ok, I'm gonna be a whiny little bitch here, but...

[Hilton Marsh]

I'd rather look at a picture of a bass that has been taken in natural light where I can see the colour and the texture better. If laying it on grass or on a concrete path or throwing it up against a brick wall does the trick, then go for it. ON the other side of the coin I am also enjoying your whinge. Keep it real, speak your mind, offend if you must.

[wcnewby]

I'm not whining, but I have noticed that some people love to say that their bass is kept in a smoke free environment. Does this mean that it's lungs are in better condition? Will second hand smoke increase the chance of a bass getting cancer?

I would rather see a bass laying on concrete than being played by someone with a huge billy bob belt buckle.

[EagleMoon]

Originally Posted by wcnewby

I'm not whining, but I have noticed that some people love to say that their bass is kept in a smoke free environment. Does this mean that it's lungs are in better condition? Will second hand smoke increase the chance of a bass getting cancer?

It means the bass and/or case doesn't smell like the bottom of an ashtray. Talk about a hard smell to get out of an instrument. Yuck.

[SactoBass]

Originally Posted by EagleMoon

It means the bass and/or case doesn't smell like the bottom of an ashtray. Talk about a hard smell to get out of an instrument. Yuck.

HUUUUUUUGE +1

I bought an Alembic bass on eBay once, and when I opened the case, I gagged and puked for three weeks straight from the disgusting foul stench! GROOOOOOOSSSSSSS!

I tried everything to get rid of that stink. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, worked. I finally sold it, and from that point forward, I always try to remember to ask the seller if the item has been kept in a non-smoking home.

By the way, the pics that Ric5 posted of those basses on the grass look very cool in my opinion!

[wcnewby]

If smoke can get on a bass, what about fart gas. I want a bass from a fart free environment. I would much rather it smelled like an ashtray than ass.

[AaronMB]

Originally Posted by two fingers

If you own a bass that would get scratched by a nice patch of grass then you got ripped off.

Indeed.

I understand the concern, to a degree - I'm careful enough that I'm worried about the surface of which I'm leaning by bass against... Concrete? Asphalt? Brick? No way; but I've never seen actual pictures, come to think of it.

[wcnewby]

Originally Posted by SactoBass

HUUUUUUUGE +1

I bought an Alembic bass on eBay once, and when I opened the case, I gagged and puked for three weeks straight from the disgusting foul stench! GROOOOOOOSSSSSSS!

I tried everything to get rid of that stink. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, worked. I finally sold it, and from that point forward, I always try to remember to ask the seller if the item has been kept in a non-smoking home.

By the way, the pics that Ric5 posted of those basses on the grass look very cool in my opinion!

I'm having a little trouble buying this because of the non porous nature of a bass. Just to be sure I sniffed my basses to see if they picked up any odor of any kind. They do smell like carnuba wax and neck dressing.

In my experience, many non smokers are more inconsiderate than smokers, I fully believe them capable of having a complaint like this. I have heard non smokers that want smoking banned in outside areas... and I have seen smokers go to a lot of trouble to not offend these perpetually offended people.

As if the above isn't enough to start a flame war, I think dogs stink way more than cigarettes.

[guy n. cognito]

Originally Posted by wcnewby

I'm having a little trouble buying this because of the non porous nature of a bass. Just to be sure I sniffed my basses to see if they picked up any odor of any kind. They do smell like carnuba wax and neck dressing.

How old are you? Anyone that's been around for a few decades can confirm that regularly gigged instruments DO pick up a smoke smell. It can even darken their color.

[wcnewby]

Originally Posted by guy n. cognito

How old are you? Anyone that's been around for a few decades can confirm that regularly gigged instruments DO pick up a smoke smell. It can even darken their color.

I'm 44. Used to be a plumber, have been in more houses than a normal person. A house that has dogs or cats stinks, to me, way more than a house that has been smoked in.

True story, I worked in a house where a lady died, then rotted for a while. That smell was removable and yet I am to believe that cigarette smell can not be removed from a non porous bass.

[guy n. cognito]

Originally Posted by wcnewby

I'm 44. Used to be a plumber, have been in more houses than a normal person. A house that has dogs or cats stinks, to me, way more than a house that has been smoked in.

True story, I worked in a house where a lady died, then rotted for a while. That smell was removable and yet I am to believe that cigarette smell can not be removed from a non porous bass.

Only with time. A bass that has been regularly gigged in a smoking club has been subjected to the smoke of thousands of smokers and been in rooms that are literally filled with smoke for extended periods. . The bass, and the case, absorb these odors. If you then seal the bass in the case without cleaning both, it can make an awful smell.

Doubt it if you choose, but the first time you buy a bass in this condition you will be a believer.

