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08-09-2006, 02:04 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Anchorage Alaska | | | Painting an upright?
I play in a psychobilly band with an upright that I purchased used from an old jazz guy that was retiring. It is a hamburg. It plays nicely and I replaced the pick up with a different one and it gets a great "woody" slap tone. When I get enough money I do plan on getting a nicer bass. I bought the bass for only $350. I paid a few more hundred for a nicer set of strings and the rockabilly slap pickup. I plan on basically taking the pickup off of the hamburg and putting it on my new bass when I get one, along with the strings and other things. It though, isn't the best of basses as you might have expected. It is only a 1/2 size and it has some problems with seams and apparently the neck has been broken off and repaired numerous times. I really do plan on getting a new bass. I couldn't ever however find myself thinking of passing on such a troublesome thing on to an average DB'er who will care about the unalterd acoustic tone of the instrument without the use of amps and other things. My guitarist wants to paint it. Just a few coats of black to make it more "psycho". I originally told him "hell no" but lately I've been considering it more and more. I keep thinking of how SO many people would never ever paint an instrument, even a crap one like mine, though. What do you guys think? I know that you can't make the decision for me and that I have the final call but I was just curious about some opinion.
Thanks for not flaming me too hard.
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08-09-2006, 06:27 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Denver, Co. | | | Being a DB purist, i'm always more concerned about the futureof the instrument than I am about what the present owner/player wants to do with it.
Is this a laminated bass or a fully carved one?. If it's not inherently a good instrument, i'd say go for it...
but, to be sure, just in casethis axe may be worth saving, why dontcha post a couple pictures, and let us tell you what's up with it?
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Oh, no.....have we gone OT yet again?
"The opportunity was there...but it never presented itself." Phil Urso, 1980. :atoz: |
08-09-2006, 11:43 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Anchorage Alaska | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by Paul Warburton Being a DB purist, i'm always more concerned about the futureof the instrument than I am about what the present owner/player wants to do with it.
Is this a laminated bass or a fully carved one?. If it's not inherently a good instrument, i'd say go for it...
but, to be sure, just in casethis axe may be worth saving, why dontcha post a couple pictures, and let us tell you what's up with it? |
How would I tell if it was laminated or carved? Is there a certain pice of the body I can look at? I'll do a search.
Unfortunetely I do not own a digital camera, I'll try to barrow one a little later and post pics. Thanks for your help.
EDIT: Just noticed the newbie links.
Second Edit: It is lamanated.
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There are more love songs than anything else.
If songs could make you do something we'd all love one another.-Frank Zappa
Last edited by PurplePurple : 08-09-2006 at 01:03 PM.
Reason: I realised that I could still edit and add to my post without double posting
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08-10-2006, 12:14 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Springfield, il | | | Though I can certainly apreciate the purist's point of view, and imagine that future generations would thank you for not painting your bass, I feel more strongly that it is mine right now. Not an investment but a tool and extension of my persona.
I painted mine and have no regrets about it. |
08-10-2006, 03:44 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Denver, Co. | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by PurplePurple How would I tell if it was laminated or carved? Is there a certain pice of the body I can look at? I'll do a search.
Unfortunetely I do not own a digital camera, I'll try to barrow one a little later and post pics. Thanks for your help.
EDIT: Just noticed the newbie links.
Second Edit: It is lamanated. | Get out the spray! 
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Oh, no.....have we gone OT yet again?
"The opportunity was there...but it never presented itself." Phil Urso, 1980. :atoz: |
08-10-2006, 04:14 AM
|  | Unprofessional TalkBass Contributor | | Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Brighton, England, UK, Europe | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by jonly Though I can certainly apreciate the purist's point of view, and imagine that future generations would thank you for not painting your bass, I feel more strongly that it is mine right now. Not an investment but a tool and extension of my persona. | ...a selfish persona.......? 
Sorry - couldn't resist it!! 
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08-10-2006, 10:01 AM
|  | 'Woodworker - Witch Doctor - Luthier'
Owner/The Bass Spa, String Repairman/L & M Vancouver | | Join Date: May 2006 Location: Crescent Beach, BC | | | Put me down for the 'Paint it!' side. Have some fun with it.
Jake |
08-10-2006, 10:24 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: USA | | | Psychobilly Paintjob
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08-10-2006, 10:26 AM
| | Unprofessional TalkBass Contributor | | Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Brighton, England, UK, Europe | | That first pic looks a scene from a horror movie for DBs!! 
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“Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity.”
Charles Mingus |
08-10-2006, 01:01 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: GA | | | I say if it will make you happy about your instrument, and make you want to play it more, then go for it.
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08-10-2006, 01:28 PM
| | I know you love me like cooked food. | | Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Binghamton, NY | | | It probably makes it much more flammable, too. |
08-10-2006, 01:47 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Florida | | | I got an offer from a pretty darn talented artist to draw on one of my basses. I think what I'll do is get an unfinished flamed or quilted maple tailpiece and if it's just okay, I'll put it on my plywood but if it's really fantastic I'll put it on my good bass. |
08-10-2006, 02:28 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: North Carolina | | | Painted bass
Years ago, a friend had acquired a bass from Disneyworld. It had been used maily as a prop for one of the "shows."
This bass (laminated) had been taken to the art department there and painted to look (in cartoonish form) as if the top was assembled from flooring and one of the boards had pulled up.
Where the "opening" would be there was a rat painted as if he were inside the bass eating a big hunk of cheese.
This friend supposedly had documeted proof that this bass had at one time been owned and played in Bill Monroe's band. I don't know the time period but I may call him up and just ask about the bass. Didn't know too much about them at that point in my life. |
08-13-2006, 09:16 PM
| | | | I always like the story about the symphony player who left his 300 year old bass in the car while making a bank deposit, only to find it missing upon his return. A few years later it is said to have shown up at New Orleans Mardi Gras parade, refinished (spray painted) in purple. So I guess you could say that it happens to the best of them! |
08-13-2006, 09:27 PM
| | Registered User
Endorsing: Ampeg | | Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Apopka, FL | | | Sounds like urban legend to me, but still a good story. I wish more symphony bassists would paint their basses purple. Or any color. I'm telling you, attendance would skyrocket if orchestras started letting their players rock out on custom color instruments. |
02-24-2007, 05:23 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: USA | | 
click to enlarge |
02-26-2007, 09:34 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Atlanta, GA USA | | From what I have heard, the "Hamburg" is a cheapo. It sounds like yours has a lot less going for it than a nice finish. There is one place that even sells those types with custom paint at the outset. I don't see any harm. But when you are done, you MUST post a picture for us. 
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Silversorcerer
There are no secrets, just ignorance or knowledge- Anonymous |
02-26-2007, 02:00 PM
| | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Silversorcerer  From what I have heard, the "Hamburg" is a cheapo. It sounds like yours has a lot less going for it than a nice finish. There is one place that even sells those types with custom paint at the outset. I don't see any harm. But when you are done, you MUST post a picture for us. | How about before and after pictures? |
12-17-2008, 03:36 AM
| | | | i'm thinking about painting my bass too.
do i have to be concerned about damaging the wood or something? |
12-17-2008, 06:32 AM
|  | Registered User
Maker of HPF-Pre upright bass preamp | | Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Madison WI | | | The Hamburg is a Jim Laabs bass, right?
You could paint on some busetti. |  | Thread Tools | Search this Thread | | | | 
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