The first ding....

[P. Aaron]

I play a Precision V & a Dimension Deleuxe 5. Both bought brand new by me. I gig them most every weekend and they have gotten marred more than dinged but, in the course of using the tools in the company of dignitaries and drunken fools and the sometimes "get the hell outta Dodge" pack-ups and rehearsals and general practice, these things happen.

I am over it. That tone keeps me happy.

 

[jp58]

Could be your strap if it is put away in a case with the strap on.
Mono strap will definitely ding your bass.

I can attest.

 

[Johns Bass]

Dings? How about cigarette burns on the headstock at the E string.
...and you didn't put it there...

 

[Reverend179]

Now you can forget about the next 40 dings, scrapes, and scratches, and just play! You're finally free!

 

[Savage Hippie]

That 70's show! My fav tv show besides SOA. I remember when i was 16, and my new T-bird got it's first ouchie. Truly tragic

 

[el_Bajo_Verde]

IMO basses are meant to be played, not babied! Take care of them, but dings happen.

 

[aprod]

That is why I leave them in their cases until needed.

 

[Mr_O'B]

IMO basses are meant to be played, not babied! Take care of them, but dings happen.

IMO, they are meant to be played and babied! I saw a well known endorsed bassist set his 6- 7k on a stool "All Willie Nilly" and walk away without a care in the world.
Free or not, a person should not be careless with their instrument! Things may happen, but it's easier to live with when you have
not been careless!

 

[bmax]

I take care of my instruments as well as I can, but between practice twice a week, studios and gigging dings are bound to happen. The first one is always a bummer though!

For me, the first ding is always a relief! Finally I can stop walking on eggshells and actually ENJOY this thing!

 

[bmax]

Though, I wouldn't say I'm careless. Bumps and scratches around the house are more rare now that I bought some hangers to put my instruments up on the walls.

 

[RichardT2112]

I agree. Something about a ding in the Ricky just makes you grit your teeth...like you're putting ketchup on a steak or something.

I use to have a RIC loooooong ago. That poor thing had been thoroughly abused before I got my hands on it and it showed. Dents all around, pickups that weren't quite in the right place and this enormous buckle rash on the back to go with the faded white (it was more of a yellow color)

The look certainly matched the sound though and it still played like a dream.

 

[Bassheart365]

I dingless bass is a neglected bass!

 

[zontar]

The first one can hurt--btu I have also bough used gear that already has dings--so that helps too.

 

[Honch]

Oh, I thought it was a Dingwall... are there more dings to them than any other brand?

 

[interp]

That can be fixed. The only place I'm overly concerned about dings is on the back of the neck where my thumb can feel it when I play. They drive me nuts, whether the bass is brand new or 50 years old. Found a couple of barely detectable ones on my new Marleaux a few weeks ago. I sent it back to Gerald to be repaired. Still have a couple on the body. They don't bother me.

 

[ubernator]

One of my Warwick's got a mystery ding, pulled it out of the bag one day, and there was a 1/4" wide and about 1.5" long indentation, like what a rubber fishing worm leaves when exposed to a non worm proof tackle box.

The mystery is, most of it is under the strings. I figured it was the truss rod tool in the accessory pouch, but how it could make a continuous mark with strings in the way is beyond me.

Aliens!

 

[RickyWoo]

Aliens!

 

[TinIndian]

I have a p bass I built, alder, nitro Lake Placid blue. Was working on it one day and the Phillips screwdriver slipped out of my hand. Made a nice little cross in the finish. Oh well, that's why I went with Nitro. Wanted it to wear and get all those interesting little marks in it.

 

[GnarwhalNick]

Even though I said I like my bass with some character, every time I accidentally smack it on a low ceiling (I have a bulkhead running over my amp in my room from a duct and I can't tell you how many time I've smacked the head against it), a door frame, a mic stand, etc I always have the same reaction - I stop and insect it for a solid few minutes and then realize nothing is wrong, maybe just out of tune a little bit and I keep on going lol. I do get worried that one day I will completely destroy a bass from being so careless... Maybe I just need a bigger space live and jam in haha

 

[DreadyDiggs]

Tools get battered and abused. The amount of times I've bought a brand new mechanic's tool and the first time I needed it I had the nastiest hands possible are infinite. If you work your gear, regardless if it's bass gear or whatever, wear signs will show soon enough.

As long as everything still plays I don't care about dings, dents or scratches too much. If one is new to me, I'll inspect it, but I don't feel no type of way.

Back in May I played a big festival and ended up using my work van to carry my rig and basses to the festival. I played my SR305 for one set out of six. When I got it home, I realized I must've sat it in the van wrong. The bass knob is bent, and cannot be turned, so my bass boost is where it's at haha. It'd be a problem if I didn't like the setting, but I do, so I am in no rush to fix it. But I was a little bummed when I saw that I did that, for a total of about 2 minutes. It still played and sounded the part, so meh, rocking the bent knob.