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Scratches = Character?

#21
I look at Willie Nelson's acoustic guitar that literally has holes worn into the top from so much play. That to me is character. All of my guitars and basses are kept in mint condition. No scratches or dings. I won't where a belt when I play and I even tuck a polish cloth in the front of my pants so the button on my pants does not scratch my gear. With that being said, about two years ago I was playing at our church and had to go adjust something at the soundboard because our sound tech was gone that week. Someone grabbed my attention and I turned to speak with them. When I did, the body of my bass hit the table that the mixing board sits on. It knocked off the paint in two very small areas. Freaking ticked me off too. It still bugs me when I see it but fortunately, I am planning on having the bass repainted soon anyway. When I originally had it repainted the first time, the guy did a very quality job but did not match the paint color that I asked for. I told him that I wanted the bass painted a metallic red or candy apple red and he thought I said crimson metallic for some reason so my bass is now a kind of a metallic maroon color. It looks good and is very unique but I don't want it that color and I now have two dings in it so it must be repainted.

To be honest though I might be a little anal with keeping my gear in the shape that it is but every piece of equipment that I have, I have purchased myself. Even as a kid, my parents or family never bought one piece of musical equipment for me. In their defense, I never asked them too. Had I asked as a kid, they may have but I always wanted to pay for my gear myself but as a result, that is why I have always kept it in the care and condition that they are in.
 
#23
Gio S said:
If worn is cool, why aren't racecars all beat up looking? They are surely driven hard and for a long time.
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Not a good comparison.
Racecars get rebuilt from the ground up before each and every race. Often times between the time trial and actual race. Heck, Top Fuel dragsters have their engines totally taken down and rebuilt after every run. A brand new engine only makes it down the 1/4 mile a handful of times before its scrapped.

Are you going to replace the body/neck of your bass between gigs? or after the smallest scratch?

There is a difference between well used and neglected. I wipe my bass down after use. But stuff happens so i'm not going to buff and wax out all the scratches or repaint due to deep scratches.

Dings, dents and scratches are all part of playing bass. It adds character.

New and shiny is nice but if it doesnt have a ding or scratch, its never left the case.
 
#24
Gio S said:
I do everything I can do keep my gear looking new and to re-furbish used gear I buy. It's respect - like a mechanic for his tools. In a good shop the tools are all spotless... Sure, you are going to get a scratch or ding here and there, but to me - worn = carelessness.
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That's exactly how I view both my playing stylistically as well as my basses... as a "Craftsman" who needs much more than 1 bass, just as a carpenter wouldn't only keep a hammer in their toolbox - as a bassist who's played a variety of styles, I've learned that I certainly need more than one bass, one tool in my toolbox. While I've always been of this mindset, I'm certain that my fairly recent upgrade in basses from a larger amount of lower/midrange instruments to a smaller amount but far more high-end "keepers" that I can't imagine on selling.

I can absolutely understand and respect the differing mindset that "Scratches/Dings = The Player", but all I can say is that that's not how I feel about nor treat my basses... and they're not the only items that I feel the same way about: my CD collection is easily 95+ percent scratch-free. I suppose that I'm simply anal in taking care of the items that I have a special connection to, and that I've worked hard to get & build up.
 
#25
I always take care of my gear as much as i can. Always clean the bass and put it in the case between playing times. But if ding arrives, that doesn't bother me so much. i hope i would play this bass in 2040. Each ding or scratche will be a part of our history, but i will always take care of her a much as i can.

I like worn instrument, but only real old farts. Can't understand the "relic" thing. :eyebrow:
 
#26
I remember several years ago about a '72 or 3 fender J on the ebay. the bass was VERY worn. Body had some paint still left on it, the laquer on the neck was totally worn off from the headstock down to the 7-9 fret. Needed new frets too. The bass, what I remember, still sold for a couple grand. the seller didnt make any excuses and said it was well played and played hard at over 40,000 gigs.
 
#27
40000 gigs? hmmm 40000 / 365 = 109.something... so he had a gig everynight for 109 years if he played only one gig a night... 54.5 years if he played two gigs EVERY night.... wow methusela can play bass?
 
#32
Jay Ralston said:
All of my guitars and basses are kept in mint condition. No scratches or dings. I won't where a belt when I play and I even tuck a polish cloth in the front of my pants so the button on my pants does not scratch my gear. ... the body of my bass hit the table that the mixing board sits on. It knocked off the paint in two very small areas. Freaking ticked me off too. It still bugs me when I see it but fortunately, I am planning on having the bass repainted soon anyway... I had it repainted, the guy did a very quality job but did not match the paint color that I asked for...It looks good and is very unique but I don't want it that color and I now have two dings in it so it must be repainted.

