gothpugs Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 (edited) What are your views on stickers, Vinyls, paintjobs etc. on your basses? I'm talking purely cosmetic mods, that have no effect on the bass itself other than its appearance. Personally I like the paintjob on my bass, its not professional by any means but I like the way it looks, I didn't do it but I'm considering adding some vinyls to it, to make it a bit more personal, however I don't like traditional stickers as I think its looks too messy as they tend to peel... I suppose I'm impartial, as my bass is only worth £60 on a good day, so I can't really devalue it by changing its appearance. So guys, whats your opinion? Do you like the fresh out the factory look, or something a little more personal? Maybe a fancy strap is as custom as you get.... Let me know! Edited August 28, 2011 by gothpugs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime_BASS Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 I don't mind it. My favourite bassists old signature model came with stickers on, and a different set on the 5 string model, made it truely different from any other fender. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_Stu Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 Tasteful paint-jobs like the one in the pic, yeah, usually look pretty damn good; but I do really hate to see a bass covered in stickers, I always assume the player to be a kid trying & failing to make a statement or other, such as "I'm rad", or "I'm individual". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gothpugs Posted August 28, 2011 Author Share Posted August 28, 2011 [quote name='Big_Stu' post='1354224' date='Aug 28 2011, 11:59 AM']Tasteful paint-jobs like the one in the pic, yeah, usually look pretty damn good; but I do really hate to see a bass covered in stickers, I always assume the player to be a kid trying & failing to make a statement or other, such as "I'm rad", or "I'm individual".[/quote] I agree with you on the traditional "stickers" that tend to be papery crap designs that peel and rip... but what about vinyls? They can be intricate designs, damn impressive and they're not as prone to fraying/peeling, when put on right they appear to be painted on they're so neat. It is easy to go overboard though, and I hate people who cover the bass from fret to body in a collage of crap stickers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_Stu Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 [quote name='gothpugs' post='1354235' date='Aug 28 2011, 12:12 PM']... but what about vinyls?[/quote] I've only seen the ones that Rick parfitt was doing; which I wasn't impressed with, and also the "photo-flame" finish that Fender was doing years ago, I think that was the name, they were printed finishes under a poly finish, which looked good from a distance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gothpugs Posted August 28, 2011 Author Share Posted August 28, 2011 [quote name='Big_Stu' post='1354241' date='Aug 28 2011, 12:17 PM']I've only seen the ones that Rick parfitt was doing; which I wasn't impressed with, and also the "photo-flame" finish that Fender was doing years ago, I think that was the name, they were printed finishes under a poly finish, which looked good from a distance.[/quote] When I refer to vinyl, I don't mean the full body "skins" I mean literally vinyl stickers/transfer such as this... (courtesy of google) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_Stu Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 Aaah OK, Naah a sticker is a sticker, it's the patchwork quilt look that I don't like, wouldn't occur to me what it's made of. Stickers like that belong on cases, not instruments - IMO of course - but I am very precious about my babies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
risingson Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 I remember my first bass was completely pasted with stickers! I loved it, I even had a sticker of Woodstock from Snoopy on the back of the body. Nowadays I wouldn't dream of putting stickers on my bass, although I do very much love the idea of going through life with an instrument that is unmistakably your own 'creation', having had some kind of unique paint job or underlying feature that makes you as a player instantly visually recognisable. You don't really see that anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismuzz Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 Stickers can look good on a painted bass, not a natural finish one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Savage Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 Second from left is my first 'gigging' bass, the look worked perfectly for the punkier stuff I was doing at the time; I now go in more for the decal like the one on the Tele in the middle as I'm all mature and classy now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdwardHimself Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 I love the job you did in the pic! As you say, the bass isn't worth masses of money anyway so it's not really a big deal what you did to it. As long as it's not particularly rare or vintage i'm not really fussed either way, people can do what they want. I suppose it really goes with the look, if you're into quite a punky man then you might want to go for the whole stickered look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blademan_98 Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 I wouldn't put them on my bass but I have no problem if others do. Each to their own. I also would not buy a bass with stickers on in case they were hiding some major defect Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike Vincent Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 Do it.Make it your own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbayne Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 Paul Simonon has been doing it for 35 years! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 It's a bit like bumper stickers on a car or many of the tattoos that are around these days. You either think, "That's cool" or "He's a tw@t". Do you really want to risk being on the wrong side of the line? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike Vincent Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 [attachment=88106:sticker.jpg] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime_BASS Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 I like Mark hoppus' octopus design on his signature he uses live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan2112 Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 I've had a few stickers on my jazz, but I think this one will stay [attachment=88126:jazz.jpg] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gafbass02 Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 I do like my stripes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duarte Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 I love my Sterling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ancient Mariner Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 Generally stickers look lousy, but that's because they're usually applied artlessly, with no eye for detail or style. OTOH something like Duarte's sterling has obviously been finished thoughtfully to create an overall effect. Not my taste, but good never the less. Gaf's racing lines also add to the overall appearance of his bass because they've been applied with taste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 I hear that stickers have a more natural sound than Vinyl. Vinyl sounds much more modern and some consider it clinical Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 [quote name='charic' post='1356155' date='Aug 30 2011, 12:07 PM']I hear that stickers have a more natural sound than Vinyl. Vinyl sounds much more modern and some consider it clinical [/quote] I prefer the static that you get from vinyl. I cosmetically modded my bass from this... [url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/xgsjx/2607131595/"][/url] To this... [url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/xgsjx/5840432981/"][/url] Still tempted to add some colour to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdwardHimself Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 (edited) [quote name='xgsjx' post='1356267' date='Aug 30 2011, 01:46 PM'][url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/xgsjx/5840432981/"][/url] Still tempted to add some colour to it.[/quote] looks gr8 nice amp as well, i wanted one of those but i ended up having to make do with a sh*tty old eden metro it seems (understandably) that no-one wants to sell one. Anyway no amount of stickers could possibly make a bass look as bad as this monstrosity: Edited August 30, 2011 by EdwardHimself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 The body of your bass looks like a drawing. Pretty cool if it looks like that normally. I thought the Eden Metro was a great combo? I've never tried one myself, but they appear to get a lot of love. I've had my combo for just over 3 years now & it's never let me down. There's one or two for sale on here for @ £650. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.