How scratched up are the backs of your basses?

[Minger]

This is a dumb question, but since the back of my SX is black, it shows all of the (really light) scratches, and its driving me insane. I mean, its nothing deep, but its still there when reflected off of light, and just annoys me to no end.

I guess I'm just posting this so I don't feel alone, but how are your guys' instruments?

[5intheface]

I carved in a Frank Zappa quote into the backof my fretless Jazz bass, the whole "Information is not knowledge. Knowledge is not wisdom. Wisdom is not truth. Truth is not beauty. Beauty is not love. Love is not music. Music is THE BEST..." from the Packard Goose. And to signy the quote I drew the caricature of his mustache from the cover of the FZ plays FZ album.

[FenderHotRod]

I noticed that the other day on my Tribute...The front of the bass is sunburst, but the back of it is all black. When it's in the right light it shows every little scratch. Dosn't bother me tho. I don't play that side of the bass. I don't really see the backside very often.
So it's going to be all right.

[bobbykokinos]

The back of my Modulus was pretty scratched up after 10 years of playing.. Doug Wimbish signed it and I put a piece of 3M protective clear tape on it. So, no more scratches since then.

[JimmyM]

You use a bass, it's going to get scratched and dinged up. Nothing you can do about it, really, unless you're one of those people who wears clothes with no zippers or belts, stands in one place when they play, never takes it out of the case until the exact moment they start playing, and puts it away the second they're done. All my basses have various scratches and dings. That's the way it goes. Basses are meant to be played, not to be displayed.

[Minger]

Well, I refuse to wear my hoody just because t hey all have zippers when playing it - that, and I get warm, so it goes off anyways.

Eh, oh well. My green Ibanez that I got a while back is pretty beat but heck, the color (green, teal, whatever you want to call it) makes up for it.

[BurningSkies]

My 92 Jazz has a ton of scratches on the back. I used to wear suspenders or braces on stage, and that was my main stage bass between 92 and 99 or so...so it's got a ton of wear. My 73 Precision also is scratched up pretty good, but its hard to tell as much as between the dings, weather checking and general wear, the scratches are just part of the mosaic of the bass.

[Mon Rominee]

c'mon man, it's an SX.

seriously tho, play the thing, stop rubbing it with a diaper.

[RLT]

Scratches, dents dings and paint chipped off. It's played not babied. Oh and most of my basses date from the '60's trhough the 80's. They still play great. May look like crap but play great.

[bassmonkeee]

Originally Posted by Minger

This is a dumb question, but since the back of my SX is black, it shows all of the (really light) scratches, and its driving me insane. I mean, its nothing deep, but its still there when reflected off of light, and just annoys me to no end.

I guess I'm just posting this so I don't feel alone, but how are your guys' instruments?

If you are spending time looking at the back of the instrument, then you aren't spending enough time playing it. Don't worry about it. It's not an heirloom. It's a bass.

[Whafrodamus]

I wear my bass high, and my nipples ain't jagged.

[Eric Cioe]

From playing DB, I got the old adage (maybe just my instructor's), "I don't trust a bass without some scratches on it."

My Jazz has just a few dings on the headstock and some light body scratching.