Do dings and scratches bother you?

[chungweishan]

I agree with the "first one" bothers me. It really depends on where the dent/scratch is though. On the neck, I'll feel it every time. Then it's just annoying until I finally get used to it.

I'm pretty clumsy, so it's expected. Which is also why I don't buy expensive gear (other than not having the money).

 

[ComesATime]

Paid $400 out of my own pocket at 15 for my MIM Strat. I came home and was playing it and, like a fool, I forgot I was wearing a watch. I scratced up the finish pretty nicely. Add in a few scratches and that, and I'm okay with it. I modded it out and made it a dream guitar--I love it.

My first bass was a '94 MIM Squier J that was my older brother's. It had already taken a few dents and dings, so it didn't bother me as much. The finish has cracks here and there, I think due to the heat and humidity of the summers and the cold and dryness of the winters that it experienced over the 10 years it sat in a basement closet.

About a month ago, my MIM Agave Blue P fell off the strap and smashed off the concrete floor, taking a nice piece of paint with it. I was (and still am) pretty heartbroken over that one, especially because the color has gotten extremely hard to find and is near-impossible to fix.

If it's a natural wear pattern, I'd be fine with it, but when dings just take out nice chunks of paint, I get a bit upset.

 

[gregmon79]

I would never spend more than a grand on a bass unless I was rich. And I'm not rich. Even a grand is seriously pushin it. If I played an expensive bass and fell in love with it I just may save up the dough and get it. Even then, I wouldn't coddle or baby it. I like basses that look beat up and weathered. I never understood why people want their instrument to be flawless. I guess I can understand why people want to keep them in good shape for resale value maybe. But why resell? Unless you really need money. I welcome dings and scratched, chips and weather. Adds a story and character. Everyone has their reasons. I have mine. I like em beat up.

 

[BigRedBassPlayer]

Yet another vote for only the first one.

 

[russpurdy]

If it was a coffee table bass like a beautiful Alembic or Fodera or something I would be choked to have a ding or scratch on an exotic piece of wood I spent a ton of money on. If it's on a Fender or similar bass bring on the scratches and chips.

 

[Mastermold]

Another first dinger here too. Also depends where it is. Dings on the neck can be a bother if I feel them when I play.

 

[zontar]

The first one kind of does, or bigger ones, but I get over it real quickly.
Especially when I've bought used ones and they already have some.

 

[Troels Schmidt]

No

 

[fnordlyone]

Funny. I finally went to a mirror with my Johnson by AXL 5 Longhorn strapped on last night. She's pretty with tobacco burst and I saw what it looked like. Damned if I still didn't look like a dork with a good looking bass strapped on… I bought it for the tone. I play it for the tone. I strap it on the body for comfort to find the tone. If it looked like a loud Hawaiian shirt, I wouldn't look more/less cool, nor care less.

fnord!

 

[PWRL]

They don't bother me. They will always happen to a bass I play.

 

[Bongolation]

It definitely affects the resale value, so dings are like knocking little pieces of money off the instrument.

Degraded value bothers me, yes.

 

[Davo-London]

I have a 76 Precision I've owned from new and it has a proper gouge out the back where the bass fell off a chair. I was seriously annoyed at the time. Now of course it shows signs of wear on the fretboard. But the body remains almost immaculate apart from this gouge. But it's my bass and that gouge is part of that bass's history. Now I also own a 64 which is in a shocking state, so I've got used that and I now like that look.

I also have an ABG, which is a Godin A4 fretless, and the mysterious gouge in the front cedar body looks a mess. So I guess it does depend on the guitar. The gouge was created by a mysterious member of my family who has never owned up!

Davo

 

[i_got_a_mohawk]

On a really pretty bass, the first scratch bothers me, but then I get over it. Lately, a lot of my basses have been used, so they came scratched already.

^ This.

Though it does annoy me if it picks up dings when someone else touches it.

+1 on dings in the neck being annoying, one of mine has a ding which is level with about the 5th fret, it's annoying to say the least!

 

[AaronVonRock]

No. I usually buy everything used, so there's some scratches and dings already on there. It doesn't bother me to add more.

 

[bodmin]

Just the first one.

+1, the same for anything new but which is meant to be used, car etc. It is pretty much inevitable that it will get something, but the 1st one really gets me....

 

[Lazarevicmass]

Dings and scratches adds soul to the instrument!

 

[Phalex]

On a really pretty bass, the first scratch bothers me, but then I get over it. Lately, a lot of my basses have been used, so they came scratched already.

This. It's especially irksome if you let your guitar player try out your new bass and when he goes to put it on, he lifts the headstock up into an overhead ceiling fan that's running at high speed.

I still get lots of mileage out of that one!

 

[garp]

When they’re my fault, no. When they’re someone else’s fault, yes.

 

[GKon]

They only bother me when I do it in an idiotic way. For instance, the other day I was taking my bass of its stand and banged it into the edge of the coffee table as I was thinking to myself "DON'T bang it into the edge of the coffee table". It was avoidable.

Scratching or dinging while playing don't bother me as much.

 

[the yeti]

Just the first one.

but generally no.