Basses in the 1980s

[NancyJohnson]

I caught up with Barry about a month ago, he's a top bloke and it's always great to have a natter about Wapping and his trade show experiences are priceless.

 

Ask him what SWR and Hartke stand for!

[Linus27]

The 80's was such a great period for interesting bass players, stadium rock like U2 and Simple Minds, to pop groups like Duran Duran, Talk Talk, Level 42, Culture Club, Tears for Fears, The Jam, Rock and Metal like Gun's N Roses, Bon Jovi, Iron Maiden and solo artists like Paul Young, Kate Bush, Phil Collins. They all had exceptional bass players with so much to learn from.

 

I loved The Bass Centre in Wapping, spent a lot of money in there thanks to the record company giving me a nice advance to buy new gear. Came out with a SR4 Stingray, Status Shark, Hartke HA7500 and a Hartke 4x10 and 1x15 with the aluminum speakers. The amount of Elite Stadium bass stings I bought was unreal. Good times.

[chris_b]

9 minutes ago, Linus27 said:

The amount of Elite Stadium bass stings I bought was unreal. . . .

 

I bought so many sets of Stadium strings that Nick started giving me a discount.

[BigRedX]

Unfortunately the only nice thing I can say about Elites is that they were more consistent than Rotosound if you needed 5-string and alternative scale-length sets. I haven't looked back since I switched to Newtone strings is the early 90s.

[gafbass02]

14 hours ago, Norris said:

My Aria Pro-II SB-1000 was made in 1980 - the "batwing" headstock, before they had a battery indicator LED and before the jack socket was recessed. I bought it from Humbucker Music in Leicester in 1985 and played it as my only bass for the next 10 years

My sonic blue jazz bass came from humbucker

[edstraker123]

16 hours ago, Russ said:

17 hours ago, cocco said:

The Kubicki is the ultimate in 80s bass vibe for me. What a mad looking instrument! 

Still available on a made-to-order basis: 

https://kubicki.com/store/basses/

Completely agree although the 2nd hand prices seem way too high - they have a nice one currently in Richtone but you could get a much better new bass for that kind of cash. Any idea how much the new ones cost ?

[Russ]

3 hours ago, BigRedX said:

Unfortunately the only nice thing I can say about Elites is that they were more consistent than Rotosound if you needed 5-string and alternative scale-length sets. I haven't looked back since I switched to Newtone strings is the early 90s.

I've always liked them. Got to be the steels though, never liked the nickels. However, they're not sold in the US - the Bass Centre will ship them (and I still get "mate's rates" from them!) but I'd rather pick something up locally. Been using mostly Ernie Ball and Rotosounds, since that's what's most widely available. I am going to try some DR coloured strings on my Maruszczyks - the fretted one has a blue theme, the fretless a red theme, so this is just taking that look to its logical conclusion.  

 

I did dabble with Picatos for a while back in the day - they were good, and reasonably priced. Not sure what happened to them, but they seemed to vanish from the shelves about 15 years ago. 

 

1 hour ago, edstraker123 said:

Completely agree although the 2nd hand prices seem way too high - they have a nice one currently in Richtone but you could get a much better new bass for that kind of cash. Any idea how much the new ones cost ?

I think they're around US$3,500. Saw someone on TB talking about ordering one a while back and I seem to recall that was what they were asking for one. If that's the case, it's not terrible, since it's now a custom-order instrument, and they seem to go to relatively silly money on the used market - not Wal-silly, but silly enough. 

[crazycloud]

On 30/01/2025 at 01:43, markorbit said:

If I had a time machine and some funds I'd go back and get a Status S2000 in black weave preferably with the script font on the brass bridge plate. I love the look of early Status basses. All shiny and new.

I still have mine, but it's had the snot beaten out of it, as the previous owner told me it had over a million air miles on it.

Still have my XL2 I bought new.

[Bilbo]

I remember attending a couple of clinics at the Bass Centre. Both Jeff Berlin. I bought a Bass Rockman there but that was it. No basses or amps. Didn't know the staff. I wasn't cool enough. Still aren't.

Edited January 30 by Bilbo

[Mike Brooks]

3 hours ago, edstraker123 said:

Completely agree although the 2nd hand prices seem way too high - they have a nice one currently in Richtone but you could get a much better new bass for that kind of cash. Any idea how much the new ones cost ?

Around the $4.5 - 5k mark, depending on what you want.

[Mike Brooks]

2 hours ago, Russ said:

I did dabble with Picatos for a while back in the day - they were good, and reasonably priced. Not sure what happened to them, but they seemed to vanish from the shelves about 15 years ago. 

Ceased to be a 'company back in 2015-ish, lease came up for renewal I think and for whatever reason the company ceased, Rotosound bought some of their machines and the name became a brand, now under the stewardship of Strings & Things I believe. I could be wrong on all this of course.

 

I was an endorsee from 1997 -2015, loved their strings but by 2014, I was getting a lot of dead E and A strings in my orders, usually returned half an order's worth of strings for replacements, so I wonder if their eye was off the ball by the end.

[Captain Bassman]

Great shop, great people, great memories…

 

Bought my GB there in summer 1999. Still have it and it’s still my number 1 four string 25 years later.

[Misdee]

Some of my favourite memories of the 1980's are of going to The Bass Centre at Wapping. It was the best shop ever, and I know I will never again recapture that degree of excitement about buying basses. ( Or more accurately, looking at basses I wanted to buy but could not necessarily afford yet.)

 

The first time I went in early '87 it was actually quite upsetting to see so many amazing basses that until then I had only seen in magazines and on tv. 

