the downside to buying a 'good' bass....

[Lozz196]

[quote name='Musky' timestamp='1343201174' post='1746780']
Play it. Enjoy it. Gig it.

If it picks up a few dings and marks along the way (which it will), then so be it. It's natural to want to keep your bass as pristine as is humanly possible, and the first will annoy you greatly, but you'll get used to it. The second, third and all the rest will bother you less. Otherwise by a beaten up MM and gig that, using the new one at home and in the studio - but I bet I know which one you'll end up loving the most.
[/quote]

This is why my two gigging basses are 2nd hand, and purposely bought with some wear already present. Admittedly, they are both better instruments anyway, but there`s just something about an instrument with some legitimate wear on it that for me, makes me like them more than a pristine brand new one.

[Lfalex v1.1]

[quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1343222933' post='1747286']
This, I don't get the whole thing about needinga cheap beater, unless you really don't take of your instrument....
[/quote]

Depends what other basses you have to choose from, I guess..
Besides, there are some gigs where an Alembic or Ken Smith might look...... Out of sorts.
(Not that I have either!)

[Prime_BASS]

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' timestamp='1343242569' post='1747700']
Depends what other basses you have to choose from, I guess..
Besides, there are some gigs where an Alembic or Ken Smith might look...... Out of sorts.
(Not that I have either!)
[/quote]

If you have said bass you probably not doing punk rock shows.

[molan]

At the end of the day it's an MM and these are relatively common basses.

Unless it's an old one, or maybe a really special ltd edition job, then it's not going to be destroyed in terms of value with a few gig scars.

I'd say play it and you might find you get even more attached a it wears in nicely

[neepheid]

Just gig it - I'm playing my RD Artist tonight - anyone who comes near me when I'm playing who isn't in the band or bar staff can eat maple death!

[ChrisB]

worrying about your bass getting scratched at gigs has to be the least punk thing I've heard. Are you sure you're in the right band?

[discreet]

[quote name='ChrisB' timestamp='1343310318' post='1748725']
...worrying about your bass getting scratched at gigs has to be the least punk thing I've heard.[/quote]

I was in a bar recently with a woman who was in a well-known late seventies all-girl punk band, and she returned a glass of water 'because it's too cold - can you take the chill off it, please?'

I though, f*ck me, that's not very punk, is it..? Must be the comforts of middle age, and all that!

Edited July 26, 2012 by discreet

[Happy Jack]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1343310988' post='1748744']
I was in a bar recently with a woman who was in a well-known late seventies all-girl punk band, and she returned a glass of water 'because it's too cold - can you take the chill off it, please?'

I though, f*ck me, that's not very punk, is it..? Must be the comforts of middle age, and all that!
[/quote]

In all fairness, she did gob at the waitress when she gave back the drink ...

[discreet]

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1343311704' post='1748762']
In all fairness, she did gob at the waitress when she gave back the drink...[/quote]

And instead of a goodnight kiss, she kicked me in the balls.

[charic]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1343312502' post='1748783']
And instead of a goodnight kiss, she kicked me in the balls.
[/quote]

May steal this for a song!

[Hutton]

Q. What is it?
A. A bass

Q. What's it for?
A. Playing

Q. When is the most enjoyable time to play a bass?
A. Whilst gigging

[discreet]

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1343312931' post='1748794']
May steal this for a song![/quote]

OK, but only if it's a punk song.

[charic]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1343313290' post='1748806']
OK, but only if it's a punk song.
[/quote]

It might fit well in a Comedy Prog-Punk ballad I'm writing called "I can do it without waking you"

[clashcityrocker]

The last show we played I fell off the drum stage and nearly smashed the head on a monitor so I was edging towards a cheaper bass for these shows. And yeah i know basses are made for playing but I gig it all the time in my other band,my point was I can't find a cheaper bass that's any good after the MM. Have painted my old p bass and now look forward to road wearing this at shows, I think there is nothing wrong with wanting my mm as mint as possible for as long as possible,I doubt il ever buy another £1400 bass! I look forward to drinking too much and not worrying about my p bass from now on,especially how cool they look worn in. Although its now baby blue which ain't very punk :-p

[clashcityrocker]

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1343223580' post='1747294']
[b]Wait![/b]

Just realised... is this really an ahem... "excuse" for buying another bass? If so... go for it, you don't want to scratch your baby!
[/quote]
Damm don't let my girlfriend see that!

