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Carving initials into bass
- Thread starter Chicken Wing
- Start date
All my basses are 'signed' but in a modern way as I drilled a slot, somewhere out of plain sight, that fits an Apple Airtag perfectly.
Aw, man, that should be a felony on that one. If I did that to my Wal.... I just can't...
You snark, but I did find an original 70's Jazz Bass in a shop in San Diego where the previous owner had dremel'd their name and SSN into the metal control plate.
The thing I noticed immediately was the crooked bridge. About 2mm off.
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If you're carving it, why not try and make it inconspicuous? Like the inside of the neck and body at the heel? Or the pickup or control cavities?
I wouldn't do it but a buddy of mine was going to school to be a studio engineer in Florida and saw Warren Haynes eating lunch with some of the band members . He went to talk with him and Warren agreed to carve his name into his bass guitar , a Fender PJ . Seemed weird to me but he doesn't care and won't sell that bass so whatever works for you .
Sounds like exactly the same problem the seller was describing tbh. Oh well. Might see if I can get a hold of him now
Oh, this Wal just looks horrible! If the owner will please contact me directly, I will be happy to dispose of the bass for you.
Please carve your initials, or even your entire name, and date on your bass to increase its future value ONLY IF YOU ARE GOING TO BECOME A TOP-NOTCH FAMOUS BASSIST KNOWN WORLDWIDE.
We all need to go back and review post #6, which is where OP clarifies and contextualizes post #1. Unlike most of the respondents, he is not talking about NOW, he is talking about what some kid did fifty or sixty years ago when it was just a bass destined to become an old bass. No "vintage," no resale value, none of that. Those are modern concerns, or, probably, more like modern obsessions.
A lot of us "marked" our basses back then, partly to establish ownership and partly to show pride of ownership: "This bass is MINE!", and many of us were proud and felt ourselves fortunate to have any bass at all.
A lot of us "marked" our basses back then, partly to establish ownership and partly to show pride of ownership: "This bass is MINE!", and many of us were proud and felt ourselves fortunate to have any bass at all.
Initials is perhaps a bit self-centred, or a bit like kids having their name tags in their clothes. An old Bass with random initials on it wouldn't really put me off though, it adds a bit of life to it. Some customisation/interesting note (e.g. 'played at Woodstock')/signatures/art/signs of use etc. would be better.
For everyone saying this is a ridiculous thing to do: I expect the same could have been said to James Jamerson carving 'Funk' into his bass, or Jaco ripping out all the frets and covering it with boat epoxy. Keeping things pristine and doing the same as everyone else doesn't do much for originality or mojo!
For everyone saying this is a ridiculous thing to do: I expect the same could have been said to James Jamerson carving 'Funk' into his bass, or Jaco ripping out all the frets and covering it with boat epoxy. Keeping things pristine and doing the same as everyone else doesn't do much for originality or mojo!
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If only Willie had been more precious about Trigger it'd actually be worth something... SMH.
Or maybe someone should have told Lee Sklar the dangers of vandalism:
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/d0/2d/92/d02d924b369883a5a15bb3ab68d961d4.jpg
I have a near-perfect Ampeg Little Stud that someone used and an engraver on the neck plate to personalize as theirs. When I removed the ashtray it to was personalized on the inside. I turned the neck plate over no matter.
I don't think it would add anything positive and possibly turn me off if i was looking at it as a potential purchase. That's just me, it's your bass and your choice. As far as nostalgia or interesting stories, I would rather have photos of instruments and gigs.
Hell yea do it. Don't listen to these other guys. Use a screwdriver.... post pictures.
