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Would this grain mismatch bother you?
- Thread starter fourstringbliss
- Start date
Nope, your bass has evenly tone from low to high.....
Right, and that's the challenge. There is this one, with much more evenly matched grain between the pieces, but it's maybe too bland:
It's also 12 oz heavier!
Wouldn't bother me.
The fact that it's missing a string would bother me more...
The fact that it's missing a string would bother me more...
Well, it actually looks kinda cool in a way. It’s growing on me.
But it’s up to you. For me, looks are important, and they’re difficult to change (strip and a good paint job — either expensive or a lot of work, likely to include a lot of frustrating moments). For some other people, the instrument is just a tool and they don’t care about looks. Others want a beat up appearance, etc. It seems like (as with me) an instrument’s look is pretty important to you, so decide if you could like it for what it is.
I have an expensive Telecaster guitar that I bought where everything was just right for me except the see-through finish and wood grain. And, years later, I still have that same feeling I had about the guitar when I bought it — when I think about it, the look bothers me a little. There’s a ‘not thrilled’ feeling. And yet, it’s a nice guitar. And the look is actually okay (it’s almost right) and it plays and sounds like what I wanted it to…
What has helped is that some other people have specifically, without prompting, complimented its look. Viewed from a certain perspective, the unusual finish is actually a feature. It can help a bit to see it through someone else’s eyes. But without a major rework, it is what it is.
I could see some people specifically complimenting that bass
whether it would bother me depends on what i paid for the bass. i paid under $200 for a GSR100EXMOL, and the grain isn't even close. but it sounds good, feels good, and the neck is great, so at $200 or under, no problem.
at much more than that, i might have an issue.
on the other hand, basses i buy without seeing in person i buy from sweetwater or a private seller so i can see pics on the individual bass i might be buying.
at much more than that, i might have an issue.
on the other hand, basses i buy without seeing in person i buy from sweetwater or a private seller so i can see pics on the individual bass i might be buying.
I think it’s kind of a cool effect; but one I would never choose, all other things equal - but that applies to plenty of aesthetic choices that people love. I certainly wouldn’t see you play it and think, “man, that guy is shredding a really ugly bass” (most wouldn’t even notice in a show, I bet). I’m in the camp that playability, sound, and weight are most important, and in that order for me (if not switching basic sound and weight - you can do a lot with EQ and other stuff to affect sound). And budget is always a concern. Given an unlimited budget, I would want something I didn’t even question; on the tightest of budgets, I’d play something that looked a heckofalot worse, if it checked all the important boxes. I don’t know that anyone but you can be truly helpful anywhere on the spectrum in between; but if you have the budget, and if you are like me, my gut would say that asking the question answers the question - at a minimum, it won’t cure any GAS/BAS you have, or at least, it would not for me.
Plug it in, play it. If it doesn't feel right in your hands or sound right to your ears, return it.
If it feels great and sounds great, put all your others away, and play that bass really intensely every day until it feels like an extension of your body, and forget about the woodgrain.
Just play it loud and often.
If it feels great and sounds great, put all your others away, and play that bass really intensely every day until it feels like an extension of your body, and forget about the woodgrain.
Just play it loud and often.
From the front (with the PG in the way) the body looks like it's 1-piece; from the back I see a seam is pretty much centered on the D string.
Here's the 1-piece body of my 1978 Guild B-301.
Here's the 1-piece body of my 1978 Guild B-301.
How about this mismatched grain?
It’s been for sale for awhile. I wonder who will finally pull the trigger?
It’s been for sale for awhile. I wonder who will finally pull the trigger?
The grain doesn't bother me, the color mismatch between the neck and the body however...
not really my cup of tea.
