Does how a bass looks matter to you?

[svtb15]

I was actually talking with lee sklar right before i got that bass. we were talking about the way basses look.. we both had the same conclusion .. So i got it
Its a custom Alleva Coppolo It was a paint job copy of a Harley Gas tank that Jimmy saw while driving on the the PCH..
Its Sparkle!!! Lots of Sparkle Large flake too

...says the guy with a tie die guitar for his avatar...

 

[JimmyM]

...Says the Henry Ford of bassdom. ("Any color you want, as long as it's black...")

Well I do have a few in other colors besides black/black/maple. But dang, Jeff...I look so good with it

 

[Shortie]

Love sunburst & Tort

But tort is not just about looks - it's about the sound.

 

[MasonMinor]

Lemme guess.

punk rock?

Nope haha. Geddy Lee teardrop tribute.

 

[Jeff K]

Well I do have a few in other colors besides black/black/maple. But dang, Jeff...I look so good with it

Ha ha!!! Well then, black it is!

My problem is that I've tried just about every color imaginable. Can't find a-one that makes me look anything on the positive side of hideous...

 

[packhowitzer]

Do you... sniff... your bass?

well i played so many smoky bars in the 90s that my stingray - yes my bass, NOT the case - smelled like smoke. So while smell comes after sound, sight and feel, yes i have sniffed it a time or two.

 

[elgranluis]

Of c

 

[Osiris-stars]

I think it honestly depends on preference. I have no issue playing a bass with an old paint job/ or for upright basses, I have no problem rocking a bass with paint chips, or slightly worn sides. So I will really play anything with a good sound and feel!

 

[gkbass13]

Definitely matters to me.

 

[drumsnbass]

I have now figured out the only color I seem to not like is black.

 

[pica]

I'm not going to buy a bass if I don't like how it looks.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

I have bought ones I didn't like the look of, and ended up selling them later, LOL.
I recently had a Cort that was really light, only 8 lbs.
Then I found a Yamaha in a pawn shop that was cheaper & so much prettier.
I brought the Yamaha home & tired it out, and the pickups were also quieter than the Cort. I'm not sure if that was inherent to the controls or the pickups, but it was enough to convince me to ditch the Cort.
So the next day I swapped all the better parts from the Cort to the Yamaha & when I was done I called up my gal pal & gave the Cort to her for use in the school where she teaches.

So now the Yammy has a high mass bridge, chrome knobs, Schaller locking buttons, and chrome flats. I wanted to swap the machine heads too, but it would have meant new holes & unsightly old ones showing.
Oh, the Yamaha was 1/4 lb. heavier than the Cort, before swapping the bridges.

 

[rockinrayduke]

Has to be aesthetically pleasing as well as functionally pleasing.

 

[jd56hawk]

I guess I'm a bit shalow, but the visuals of the bass matter the most initially. I don't care how it sounds. If it's butt-ugly, I'm not touching it.

I feel the same way about most other things, as well.

If I don't like how it looks, why would I bother even picking it up?
There are plenty of basses that catch my eye when I walk into the store, no need to bother with something visually unappealing.

 

[StraffordMike]

Beating a dead horse here, but it all depends on the bass. I am a self-admitted vintage, Fender-style snob, so I would never play an ultra modern looking boutique bass regardless of the ergonomics or tone. However, I've used a Gibson RD Standard for years purely based off its tone and feel even though I thought it was butt ugly when I first got it. I've grown to like it's looks and it's vintage looking enough, but I still feel a bit self-conscious with it at some gigs. But even when I try to use my Fender at a gig, I always end up going back to the Gibson. On the other hand, my dad has a great sounding and easy to play Beatle bass copy lying around, but I'd never play it in a live setting regardless of how vintage it looks.


And anyone who says looks don't matter at all probably also wears Crocs

Crocs with socks?

 

[plav1959]

I don't care what my bass looks like. That's why I own a Rick

 

[Bassic Playing]

Yes. There are so many choices why not get one that looks awesome. (and by that, I mean a thunderbird).

 

[wideload]

A bass has too at least be as pretty as me, or I won't touch it. Leaves a lot of room to choose, though...

 

[Korladis]

A lot of people say looks don't matter.

But I doubt most people here would play a bass with a big veiny dick graphic as the finish.

More realistically, I bet a lot of people here wouldn't consider playing a BC Rich Warlock, even though some models of those are basically P-basses in all but body shape.

 

[Mediocrity Man]

Life's too short to play an ugly bass.

With that said, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. What's beautiful to some maybe ugly to others.