Oh come on, you can have it all, you know. Looks, playability and sound. And, if you really don't care about looks, buy the ugly ones and leave the pretty ones for the rest of us. 
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Are cosmetics that important in a bass??
- Thread starter holllowbody
- Start date
Oh come on, you can have it all, you know. Looks, playability and sound. And, if you really don't care about looks, buy the ugly ones and leave the pretty ones for the rest of us.
But, if you like the sound of the Bongo but refuse it based on looks, then what?
What else is going to sound like the Bongo? Nothing really.
The Bongo is just one example.
This is where looks become too important.
Depends what look you're going for. Personally, I'm a rock guy. Nothing is more rock and roll than a beat up, ugly P bass with the finish worn off (from actual wear, not bought that way from GC), dents, dings and cigarette burns! Toss a little blood on the pick guard and you, my friend, have a bass for rock and roll!
I don't think foundation, blush, mascara or lip gloss do anything to improve the looks of my bass.
Lemme ask this. If you're one of those guys who would buy a "relic'd" (I didn't say reliced because I didn't want anyone to think I'm talking about someone who bought a bass that caught parasites a second time) bass, say one of those $4,000 things from Fender, would you be as concerned about playing it at a gig as you would a $4,000 custom Sadowsky? I mean, if the $4,000 relic gets a scratch or a ding, it wouldn't be detectable, but if it got stolen you'd still be out a $4,000 bass.
Okay, so as I was reading this thread, I bought the Peavey Cirrus BXP-4, the quilt-top tigereye finish. Not purely due to looks of course, but oh my god, what a sexy sexy bass. Am I a little nervous about taking it out on gigs? Sure, but I take good care of my gear and I think after its maiden voyage, I'll feel more at ease with it. This is providing we fall head over heels in love, but considering the sweaty feeling I got when I first saw it (and the price!), I think I'll be all right. 
What are you using your bass for? If you're a strictly studio player, then I would say looks don't matter at all.
But onstage? How I dress, the instrument I play, how I choose to wear my hair; it's all part of the package. It's the ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS; perhaps the shallowest of all livings, except for corporate life, of course.
I bought a Fender Jazz because I always wanted one, based on tone, AND looks.
I would gladly own another Rickenbacker for the same reason.
Especially one of the ones posted on the previous page!
Wow!
But onstage? How I dress, the instrument I play, how I choose to wear my hair; it's all part of the package. It's the ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS; perhaps the shallowest of all livings, except for corporate life, of course.
I bought a Fender Jazz because I always wanted one, based on tone, AND looks.
I would gladly own another Rickenbacker for the same reason.
Especially one of the ones posted on the previous page!
Wow!
Mellow, I'm with you on this 100%...my nail polish matches my Ibanez, it's the little things you know. I've been told I have "the look" and whatever the **** that means, I figure I might as well play a bass that matches! I make it a point to dress well unless I'm just hanging around the apartment, and my style is kinda 70's and 80's glam/New Wave/New Romantic. In New York City, there is definitely pressure to look good no matter WHAT you're doing, be it playing bass or working at Starbuck's. So really, I honestly would never feel right playing some giant, clunky, generic-looking bass...now I have two basses (yay!) and they are both sleek, chic, and eye-catching...lean and mean! To me, they give off the vibe that I myself want to project as well. I think there are a lot of factors that go into personal preference when you buy an instrument...things that seem superficial, but really aren't, because it all boils down to whether or not you feel that bond with the instrument when you pick it up. I've always had an eye for design, so it will always be a deciding factor when it comes to what I play, no matter how shallow that seems!
I've been told I have "the look" and whatever the **** that means, I figure I might as well play a bass that matches! I make it a point to dress well unless I'm just hanging around the apartment, and my style is kinda 70's and 80's glam/New Wave/New Romantic. In New York City, there is definitely pressure to look good no matter WHAT you're doing, be it playing bass or working at Starbuck's. So really, I honestly would never feel right playing some giant, clunky, generic-looking bass...now I have two basses (yay!) and they are both sleek, chic, and eye-catching...lean and mean! To me, they give off the vibe that I myself want to project as well. I think there are a lot of factors that go into personal preference when you buy an instrument...things that seem superficial, but really aren't, because it all boils down to whether or not you feel that bond with the instrument when you pick it up. I've always had an eye for design, so it will always be a deciding factor when it comes to what I play, no matter how shallow that seems!
