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SHOW YOUR DISTRESSED FINISHES!
- Thread starter JIO
- Start date
Yeah, these are mine and my 2 best "jewels". A 1953 P Bass which I just bought in Jan. of this year.
A 1966 P. Don't have a photos of the back side which has really cool distress.
A 1966 P. Don't have a photos of the back side which has really cool distress.
ha ha ha ha..............good one!
Actually, my son researched this out and it says, Leo Turbans. It is written in Chicano Graffiti Font. The font date back to LA in the 40s or 50s.
I thought to make a 100% replacement guard for my '53 but I'm becoming fond of the Leo Turbans scratchings.
Hey, any knowledge or past sightings or this bass' history, please let me know.
When I bought this bass, it included the original Fender vinyl gig bag. So, I don't think that this 1953 "has fallen too far from the tree".
This '53 sat around in Guitar Center Hollywood for years with no buyers. They dropped the price 50% and even then no buyers until I saw it on line.
If not for the 2 day return policy, I'd never have bought it. After I got it and looked it over.........it was a keeper.
Everything original 100%, pots, even the screws and gig bag. Only one strike against it was the original bridge was removed and lost.
Fortunately, my son makes replacement phenolic saddles and Fender sells the bridge plate. My son distressed the bridge plate added a serial number and it looks very original.
Thanks for looking.
Last edited:
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,610
- 222,100
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
Beautiful wear/checking/chipping/aging - it sounds strange to remark such but there's wear, and then there's that kind of wear. No way to anticipate it - it just happened that way and is elegant in its redefinition. If I were to do a 'road-worn' look - I would use the lower bout wear as a template. What year is it?
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,610
- 222,100
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
Very cool (same B-day as mine!) Love the large barrel string ferrules. Interesting the high F is so worn - must have been used as a punctuation-mark over-and-over-and-over again over many years of gigging! These loyal & beloved beasts are filled with stories written in player specific hieroglyphics.
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,610
- 222,100
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
Not to side track the thread. Excellent comment that you make about the stories these old basses could tell. Just makes me disappointed that I was not the person to put all of these hieroglyphics onto the bass. But, happy to own this dinosaur.
I've spent days and days studying all of the wear marks on this bass.
As best as I can tell, the severe markings, wear and discoloration at fret #20 are the result of the bass being plucked off of the edge of the neck and most likely the thumb would roll of the strings and stop and rest on the wood at those spots on #20. Destroying the lacquer over time. How many songs and hours did that take?
Good eye, JIO!
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,610
- 222,100
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
The way I see it is that it's a continuum - passed along to the next player as I will eventually pass it along to another player. Sting and Bobby Vega feel the same way - monster players both who could easily put that kind of wear on a new bass over time but both chose the road-warriors they favor because of what those instruments have gone through and the result sonically of time and use. There are the closed-minded who poo-poo "mojo" and in most ways justifiably so as like most terms it's vastly exaggerated and flippantly used (like; "plays like butter", "vintage", etc.) But I know it is real - my '66 has it in spades. It's because these basses have been played professionally every year since when they were new and as wood is organic and porous it absorbs vibrations, sweat and the constant human contact. I would never trade my bass for a pristine '66 - pretty to look at but side by side my bass would blow it out of the water sonically.
I've posted it before here - sorry for the redundancy
Original owner played with a horn band - a lot (B-flat fret-board wear)
Burwabit
Likes guitars that tune good and firm feelin women
Here's a distressed jazz I put together with a Warmouth body and Mexi Fender neck. Nice and light at 8 pounds even.
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,610
- 222,100
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,610
- 222,100
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
