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Do you apply any custom decorations to your instrument?

#41
If we're distinguished between mods and decorations, then no. Kind of strange coz I might do all manner of things to clothes to express my individuality. Even got a vague plan to steampunk my dog(s). Can't really think of anything to hang on a bass that's really me.

Actually there was a leftover strip of duct tape from tidying cables stayed on my pick guard for a few months once.
 
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#42
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Fret illusion blocks, easily removable, about $12. And I peeled the vinyl sticker “pickguard” off the Dbird.

Luminlay glowing dots, DIY install, about $20 at the time.

A Darkglass sticker I may come to regret, but I was scratching up pickguard with my pinky nail. Why are pickguard made of soft material?

Gold knobs, bling!
 
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#43
So it really depends on what the bass is going to be used for. I actually have been into laser design and making some cool custom headstock decals, it is a lot of work but can be fun and they look tasteful!

As for stickers though, this old Ibanez I had I gave to my friend I loaded it with stickers... from fishing to anime it was meant for punk when I played a bit. My friend loved it I kind of cringe when I looked at that bass. However it is cool if you can turn the bass into a walking sticker machine IMO! In the future now though if I wanna jazz up a bass, decal or sticker I most likely will do it on the pickguard.
 
#44
Shenron said:
I wonder how common it is for people to apply cosmetic, non-functional changes to their instruments, to personalise it or make it look better if it's dull. Things like adding stickers, drawing something on the body or neck, partial/full repaints or anything else including attaching stuff.

I did that a few times on my first ever guitar (talking about 30 years ago*), which was a very blank-looking cheap Squier with black body and black pickguard. I once put green tape on it to emulate Van Halen, changed it for a while to silver geometrical stickers, and then put some little ghost figures on certain frets to work as more visible marker dots. I never did anything of this sort to my instruments after that first one.

*I remember seeing some pretty crazy stuff back then... from students of art painting incredible pictures on guitar bodies with permanent markers, to someone actually torching the body of his guitar to make it look it survived a battle
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Nope. I get the point, but I have the opposite perspective -- the bass will long outlast me (there are perfectly usable 400+ year old instruments out there), so why junk it up for them?
 
#47
I bought a Squier Bronco back in HS solely to do some crazy stuff with. I was really into the hippie aesthetic at the time, and dug the trippy painted guitars used by Clapton, McCartney, Glenn Cornick, etc.

So I shoddily sanded off the original finish, and rattled canned it neon pink and green sunburst, and sprayed the headstock gold lol. I had never spray painted anything in my life, so I knew nothing about sanding paint. It was so bumpy and rough, and pretty much drew laughs everywhere I took it hahaha.

Eventually I stripped it back to natural. The headstock, I covered in a tort adhesive backed acoustic guitar pickguard blank. That iteration looked pretty good, I thought. Nevertheless, I sold it before too long for something like $100 to some kid.
 
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#48
Shenron said:
I wonder how common it is for people to apply cosmetic, non-functional changes to their instruments, to personalise it or make it look better if it's dull. Things like adding stickers, drawing something on the body or neck, partial/full repaints or anything else including attaching stuff.

I did that a few times on my first ever guitar (talking about 30 years ago*), which was a very blank-looking cheap Squier with black body and black pickguard. I once put green tape on it to emulate Van Halen, changed it for a while to silver geometrical stickers, and then put some little ghost figures on certain frets to work as more visible marker dots. I never did anything of this sort to my instruments after that first one.

*I remember seeing some pretty crazy stuff back then... from students of art painting incredible pictures on guitar bodies with permanent markers, to someone actually torching the body of his guitar to make it look it survived a battle
Click to expand...

None. Ever. I have worn a few pins in my strap from time to time, and I have Pittsburgh Steeler logo magnets on my speaker cabs, as my gigs are always in the Greater Pittsburgh area. Trust me, it’s good public relations there.
 
#49
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Shenron said:
I wonder how common it is for people to apply cosmetic, non-functional changes to their instruments, to personalise it or make it look better if it's dull. Things like adding stickers, drawing something on the body or neck, partial/full repaints or anything else including attaching stuff.

I did that a few times on my first ever guitar (talking about 30 years ago*), which was a very blank-looking cheap Squier with black body and black pickguard. I once put green tape on it to emulate Van Halen, changed it for a while to silver geometrical stickers, and then put some little ghost figures on certain frets to work as more visible marker dots. I never did anything of this sort to my instruments after that first one.

*I remember seeing some pretty crazy stuff back then... from students of art painting incredible pictures on guitar bodies with permanent markers, to someone actually torching the body of his guitar to make it look it survived a battle
Click to expand...
 

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#50
One of my bass lost a pot knob once, wich I didnt realised in time (while unloading a stage I think), so I had to change another one to get the same model on both (I was not able to find an original one). But that and schaller straplock, that is about it, I do not mod or customise. Not even electronics.
 
#57
Having discovered that I'm most comfortable playing a specific bass uke, I now only use the RondoMusic Hadean 21" scale violin/Hofner Chinese knockoff that I have painted or veneered (some with shelf paper) by Pat Wilkins. I also added fake stick-on sound holes. I also have Eric's Guitar add an all metal fully adjustable piezo bridge, Kala/Galli flatwound nylon core strings, and HipShot License UltraLite tuners. I'm up to 14, which might stay that way since Rondo is not importing them anymore.

Bass Collection 14.jpg
 
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#58
Shenron said:
I wonder how common it is for people to apply cosmetic, non-functional changes to their instruments, to personalise it or make it look better if it's dull. Things like adding stickers, drawing something on the body or neck, partial/full repaints or anything else including attaching stuff.

I did that a few times on my first ever guitar (talking about 30 years ago*), which was a very blank-looking cheap Squier with black body and black pickguard. I once put green tape on it to emulate Van Halen, changed it for a while to silver geometrical stickers, and then put some little ghost figures on certain frets to work as more visible marker dots. I never did anything of this sort to my instruments after that first one.

*I remember seeing some pretty crazy stuff back then... from students of art painting incredible pictures on guitar bodies with permanent markers, to someone actually torching the body of his guitar to make it look it survived a battle
Click to expand...
Not typically, but I used to hang or wrap stuff around the headstock (under the strings). Examples include:
- A random blue and silver visibility strap I found
- My graduation tassels from high school and college
- A blue woven bracelet

Why? Don't know. There wasn't really any significance behind these items. I don't even remember when or why I first decided to. This started on one bass, but I would move these decorations to other basses occasionally as I used them.
 
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