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The bass that you shouldn't have let go of ...


Fionn
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The one bass that I sold, that I should never have let go of, and that I regretted most was my 1981 [b]Aria SB-900 fretless[/b].

The story ends well though ...

Ten years ago I traded it in on a whim for something I shouldn't have. It bugged me for a decade.

Last month though, whilst in a random part of Scotland, by chance, I went to see a guy who had advertised an old SB on Gumtree. I couldn't tell from the grainy wee photo exactly which model it was, the guy didn't know either. I went along and had a look anyway ... Lo' and behold, it was my old bass!!! complete with the ding in the laquer where I dropped a plate on it whilst clumsily eating peanut butter on toast an age ago! I was similtaneously in a state of shock and delight. One of the switches is broken but other than that it's in much the same condition as when I let it go. The fella was asking for less money than I traded it in for ... a mere £230!

Needless to say, It is now very happily re-united with its rightful owner I'm loving to play its solid silky mwahness again. The nicest fretless that I've ever played. I'm soooooo happy about it!


[b]Does anyone have a bass that they particularly lament parting with, or a similar story to mine about winning it back?[/b]


[b]Please tell ....[/b]

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Two for me for different reasons.

1) Most missed was my 1990 Warwick Thumb NT 5 string. It was truly an epic bass, I'd lusted after one for years and finally picked up a fretless at a really good price of eBay. Had it for a few months and it sounded spectacular, easily the most focused fretless I'd ever heard or played. However, I just couldn't use it in the band I was in at the time, that awful "i need to play more to become better at fretless but I can't play more because I'm not better at fretless" feeling.

I was living in Bath at the time so rather than let it go, I had it fretted by my mate Joe at Sound Control in Brum. He had it for a few weeks inbetween trips back and forth but when I finally picked it up, man it was fabulous to have it back and sounding and playing even better.

Despite all this, I used it for another couple of years until I found myself in a rock covers band and using it less and less in favour of low slung passive four strings hit violently with plectrums. Off it went and I've regretted it since.

2) The other "sorely missed" was a battered 76 precision which looked the dogs but never really hit the spot from a playablilty and tone point of view. I only wish I'd got it now from a purely financial reason.

T

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I bought a '94 'Ray from Prime_Bass - not the prettiest bass ever but it had a beautiful Bird's eye Maple neck which I set up with a really low action - no buzz, played like a dream. A couple of my friends played it and I got lots of positive comments about how it played. Prime_Bass said he regretted selling it and said he was interested in buying it back - when he had the cash available.

I was trying to get the cash together for a GB Rumour (would anybody sell me one though!!) so I subsequently sold it to Sshorepunk - as soon as I started packing it I knew I was making a mistake..Several weeks later I'm missing the Ray so buy a newer one (2001) in much better condition - you guessed it - doesn't feel or play like the '94.

I should have listened to my gut feeling and not sold it!!

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[quote name='Fionn' timestamp='1337765856' post='1665005']
The one bass that I sold, that I should never have let go of, and that I regretted most was my 1981 [b]Aria SB-900 fretless[/b].

The story ends well though ...

Ten years ago I traded it in on a whim for something I shouldn't have. It bugged me for a decade.

Last month though, whilst in a random part of Scotland, by chance, I went to see a guy who had advertised an old SB on Gumtree. I couldn't tell from the grainy wee photo exactly which model it was, the guy didn't know either. I went along and had a look anyway ... Lo' and behold, it was my old bass!!! complete with the ding in the laquer where I dropped a plate on it whilst clumsily eating peanut butter on toast an age ago! I was similtaneously in a state of shock and delight. One of the switches is broken but other than that it's in much the same condition as when I let it go. The fella was asking for less money than I traded it in for ... a mere £230!

Needless to say, It is now very happily re-united with its rightful owner I'm loving to play its solid silky mwahness again. The nicest fretless that I've ever played. I'm soooooo happy about it!


[b]Does anyone have a bass that they particularly lament parting with, or a similar story to mine about winning it back?[/b]


[b]Please tell ....[/b]
[/quote]



I don't have a story to share but i loved reading your tale .....
I bet It is fantastic to have tour old friend back :)

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I'd love my old Aria TSB550N back. I had it defretted by Jimmy Moon (who fitted it with a brass slap plate too, as I was all Pino-ed up at the time.). I foolishly let it go to the keyboard player (who was really another bass player moonlighting on keys), who then sold it on.

I heard rumours of it being used for a church band (don't know how it got there), but then lost track.

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Two. This vintage p bass replica I made. Sold it twice. Gutted gutted.
Wish I could buy it again. Such a connection having made it.
[IMG]http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d115/gafbass02/IMG_0371.jpg[/IMG]
And this which I can barely look at the picture tbh.
[IMG]http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d115/gafbass02/775d6815.jpg[/IMG]

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Sold an Aria SB600 which was beautiful, no real regrets though but I had traded a '73 Fender Precision + money for that. In hindsight a pretty poor move but at the time I was happy.

