Carving initials into bass

[blowinblue]

Have a care, Grasshopper. Time is not on your side when it comes to tattoos. That galleon you had tattooed on your chest in your twenties will be sinking by the time you reach my age. Roses which a young woman may have tattooed on her pneumatic blisses will be long stem roses once she reaches retirement age.

Well, fellow Grasshopper, you're preaching to the choir. Neither myself nor Mrs. 'blue have any tattoos. Nor would we ever get any tattoos. My humor regarding permanent markings put into things (basses, humans) could have missed the mark. But maybe I missed your humor. If so, well played.

M. M.

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

Whatever it takes to get you there!

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[misterCRUSH]

Not sure how I feel about this. I put the name of each bass and it's birthday on the back of the headstock with a sharpie, but it is easily removed with acetone if I need to sell it. I guess I should be more committed, I have my wife's name tattooed on my arm after all. I own a wood burner, maybe I should go that route. Definitely extremely pleased with my basses at the moment. More than ever before actually.

 

[Nightman]

There is a custom built bass with my full name on it floating around. Of course the name is in the neck pocket and only seen when the neck is removed.

 

[J Posega]

Do whatever you want, it's your stuff.

Too many people on TB are worried about resale value.

 

[GretschWretch]

Well, fellow Grasshopper, you're preaching to the choir. Neither myself nor Mrs. 'blue have any tattoos. Nor would we ever get any tattoos. My humor regarding permanent markings put into things (basses, humans) could have missed the mark. But maybe I missed your humor. If so, well played.

M. M.

I too am tattooless. Until the nineties I always thought tattoos and body piercings were for pirates.

 

[Agent0]

Not quite the same but I did have Carvin (hey - "Carve-in"...sorry), engrave my initials on the truss rod cover plate of my 1995 Mahogany lined 5 string fretless with gold hardware. The guy who bought it in 2001 didn't seem to mind. I wish I still had it. I don't think I will say them, but my initials backwards spell a word. If it's out there in TB land let me know, lol.

 

[tothemax]

If you are trying to do it for ID purposes, do it under the pickup or in the neck pocket (bolt on necks). My first Strat a '77 Standard was marked and I never knew it until I upgraded the PU's. Under the center PU was scribed the original owners name and "Death to thieves". Still have it and not a bad way to add an ID.

 

[mini-milli]

I wouldn't do it on my own bass, unless I made it (or part of it)
I would totally buy one with someone else's initials if it meant a discount though.

 

[TDR1138]

Wow, this far and no Paul…?

 

[zubrycky]

I'm ok with that.

 

[Marc DLarosa]

I'll never sell it. Here's the story...
OK friends... Here's a REAL relic...

 

[feterpatch]

I have a 61 Melody Maker gtr with original case lined with LEVIS !! has the kids name a homeroom # written in it , Kinda Cool IMO

I agree. I have a '60 Silvertone Jupiter guitar. Its black with gold sparkle finish, which is in great condition. It has an old, skillfully made homemade case and fairly significant player wear in the cowboy chord positions. I assume it was the original owner who carefully carved their SIN (a sequence waaaay lower than mine) in the binding on the neck heel. Someone way back when loved this guitar dearly, and I feel like I have an obligation to let it never slip into a thrift store existence again.

 

[lordradish]

I would have had Mick Karn do it.

I might have made an exception for that.

 

[Jay2U]

 

[MVE]

I have a bunch of stuff carved into my Fender Power JBS.
But Ive had that thing since I was twelve and its been to hell and back. It once fell down a flight of concrete steps.
I was probably 13-14 when I read the BP article on Jamerson, so I had to carve “funk machine” across the back. There’s a bunch of other little reminders to myself of important things. Im not planning on ever selling it and I think it looks cool.

 

[BadSanta1281]

Make it yours.

 

[J-Bass RMR]

I like a good story

OK, not "initials" and not "carved", but close enought;

On my '64 P, the original owner had a Dymo label on the neck plate.
He was careful enough not to do something that was permanent - or so he thought...
The label was removed before I received the bass, but it left his name permanently etched it into the plate.
Pretty cool!
I couldn't figure out why it he would put 'Custom Made By Fender For..."
Then I found out it was originally ordered as Lake Placid Blue!
The bass was re-finished when I got it. I probably wouldn't have been able to own it otherwise...

Below, I added a sticker to a recently acquired '71 P where the original owner had etched his name directly onto the neck plate...

The one time I lend out one of my basses, I get it back, and the guy wrote his name on it!
Thank god he didn't carve it in! (I've been meaning to try some naphtha to see if I can get it off)
In all fairness, he might have thought it was his...

 

[DwaynieAD]

TB doesn't like anything

Ftfy

 

[swarfrat]

If you are trying to do it for ID purposes, do it under the pickup or in the neck pocket (bolt on necks). My first Strat a '77 Standard was marked and I never knew it until I upgraded the PU's. Under the center PU was scribed the original owners name and "Death to thieves". Still have it and not a bad way to add an ID.

Except it didn't work, apparently.

I stuck a fingerprint in the finish of my warmoth in the cavity but it was just for fun. The cops barely care about murder in some places. Your $500 in a pawn shop bass is not on their radar except as some paperwork to fill out. Pictures, serial numbers, it's got to be something someone who doesn't really care about your bass can verify by looking. They're not going to run PCA DNA analysis on the tiny drop of blood you placed under the finish under the bridge of your $500 bass if you claim it stolen. (Even though that cost less than I'd imagined - google says about $250. Still...)