[wcnewby]

Originally Posted by guy n. cognito

Only with time. A bass that has been regularly gigged in a smoking club has been subjected to the smoke of thousands of smokers and been in rooms that are literally filled with smoke for extended periods. . The bass, and the case, absorb these odors. If you then seal the bass in the case without cleaning both, it can make an awful smell.

Doubt it if you choose, but the first time you buy a bass in this condition you will be a believer.

I haven't chosen to be a doubter, I am a doubter on account of personal experience. My basses came from a smoking environment, a music teacher who smokes and they don't stink. My amp did have an odor when I got it from him, but it smelled like smoking candles rather than cigarettes. Granted, it is covered with carpet.

Besides that, it is illegal to smoke in a club now, another thing that I am conflicted over... I have been in bars where the owner, and a majority of the patrons would have rather seen non smokers banned than cigarettes. At said places I have heard non smokers complaining that smokers were gathering outside the front door and they had to walk past them. I have been in a car where the driver complained of smelling cigarette smoke from the car ahead of us... said it should be illegal to smoke in cars...

And so, it makes me think that non smokers are super sensitive whiners more than there is an actual irreversible smell associated with smoking.

Sorry topic drifting.

[sloasdaylight]

Basses aren't non-porous, especially if the don't have a poly finish. If you don't have a problem with the way cigarette smoke smells, then more power to you, but as an ex smoker, I can't stand the smell, and wouldn't want to buy a bass that had the potential to smell like smokes. And that isn't even getting into the case/gigbag that the thing would come in.

[guy n. cognito]

Originally Posted by wcnewby

I haven't chosen to be a doubter, I am a doubter on account of personal experience. My basses came from a smoking environment, a music teacher who smokes and they don't stink. My amp did have an odor when I got it from him, but it smelled like smoking candles rather than cigarettes. Granted, it is covered with carpet.

Besides that, it is illegal to smoke in a club now, another thing that I am conflicted over... I have been in bars where the owner, and a majority of the patrons would have rather seen non smokers banned than cigarettes. At said places I have heard non smokers complaining that smokers were gathering outside the front door and they had to walk past them. I have been in a car where the driver complained of smelling cigarette smoke from the car ahead of us... said it should be illegal to smoke in cars...

And so, it makes me think that non smokers are super sensitive whiners more than there is an actual irreversible smell associated with smoking.

Sorry topic drifting.

Friend, I don't know what to tell you. There is a huge difference between a bass owned by a single smoker and one that has been in contact with thousands. And basses that reek DO exist, whether you'd like to admit it or not. I've owned a few myself. And a few cars. And an apartment. Let me add that I'm not anti smoking......but I do have a working nose.

You seem to have a chip on your shoulder about this topic. Are you a smoker?

[Basshappi]

And here I thought this was a thread about sexy, non-lawn bass pic.

[NWB]

Originally Posted by guy n. cognito

Are you a smoker?

IMO, that's the crux of the matter. Smokers can't smell cigarette smoke in stuff like non-smokers can. They've become desensitized to the odor.

[wcnewby]

It isn't really a chip so much as something I notice. I am an ex smoker, but the smell doesn't gag me. Ashtrays, yes... a waft of smoke no, billowing clouds, yes...

The type of people who bug me are the ones who start fake coughing if they smell cigarette smoke. It is a type, and they are far more irritating than smokers. IMO

[Porkbun]

If you carefully lay something on the ground or wherever its not going to get scratched. If you put something on the ground and slide it around its going to get scratched. They could always place something underneath the body and the headstock too. As long as it doesnt arrive with scratches from the pictures im fine.

[bassinplace]

Originally Posted by SactoBass

By the way, the pics that Ric5 posted of those basses on the grass look very cool in my opinion!

Pretty, agreed. And wrong!

Originally Posted by Porkbun

Yikes!

Obviously (hopefully), I'm just goofing. But if I'm considering buying something it does give me pause to think the person has no qualms about laying it on the ground or propped up without a stand. I could never imagine doing such a thing. That's what stands are for, yes?

[SactoBass]

Originally Posted by bassinplace

Pretty, agreed. And wrong!

My opinion is wrong? Well, okay.

I still think those pics look cool, in my opinion.

I'm not saying whether it's right or wrong to put a bass on the grass. I'm just saying that I find the look of those pics appealing, in my opinion.

[MarkMgibson]

Originally Posted by guy n. cognito

How old are you? Anyone that's been around for a few decades can confirm that regularly gigged instruments DO pick up a smoke smell. It can even darken their color.

I've been around a few decades playing in clubs and I've yet to come across an instrument that smelled bad. LOL You are taking the piss, aren't you?