Biggest regret is an old Hiwatt, one of the plated Sound City amps by Dave Reeves. It was definitely an ex-Townshend amp but found that out after I was happy to let it go for £70 (what I paid for it).

How things have changed in both cases!

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my regret bass is my Spector Euro5LX. I had owned 3 other lower range Spectors before finally being able to afford one of these 'proper' ones. It was amazing to play but at the time i was a bit of a thug and didnt know how to use an active pre amp properly so just had the thing wound full all the time. It didnt sound as good as my 89 Ray5 so i got shut of it.

Shame, if i had learned how to use the pre amp i bet i could have got some cracking sounds from it.

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Sit down everyone (I have to when I think of this).
[list=1]
[*]Fender Precision (mint condition) serial number 0189 - bought at the Bass Centre for £995 (one of Entwistles) and sold through V'n'R about 2 years later; and
[*]Fender Precision '66 Slab body - turns out they only made 20 - another Bass Centre purchase for £895 (IIRC) and sold about 3 years later.
[/list]
Can anyone beat that level of stupidity (though little choice at the time)?

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Back in my murky past, I used to work for Status & built myself a series 2000 5 string in 1989/90 (serial number 0440) i had a green L.E.D installed next to the active/passive switch as a 'hark back' to the early series II 's...

It was my first 5 string & had that classic Status 'Clang' about it soundwise & I nearly had a heart attack one day, when the gigbag i was transporting in to a rehearsal malfunctioned & it crashed to the ground chipping some lacquer on the top of the forearm chamfer, it spent the rest of its days in my possession with a piece of black tape hiding the chip...

I PX'ed it in a moment of madness a few years later for my first Warwick in Ipswich, not that i regret getting the Warwick, just that I wished i'd kept the Status as well..
I've learnt my lesson since then, managing to keep most of my collection when a 'newbie' enters the fold!

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[quote name='Bassman Steve' timestamp='1337804683' post='1665844']
Sit down everyone (I have to when I think of this).[list=1]
[*]Fender Precision (mint condition) serial number 0189 - bought at the Bass Centre for £995 (one of Entwistles) and sold through V'n'R about 2 years later; and
[*]Fender Precision '66 Slab body - turns out they only made 20 - another Bass Centre purchase for £895 (IIRC) and sold about 3 years later.
[/list]
Can anyone beat that level of stupidity (though little choice at the time)?
[/quote]

Steve this story makes [i]me[/i] wince and I have never even been near basses of that vintage!

My 2 are:
1, USA P bass that I modded to a P/J with all black hardware. Really miss that one and should've kept it as it was a good player and great sounding when recorded,
2, Tacoma Thunderchief acoustic bass. There is massive sentimental value attached to that one and I kick myself for selling it on as it was in a moment of mis-guided thinking :(

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[quote name='Bassman Steve' timestamp='1337804683' post='1665844']
Sit down everyone (I have to when I think of this).
[list=1]
[*]Fender Precision (mint condition) serial number 0189 - bought at the Bass Centre for £995 (one of Entwistles) and sold through V'n'R about 2 years later; and
[*]Fender Precision '66 Slab body - turns out they only made 20 - another Bass Centre purchase for £895 (IIRC) and sold about 3 years later.
[/list]
Can anyone beat that level of stupidity (though little choice at the time)?
[/quote]


Ouch that's gotta hurt a bit.
Still you were young, carefree and not a care in the world.
Oooh how its all changed. :lol:

Think this one wins hands down for me.

Dave :D

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I had about £4-5000 worth of jazz basses coming in an out last year- sold them all.... didn't get on with them.
FOund an old Cimar Jazz bass from 1975 in a secondhand shop for £70. Did it up and sold it to a mate (at a profit) but..... that was such a fun bass to play. I wish I still had it.

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[quote name='4 Strings' timestamp='1337864717' post='1666597']
Do you think that, maybe, Jazz basses aren't for you?
[/quote]

yeah. worked that one out. Good thing was that I managed to sell the basses I picked up for the same price I bought. Got to try a load of stuff for the price of postage. :)

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Early JV Squier P bass in black / maple. Great bass I foolishly part exed for a rather below average USA P bass - never made that mistake again!

Also a great mint codition pre Ernie Ball MM Stingray in natural / maple - to be fair I sold this as it weighed a ton, but sounded wonderful all the same............
(Started my long time Musicman romance which continues to this day. Wonder where it is now?)

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Well I sold my old instruments because they was always something I didn't like about them. Sure I miss them from time to time, however I know why I sold them and I would just sell them again.

I do however miss my vintage competition Mustang. I sold it to fund my bass rig. I still probably wouldn't buy it back even if I had the spare cash though. It's all about Les Paul Jrs. for me now :). I don't like to keep more than one bass+guitar and I'm currently "guitarless" ;).

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