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Have you ever destroyed a bass by accident?

S

Sleeping Giant

Guest
Aug 3, 2011
70
4
London
www.youtube.com
#1
When I was 15 my dad gave me one of his Fenders for my birthday. It was a beautiful mid seventies Jazz Bass. Sunburst with block inlays in a rosewood neck.

It was my first bass. I didn't know how to look after it properly.

One night I left it leaning against the radiator. I found it the next morning with the neck warped beyond repair. It was twisted and bowed. I look back now with real regret.

Hove you guys ever done something similar?
 
#8
Yes. About 5 years ago I was not playing with any regularity. I left a '98 Fender P in its case in the same room with the wood stove going 24/7 throughout an entire winter. I had forgotten about it and did not take precautions to humidify it properly. That next summer I discovered that the neck had warped beyond repair.
 
#9
I haven't. But one of the most sickening things I've seen as a musician (I was playing guitar at the time) was the bassist putting his prized Gibson T-Bird on a stand that wasn't set properly. As he walked away the bass, as if in slow motion, tipped forward and crashed to the floor, snapping the headstock off. I think all the musicians wanted to cry at that point. (He did manage to get it fixed.)
 
#10
Have to say, sure have! Was coming out of a gig a few years ago. Big snow storm hit while we were playing. After the show I put my bass/gig bag over my shoulder and walked down the loading ramp till I hit a patch of ice and my feet went out from under me. Landed right on the bass! I didn't even have to open the gig bag to know it was in more than one piece.
 
#12
Yes... 2 of them actually. First was my Synsonic bass that I thought it would be cool to tune up a whole octave without changing the strings..... DOH!

The other was my ATK305 that I decided to strip and repaint. I think I still have the body hanging arround somewhere. I keep it as a reminder not to do stupid things like that again. :-)
 
#14
I broke a guitar.

My buddy just picked up a hollowbody Gretsch. Beautiful guitar. We were jamming for a while, then he switched to drums (also a very good drummer). He granted me the honor of playing his guitar. So we played a song or two, then at one point I was like fixing my hat, and the guitar fell off the strap (no strap locks). It landed right where the cable goes into the input jack. We were like...OH GOD. I played a note and it still worked, so we were happy, but I turned it over and the input jack was completely inside the guitar. It broke through the body.

He tried to get it fixed but it was never the same. This was probably 3 years ago. I honestly thought our friendship was over. I mean clearly an accident but he had just gotten it, and it was the first new instrument he ever owned.

So fast forward to a couple months ago. I see the exact same guitar for sale here on TB. I bought it for him and shipped it to him as a surprise. He texts me a string of expletives. Haha.
 
#15
Through modification, yes. :D ... By accident, no.

Being very poor when I was a youth, I tried to turn my first bass, a Peavey Fury, into a Stingray... I wish I had taken pictures of the carnage. I laugh about it now, but at the time it was terrible... By the time I was old enough to have a job, I was smart enough to buy a Cutlass. Not smart enough to keep it though...
 
#16
My god... No, no, never did such a thing...
Some cases of bad luck:
my '85 Ibanez (my first "good" bass) fell down a stairway because the case opened by itself: only scratches, but now it's truely relic.
Last year, while in jail (I was there as a teacher, not as a guest...), the strap came off the button and my nice little Squier CV P smashed on a concrete floor: now it's relic'd too.
But years ago, 1996, coming back from a gig (not far away at all, just half an hour from home, I didn't even drink) I fell asleep while driving. That truck was way harder than my old Opel. I had to throw away the car, but my beloved double bass only had the neck taken away. It's still my one and only (I'm pretty faithful about double basses, not the same about bass guitars - note for girls: yes, now I'm happily & faithfully engaged with my woman). BTW, I didn't get seriously hurt then, nor the pianist who was sleeping too, just scratches. But since then I always drink some coffee before leaving.
 
#17
First new bass I bought, Fender P, before the days of flight cases came close to destruction. It was onto of a pallet of our gear being offloaded at a small airport and the skip loader was in a hurry when case clipped the metal shed doorway, spun around in the air and landed under its wheels. The corner of the case was crushed and the case popped open. It missed the head stock by an inch. I was a wreck but my ax was fine.

Funny thing, I didn't replace the case for a month or so, used bungie cords to close it up and tape to seal the holes.
 
#18
I was playing a Squier P Bass (a cheap backup at the time to my main Fender P). Long story short, I was running to the answer the phone and tripped over my dog (who accidently ran into me) who thought it was play time because I was running. I fell forward and the way I was holding the bass caused the head stock to drive right into the hard floor. It split pretty much all the way across right above the nut. No one was hurt...well besides the bass. I ended up selling the body and electronics to a local guy for cheap. Just glad it was this bass and not my main....I would of killed the dog! :p


Ha ha kidding, I love my dog. I have been more careful since then though.
 

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