Show Me Your Beater Bass

[fnordlyone]

Does it make it a beater if one puts stupid stickers on it? I really don't give a chit what any of my basses look like… so I guess I'll never decorate it with stickers. But, I guess that means I do care what my basses looks like…
All mine were bought for under 200 bucks, yet I wouldn't scar them or mistreat them in any way.

image1_zps5510c572.jpg
image1_zps5510c572.jpg
Photoon8-21-14at746PM_zpsc5a365f7.jpg
Photoon6-20-14at1113PM_zps82ae77b9.jpg
Photoon6-20-14at831PM_zps87bd0d0a.jpg
Photoon9-12-14at1218AM_zps0003f0e3.jpg
fnord!

 

[KramerDon]

is that a spector? i wouldnt exactly classify that as a beater if thats the case

Yup it's a made in China Spector,one piece bolt on neck but plays and sounds good,or as good as any bass can sound with me playing it!!LOL

 

[MuthaFunk]

Here's my main rock slum gigging bass.

I built a MusicMan 2 band preamp for it plus added a passive tone knob. I relic' all the hardware to look like it's been to hell and back, and I throw it at the drum kit every chance I get. Our drummer will sometimes trash his kit to finish off a good night.

This ol boy plays like a dream despite all the abuse I put it through. And yeah, it stays in the car some nights after gigs. Our Canadian winters don't seem to bother it.

I have dread locks so this makes more sense when you see me thrashing it around on stage!

In reality I do weekly rock gigs so this bass gets more gig time than my Fbass BN5, Fender Jazz, or '63 Pbass.



Link Removed

 

[Deleted member 264575]

Here's my main rock slum gigging bass.

Love the "strap lock" (lol!), dot markers and the electrical tape. Speaking of Canadian winters, my beater (THRAK) doesn't have a case. I keep it in a sleeping bag good to -60°! It's probably a good shovel if I get stuck in the snow, too.

 

[Deleted member 264575]

Does it make it a beater if one puts stupid stickers on it?

To me, putting stickers on it doesn't make it a beater. I think a beater is a bass you can put stickers on and not care about it. Reminds me, I have to re-glue my sticker.
PS: If you don't see the fnord, it can't eat you.

 

[MuthaFunk]

Love the "strap lock" (lol!), dot markers and the electrical tape. Speaking of Canadian winters, my beater (THRAK) doesn't have a case. I keep it in a sleeping bag good to -60°! It's probably a good shovel if I get stuck in the snow, too.

It's funny because I have legit strap locks under the tape. The tape is there because it looks like I'm a starving musician who brings the Rock and less like I have a great job that pays well.


Link Removed

 

[Deleted member 264575]

It's funny because I have legit strap locks under the tape. The tape is there because it looks like I'm a starving musician who brings the Rock and less like I have a great job that pays well.


Link Removed

LMAO!

 

[fnordlyone]

To me, putting stickers on it doesn't make it a beater. I think a beater is a bass you can put stickers on and not care about it. Reminds me, I have to re-glue my sticker.
PS: If you don't see the fnord, it can't eat you.

touche

 

[emf818]

My Beater as it is loving know is also a Silvertone bass, I modified it and gig with it often.

View attachment 492179View attachment 492183

Here's my Silvertone, Not nearly as colorful.

 

[Bob_Ross]

You know that bass you leave in your car, don't have a case for, and love it but kind of hate it?

That's a beater bass. And I want to see yours!

Uh, well, I don't have a car, so I couldn't leave a bass in it if I wanted to...and all my basses have cases. Hmm... "love it but kind of hate it"? The closest thing to this definition of a Beater Bass would probably be my Lakland Skyline 55-02D

...because if I had a car I could leave that bass in it and if it got stolen, I can just walk into the nearest Guitar Center and buy an identical instrument.
All my other basses are essentially one-offs, unique, irreplaceable. The 55-02D is the most generic bass I own.
But I still don't beat on it.

 

[Clark Westfield]

Here is my beater, a $60 Craigslist find.

It had a Pbass neck on it which I sold and put a Jazz neck on. Cost was nothing after the Ebay sale.

This is my work, back yard by the BBQ, back up at gig bass.

It is also my experimental bass to noodle repairs and mods on.

I put CTS pots in it because one was shot, so I honed my solder skills on this sucker.

Sounds great, plays great and is in pretty mint condition.

If it gets wet or bumped, no worries.

There is a total of about $80 invested.

 

[armybass]

This bass serves as a beater bass and double duty as additional counter space in the kitchen or bathroom when needed.

 

[Rob L]

ok check out my beater.. A 73 pbass I bought here on talkbass quite awhile ago. When I bought it I was told it had a ton of Mojo! Was a nice selling point. Whatever it has this bass sounds great and plays fantastic. It really has grown on me and I love how it looks. I don't think I will ever get rid of this bass or if anyone would buy it but it is a gem.

 

[_jojo_bass]

This is my beater. She's a little Cruise bass by VMI. 30" scale. Lives in my car. Doesn't sound great, but it's always there for that last second jam.

 

[Deleted member 264575]

I don't have any good pics of my other beater, yet.

My Signature Chris Squire 4001CS Rickenbacker. #365 of 1000. I got a bad cure on the lacquer coat. It went deep amber, in patches within a year. It's a very deep amber now, with incredible checking. The pick-guard cracked. The chrome is really worn. I've got literally thousands of hours on it. I used to (and sometimes still do) 4 hours a day on it. Oh yeah, the lacquer is also peeling off the fretboard. I emailed Ric about a re-finish (I'd pay). No response. Years ago, I tried removing the lacquer on the back of the bass, with fine Emory cloth. The original colour is under there (a nice light creme). I thought about doing a restoration project. Most people say 'leave it' (great 'Yes' song, btw). Maybe one day I'll post closer pics. I try to play it every day. It sounds and plays fantastic and that's all that matters to me. Also, I don't have to be real careful with it. I do love my beater Ric. It's name is Excalibur.

Cheers,
Neal.

 

[ericdanger13]

CanadaNeal that's one of the coolest rics I've ever seen! Never change that color!

 

[Bob_Ross]

I have never been so attracted to a p-bass in my life! Mojo indeed.

 

[Rob L]

I have never been so attracted to a p-bass in my life! Mojo indeed.

I really love that bass. When the guy was selling thats what got me, the looks. The bass is really a great player!

 

[abarson]

Silvertone LB11
Couldn't stand it being all black with the original pickguard, so this "happened".

 

[Malak the Mad]

Silvertone LB11
Couldn't stand it being all black with the original pickguard, so this "happened".

That, dear sir, is a whole lotta blotter paper at work!

Here's my beater/traveling bass…a now-discontinued Squier Standard Jazz. (I am such a sucker for matching/painted headstocks!)

To be more accurate, this is a pic of the first Squier Standard Jazz I owned. I traded it for a Candy Apple Red VM Jag Special to give to the daughter of a friend (one look at a pic of that red Jag and she was in love!). Later, I started missing it something fierce, so I started combing through Craigslist via Search Tempest (great way to scour ALL of Craigslist, by the way!) and I found the same model and color scheme.

Nowadays, it lives in a RoadRunner gig bag comes with me whenever I go on a multi-day work trip. The only mod I did was to install a Drop-D tuner I had lying around and change the strings. I might tinker with it a bit more…we'll see.