I own a Jerzy Drozd Excellency. It is my main bass, and I play it at every rehearsal and gig. Like has been mentioned before: if it doesn't get played, what is the point in spending that kind of money? Then I would better get a beautiful bass that sounds and plays terrible and is therefore hopefully cheap.
Does the bass get worn because of me playing it? Of course! Even though I tread it with love and respect, it does slowly gather small dings and scratches, and some playing wear above the B-string. But it still looks as beautifull as the day I got it, and it still inspires me to pick it up and practice a bit more than I would on an ugly piece of junk...
This kind of topic returns from time to time, and I think we severely overrate the attention basses get. My jerzy gets some attention from other bass players (mostly because they have no idea what it is) and a bit from guitar players (because it is a 5-string), but that's it! Nobody from the audience ever commented on the bass, only on the performance of the night which is how I like it.
So in my experience, in reality nobody cares about what bass you play, so you better get something you enjoy playing yourself and not care about what attention it might get.
Caring too much about the attention one could get (good or bad) with an instrument is more shallow than buying an instrument partly for it looks, at least in my book...
From your last sentence, it sounds to me like you DO care about the looks, but you just don't like "fancy" basses. That's absolutely no problem, because you know taste is completely subjective and we are entitled to our own taste. So there is absolutely no need to show yourself as "morally superior" to defend your own taste... But of course that is just one sentence, English is not my mother tongue, and I don't know you at all, so I could have misread or misinterpreted easily.
A butt-ugly spouse can cook, do the dishes & feel really good late at night, but would they be your 1st choice as arm candy at the High School reunion? Probably not.
Bass looks matter, & most of those who say different only do so because they can't afford anything other than the eyesore they're currently playing.
And yes, this is a worthless thread.
No I don't think this is a worthless thread! What is worthless is the assumption that a bass must be beeootiful! Hey, mon, "if you wanna be happy for the rest of your life, make an ugly woman your wife!" ...
Here's the point: They call it SHOW BUSINESS! Does your band play on stage or behind a curtain? If it's not behind a curtain then how you all look matters! In show biz it all matters. Sound, music, creativity, rapport with audience and appearance. Point is a tux may not be the effect you want when rock and roll clothes are needed to do the job. Same way that I know some blues dudes who play guitars that LOOK like they've been laying in the swamp for ten years. However, you may be SURE they do not SOUND nor PLAY like a swamp guitar!
By now we've all figured out that nothing in show biz is real, right? It's all there to give an impression. And the same goes for your bass. Now WHAT you want that impression to be is up to your artistic creativity and muse. But I'm pretty sure if you give the wrong impression it is going to negatively impact on the acceptance of your act.
Generally speaking I'm attracted to basses that have attributes which result in good tone and playability.
LOL
...... on a serious note... some aesthetics, like body shape, for example... make a HUGE difference to playability IMHO...
A good bass is well built and has good tone. My G&L is a good bass. Looks don't enter into this.
A bass with bling is one of many ways to say "I have excess cash, so I can afford bling." That **** gets you laid.
A bass with bling is one of many ways to say "I have excess cash, so I can afford bling." That **** gets you laid.
+1
Unless you only play it in the studio, you're going to have to wear your bass while a room full of people stare at you. Why wouldn't you be concerned with how it looks?
I can't imagine you all step out of your houses each day without some degree of thought about what you look like. A bass is also something you wear, so the way it looks is important.
In every WW2 movie you see the B-17 is the bomber that gets featured. It was a great plane with a great record, but the B-24 had a greater bomb-load, range, and record. The B-17 looked graceful, the B-24 looked like the box the B-17 should come in. Looks do matter.