 

It was the first time I had ever seen an Alembic in the flesh, and I remember they had just gotten the first Pedulla and Tobias basses in the U.K. They had so much interesting stuff, it was truly something to behold. Wal, Status,Vigier, Jaydee, Carl Thompson, you name it. Warwick basses had just come out and they the full range in stock, including one-off custom jobs. Always loads of top-notch used gear,too. 

 

And then the next time I went in the shop a few weeks later just about everything had been sold and replaced with more equally amazing gear. The turnover of basses was rapid; if you saw something you wanted in the shop it was now or never because someone else would most likely snap it up if you hesitated. I missed out on at least two basses that way. 

 

I was lucky enough to go to all the various branches over the years, Manchester, Birmingham, L.A ect. All great, and the staff were really decent too. 

 

 

 

Edited February 3 by Misdee

[Russ]

FWIW, here's some DR Neons on my Maruszczyks. I think they fit the colour theme pretty well.  They sound pretty good too. 

[Bass Direct]

On 04/02/2025 at 14:23, Russ said:

FWIW, here's some DR Neons on my Maruszczyks. I think they fit the colour theme pretty well.  They sound pretty good too. 

Not very 80's but nice all the same

[TrevorR]

On 29/01/2025 at 22:45, Norris said:

My Aria Pro-II SB-1000 was made in 1980 - the "batwing" headstock, before they had a battery indicator LED and before the jack socket was recessed. I bought it from Humbucker Music in Leicester in 1985 and played it as my only bass for the next 10 years

My SB700 (my first ever bass) is a couple of years younger - open book headstock and recessed jack. Fantastic bass but HEAVY! Still play it regularly thought. Love it!

[Piers_Williamson]

On 04/02/2025 at 14:23, Russ said:

FWIW, here's some DR Neons on my Maruszczyks. I think they fit the colour theme pretty well.  They sound pretty good too. 

 

 

You're not planning on putting them on the stove are you?

[Twigman]

Whatever happened to Westone?

 

A school friend of mine had one  - it was the first bass I played - i really wanted a Thunder 1A but I couldn't afford one.

[patrikmarky]

On 05/02/2025 at 18:28, TrevorR said:

My SB700 (my first ever bass) is a couple of years younger - open book headstock and recessed jack. Fantastic bass but HEAVY! Still play it regularly thought. Love it!

My first bass also ..bought from an old chap in my village who ran a 2nd hand appliance shop …sold washing machines and hoovers ..I used to deliver his news papers he let me buy over instalments ..I think I paid £75.00 and paid him £5.00 a week it was a through neck as well (or set neck ) I was 13 so barely new which end I played ..I must have had it about 6 years easily the longest I ever held on to a bass ..🤟

[Grassie]

Cor… the 80s eh? British pop music at its absolute zenith, bass high in the mix (and high on the strap…) total masters of the instrument at work - Mark King, Nick Beggs, Pino Palladino, Mick Karn, Martin Glover, Guy Pratt, John Taylor, proper players….

Trace Elliot everywhere, JayDees, Status, Wals as far as the eye could see…

Silly hair….

Jumpers for goalposts….

Cor….!

😁

[MattM]

Bought my first bass with my student grant in 1985 in Sound Control in Glasgow.  The nice sales guy let me try a Stingray and a Wal, both at around the £800ish mark then.  Loved the Stingray, immediately got a great sound however the Wal to me sounded like a goose farting in the fog (to paraphrase Billy Connolly).  Could afford neither so left with a Westone Thunder 1A which served me well for the next 15 years or so.   
 

I now own a 2EQ Stingray Classic

[BigRedX]

The only bass I could afford in the 80s was a 20 year-old second-hand Burns Sonic that had been heavily modified by a previous owner. It cost me the grand total of £60 including the original hard case and I managed to persuade the shop to throw in a free Fender branded strap.

[Agent 00Soul]

From a player's standpoint, I eagerly took up the bass (which I preferred) in 1984 after a year on the guitar.  However, even after I became competent, I could not get a sound I liked.  Too much treble and twang and I gave up after a few years.  In the 1990s, another bass player told me the reason: I wasn't using flatwound strings.  He was right, I returned to the bass is my 20s and never looked back.  Why didn't any of the bassists in my school, my teacher, or the music books I had mention flatwounds except as this extinct thing that was killed by the monsters of rock in the late 60s?  So narrow minded!

 

I was a teenager in the 1980s in suburban New York. From a listener's standpoint, he main thing I remember musically from that period was there was very much a split between those boys (and it was boys) who listened to classic rock/hair-metal/prog vs the fans of new wave/synth-pop.  The punks were doing  their own thing and were split between those who followed modern US hardcore vs those who liked vintage British stuff.  And their were random weirdos like me who also loved 60s Garage (NYC had a huge garage scene in the 80s).

 

Edited February 7 by Agent 00Soul
grammmmm-ah and stuff

[KingBollock]

On 06/02/2025 at 09:30, Twigman said:

Whatever happened to Westone?

 

A school friend of mine had one  - it was the first bass I played - i really wanted a Thunder 1A but I couldn't afford one.

My first love was a Westone Raider 1 in silver/grey that I got in 1987. It was so very 80s.
 

(Not my photo)

 

I have regretted selling it every day since I parted with it.

[Skybone]

16 hours ago, KingBollock said:

My first love was a Westone Raider 1 in silver/grey that I got in 1987. It was so very 80s.
 

(Not my photo)

 

I have regretted selling it every day since I parted with it.

My second bass was the Black/Red Raider, in about 1986, though I really wanted a Thunder II or III. Managed to get a Thunder 1A in the early 90's, and it really was a brilliant bass. Wish I'd never sold that one.

 

After the Raider, I bought my first Aria, the bolt neck SB Special II.