My guess is that 90% of all dings are caused by drummers.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
The first ding....
- Thread starter Wolfenstein666
- Start date
My guess is that 90% of all dings are caused by drummers.
That's a bummer. I made my first ding on my ray34 last week. I bumped it on an aluminium pole. I just kept telling myself that it's not where I hit it and this ding was there for a while.
Me too. I'm very careful with my basses, I even try to put my bass back in it's case on breaks between sets, but IMO dings from a gig, especially in clubs, are inevitable, no matter how careful you are. I'd say most of the dings on the front of my bass, or on it's headstock were done by my mic stand being knocked in towards me by a drunken dancer.
I have a humorous gig story: I was playing a bar gig in my very early 20's on a small elevated stage. I had no other choice than to put my mic stand down on the dance floor right up against the stage. I was playing my beloved Rickenbacker, which was my only bass at that time. This drunk guy kept knocking the mic stand into my headstock. This happened about 4 or 5 times, and I asked him to dance away from the stage. He kept doing it, and I noticed he had chipped my headstock pretty bad. I was so pissed off, I stood right on the edge of the stage, and the next time he knocked my mic stand over, he received a healthy stomp kick to the side of his head. He never bumped into my mic stand again.
A friend of mine reminded me of doing this, he said: "Dude, remember that gig where you kicked that drunk in the head?!! That was awesome!!!!" 
To the OP: That first ding is always the worst to deal with.
A couple of years ago I bought my first fender jazz, used but in like new condition, the previous owner must have kept it in a glass case, was proud to bring it to the studio and show the boys the beauty I had found, took it out of the case and handed it around as they said it was hard to see that it was not brand new, great, so lets do a few tunes and see how it sounds and records, pop the strap on and flip it over my head, I let go the bass to grab the instrument cable, and the strap also decided to let go the bass !!! .... PA-TAING on the hard wood floor, bounced a few times before comming to rest at my feet, nobody said a word, just looked at each other, not what I had in mind for breaking in a new bass ! I picked it up, checked the neck, the machine head, neck body connection, all is good, no cracks, some real good dents and punch marks in the body and head, I looked at the guitarist and said, `I'm glad we got that overwith right from the start`, it survived the beating ! he answered Its a Fender, now lets play.
I just got my first paint chip on my Rickenbacker as well!
I sent it into a friends shop, and it came out with it. No words were exchanged about it, as I didn't notice it until I got home.
It hurts my heart, but It's one nick closer to being that beautiful Road Worn Ric I want to have when I'm 50.
I sent it into a friends shop, and it came out with it. No words were exchanged about it, as I didn't notice it until I got home.
It hurts my heart, but It's one nick closer to being that beautiful Road Worn Ric I want to have when I'm 50.
on your way to this:
If Rickenbacker came out with a distressed, road worn 4000, I would seriously consider buying one. It would make a great beater for rough gigs.
Last edited:
My ex used to insist that I should just ding each new bass, as I got fairly upset at myself every time that happens. "Just get it over with"
Guess she's my ex for a reason.
Guess she's my ex for a reason.
i've been following this thread with both amusement and empathy: aren't we all funny (fun?) for worrying so much about the inevitable?
when i have a brand new instrument: i really like the 'new and shiny' aspect and i don't want anything to detract from that pristine condition. but then i play them, ding them (or worse) and i end up loving them for their imperfections and 'road wear'.
so i always end up at this: it's gotta play well, no matter the looks! although those dings can hurt, i have to come down on the side of the group that is advising 'not to worry about it, s*it happens'.
when i have a brand new instrument: i really like the 'new and shiny' aspect and i don't want anything to detract from that pristine condition. but then i play them, ding them (or worse) and i end up loving them for their imperfections and 'road wear'.
so i always end up at this: it's gotta play well, no matter the looks! although those dings can hurt, i have to come down on the side of the group that is advising 'not to worry about it, s*it happens'.
I was listening to a band a couple years back and the bass player had an older Jetglo 4003. That thing looked like it was shot at and hit! It was roadworn in a bad way! But that bass had one of the best sounds coming out of it I had ever heard come out of a bass. You could hear the bass no problem in every song and it just reeked of power! During the break I went over and introduced myself to him and telling him how nice it sounded. He asked me if I wanted to try it so of course I said ok! It was so rough and the truss rod cover was missing and one of the truss nuts was bent a bit. But it played like butter! There is something about a bass that has been well worn, used and loved! As far as my Rick however I try to take good care of it and not ding it up, but if I looked hard enough I'm sure I could find some defects somewhere caused by me! Its inevitable!
In 1992 I bought a brand new Yamaha Attitude LTD in blue, got it home and my first daughter dropped a toy truck right onto the face of it, I was seething, although didn't shout at anyone. Roll forward to 2007 and I bought a brand new B.C.Rich customshop Widow bass, hung it on the wall and there it stayed (too many basses). One day I walked past it and one of my other 4 kids (no idea which one) had put a very small ding in the front of it (very noticable on a jet black bass), I have grown up, shrugged my shoulders and thought "____ it". When it comes down to it, they're all just wire and wood of varying costs, there are far more inportant things to worry about
lol....don't worry, you just customized your bass.
I didn't think dents and dings bothered me all too much and really, they don't. I bought an Ibanez TMB100 from MF, a scratch and dent special for much less than the new price- wanted to try out the bass but was a cheapskate and couldn't pass up the opportunity to get a desired bass for nearly nothing. Well, the "ding" was bigger than expected, it almost looked like someone with an icepick stabbed at it. Couldn't get over it that gouge so I put a sticker over it. You can see it in my user pic.
I didn't think dents and dings bothered me all too much and really, they don't. I bought an Ibanez TMB100 from MF, a scratch and dent special for much less than the new price- wanted to try out the bass but was a cheapskate and couldn't pass up the opportunity to get a desired bass for nearly nothing. Well, the "ding" was bigger than expected, it almost looked like someone with an icepick stabbed at it. Couldn't get over it that gouge so I put a sticker over it. You can see it in my user pic.
