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 Post subject: Reunited With My First Bass - Vantage Avenger!
PostPosted: October 7th, 2016, 7:50 pm 
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Joined: March 20th, 2008, 12:56 am
Posts: 298
I got my first bass at the ripe old age of 14 back in 1984. It was a brand new transparent red left handed Vantage Avenger and about the coolest thing I had ever laid eyes on at he time. I played it in my high school jazz band and even took it on a school trip to California where we played gigs at Disneyland, Knottsberry Farm and Seaworld. In the summer of 1985 I took a jazz improv course at the local college and figured I was getting pretty proficient as a bassist by the end of that summer. Well things changed, I switched instruments the next year, traded in the Vantage and focussed on guitar for several years before returning to the bass in my early twenties. I always regretted having sold off my bass. I never saw another lefty Avenger again like this one until a few months ago, 32 years later, when this very familiar looking bass popped up on Craigslist in another city.

I studied the photos and could clearly see that the bass looked completely stock other then the fact that it was sporting "V" shaped Ibanez strap pins which I had installed on my bass back in the day. Well needless to say, I had to get her back. The seller told me he had the bass for over 20 years and had never modded it in any way and had actually never even changed the strings! The factory brown hard case that came with it originally was long gone but I bought it sight unseen and trusted the seller to ship it to me on a Greyhound bus. She arrived looking a little rough but all original including the Ibanez strap pins. No doubt this was my bass!

I soon had her stripped down, cleaned, frets and nut dressed and decided to use some gold Dunlop strap pins and knobs I had lying around to spruce her up a bit and match up with the original brass nut and bridge. The tuners were the only thing that needed replacing as the factory Vantage labelled Gotoh's were falling apart. I ordered a set of Hipshot Ultralites and a Hipshot gold string retainer to match and they arrived today. They fit perfectly using the factory screw holes and she is good to go. Neck is straight and comfortable with a very "P" like profile, the ash body is light and resonate and despite being a slightly shorter scale bass, she makes for a very punchy and thumpy P-bass! I couldnt be happier to have found her unmolested as so many of these old basses have been modified beyond repair and leftys are pretty much impossible to find at the best of times. If anyone else out there has been reunited with an old friend, would love to hear your story.

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 Post subject: Re: Reunited With My First Bass - Vantage Avenger!
PostPosted: October 7th, 2016, 8:59 pm 
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Joined: July 9th, 2008, 4:39 pm
Posts: 935
Great story, crabby. Looks fantastic. Love the quarter sawn neck.


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 Post subject: Re: Reunited With My First Bass - Vantage Avenger!
PostPosted: October 7th, 2016, 10:20 pm 
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Joined: March 20th, 2008, 12:56 am
Posts: 298
bbl wrote:
Great story, crabby. Looks fantastic. Love the quarter sawn neck.


Thanks, yes I am lucky to have found her for sure. The neck is in pretty much perfect shape and feels great. These Japanese made basses were ahead of their time.


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 Post subject: Re: Reunited With My First Bass - Vantage Avenger!
PostPosted: October 7th, 2016, 10:21 pm 
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Joined: November 26th, 2008, 6:14 am
Posts: 3619
Location: Oahu, Hawaii
Great story! Wouldn't mind being reunited with my '74 P-bass, and being on the Island of Oahu, where I traded it for an Ibanez SR800, it could happen! :)

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 Post subject: Re: Reunited With My First Bass - Vantage Avenger!
PostPosted: October 8th, 2016, 8:05 am 
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fivebass52 wrote:
Great story! Wouldn't mind being reunited with my '74 P-bass, and being on the Island of Oahu, where I traded it for an Ibanez SR800, it could happen! :)


That would be awesome!


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 Post subject: Re: Reunited With My First Bass - Vantage Avenger!
PostPosted: October 8th, 2016, 8:55 am 
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Joined: December 9th, 2014, 5:27 pm
Posts: 3489
Location: Beantown
Whatta beauty! :)


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 Post subject: Re: Reunited With My First Bass - Vantage Avenger!
PostPosted: October 8th, 2016, 11:48 am 
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Joined: November 20th, 2013, 6:09 pm
Posts: 1199
Location: Cincinnati
Very cool, man! I still have my first bass. I considered selling it at one point, but have since decided against it. I let go of my first guitar and told myself I wouldn't make the same mistake.

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I never really "got" what a Rick is capable of until I ran it stereo a few times in my college band. We used to call it the "Piano of Doom". You get all the bottom and all the top in total a**kicking mode.


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 Post subject: Re: Reunited With My First Bass - Vantage Avenger!
PostPosted: October 8th, 2016, 2:40 pm 
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superheavydeathmetal wrote:
Very cool, man! I still have my first bass. I considered selling it at one point, but have since decided against it. I let go of my first guitar and told myself I wouldn't make the same mistake.


Good call for sure. Even if yo don't play it anymore, it's cool to hang onto.


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 Post subject: Re: Reunited With My First Bass - Vantage Avenger!
PostPosted: October 9th, 2016, 12:34 pm 
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Joined: March 14th, 2008, 2:28 pm
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Very cool bass and a great story Crabby, glad it worked out so well.
My first bass is long gone but I have my first lefthanded bass. It is the black Precision in my avatar.
I believe I have told the story here of how I got it back after it was stolen from me.

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 Post subject: Re: Reunited With My First Bass - Vantage Avenger!
PostPosted: October 9th, 2016, 7:52 pm 
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Joined: March 14th, 2008, 10:57 am
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most awesome story. Congrats on your reunification!


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 Post subject: Re: Reunited With My First Bass - Vantage Avenger!
PostPosted: October 10th, 2016, 4:15 am 
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Joined: December 20th, 2011, 11:42 am
Posts: 965
Location: Philly Area
I hope every young reader see threads like this, note from folks who have been around. "Never sell your first bass" I like a few others still have my first bass from High School. Yes it's fade, it's 30 years old, there are better basses, but there is a great story for every ding, scratch and mark on the body. If you have the means get a second bass. For me after a few close calls I stopped gigging regularly with my 80 Ric but looking back glad I held onto it.


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 Post subject: Re: Reunited With My First Bass - Vantage Avenger!
PostPosted: October 10th, 2016, 9:05 am 
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Joined: March 20th, 2008, 12:56 am
Posts: 298
bobjones2260 wrote:
I hope every young reader see threads like this, note from folks who have been around. "Never sell your first bass" I like a few others still have my first bass from High School. Yes it's fade, it's 30 years old, there are better basses, but there is a great story for every ding, scratch and mark on the body. If you have the means get a second bass. For me after a few close calls I stopped gigging regularly with my 80 Ric but looking back glad I held onto it.


I wish someone had given me advice like this when I was a young player. So cool that you still have your first bass.


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