[flyfisher]

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1343297398' post='1748392']
Just gig it - I'm playing my RD Artist tonight - anyone who comes near me when I'm playing who isn't in the band or bar staff can eat maple death!
[/quote]

Yep, Keef would agree with you there:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyK0y02HvVc

And the reasoning:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GODaPVTvYKs

[Dingus]

[quote name='clashcityrocker' timestamp='1343321767' post='1748977']
The last show we played I fell off the drum stage and nearly smashed the head on a monitor so I was edging towards a cheaper bass for these shows. And yeah i know basses are made for playing but I gig it all the time in my other band,my point was I can't find a cheaper bass that's any good after the MM. Have painted my old p bass and now look forward to road wearing this at shows, I think there is nothing wrong with wanting my mm as mint as possible for as long as possible,I doubt il ever buy another £1400 bass! I look forward to drinking too much and not worrying about my p bass from now on,especially how cool they look worn in. Although its now baby blue which ain't very punk :-p
[/quote]

There's nothing wrong with wanting to keep your MM in good condition, but , these are fairly robust basses , especially compared to most other boutique basses , and ultimately everything on them is fixable/replacable if you decide to risk it in future.. A Precision is great for punk though , regardless of sparing your other bass.

[mcnach]

[quote name='clashcityrocker' timestamp='1343199575' post='1746760']
So I don't wanna keep going on about it but I really,really rate my EBMM sterling. Iv had her since January and I can't actually fault a single thing. Now this is a good thing but also has its negatives, I want a bass I can use in a punk band I'm in without worrying about light damage so I'm on the hunt, spent hours in the music shop playing loads of different 'cheap' basses,but everything I played was just so 'nothingy' compared to my sterling,even the much loved CV jazz bored me. The sound was nothing to write home about and the weight (compared to the sterling) was heavy,I don't even play my old beastly p bass cuz the neck is massive! I news to open my mind,help me! Has anyone else suffered from this?! I guess I'm lucky really and I should shut up!
Si
[/quote]

The first scratch hurts the most, that's one thing I like about buying used

Get over it, shed a little tear from the corner of your eye the first time you mark the bass... and continue playing it. A bit of wear is not a problem... we rarely play gigs in warzones after all

[Black Coffee]

The first cut is the deepest.

Cat Stevens.

Don't ruin your playing by worrying about knocks, or you will start to be a bit of an anorak about it and get on everyones nerves by obsessing. I did this for a bit over my first MMSR5 and my wife told me I was behaving like an ass. Good to have someone reliable tell you this, even better when you know it's likely true.

Enjoy the bass, every extra dent is a feature, every feature tells a tale.

Get over it for your own sake.

Edited August 3, 2012 by bassman344

[TomRichards]

Some of us always took care of our instruments. While my 50 year old Danelectros have some wear, not all that much and i played them every night for almost a decade in some of the crappiest clubs the world over.

My two newest babies are the Backlund and a Spector Shorty, $7100 of pure fun, but i take them anywhere, as at some point they will get a ding, scratch or some other player induced "mojo." i already have a small finish ding in the Backlund from letting a LEGENDARY bass player use it for half a gig, but if it picks up just a molecule of his magic I win!

My Spector Shorty is actually the Garry Tallent signature model, and when Garry is back home in two weeks he will take it out, possibly play it at a Springsteen gig. Dont think i will care a lick if it gets scratched up by him in the least.

Get a bass, like my Brubaker Brute Series, if you are that worried, as it is that good but you wont care if it gets some mojo. Otherwise, just play what you love.

[chris_b]

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1343425014' post='1750775']
....The first scratch hurts the most, that's one thing I like about buying used....
[/quote]

+1

The real downside of buying a "good" bass is that it highlights the shortcomings of your rig, so you have to upgrade your amp and cabs as well.

[fretmeister]

Gig it or GTFO!

[sixdegrees]

Buy a Matt Freeman Squier. Perfect tone and look for punk, and the one I played this morning is better than most MIM Precisions.

I would agree with most of the replies on here. But spending 1400 quid on your dream bass and then risk it being trashed on a regular basis isn't fun. I'd get a bass that I was comfortable using and rocking out with, and keep the MM for the more subdued gigs.

[MiltyG565]

its quite possible i have an OLP going up for sale tomorow. gives quite a good musicman tone, new pickups and pots installed, body has a few dings, but the neck is lovely. bit of an odd colour though. hm........

[mcnach]

How odd is that colour?