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Are you bothered if you ding your relic’d bass?


nash

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Can't get with the relic'd thing. An old bass that's led an interesting life has a story to tell, but buying a brand new bass that somebody has been paid to go at with acid, sandpaper and a chisel (a cost that gets passed on to you, the buyer) in an attempt to fake a life it's never actually led... Nope, don't get that one at all. Still, pays yer money and all that.

Having said that, when I sold my (well-used) '84 Wal a couple of years ago, I actually got a derisory offer from some American yuppie who spent time chirping about how much it was going to cost him to get it 'restored to it's proper condition' and about how badly I'd let the side down by letting it get into 'this state'. I suggested he keep looking for a vintage lefty Wal that might better suit his needs and sold it to somebody else.

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It partly depends on the relic job done in the first place, if it was done by hand so each instrument carries different patterns of relic no one would know unless its damage like the top horn missing. 

The god awful Fender ones with the laquer over what was clearly a template then the real relic would stand out. 

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Some folks buy pre-ripped jeans. Do they fret when they start to fray, or catch a nail and tear..? Dunno. It's a fashion statement, I think, whereby it's OK, and sometimes even considered desirable, to look scruffy. Not my concern, really, as I carry off that look very easily, and naturally; in fact I've no other. :$

Edited by Dad3353
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On 12/06/2018 at 09:33, Geek99 said:

So perhaps consider that its transitioning to "a more valid state" through the same kind of wear and tear and accidents that "real" relic basses show and by the same means. I don't see the logic of your position. Its almost like you're invalidating the whole thing simply because its had some intentional damage. Do people who've had cosmetic surgery somehow not get older / less cosmetically appealing through the same processes as other people ? 

I'm not shooting you down, I just honestly don't see your logic. No popcorn. 

Wow, there is no hope! 

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I put plenty of dings in my brand new basses and don't lose sleep over those so, no, it wouldn't worry me

Reminds me of a mate who asked a well known UK pickup manufacturer how they managed to get the "distressed" finish for the p/u that he was thinking of buying.

"Easy mate, we chuck it on the floor and kick it around for five minutes"

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On 11/06/2018 at 21:30, GuyR said:

The worst dent on a pristine bass is the first, so why have that to look forward to?

As I said recently on another thread: That reminds me of a lovely story from Matthew Crawford's wonderful book The Case for Working with Your Hands - he's a specialist restorer of vintage motorcycles, and tells of a friend who had ordered a beautiful new bike and invited his friends to be there when it was delivered. To their horror the first thing he did was to pick up a handful of gravel and throw it at the gas tank. When asked why, he said "I don't need to worry about it getting its first scratch now!".

On 12/06/2018 at 15:42, yorks5stringer said:

There again I do regularly brush the fur coating of my Markbass combos...

So would my cats if I let them get anywhere near 🙂

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1 hour ago, stingrayPete1977 said:

It's just a bit sad. 

I must admit to having been on both sides of the fence.  Facts are; looks matter to some, people buy ripped jeans, a battered bass is liberating, and it’s great that all tastes are catered for. 

Move never owned a red bass, but I’m glad they’re available for those that do. All a matter of taste, with beauty in the eye of the beholder. 

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45 minutes ago, Musashimonkey said:

I must admit to having been on both sides of the fence.  Facts are; looks matter to some, people buy ripped jeans, a battered bass is liberating, and it’s great that all tastes are catered for. 

Move never owned a red bass, but I’m glad they’re available for those that do. All a matter of taste, with beauty in the eye of the beholder. 

I'm pretty much with you on this.

Would I buy one myself?  Unlikely

Do I care what preference other people have for the finish on their bass?  Not in the slightest.  I mean, I know it's the death of social media if we suddenly all stopped loudly shouting our opinions about what other people do, but honestly, who cares?  The planet would be a very dull place if we all liked the same things.

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On ‎11‎/‎06‎/‎2018 at 21:36, T-Bay said:

The saxophonist in a mates band asked me if I had anything in the lab where I work to remove lacquer and dull his new saxophone. There are loads of things but I wouldn’t suggest anything in case it went wrong. So it’s not just guitars.

Our tenor sax player's horn is very old and an absolute mess visually. It is SO cool though :lol: :sun_bespectacled:

Edited by Rich
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I bought the Nate Mendel because I tried it and liked it. The fact that it was relic'ed made no difference to me.

Having said that, having a relic complete with dents and dings makes you not quite as careful with a brand new bass as we should be.

My brand new LPB MIM P bass suffered a monumental gouge on its maiden gig when a speaker stand fell on it! 😢

Edited by Hobbayne
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2 hours ago, spectoremg said:

Apols to the OP but I love that this has turned onto a relic'd or a having a life post 😜

I literally posted it because I knew what would happen hahaha. 

Just to wade in. I like relic’d basses but the older I’ve gotten, the more bands I’ve worked for looks are almost last on my list, they’re tools to create music and if you spend enough time playing everything else becomes more important. 

Saying that. A cool looking bass is a cool looking bass. 

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2 hours ago, nash said:

I literally posted it because I knew what would happen hahaha. 

Just to wade in. I like relic’d basses but the older I’ve gotten, the more bands I’ve worked for looks are almost last on my list, they’re tools to create music and if you spend enough time playing everything else becomes more important. 

Saying that. A cool looking bass is a cool looking bass. 

😀😀

Edited by spectoremg
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6 hours ago, spectoremg said:

Apols to the OP but I love that this has turned onto a relic'd or a having a life post 😜

It always does. Any time a thread with a title such "as are you bothered if you ding your relic bass", it is inevitably hijacked, often in a good natured way, such as here, other times less so, by posters expressing their distaste for relic basses, and passing judgement "sad" etc - often less pleasant on the instruments and those that buy them. It is seemingly not possible to have a discussion about some aspect of relic basses without it, 

If a thread is on a subject I'm not interested in, I don't bother posting that I don't like it,, because that would seem to me a tedious and oppressive waste of time for those that are and would like to enjoy an exchange of views on it.

Further, passing judgement on posters based on the finish they prefer on their bass, as has often happened in other threads on the subject, is sad. It might be described as "bassism" 

i don't have a relic bass, Im so grateful that by your standards I have a life

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2 minutes ago, GuyR said:

It always does. Any time a thread with a title such "as are you bothered if you ding your relic bass", it is inevitably hijacked, often in a good natured way, such as here, other times less so, by posters expressing their distaste for relic basses, and passing judgement "sad" etc - often less pleasant on the instruments and those that buy them. It is seemingly not possible to have a discussion about some aspect of relic basses without it, 

If a thread is on a subject I'm not interested in, I don't bother posting that I don't like it,, because that would seem to me a tedious and oppressive waste of time for those that are and would like to enjoy an exchange of views on it.

Further, passing judgement on posters based on the finish they prefer on their bass, as has often happened in other threads on the subject, is sad. It might be described as "bassism" 

i don't have a relic bass, Im so grateful that by your standards I have a life

What a fascinating response.

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