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Do dings and scratches bother you?

#43
On the body or anywhere else I kind of think of them as "character". But I have to admit any dings on the back of the neck just get into my head. They don't necessarily impact my playing at all but every time I feel them I notice them. It drives me CRAZY. I know it's all a mental thing but when my thumb or hand hits that little ding I notice it every time.:crying:
 
#45
All my basses have been used (and some abused), so no, scratches on them certainly don't bother me. If I get the new one I've been looking at though, I would try everything in my power to prolong it getting scuffed and dinged up. (and it's certainly not a high end/low end thing for me, I just don't like shoddy looking equipment because people higher up than me will and do condemn me for it)
 
#47
Phalex said:
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! :p
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I've done that to my own basses and guitars more times than I'd like to remember. The last time I was jamming at a friend's house I smacked my Lakland like that - he started freaking out about the bass and I was like, "is the fan OK?"

I certainly don't like getting scratches and dings on my stuff but it's not like I'm going to throw something in the dumpster over it. I usually get upset for an hour or two, then start to laugh, and eventually forget about it.

Sometimes it can even teach you a lesson - I had a strap with a metal adjusting piece (no idea what the proper name for that is) that over time scraped off a decent patch of finish on the bottom of my Ric whilst jumping around on stage. So now I avoid straps with metal part as much as I can or wrap the metal bit with duct tape and wear the strap backwards (which has now become a habit). Also learned not to use heavy steel clamps to fit pickup covers right next to a pretty, nitro-finished guitar.
 
#53
Phalex said:
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! :p
Click to expand...

Yeah, but it's pretty much worth it, isn't it? Name something funnier than a guitarist playing bass ...

Nope? I can't think of anything either.

At least when we strap on a guitar we can still play in time. (Not that we would, of course ... well, maybe at home when the wife's out and the curtains are drawn. But, God! Imagine the embarrassment and shame if you were caught ...)
 
#55
Hell no, scratches are fine by me. Heck, it feels strange when I pick up an instrument that doesn't have at least a ding or two, because I just know that it is an accident waiting to happen. Actually, I think that with the right level of surface damage, a bass can become a work of art. I want an instrument that can take a beating and still look good. Now I'm not talking about your typical dragged-through-muddy-waters blues strat, I' talking about a light texture, something glassy but not cracked everywhere, only a few dings. I really like a nice light relic, it seems to make everthing look better. Get too much though, and it looks like someone forgot in their basement. To each his own, I guess.
 
#58
I try to keep my basses in as pristine condition as possible. A minor ding here and there wouldn't bother me much but I wouldn't buy a bass that had the finish worn off in places or looked like it had been beat on.
 
#60
But it depends. If it's an accidental scratch then yea it will bother me for a bit but if it's from playing over the years and worn. Thats what gives a bass character. I want mine to eventually wear down to give it a nice broken in look.
 

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