My first bass was a 1974 Sunburst P-bass, and I was never happy with the sound, nor the weight and neck dive. I replaced the original pickups with Basslines as I remember, and it still sounded dead to me. I made a mistake though and traded it straight across for a '94 or so Ibanez SR800 - all Black, which sounded so much better, looked cool, and had that nice thin neck they're known for.
Of course I knew nothing about Fenders at the time, and no idea that they were appreciating in value. As you all know, the Ibanez is worth $100-$200 on the market today, and my '74 P-bass is worth probably $2000 by now! Great trade numb-nuts!
Oh well, that's how you learn.... I did sell the original pickups on eBay awhile back for $130 or so, which, deducted from the original price I paid for the bass - $400 - back in '76 is some small consolation.Even though I would like to have it for the investment, I have no real fond memories of that bass and its tone. But, it got me on the road to becoming a bass player, and for that, it is remembered.....
So with that in mind, here's the budding bassist at a wild party with his P-bass... think I have a front view of it somewhere, but I thought you guys might like a chuckle over this! This is sometime in 1977.....
It was the swinging '70's baby!