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Testing a bass for a few days , whats acceptable


synthaside
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Hi folks

I'm borrowing a bass from a colleague at work with a view to buying it, I've fancied one of these for a while , i was quite excited to try it .

IT'S FILTHY ... when I say filthy I don't mean damage , i'm sure it will clean up fine . I mean it feels unclean, and smells a bit , the gig bag reek's of damp.
I'm not sure I can play it in this state, I don't think I'm particularly clean or precious over my instruments, they get a rub down when they are bit dusty ... and I think I've oiled a fretboard once ....

Is it acceptable to clean it ? ..... especially if I don't get on with it? I think it needs a serious strip down .... the bridge looks rank and the strings feel greasy .

Opinions please folks

Edited by synthaside
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[quote name='synthaside' timestamp='1484755178' post='3218144']
Problem is , these aren't "that" common no means rare , but i've never laid my hands on a CIJ non export Aerodyne J and he has priced it reasonably .
[/quote]

Ask him if you can clean it and knock the price of a new noname gigbag off the price..

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Take it back into work dressed in one of these. He'll take the hint. :D

Seriously though, I went to try a very rare US luthier-made bass a few months ago, and it was similarly clarted. I passed on it not because it was dirty, but because it said something to me about how the owner had been treating it. I'm always amazed when somemone presents something for sale that needs a clean, even a bit of a dust down. It speaks volumes about their attitude to their gear. And life. And personal hygiene.


Edited by lowregisterhead
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If it was a car that need oil changes and brake fluid etc how the previous owner cared for it would bother me but it's two bits of wood, a bbot bridge and some passive pickups at the end of the day, as long as all the bits are undamaged I'd just enjoy the makeover tbh, I'd always fit new strings and set it all up to my liking anyway.


Otoh if I was selling one I'd clean it all up before taking pictures to achieve the best price and bit put anyone off, same would apply to a car.

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Price is the key. If it's grubby but cheap then it's worth taking a chance. If it's top money then it should be immaculate. Like the car anaology above, a missing service might not put you off but you want to pay the same as one with a full book of stamps perhaps.

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You can use it's current conditon to lower the price a bit more. Look at it for signs of wood splitting warping and rust on the metalic pieces. If all looks good plug it and see if you like the sound. See if all pots turn well without noise (if they have noise it's another issue to negotiate the price down further more and easy to fix with some contact spray). You might have a good bargain on your hands for the effort of cleaning it up and putting new strings.

I wouldn't bother to clean it myself before striking the deal as long as i could pick it up and give it a go without getting dirt on my clothes. You can wear gloves or wash your hands afterwards. If the owner want's it cleaned and setup he should do it himself or pay for that job, if he want's to sell a dirty bass than he has to be prepared to discount the price of bringing it back to it's full glory. I clean all my gear before selling it, it helps a fast sale at a fair price.

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So an update .... i'm almost certainly returning the thing to him, plugged in it cuts in and out sporadically feeds back and crackles something awful, the pots are noisy the bridge is gunked up and would need soaking in meths for a week.

i've stopped playing the bass because the smell of it is making me taste dampness.

He wants £400 for it its a 2002 aerodyne Jazz (nonexport) surface jack model .... i think that's slightly under priced but not enough to warrant It ,
ive sent him an email but im not back at work till Monday.

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Pots can be cleaned (Servisol is your friend here), but it sounds like you will need to spend a fair amount of time just doing maintenance on it to get it into a usable state.

Offer £250-£300, if he accepts, buy it, clean it up, set it up, and sell it on. If he wants more, tell him you're not interested because of the condition and the time you'd have to spend on it to get it into a playable condition.

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[quote name='synthaside' timestamp='1484754813' post='3218135'] Hi folks I'm borrowing a bass from a colleague at work with a view to buying it .... Is it acceptable to clean it ? ...... Opinions please folks
[/quote]

Of course it's not acceptable to clean it, or do anything else to it, without the owners permission.

There's no point asking us, the only person worth asking is the owner.

Quite simply, [u]it's not your bass[/u] and until it is the only person worth asking about anything is the owner.

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There's simply no point trying to guess what the OWNER of the bass might or might not think. It's pointless conjecture. It's THEIR bass so you should ask THEM before doing anything with it - touching it, playing it, cleaning it, changing the strings, anything. If they insist on being offended because you ask them something then that's their problem, not yours, but at least you won't have altered their property without their permission.

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[quote name='Downdown' timestamp='1484846362' post='3219063']
There's simply no point trying to guess what the OWNER of the bass might or might not think. It's pointless conjecture. It's THEIR bass so you should ask THEM before doing anything with it - touching it, playing it, cleaning it, changing the strings, anything. If they insist on being offended because you ask them something then that's their problem, not yours, but at least you won't have altered their property without their permission.
[/quote]

The owner has consented to the OP cleaning the bass.. post #9 I think

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[quote name='synthaside' timestamp='1484768427' post='3218323']
He wants £400 for it its a 2002 aerodyne Jazz (nonexport) surface jack model .... i think that's slightly under priced but not enough to warrant It
[/quote]

My 1992 Aerodyne cost £500, with a few scratches but functionally perfect, so that sounds over-priced for the condition. Could you get a luthier to quote for fixing it and offer him £400 minus the quote? It's unlikely anyone else will appreciate what it is and offer him any more than that.

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