the years.

[Rich]

The instrument I've had for longest is my first ever bass, this '64/'65 Höfner Artist 2 that I bought from my metalwork teacher for £20 in 1982. Pretty much unplayable, at least one of the pickups is fubar. I really should get it going again, if only for old time's sake.

[miles'tone]

Mine is a  Charvel semi acoustic which isn't a Surfcaster but it has the same body shape, I can't remember what it's actually called. 

Bought it new in 1993. The electronics are long dead but it is the ultimate late at night on the couch bass.

When it was 5 years old a mate accidentally dropped it on a barbell and snapped the neck into 3 pieces. Another friend glued it back together for me and it sounded much better than it did before! 

It's had the same slinky strings on it for nearly 20 years and still sounds fab.

It sounds so good acoustically (not loud, but loud enough to play along with tunes via my bluetooth speaker nicely, and it's tone and playability are fabulous) that I've always said that my ultimate electric bass tone would be that but amped up. Still not found it.

I did record a demo with it once by miking up the soundhole with good results.

The original electronics were quite unremarkable to be honest. I may put something better in there one day.

 

*Edit for photo. Not mine but exactly the same as this

Edited May 10 by miles'tone

[Ed_S]

I've been playing various things since the early 90s but I'm not very sentimental and haven't kept any 'my first' instruments.

 

Oldest thing I've still got is this daft item from 2002-ish give or take a year.

 

 

Can't see me gigging it, but it might look cool for a photo/video at some point.

[gjones]

I bought this Mighty Mite bass in 1984 secondhand and it played many a gig with me over the years (probably over 1000) .

 

The body has been binned but I used the pickups and neck to create a very nice Precision which I still play regularly.

 

[bass_dinger]

2 hours ago, Cat Burrito said:

I got rid of everything in my life after my first marriage broke up in 2010, bar a small handful of items. The only musical instrument to survive from then was an F scroll black mandolin. It's solid wood and sounds like it cost ten times the £200 I paid for it in 2005. I've revamped it a few times with decals but it is essentially stock. 

 

 

 

I am trying to zoom in to the headstock to see the brand, so that I can buy one too! What is it, I wonder?

[tauzero]

The instrument I've had the longest is (I think) my Eko Ranger 6, bought new in the early 80s. I'm not entirely sure as I also bought a Roland D10 about that time that I also still have, but this gets used regularly for practice for open mics with Mrs Zero and for songwriting. String ends flying wild and free to make some here get all twitchy.

 

 

The bass I've owned the longest is a Warwick JD Thumb, bought new in early 1988. I'd gone into Musical Exchanges in Birmingham to try out an octave pedal and they handed me another Warwick, a Streamer IIRC, to try it out. It was rather badly set up so I put it back on the wall and took down this one, and from the first moment I played it I wanted it. Absolute dream of a neck - at the time I had a Fender P and a Hohner B2 and it surpassed both of them by miles, so despite the £950 price tag (which Dave the Bass kindly reduced to £900) I took out a loan for £500 and PXed the Fender and the Hohner to get it.

 

 

It appeared live on TV when we played in the late early hours on Telethon '90. It still gets occasional outings, and was going to feature in the Marillion tribute that I got dropped from, although since about 2007 I've been 5-string.

[bassintheface]

my 2002 EB MM Stingray 3 band EQ with RW board and in Red - 21st birthday gift off the 'rents......

 

still got it although it doesn't get used much at all.

I don't think its been used live since about 2015 and that was a musical theatre gig......

I used it almost exclusively until around 2009 when I moved over to passive Jazz basses.......