Finding an old friendly bass.

[jazzyvee]

Has anyone ever sold a bass and suddenly found it again?
Last week I was scanning some old photo's and found a picture of myself from 1980 with my washburn bass. I sold it a few years later as I was more of a guitar player at the time.
I didn't know what model of Washburn it was so I decided to check on line to see if I could find out what model it was.

Eventually i found a picture on audio fanzine that looked like mine and it is apparently Washburn Wing Vulture II. On close inspection between my photo and the one on-line I realised they looked very similar. On my bass I had also replaced the jack socket for a 3 pin canon xlr socket as I remember being told by a more experienced player that it would make the bass sound cleaner. So I checked the next photo on the site and this bass also had the 3pin canon socket.... Lastly I found a picture with the serial number on then checked my purchase records, i used to keep records back then, and found the serial number was the same.
[url="http://en.audiofanzine.com/electric-fretted-bass/washburn/vulture-wing-series/medias/pictures/a.play,m.518699.html"]http://en.audiofanzi...y,m.518699.html[/url]

I don't recall if the bass was any good at all as I only used it at home occasionally and then only through a guitar amp. But I have thought it might be good to get it back if it is dirt cheap as I only paid £100 for it used back then I wouldn't be prepared to pay much for the nostalgia value of owning it now.

The person listing the bass is from Rhone in France with a username philihpetokyo
Anyone else had a similar experience.

Jazzyvee

[police squad]

yes. Years ago I had a Manson Explorer bass. Black with white dots on the horns. I found it for sale about a year or so ago. I sold it in 1986. It was fantastic to see it again but at 800 quid, it wasn't for me.

Strangely the inverse has happened too. About 7 or so years ago, I bought an old Tokai breezysound on ebay. Last year I had a cull of gear to finance a new PA system. Put the Tokai back on ebay and it didn't sell but I got an email from a potential buyer. It asked, 'did you buy this from a guy in Ramsgate, in (such and such) what ever road he said. 'Yes' i said. It was the guy I bought it from. He bought it back for twice what I paid for it. He was over the moon

[Lozz196]

Sort-of, I sold a bass on here last year, then when it was up for sale this year I bought it back. And very glad I am too.

[Cosmo Valdemar]

I was reunited with my red sparkle Ibanez ATK. It was a touching moment for sure.

[iiipopes]

I know who has my 1975 Fender Jazz Bass I sold in 1981, and I have a visitation invitation if I ever want to play it. I leave it be to his care.

[3below]

Sadly not, I would love to find my 58 EB2 again, however it will be now way more than the £80 I bought it for in 1974. For that matter any EB2 at sensible money would do.

[ash]

I used a JV Squier Precision bass from around 1988 to 2006, I played it at hundreds of gigs and many recording sessions.
It has been lost to me on two occasions - the first was when I foolishly left it in my student digs and on my return after the summer break found it had been removed, fortunately my landlord hadn't sold it but had unceremoniously dumped it under a load of junk whilst redecorating. Amazingly there was no major damage done despite it having no case.
Years later it was superseded by a Status and kept as a backup bass and eventually I lent it to my nephew who learnt how to play on it. I remember when I was visiting my parents it used to be in the corner of my Dad's study where my nephew had left it when he was at school. He decided to buy his own Fender bass and because I hadn't used it in a while I sold it on eBay. I remember it was my first sale on eBay and it went to a buyer in Northern Ireland.
Fast forward to January of this year when I spotted a very similar looking JV for sale on a site that was mentioned on this forum - Cotswald Bass Guitars. I exchanged emails and got some detailed pics to see some of the quirks to the finish as I had no record of the serial number. Happily it turned out to be mine so a deal was struck. After nearly 8 years it's returned to me and though I don't use it as my main instrument it's great to have that old bass back. What was funny was seeing the small repairs I'd made to the headstock where it had been badly chipped and the small wooden thumb rest that had been fitted by the original owner.
A great bass that I'm very pleased to be reacquainted with.

Edited September 18, 2014 by ash

[Subbeh]

I found a Stingray I'd sold a few years ago on these very boards. I'd ordered it new in '02, black/black/maple. I remarked to my OH that I was sure it was mine, then I remembered I'd registered on the EB forum to get the date of manufacture, dug up my old post and confirmed the serial.
Wasn't quite in the mint condition the ad claimed, needs a replacement machine head, for some reason has a screw missing from the pickup and the battery box needs replacing, I'll be dropping it off at a good local luthier tomorrow.

It still plays and looks lovely and I'm really, really happy to have it back

Edited August 19, 2014 by Subbeh

[Telebass]

My Squier VM Precision TB came back to me a couple of months ago. Don't use it much, but at least my user name has some validity again!

[BassTractor]

Yes!
Did not see my stealth Bongo again.

Other than that, I only bought a guitar back that looked fugly but played like butter. Twas one of these Peavey Tracers where the artists had thrown paint at the body in true COBRA style.
Still have it, but if I find an axe that plays as well but with a less hair metal outlook on life, I guess it's a goner.

[bassbiscuits]

My first bass in 1986 was a rubbish Satellite short-scale white thing - it's only distinguishing features were a horribly warped neck and a paint chip where i'd fallen off the garden fence while playing it. It cost me £60 brand new and I traded it in for a far better Westone Spectrum in 1987.

Fast forward to about 1999 and I found the same bass in a secondhand shop in Wales - complete with the same paint chip and the same strings with green silk binding which it had in 1986. Out of curiosity i asked the guy in the shop about it, and he swore it was brand new, and wanted £80 for it.

Needless to say I left without it! Never mind eh.