Condition Schmondission

[martthebass]

Something I've thought about for a while this.

When I buy a second hand amp/cab - generally I'm not too bothered about the cosmetics, as long as it's not 'water damage' and doesn't affect the function.
However I find meself a bit anal when it comes to the condition of basses. I'd qualify this against Fender 'relics' where people tend to think the 'trashier the better' - more in terms of your sort of 2 - 15 year old MM's and Warwicks etc.
I think this as probably come about, in my case, with my experience in pxing basses at ye olde music shoppe where they seem to knock off £50 for each ding (I kid you not I was once knocked down £30 in a local establishment on a ~£200 MIM Fender Jazz because of a 1/2 inch laquer scratch on the back of the bass).

So..........in general how do you feel about condition and what puts you off when buying 2nd hand. How anal do you get about trying to keep a bass pristine?

[Adrenochrome]

Not at all anal. I mainly look for things like fret wear as I put a lot of wear on frets during gigs. I clean strings regularly and clean the bass fairly often. Dings are fine in my book.

[waynepunkdude]

I'm super anal about equipment, thats wierd because I'm not like that with anything else.

[budget bassist]

I'm not too anal, as long as the bass isn't overly worn. My tobias had a farly decent sized ding in the back and a fair bit of buckle rash on the back when i bought it but it was too good a price to turn down. I tend to watch out for switched out electronics as when people don't know what they're doing they can really mess a bass up and general wear and tear. If it doesn't look like it's been through a wood chipper then i'm not too bothered!

[ahpook]

to me basses are tools...they get bashed around eventually. the odd scratch and dink doesn't bother me as long as they work ok.

mind you, all except one of the basses i've owned has been second hand, so i've never really had a pristine bass anyway.

[ahpook]

[quote name='budget bassist' post='252270' date='Jul 31 2008, 07:24 PM']If it doesn't look like it's been through a wood chipper then i'm not too bothered![/quote]

just wait...you'll prolly be able to buy a pile of wood chippings...it would be a 'super relic' model

[Stingray5]

Dings in the body are fine by me; I don't mind that 'lived-in' look. I'm not saying a ding the size of the Mariana Trench is ok, but I don't lose sleep if the bodywork has seen better days. (Talking about the bass - not me!! )

[OutToPlayJazz]

Anally retentive about the condition of gear? Me? [b]YES!!![/b]

[budget bassist]

[quote name='ahpook' post='252271' date='Jul 31 2008, 07:24 PM']mind you, all except one of the basses i've owned has been second hand, so i've never really had a pristine bass anyway.[/quote]
I've had 5 basses, and they've all been second hand, currently in the process of buying two more second hand ones. It's so much cheaper and as long as they're not trashed then i don't mind. I did play skinny string for a bit, i only ever had one and that was £170 new, and inevitably i was annoyed when that got bashed about a bit, so i suppose it's better buying used, you can't get too annoyed about bumps if it already has them.

[stingrayfan]

As you say, any normal bass people look for dinks and dings when it's secondhand. But if it's a 60s/70s Fender, it seen as desirable.

I do like my amps to be in very good condition though. Otherwise you look a bit of a tramp when you do a gig!

[neepheid]

Pristine or p*** off. Or serious money off. I equate basses with cars.

[Mr. Foxen]

I have some pointy basses, they have to be second hand, with no finish on the points, can't be dealing with having done the damage myself. Wish my P and J copies were more beat up though. Sdaly, don't gig them, so it isn't happening. My cabs and amp are proper beat up, always spend the money on bass and pedals, large cabs only got important recently.

[steviedee]

I'm much better than I was at keeping things in proper nick. My 4 string is beat up, I've had it since the late 80's but it sounds and plays so good I'll just never sell it so it's probably irrelevant value wise.

[johnnylager]

[quote name='neepheid' post='252442' date='Jul 31 2008, 11:48 PM']Pristine or p*** off. Or serious money off. I equate basses with cars.[/quote]
One half of me agrees with this, though as my car gets older I worry less about it. Bass necks however - [i]must[/i] be ding free on the back!

EDIT: forgot to say the other half of me doesn't care about the body.

Edited August 1, 2008 by johnnylager

[ianrunci]

I'm not arsed really. I'm more of a gigger than a polisher. New basses are a waste of money IMO, why pay almost twice the price for the sake of a few bangs and dings?

