Show us the small cosmetic flaws on your high end bass!

[thodrik]

I am lucky enough own a Sadowsky NYC, a Sadowsky Metro and a Vigier Arpege. I think they there are really great and they have resulted in me being generally GAS free for basses over the last 5 years.

However when cleaning them today I started to wonder whether my basses would pass the QC standards of some of the more discerning members on here if they had received my basses from new.  

In functional terms all three basses are pretty much perfect (for me). However, I have taken a photo of a cosmetic construction/finishing ‘issue’ from each bass. 

Sadowsky NYC: imperfection in quilted maple top which you can only spot if you look at it really close up from less than a foot away.

Sadowsky Metro: strange irregular wood grain pattern or tooling mark (which I personally think looks cool but it could really bother someone else):

 

Vigier Arpege: if you look really closely, you can see that a bit of the finish seems to have bled into the fret marker. This occurs on the third, ninth and a little bit on one of the twelfth fret markers:

 

Obviously the issues are purely cosmetic and have never bothered me. To me they are not so much flaws as much as they are unique identification markers to enable me to pick out ‘my’ bass from identically finished Sadowskys or Vigiers. However, I’m conscious that to others these issues would be seen as flaws which should not  appear on such ‘high end’ instruments which should be ‘perfect’. 

I don’t want this to come across as a thread to  insult people who have had serious faults and problems with high end instruments which is obviously a horrible situation to go through. Nor do I want this thread to be a ‘bash [insert company]’ type thread. 

However, I was wondering if anyone else felt like sharing any interesting finishing quirks/cosmetic issues on their own basses which do not bother them but may bother someone else? 

Thanks in advance.

 

[Beedster]

Uh oh

[thodrik]

25 minutes ago, Beedster said:

Uh oh

I must admit, the thought ‘this is a really bad idea’ did run through my head before I posted!

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

My most expensive bass, an NS-Design CR5M upright was flawless when I bought it and is still perfect 14 years on.

My second most expensive bass, a Fender JMJ mustang cost nearly a grand and there are chips & scrapes all over the body. It was bought brand new, but to a casual observer it looks like it could be over 40 years old - it almost looks like the damage was done deliberately 😠

[fretmeister]

The main flaws on my basses are the notes I play.

[AndyTravis]

My sadowsky is just like Mary Poppins. Apart from the dink caused by one of the kids knocking something over which fell onto it.

 

[LeftyJ]

10 hours ago, AndyTravis said:

My sadowsky is just like Mary Poppins. Apart from the dink caused by one of the kids knocking something over which fell onto it.

 

Why? Is it supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, even though the sound of it is something quite atrocious?

[AndyTravis]

9 minutes ago, LeftyJ said:

Why? Is it supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, even though the sound of it is something quite atrocious?

 

[Ed_S]

Go on then, I’ll play. Only in the spirit of fun, though; I drew a line under this years ago, so no pointing any fingers, please 🙂

 

The neck pocket isn’t flat to the back of the neck and it’s also slightly too wide leaving a ridge, there are strange little oblong marks around the edges of the block inlays, the pickguard curves aren’t smooth and the chamfer angle and finish is.. variable, the battery cover corners are a different radius to the route and quite crudely finished, there are areas of orange-peel where the poly didn’t get buffed fully to gloss, and a bird’s eye has fallen out of the back of the neck to leave a hole.

High-end custom builds, eh! 🙄

[Captain Bassman]

On 25/07/2020 at 18:13, thodrik said:

I am lucky enough own a Sadowsky NYC, a Sadowsky Metro and a Vigier Arpege. I think they there are really great and they have resulted in me being generally GAS free for basses over the last 5 years.

However when cleaning them today I started to wonder whether my basses would pass the QC standards of some of the more discerning members on here if they had received my basses from new.  

In functional terms all three basses are pretty much perfect (for me). However, I have taken a photo of a cosmetic construction/finishing ‘issue’ from each bass. 

Sadowsky NYC: imperfection in quilted maple top which you can only spot if you look at it really close up from less than a foot away.

Sadowsky Metro: strange irregular wood grain pattern or tooling mark (which I personally think looks cool but it could really bother someone else):

 

Vigier Arpege: if you look really closely, you can see that a bit of the finish seems to have bled into the fret marker. This occurs on the third, ninth and a little bit on one of the twelfth fret markers:

 

Obviously the issues are purely cosmetic and have never bothered me. To me they are not so much flaws as much as they are unique identification markers to enable me to pick out ‘my’ bass from identically finished Sadowskys or Vigiers. However, I’m conscious that to others these issues would be seen as flaws which should not  appear on such ‘high end’ instruments which should be ‘perfect’. 

I don’t want this to come across as a thread to  insult people who have had serious faults and problems with high end instruments which is obviously a horrible situation to go through. Nor do I want this thread to be a ‘bash [insert company]’ type thread. 

However, I was wondering if anyone else felt like sharing any interesting finishing quirks/cosmetic issues on their own basses which do not bother them but may bother someone else? 

Thanks in advance.

 

Glad to see you’re still in love with the Vigier after all these years! It’s a truly wonderful piece of kit and one I was really sad to part with. I replaced it with a Stingray 5 HH purely for more practical purposes to suit the band I’m in.

