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Do Stickers Make a Bass Trashy?

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Flea and his wonderful modulus. So no, it makes it cool, in many instances :D

i think i remember reading somewhere that its a custom paint job. It looks sweet though !
 
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I like stickers on the pickguard, not so much on the body or neck. If it's on the pickguard you can aways change it out.

I did however take gaffer's tape and spell out "PARTY" on the back of my bass for fun. It looked awesome when I would flip my bass up during a breakdown.

Depends on your style and taste.
 
On my Ric? Hell no.

On my Peavey? Possibly. It's ugly anyway.

I've got a guitar actually that's got tons of stickers on it. I didn't feel bad because it was hideous when I got it. Flat black and beat to hell. Cheap.

For me it just depends on the instrument and how nice it is, and what the stickers are and how well they'd work with the look of the instrument.
 
Billy Sheehan's Wife

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These are some badass basses and I wouldn't consider them trashy at all. The stickers don't add anything practical to the tone or playability, but certainly to the vibe and mojo. ;)

As has been said here before stickers, like relicing or signatures are just variations in the finish of a bass. No different than a paint job or whatever. If the look and "mojo" does it for you then why not? Of course some of the practical aspects have been pointed out like fading and peeling. And this paint-sticker connection can be noticed in Flea's bass which is apparently a paint job imitating stickers.

And while I'll admit that any bass finish is an artistic creation that must stand or fall on it's own and the skill of the artist, I personally have a personal philosophy when it comes to reliced/ roadworn basses, basses signed all over, and basses with stickers. And that philosophy is that in each of these cases this form of decoration is best when it tells a true story. It's so much cooler in my view if YOU put the wear on the bass or YOU personally met and had each artist sign the instrument so that each signature has a story of who when and where. I'd want my stickers to likewise be there to tell some kind of story, you know, the way people used to do with steamer trunks covered with all the places it had been. Only it's a modern age and you now can cover a bass with stickers of all the places your MIND has been. Dig? But to me, while I'm sure basses with lithographed signatures or stickers all over it have a place, it's no where near the mojo of a similar looking bass that has actually paid its dues!
 
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Well, if you are heading to your gig at Carnegie hall in a BMW with a bumper sticker on the back that says "Honk if you're horny!" Then I think it's totally appropriate for you.

If you're heading to Carnegie Hall with stickers on your BMW and girls are honking at you then YES BY ALL MEANS, sticker that baby lol....

Eddie Van Halen... the famous taped guitars... Pete Townsend... Sex Pistols...

My brother had a bass guitar that he stickered out and it looked pretty cool. He passed on and I hung his bass on the wall. When I see those stickers I get misty eyed when I think of all the shows we went to and he bought those stickers after the concerts... I will never remove them.

I hope you post your bass again after you add stickers. thanks for sharing :bassist:
 
It CAN be OK, but the stickers have to be REALLY cool and rare or otherwise difficult to come by. Preferably they are free, given away at shows or found on the street.
Stickers that come with strings, automotive air filters and electronic items that don't run windows do NOT qualify as cool.
Indy/ unknown band logos in particular, album art, punk/ rock/ vintage metal/ swag and fringe political or activist organization logos are among those which DO qualify. It MUST be something that 'Joe Blow' can't get for nothing at some retail store or purchase online with a few taps on a smart phone. This is not my opinion; this is FACT. There MUST be some effort in the collecting, or else it has no worth, and is thus un-cool.

: D
 
If one is talented on the electric bass, that is pretty much license to do whatever to their bass...as in Flea's case, the talent overrides the aesthetic. If one is not so good, it makes them look like a huge jackass when they slap stickers of obscure bands they probably never even heard of on it.... BUT, some very talented jackasses have stickers on their basses too though. So yeah, it's negligible.
 
It CAN be OK, but the stickers have to be REALLY cool and rare or otherwise difficult to come by. Preferably they are free, given away at shows or found on the street.
Stickers that come with strings, automotive air filters and electronic items that don't run windows do NOT qualify as cool.
Indy/ unknown band logos in particular, album art, punk/ rock/ vintage metal/ swag and fringe political or activist organization logos are among those which DO qualify. It MUST be something that 'Joe Blow' can't get for nothing at some retail store or purchase online with a few taps on a smart phone. This is not my opinion; this is FACT. There MUST be some effort in the collecting, or else it has no worth, and is thus un-cool.

: D

Meh. Anytime someone follows their definition of "cool" with "This is not my opinion; this is FACT." my "whatever" filter kicks in. Same as when they give an opinion then follow it immediately with "close thread".

Lets face it, if you are cool (and not just trying to appear cool), what ever floats your boat will be cool, too. So paper over your bass with stickers from automotive performance parts, or daytime talk show hosts (where's my Oprah sticker and my Dr. Oz sticker?), or better still cover your bass with stickers from bands like ABBA and Pat Boone! If you are cool and have some talent with your bass, people will dig you and by extension, your gear.
 
i think is easy, if you want stickers on our bass.....put stickers on youir bass...who really gives a crap what anyone else says........if they can tell you the best bass for metal, or if you should run with all tubes or solid state, if they can tell you who makes the best fuzz, but not really over driven distortion, or what compressor is better than the next, if they can tell you weather or not you should shoulder the load of and 810 or a 410 and a single 15, or maybe just 2 15's....then i would listen weather or not you should do something as arbitrary as adhering a sticker to your own personal instrument.