[Machines]

Depends on the bass really. If it's relatively new then you do expect it in good nick.. if it's a 20+ year old piece of gear then you can't expect it to have survived too well if it's had multiple owners.

My Stingray is virtually mint and is 12 years old, the Jazz is 8 years old and not in as good a condition. The Hohner is 24 or so, and really looks it too.. bucklerash, grubby neck, rusty screws etc..

[Alastair]

I love my guitars and I don't think I could really bring myself to sell either of them. Although I find it hard when I knock one and put in a dent or a bit of damage, at the same time I like it. It's just what happens and every dent, knick and scratch tells something of a story

[Lfalex v1.1]

[quote name='neepheid' post='252442' date='Jul 31 2008, 11:48 PM']Pristine or p*** off. Or serious money off. I equate basses with cars.[/quote]
Plus the one.

Suffice it to say that I don't wear Jeans with rivets in or shirts with buttons when I play...
I don't like belts anyway, so I don't wear them.
Yes, the basses have some knocks, but they're strictly accidental.
To use a car analogy, why abuse a nice one.
Keep a "beater" for beating.
I have, however (to my shame) destroyed a bass. An Ibanez Ergodyne EDB600 (Luthite)
I dropped it. It cracked irreparably. I finished it off in a fit of pique.

[silverfoxnik]

Good question??

Depends on the bass and the value of it to me.. A cheap old P bass copy I'd not be too fussed about but I'll worry loads more about a bass that has some real value.. Like my Wal for example. It's got dings and a few knocks but it works perfectly and the neck is great.. But I wouldn't want it to get any further damage to it..

Whenever I've had a pristine bass, I found I hated gigging them, so sold them on. The Lakland DJ5 that I bought from P-T-P last year was like that; almost perfect and as a result, I ended up selling it on... I had a mint condition Squier JV series P-Bass that I got from a guy who'd bought it in 1983 and put it under his bed for 21 years. It was 10/10 condition and so 'perfect' that I was afraid to use it in case I damaged it. So I sold it on to a collector and as far as I know, it's hanging up on his wall somewhere gathering dust...

That's not what an instrument is for IMO; I prefer to use them and enjoy them for the purpose that they were intended..

[NJE]

I dont actually like new instruments that much. I really like that played in feel that comes with age. I only bought one bass "new" and that was a P bass that had been in the shop the best part of 7 years.

For me if the neck is good and ding free, the body isnt cracked or split and the electronics havent been messed with then I am relatively happy. Basses can be refinished, necks refretted and set up and new hardware can be aquired.

[Clarky]

I have a very schizophrenic view - I like "traditional" instruments (Fenders, Ricks) to look mojo'ed and other instruments to be pristine. The battered 70s PJ that was recently sold on this forum (which I sadly missed out on) is EXACTLY how I think an old Precison should look.

[6stringbassist]

I like my gear to look good, and so I look after it, at the end of the day it costs money to buy, so you should look after it.

I had a Jaydee Mark King for 10 years, it was my 1st really good bass, I PX'ed it for a Wal and the guy didn'y believe it was 10 years old.

If I buy used I always make sure that it's in good condition before I buy it.

I guess I'm just fussy.

But you can guarantee that if I'm selling something it will have been well cared for.

[tauzero]

All my basses (except, ironically, the Aston that I got for use as the house bass at an open mic night) have small amounts of damage - a small dent or two per instrument. I avoid painted or lacquered instruments where I can, as they magnify any little ding hugely. I try and look after all my instruments but I'm resigned to them picking up a little bit of damage over the years - after all, a gigging environment is not the most risk-free place for a bass.

My old P was pretty ratty (but played better than the less ratty examples in the shop), so I finished up stripping the cracked lacquer and sunburst off it. I suppose if I still had it that that would have been a mistake...

[martthebass]

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='252424' date='Jul 31 2008, 11:13 PM']Anally retentive about the condition of gear? Me? [b]YES!!![/b][/quote]

Rich, no surely not!?

[thedontcarebear]

I'm not fussed by the condition when buying used basses now, if I own something from new, it pretty much always stays as new, but for example my Vigier has a few dings etc, and I don't mind, my Sandberg is relic'd so is covered in marks!