Bilbo Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 I get that they are to stop scratches appearing on your bass but I just find myself asking, who plays that chaotically that they hit the bass hard enough to scratch it there as opposed to anywhere else? Even if I played with a pick, I would still struggle to scratch a bass there. Now, if I played with a Black and Decker a la Paul Gilbert, then maybe there would be a chance of a nick or two but, in 25 years, my scratchplateless Wal has managed to avoid being scratched where the scratch plate would have been had mine been a Fender or a Musicman. Who are these scratchy bass players out there causing choas and the need for flat bits of plastic protection? We should be told. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crez5150 Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 You play Jazz though Bilbo..... so you fingers and picks are made of felt! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blademan_98 Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 I lent a guitar to a chap who managed to scratch it where the plate would have been :-( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doddy Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 (edited) My favourite thing about them is that on some instruments it narrows the gap between the body and the strings slightly,which I find to be more comfortable when 'popping' the strings. If there is a massive gap ( like on the Lodestone basses) I find it uncomfortable. Edited March 21, 2011 by Doddy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveK Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Cos without it my Precision wouldn't look like a proper Precision, and the knobs and socket would be dangling by their wires It was probably easier and cheaper to mass produce Fenders that way, and being as Fenders are the most copied... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wil Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Scratchplates are for holding your plectrums, arent they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrenochrome Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Guilty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earbrass Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 [quote name='SteveK' post='1170642' date='Mar 21 2011, 01:39 PM']Cos without it my Precision wouldn't look like a proper Precision, and the knobs and socket would be dangling by their wires It was probably easier and cheaper to mass produce Fenders that way, and being as Fenders are the most copied...[/quote] So it should really be called a "gubbins-hider". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowdown Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Shame Jaco ain't around these days, You two could have made babies together. Garry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommorichards Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Maybeit was something to do with the nitro finishes being easily scratched, then it became mainstream.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slipperydick Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 (edited) Theres a bald patch above the P pickup on my Bass Collection where my thumb has worn the paint away, started to appear within months of me buying the bass. Wouldnt be there if there was a scratchplate, would it. But as has been said, its more likely just a convenient and cost effective way of mouting the pots and pickups / cover the routing etc. Edited March 21, 2011 by Slipperydick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el borracho Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 My G&L has an area below the G string (as looked at when playing) that looks like it has been flatted. I'm guessing the previous owner played a lot of slap and caught the body there a lot??? It's right in the middle of the area a scratchplate would cover. Can't say I'm really bothered about it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jezzaboy Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 They were invented so that, in the future, people would post on basschat questions like "where can I get a scratchplate" or "which scratchplate will fit my P bass." More than likley they were thought up to hide a dodogy bit of routing on early Fenders? Jez Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gafbass02 Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 [quote name='Earbrass' post='1170654' date='Mar 21 2011, 01:45 PM']So it should really be called a "gubbins-hider".[/quote] Genius! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevB Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 When I got my US jazz S/H I noticed that there were a lot of scratches on the plate in an area below the G string, I don't know whether the previous owner played a lot of high register stuff and kept missing or what...I've had it about 4 or 5 years now and the plate looks exactly the same as when I got it so I know I've not personally contributed to it. I think I put more marks in wiping them down than actually using them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robocorpse Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Most famous example I can think of, regarding usefulness of scratchplates Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommorichards Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 [quote name='KevB' post='1170952' date='Mar 21 2011, 05:31 PM']When I got my US jazz S/H I noticed that there were a lot of scratches on the plate in an area below the G string, I don't know whether the previous owner played a lot of high register stuff and kept missing or what...I've had it about 4 or 5 years now and the plate looks exactly the same as when I got it so I know I've not personally contributed to it. I think I put more marks in wiping them down than actually using them.[/quote] You get that popping the G string. it happens on my basses a fair bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvin Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 [quote name='Earbrass' post='1170654' date='Mar 21 2011, 01:45 PM']So it should really be called a "gubbins-hider".[/quote] Brilliant. And what a fantastic word gubbins is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassbloke Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 [quote name='jezzaboy' post='1170940' date='Mar 21 2011, 05:22 PM'][s]More than likley [/s][b]they[/b] [s]were thought up to [/s] [b]hide[/b] [s]a[/s] [b]dodogy[/b] [s]bit of [/s][b]routing on [/b][s]early[/s] [b]Fenders[/b] Jez[/quote] Fixed it for you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 (edited) [quote name='Bilbo' post='1170611' date='Mar 21 2011, 01:16 PM']I get that they are to stop scratches appearing on your bass but I just find myself asking, who plays that chaotically that they hit the bass hard enough to scratch it there as opposed to anywhere else?[/quote] i do the scratchplate on my jazz is covered in scratches from where i've played chords heavily. and i don't see it as playing chaotically - it's just the way i play. Edited March 21, 2011 by ahpook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Rich Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 I think they're to stop you damaging the finish on your vintage 1960 stack knob jazz: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx2lza1Rb0U"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx2lza1Rb0U[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry_B Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 You don't have to play a bass chaotically for them to appear. Play the strings in a normal way several hundred times and you're going to get some marks being made by the plectrum below those strings once in a while. It adds up over time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aLxbass Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 I think that most bass guitars have them for abit of decoration! If my precision didn't have a plate, it wouldn't looks half as sexy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matski Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 [quote name='Jerry_B' post='1171489' date='Mar 21 2011, 11:59 PM']You don't have to play a bass chaotically for them to appear. Play the strings in a normal way several hundred times and you're going to get some marks being made by the plectrum below those strings once in a while. It adds up over time.[/quote] This man speaks the truth! [attachment=75482:scratches.JPG] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watchman Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 [quote name='SteveK' post='1170642' date='Mar 21 2011, 02:39 PM']Cos without it my Precision wouldn't look like a proper Precision, and the knobs and socket would be dangling by their wires [/quote] You beat me to it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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