Why do people mess up good basses?

[mdogs]

Ya, this rant to me, is like the people who won't use X brand of strings because they have "read" that it eats their frets as if that is somehow more important than getting the sound they need. They are just tools people, you use them and when they need repair you repair them and if you choose to "customize" them, who cares...

 

[the wako kid]

I saw something a while back where someone had taken a Carl Thompson bass and modified it into some sort of H. R. Gieger-esque horror. That was heart-breaking.

Edit:

Here's the picture

that is some steampunk sickness!that is modification to the point of art.

in regards to OP: personally,I wouldn't do it with a musicman,mainly because it's not a bass I would buy anyway,but it's like those people who take a mercedez and f*** it up by customizing it.sure it reduces the resale value,but it's meaningful to you and you payed for it,so who cares? Musicmans are the kind of basses you just don't really get rid of,because of how much they cost,so he doesn't really need to worry about the resale value on a bass he'll own for the rest of his life.

 

[bassinzombie]

I'm in the let-them-do-what-they-want-cuz-they-paid-for-it camp here. I'm about to get my brother (and artist) to do a painting on the face of my cab. God forbid, if anything ever happened to my brother then I would have something close to my heart that I could take out and play with. Whats even cooler is that he's done every single piece of art for my bands and we've even collaborated on designs. I'd think it an honor for him to draw over a piece of my gear. But that's just me!

 

[DanGouge]

Just remember that there's probably no worse offender in this category than Geddy Lee with the 60s Precision he hacked into a teardrop shape.

(Not hating on Geddy or anything, but it really was an insane and I think even he admits now.)

 

[A-Step-Towards]

I butcher fender/squiers for fun

 

[Jazz Ad]

The CT mod is fantastic.
It indeed looks much better than stock models.

 

[Martiluk]

Possibly it was because they love the bass so much they want to prevent themself from ever selling it?

 

[BurningSkies]

that is some steampunk sickness!that is modification to the point of art.

in regards to OP: personally,I wouldn't do it with a musicman,mainly because it's not a bass I would buy anyway,but it's like those people who take a mercedez and f*** it up by customizing it.sure it reduces the resale value,but it's meaningful to you and you payed for it,so who cares? Musicmans are the kind of basses you just don't really get rid of,because of how much they cost,so he doesn't really need to worry about the resale value on a bass he'll own for the rest of his life.

If you look carefully, the bass itself doesn't look like it's been altered, that this is all overlay on top of it. There's a very good chance that the instrument remains in original condition below all the brasswork. The CT fanboys can stop their crying.

 

[Ayce]

As the (very) old saying goes, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder"

I had put a Chevy "Heartbeat" sticker on the upper horn of my old Samick FL5, because I thought it looked cool. It blended in so well, it looked natural. (My Guitard got the other one of the set and put it on his black Gibby SG.)

I have seen many "art" jobs done on instruments that, in my eye, looked horrible, but to their owners, they looked good and they liked them.
To me, it depends largely on the quality of the work, even if the media is Sharpie. (I've seen some pretty nice sharpie work, too.)
It can reduce or increase the resale value, depending on how well it was decorated.
It's yours, do what you will.

P.S. That CT bass looks like it was made for/by the Borg.

 

[Ronbassman]

You should file a complaint with P.E.T.M.I. (People for the Ethical Treatment of Musical Instruments)

 

[Reigninblood]

It bothers me more when fanatical players wax n polish their basses. To me my instrument is an extention of my imagination, if I wanna add my own creativity to painting it, stickering It, whatever thats my choice.

 

[bass4worship]

I'm guilty of destroying basses, I'll take any of my basses and mod them to my liking. I'm not out to impress others because I own a certain bass. That my right. About resell value I don't care because I got it to enjoy.

 

[TigerInATrance]

I said the same thing to George Harrison and Eric Clapton when they went about with that silly painting on their guitars...

Then when I saw that John Lennon had stripped that beautiful Casino... Well, some sharp words were exchanged.

 

[Dostradamas]

I butcher fender/squiers for fun

I would even sand off a "classic" color to get what I want.
But then I am kinda a dou#$$.

 

[JonahTheAmazing]

Why does anyone feel entitled to the well being of other people's property? And threatening because of a drawing on a bass? Please don't. What makes this even more ridiculous is the fact that it is a MUSICAL INSTRUMENT. You hear it. That's what you're paying for, so I don't really see any problem in drawing on your own bass. Does the sharpie ruin your tone?

 

[mcblahflooper94]

Hey, I completely disagree. You can do whatever you want to your bass. It's YOURS, I'd you feel like drawing on it, I say go ahead. Jaco did.

Would I do it to a bass of mine? If it was a really crappy cheap noodle bass, I would. I painted a First Act I lug around purple and scratch out the paint to make drawings. It really gives you a different sense of your instrument, when you feel like it's yours.

 

[Bassamatic]

Hey - Someone has to ruin the resale value of their instruments so others can buy them cheaply!

 

[BassPlayer900]

Ya, this rant to me, is like the people who won't use X brand of strings because they have "read" that it eats their frets as if that is somehow more important than getting the sound they need. They are just tools people, you use them and when they need repair you repair them and if you choose to "customize" them, who cares...

+1

Although I am one of those people about strings... (but I just play for fun, so it doesn't matter what strings I use as long as I like them. But if I was in some sort of band where that tone is needed then I would use them).

 

[Bassist Jay]

I will agree that I don't get it when people take nice gear and trash it all up with stickers or bad paint jobs or misuse or permanent markers but it is their gear so they have the right but as for my stuff, I try and always keep it in as close to mint condition as possible.

 

[esa372]

I have never understood why people do this and I never will.

Because we live in a "I should be able to do whatever I want" culture; that's why you're seeing so many comments like, "He paid for it; he can do what he wants with it".

So, a person with enough wealth can go spend 250K and buy a beautiful, one-of-a-kind art piece just to take it home and pee on it, and our cultural values will say, "That's his right!"

While it may be true that it is his legal right, it also makes a clear statement about his inner values and principles. The modern Western mind seems to be sorely lacking in the ways of dignity, decorum, awareness, and stewardship.

Welcome to the zeitgeist of the 21st century.