To be honest though I might be a little anal with keeping my gear in the shape that it is but every piece of equipment that I have, I have purchased myself. Even as a kid, my parents or family never bought one piece of musical equipment for me. In their defense, I never asked them too. Had I asked as a kid, they may have but I always wanted to pay for my gear myself but as a result, that is why I have always kept it in the care and condition that they are in.
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so many people, so much idiosyncrasy.

Jay,when I was reading your post, I wasn't thinking the word 'anal' that you used, but I did think I'd use 'picky' in my reply. Here you go: this makes me think you are picky ;) Well my woman tells me that I'm picky to some detail (which means: in rare cases when I'm really interested). Like last night, I re-did the copper shielding on my 55-JJ because I didn't like what it looked like :) or, like the other day, Doug AKA Basspraiser (whose signature reads 'Lakland Addict') called ME a Lakland geek, LOL, for thorough description of differences between Lakland USA and Skyline.
Well anyway, like you, I've always earned all of my gear. It is true that those were the first POS guitar and bass that my dad brought home; but, firstly, it was because he had played in a school band and he was interested; secondly, that stuff was total crap and I didn't play them a week.
I've bought stuff new and old. In fact, I tried to buy new stuff since I thought it could make me feel cool. The truth was, it didn't, and I realized I'd spent money for nothing. Also, that trying to keep the thing look untouched is too freaking embarassing. New became old anyway and that's the nature of things.
So instead, I try to get awesome used stuff at great price. I also try to stay away solid black finishes because they work as a fingerprint pad, especially under the stage lights. True, I had it on 2 of my Laklands, 1 brand new from the factory, but I got them at a steal of price. Actually, the new one is a B-stock with a dent on that can't be seen unless yo're inspecting the edge of the headstock, and I got it for the price of a used bass.
The bottomline? My stuff is for playing. True, getting the first scratch, whether on my bass or car (rather expensive one, but I got it for a steal of a price) does piss me off. Man, right now a window is broken by some punk, and I just received a spare part from Moscow that longed for two weeks. But, really, jerking each time I get scratches would disturb me from playing, driving, and, finally, living.
 
#33
bigntasty said:
I treat my bass like I treat my car - I try to keep it scratch-and-dent-free as long as I can. Then, when the inevitable ding happens, I call it "character" (as I grit my teeth and shake my head). :(
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that's what I'm talking about. Man, my wife's new car was a little scratched when it was parked and noboby was in it.
Man, her mother's Lexus was scrathed just yesterday: no big deal, some paint scratched off the rear bumper, and the car barely has couple thousand miles on it. That's not welcome at all. But that's life.
 
#36
__HM__ said:
Nothing could possibly be more personal than a guitar you bought new, and wore out yourself.
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This. It's kinda like tattoos or scars in that each ding, bump and scratch tells a story.

My '95 ATK was mint when i got it. While it isn't in bad shape by any means, it has its fair share of wear. But i love it! I can remember when most of the non-buckle-rash scratches were made and it brings back great memories.

The SX PJ i bought last year is juuuuust starting to get some bumps and bruises! :hyper:


But, like tattoos, it's not everyone's thing. To each their own.

As for the relic'd issue... again, i just say it's just a prefferance. Not my thing... but if it makes you happeir to play bass, then i am all for it!! :bassist:
 
#38
There is a difference between USE and abUSE though.

A few LIGHT scratches and some "swirlies" is ok. The wearing out of a finish from sweat/use is also ok. A slight ding because you accidentally bumped it against something is also ok. Naturally these things will happen if you're actually using your bass, especially gigging.

But if you really care about your instrument, whether it's a cheapie or high end boutique, you will take care not to bang it around, drop it, or play it right after eating greasy chicken wings without washing your hands!

No excuse to have DOZENS of dings and deep scratches on a guitar you've only had a year or 2.

But the worn, used look of a 20 year old guitar is acceptable (and does give it some character).
 
#39
buying a new bass with scratches and wear spots is like buying jeans with holes already cut in them dumb

now if those are there because of use already- so for instance- a guitar from the 80s that has been used extensively and shows some of it, that's fine

I still prefer my stuff to look new however
 

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