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Yes, I think all natural can be very ugly sometimes......for example
There are some fantastic colour finishes, both custom and stock. My 4003 is jetglo and I love the finish.
When I was shopping for my most recent bass though, there was just something about natural wood that grabbed me despite how many times I revisited the various colours.
There is an inherent beauty and individuality with the natural finishes. Each has a unique fingerprint of wood grain straight off the bench and (for me) a "no BS, strictly business" look about them.
When I was shopping for my most recent bass though, there was just something about natural wood that grabbed me despite how many times I revisited the various colours.
There is an inherent beauty and individuality with the natural finishes. Each has a unique fingerprint of wood grain straight off the bench and (for me) a "no BS, strictly business" look about them.
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While waiting for this thread to devolve and be locked... Here is a detail photo of one of my natural finish basses. I keep my eyes closed while playing it. What an eyesore!
Edit: The back of this bass's body:
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I have 2 natural - different animals..
The first one is Squier VM P. They called it "amber".
the other one is TUNE
each on their own rights... However, some of Squier "natural" colors look like oak hardwood floor. That's not exciting to me.
The first one is Squier VM P. They called it "amber".
the other one is TUNE
each on their own rights... However, some of Squier "natural" colors look like oak hardwood floor. That's not exciting to me.
Personally not a fan of natural finishes and lighter colored stains. I like a nice dark stain sometimes though, depending on the bass. If you want color but don't want the boring black (nothing against boring black- that's my go to, I own two guitars in boring black!), try Keda Dye. I'm using that on my latest build, it's gorgeous. You could also try ebonizing the wood, I've had good results with that.
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
I don't know about it being locked; it's not about ugly basses, it's about whether we like a certain finish option which I think is relevant.
Personally, as much as I love maple boards, when I see a classic style instrument (be it a P, a J, a Ripper, or what have you) rocking a body that looks the same light-wood color as the neck and headstock, it weirdly turns me off. Same hasn't happened seeing things like Warwicks all done up in wenge/ovangkol so I dunno, it's very specific.
That said, I have shifted back to loving solid finishes, especially like a nitro style with a little bit of wear.
Personally, as much as I love maple boards, when I see a classic style instrument (be it a P, a J, a Ripper, or what have you) rocking a body that looks the same light-wood color as the neck and headstock, it weirdly turns me off. Same hasn't happened seeing things like Warwicks all done up in wenge/ovangkol so I dunno, it's very specific.
That said, I have shifted back to loving solid finishes, especially like a nitro style with a little bit of wear.
I have one of the same model Squiers. I believe they chose soft maple for the body in order to get a reasonable looking natural wood at a reasonable price point. I’ve seen examples that looked really good and others that had mismatching pieces that looked a dog’s breakfast. To get modern finishes off people gravitate towards heat guns and scrapers these days. Here’s mine to compare yours against.
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
Yep. If it's not spruce on the top of an acoustic guitar or bass, it should have a color. Ash looks really awful. Maple looks pretty good with a clear finish. But mostly, natural finish looks like it belongs in a tacky 1970s van.
I only own one natural finish bass (my AVRI '75 Jazz), but I really like it.
IMHO, a natural finish needs nice grain, even figuring from top to bottom & side to side, and no over-aging of the top coat.
Bottom line? You either love them or not.
What really drew me to this bass was the tone, the playability, and the weight - it's the lightest ash-bodied Jazz I've ever played.
IMHO, a natural finish needs nice grain, even figuring from top to bottom & side to side, and no over-aging of the top coat.
Bottom line? You either love them or not.
What really drew me to this bass was the tone, the playability, and the weight - it's the lightest ash-bodied Jazz I've ever played.
I was never into natural (as a Fender finish), but then I stumbled upon a natural 1978 fretless P, it was a great player so I bought it. The finish has grown on me.
