To sticker or not to sticker?

[overdrivethree]

speaking of Watt...i kind of modeled my sticker approach to his, especially on his (now gone) white Telecaster/Frankenstein bass.

my black slab-bodied Squier II P, with a maple neck, is really as plain jane as you can get. so i took an old Who sticker, and printed out some pictures of stuff important to me (a blurry shot of my fiancee, a steel mill, a shadowbox at my best friend's house), and affixed them around the bass. it looks cool, without degenerating into total "punk" territory, and it's all things that have inspired me. i'll add more as i see fit.

my SX, with a clear coat and ash body, will stay un-stickered and will be polished/maintained. even though it's "cheap" it's still plenty nice.

 

[Fletch]

I've never been a fan of stickers but I thought this bass really needed something.
Before:

After:

The stripes are just electrical tape. I want to redo them in more of a competition style ala a Fender Mustang. I'd never do that t my Cirrus but I'm kind of liking it on this one.

 

[bigntasty]

Personally, I wouldn't put any kind of sticker on a bass of mine. Too risky to cause permanent damage, and I guess I'm more of a purist.

That said, I like Derek L's totally stickered bass because he plastered them on, causing that bass to take on a whole new personality!

 

[JPrinos]

I definitely wouldn't do it to my Ric, but on a $200 bass, no prob.
Sometimes, you just want to add that little something that says who you are:

http://www.hogtownh3.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hash_House_Harriers

Personally, I wouldn't put any kind of sticker on a bass of mine. Too risky to cause permanent damage, and I guess I'm more of a purist.

That said, I like Derek L's totally stickered bass because he plastered them on, causing that bass to take on a whole new personality!

 

[IbanezATK]

Vinyl. Vinyl. Vinyl.

I personally wouldn't put any stickers on any of my basses, but if you decide to try and go vinyl. They're easy to remove by just picking at it or with a blow dryer unlike a paper sticker which peels and leaves a gluey mess.

Exactly, my ATK has a hammer and sickle vinyl graphic on it... would you expect less of a bass named Stalin?

 

[IbanezATK]

Here is my Jazz up until a couple of weeks ago. I took all the duct tape and stickers off. Got sick of em. Just always use vinyl stickers and no paper ever!
Link Removed

Cool I've seen you guys play, I think with my friend Clay's band Black Market Ministry?

 

[SKATE RAT]

I bought my first bass in 1990.but i've been skateboarding since 1984.needless to say i covered my bass in stickers the day i got it home.but not just cheesey free **** but cool skate stickers (like Santa Cruz Jim Phillips stuff and old punk/hardcore stuff.) but i kinda outgrew stickers on my basses.( though not skateboarding and punk) so i peeled them all off and cleaned it with "Goo-gone".no damage to the finish.maybe 'cause it was white (EEEEEW!) (also the reason i covered it in the first place.) though i found a broken in half Vantage Flying V bass (also white) that was so f*#ked up i covered it in stickers to hide the repair.out of the ten instruments i own (8 Basses & 2 Guitars) this is the only one with stickers.it's your bass do what you want.

 

[Sijjvra]

This is my Ibby '97 sr300. The whole front of this used to be covered in these barcode stickers that I got from an auto factory I worked at for quite a while - the stickers used to go on some power steering brackets but they had a whole roll with the wrong code number on them and so I took them. Got sick of them one day and got all the stickers off with some glue remover stuff.

HOWEVER. This one on the back? Yeah, it's staying. Got this from the same factory. Ironically this has been the only bass that - despite the obvious rough playing and abuse - HASN'T been rejected stock (I'm having a nightmare of a time with new basses these past months, they all have terrible, terrible fatal flaws )

I wouldn't PERSONALLY sticker the one you have because wood finishes are so pretty, but if you don't plan on selling the bass and don't mind having to work a bit to get the stickers off if you ever get sick of them - meh. To each their own.

 

[mndean]

I never understood the desire to peddle other company's products on player's equipment. I hate logos on t-shirts and never put a sticker on my car, but if you put something on that matched your style/personality (ala Woody Guthrie), I don't see anything wrong with that. Putting stickers on to sell someone else's stuff without being paid, never understood that.

 

[Korladis]

I don't have stickers on any of my basses. They all look too nice.

The only instrument I have stickers on is this beater guitar I have, a "Quest" explorer copy I got a few years back with this scratched up flat black body and hideous yellow neck.

My Peavey P-copy I might put some stickers on soon. Only if I thought they'd really go with it though.

My other basses are too pretty.

 

[JohNLA]

I originally stickered my $100 Peavey to cover the many white dings on a black bass. I did end up removing them and just painting it. More pics in signature link.

 

[Eminor3rd]

Yeah I hate stickers on basses

 

[Thangfish]

 

[scrodzilla]

Here's a totally crazy notion: you should do what you want to do regardless of anyone else's opinion.

Now...anyone's thoughts on what I should have for lunch?

 

[MStrianese]

although it's your oppinion all I could say is I will never sticker a bass

 

[Thangfish]

Here's a totally crazy notion: you should do what you want to do regardless of anyone else's opinion.

Now...anyone's thoughts on what I should have for lunch?

I think you should have something burned on the grill, and washed down with cold beer.

Can I come over for lunch?

 

[steveinohio]

A sticker wont do anything. If you decide to take it off rubbing alcohol cleans it up easy.

 

[Drunk Heffalump]

I appreciate the discussion, even if it's over such a small matter.

I really appreciate that a lot of folks seem to think it's a nice looking bass.

Just to clarify again, I'm not talking about loading it down with stickers...just one strategically-placed sticker. Thought it might dress it up a little is all.

Oh, and BTW, the bass cost me $115. I plan to upgrade the bridge and nut (which are functional but pretty cheap) and I put new strings on it, but that's it. It plays great and sounds even better. Really surprising. By the time I'm done with mods, I'll still barely have over $200 in it.

I see what you mean the design of the pick guard gives the appearance of the instrument leaning 'downwards' and leaves a big blank spot between the p/up and the bridge. You could try removing the pick guard altogether and let that natural wood finish shine through.
BTW....NO STICKERS, it lacks class

 

[Mudfuzz]

Stickers are good for covering up missing chucks of sparkle red finish on pointy 80's Ibanez basses!

 

[JTE]

My personal opinion is that it's lame and utterly childish. And I'm not even one who really considers cosmetics when I buy instrument. But stickers are silly to me.

Thing is, it ain't my bass so do what YOU want. But if you have to ask and internet forum what to do with your bass, then I suggest you not do. That's because until you have your own sense of style it's even more lame than my knee-jerk reaction originally thought it was.

Now, if you want a Georgia Bulldog, a Betty Page pin-up, or a dumb-@$$ biker cross on your bass, get one profesionally airbrushed so it won't peel and fade. If you're gonna do something like that, do it right.

jte