I had noticed those tiny bleed marks and, like you, just passed them off as unique quirks of a boutique instrument.

 

[Misdee]

On 25/07/2020 at 18:13, thodrik said:

I am lucky enough own a Sadowsky NYC, a Sadowsky Metro and a Vigier Arpege. I think they there are really great and they have resulted in me being generally GAS free for basses over the last 5 years.

However when cleaning them today I started to wonder whether my basses would pass the QC standards of some of the more discerning members on here if they had received my basses from new.  

In functional terms all three basses are pretty much perfect (for me). However, I have taken a photo of a cosmetic construction/finishing ‘issue’ from each bass. 

Sadowsky NYC: imperfection in quilted maple top which you can only spot if you look at it really close up from less than a foot away.

Sadowsky Metro: strange irregular wood grain pattern or tooling mark (which I personally think looks cool but it could really bother someone else):

 

Vigier Arpege: if you look really closely, you can see that a bit of the finish seems to have bled into the fret marker. This occurs on the third, ninth and a little bit on one of the twelfth fret markers:

 

Obviously the issues are purely cosmetic and have never bothered me. To me they are not so much flaws as much as they are unique identification markers to enable me to pick out ‘my’ bass from identically finished Sadowskys or Vigiers. However, I’m conscious that to others these issues would be seen as flaws which should not  appear on such ‘high end’ instruments which should be ‘perfect’. 

I don’t want this to come across as a thread to  insult people who have had serious faults and problems with high end instruments which is obviously a horrible situation to go through. Nor do I want this thread to be a ‘bash [insert company]’ type thread. 

However, I was wondering if anyone else felt like sharing any interesting finishing quirks/cosmetic issues on their own basses which do not bother them but may bother someone else? 

Thanks in advance.

 

That last "flaw" looks to me very much like a genuine piece of abalone, rather than a defect of any kind. That pinkish vein is the natural patina of genuine mother of pearl, so a mark of quality not a defect. 

[thodrik]

25 minutes ago, Captain Bassman said:

Glad to see you’re still in love with the Vigier after all these years! It’s a truly wonderful piece of kit and one I was really sad to part with. I replaced it with a Stingray 5 HH purely for more practical purposes to suit the band I’m in.

I had noticed those tiny bleed marks and, like you, just passed them off as unique quirks of a boutique instrument.

 

Oh yes, still in love. I have had a four string Excess since 2004 but the Arpege is very much a different type of bass. The three band EQ for each pick is really great once I got hang of it after five years or so!

[thodrik]

13 minutes ago, Misdee said:

That last "flaw" looks to me very much like a genuine piece of abalone, rather than a defect of any kind. That pinkish vein is the natural patina of genuine mother of pearl, so a mark of quality not a defect. 

Most likely true! 

[thodrik]

31 minutes ago, Captain Bassman said:

Glad to see you’re still in love with the Vigier after all these years! It’s a truly wonderful piece of kit and one I was really sad to part with. I replaced it with a Stingray 5 HH purely for more practical purposes to suit the band I’m in.

I had noticed those tiny bleed marks and, like you, just passed them off as unique quirks of a boutique instrument.

 

Also how is the Stingray HH in comparison? 

I always thought that they looked really cool.

[Captain Bassman]

Well for what I need it for, much simpler! I just set everything pretty much flat, set the 5 way selector switch in the middle position and that’s it, unless I need a more plummy tone in which case the selector goes to full neck position.

Loved the neck on that Arpege though. One it the most comfortable I’ve ever played.

[ead]

I once sold a bass (high end for the brand) to a buyer - no names, no pack drill.  As I am wont to do, I met up with the buyer to hand the bass over to give the buyer the opportunity to view the bass to ensure there were no issues.  The buyer was able to examine the bass in good light in a car park and declared themselves happy.  This was a used bass btw and had been gigged.  I described it in excellent condition for its age which I felt was entirely reasonable (please check my feedback you non-believers ).

A few days later I received a message saying that the buyer was unhappy as there were imperfections in the finish, which there were, and was why I did not describe the  condition of the bass as 'mint' or 'like new'.  Clearly nothing I could say would change the buyers perspective so I just bought the bass back.

People's standards are different I guess so we just have to be mindful about that.

[Machines]

21 hours ago, ead said:

A few days later I received a message saying that the buyer was unhappy as there were imperfections in the finish, which there were, and was why I did not describe the  condition of the bass as 'mint' or 'like new'.  Clearly nothing I could say would change the buyers perspective so I just bought the bass back.

Sounds more like buyer's remorse to me. Legally they had no leg to stand on if it was inspected before collection.

[ead]

4 hours ago, Machines said:

Sounds more like buyer's remorse to me. Legally they had no leg to stand on if it was inspected before collection.

True enough, but there are a lot of grumpy people in the world and it makes little sense to add to their number.  Sold the bass again a week or so later so no real drama.

[Bassfinger]

You're very generous Ead. I've have told them to jog on.

[TrevorG]

A little tricky to see and I don't begrudge it as it's a common fault. Beyond that the instrument's faultless.

Edited August 1, 2020 by TrevorG

[thodrik]

7 minutes ago, TrevorG said:

A little tricky to see and I doubt begrudge it as it's a common fault. Beyond that the instrument's faultless.

Thanks for sharing. I’ve seen a lot worse!