Buckle rash. How do you avoid it?

[dave_bass5]

I was looking at the back of my P5 last night and noticed, in the right (or wrong) light i see lots of little scratches. Noting major and only in the finish.
Im normally careful with my Basses but we do have to wear shirts at a lot of our gigs, and tucked in so exposing the belt buckle.

I just wondered what others do in this situation. I dont have any sharp corners on my buckle but of course the bass is still rubbing against metal.

Edited July 16, 2009 by dave_bass5

[HeavyJay]

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='542004' date='Jul 16 2009, 10:19 AM']I was looking at the back of my P5 last night and noticed, in the right (or wrong) light i see lots of little scratches. Noting major and only in the finish.
Im normally careful with my Basses but we do have to wear shirts at a lot of our gigs, and tucked in so exposing the belt buckle.

I just wondered what others do in this situation. I dont have any sharp corners on my buckle but of course the bass is still rubbing against metal.[/quote]

Braces?

[john_the_bass]

there was a self cling product that you could put on the back of the guitar to stop it happening.
I think madison and fifth distributed it

[chris_b]

I never get buckle rash, cos I take the belt out of a couple of the loops, do it up again, then slide the buckle round out of the way.

[simon1964]

Play naked?!

A good tip I've heard is to put a sweatband/wristband around your belt buckle. Cheap and effective. And in my case, much less alarming for the audience than my first suggestion.

[OldGit]

i use my paunch

That stick on back protector came up in another post yesterday ..

Ah [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtopic=54633&view=findpost&p=541504"]Here it is[/url]

[waynepunkdude]

I don't wear a belt.

[gary mac]

Same as Chris B, belt buckle worn somewhere in the region of right hip.

[Raggy]

I wear my bass quite low so it just tends to miss the buckle.

[Happy Jack]

Scratch Pad - that's the self-clinging thing (electro-static, so no sticky stuff involved) that can easily be transferred between basses.

Expensive, but excellent.

[mcgraham]

I take my belt off.

In situations where I can't, or I need to look smart, I untuck just one edge of my shirt and place it in front of the belt buckle. I still appear to be smart, but the shirt protects the bass from buckle rash, at least in the short term.

Mark

[dave_bass5]

Some good ideas, some silly ideas but all worth posting.

I think rotating the belt is probably going to work for me, as long as i keep my jacket on, cheers Chris.
I dont fancy sticking anything to the back of the bass.

I used to wear the bass lower so it wasn't a problem but this bass feels more comfortable higher up.

To be honest i dont even need to wear a belt but it looks a bit better IMO.

Cheers all.

Edited July 16, 2009 by dave_bass5

[RussFM]

Never tuck my shirts in, so the only thing that could do the damage are buttons, but the plastic ones tend to be ok!

[tauzero]

I wear my bass high enough to be clear of the belt buckle, especially when additionally deflected by my stomach. That's when I'm not wearing a T-shirt which covers the belt buckle. Plus I don't have any painted or lacquered basses, they're all natural finish.

[john_the_bass]

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='542035' date='Jul 16 2009, 10:47 AM']Scratch Pad - that's the self-clinging thing (electro-static, so no sticky stuff involved) that can easily be transferred between basses.

Expensive, but excellent.[/quote]

that's the fella.
I find that even the poly lacquered instruments pick up marks from plastic shirt buttons. Strangely enough though my Stingray got the most use, yet showed the least wear.

[chris_b]

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='542043' date='Jul 16 2009, 10:53 AM']....I think rotating the belt is probably going to work for me, as long as i keep my jacket on.... To be honest i dont even need to wear a belt but it looks a bit better IMO....[/quote]
I find the belt is hidden behind the bass so it doesn't look silly to an audience. If you take the belt off jeans still have a metal button and trousers can have buttons and clips which can scratch. A normal belt is usually wide enough to cover those and protect the bass.

[dave_bass5]

[quote name='chris_b' post='542075' date='Jul 16 2009, 11:18 AM']I find the belt is hidden behind the bass so it doesn't look silly to an audience. If you take the belt off jeans still have a metal button and trousers can have buttons and clips which can scratch. A normal belt is usually wide enough to cover those and protect the bass.[/quote]

Yeah, ill give it a go on Sat. Ill have suit trousers on so just one small plastic button.

[thepurpleblob]

I am old enough to remember when belts where definitely not considered smart attire :-) That was when dinner suits where called dinner suits and not "tuxedos". Kids today etc....

Unfortunately, my fat gut does the job admirably.

[Geoff]

I always find my t-shirts get ruined when playing gigs, as they get scratched between the belt buckle and the bass body meaning I have a wardrobe full of t-shirts with lots of little holes on the front.

At least my bass is fine then

[dave_bass5]

[quote name='Geoff' post='542131' date='Jul 16 2009, 12:18 PM']I always find my t-shirts get ruined when playing gigs, as they get scratched between the belt buckle and the bass body meaning I have a wardrobe full of t-shirts with lots of little holes on the front.

At least my bass is fine then [/quote]

Yeah, same here. I used to have a go at the girlfriend and her stupid washing machine until i realised what was causing it.

Not played in a t-shirt for ages though.

[dannybuoy]

I've put my buckle over the right hip for years now, otherwise when I sit down it digs into my belly. It has the added extra of keeping my basses in good condition!

[dave_bass5]

[quote name='gareth' post='542141' date='Jul 16 2009, 12:30 PM']Wear a t-shirt outside your trousers and if you wear a belt move it round so that the buckle does up on the side - as your t-shirt is out, you won't see the beltt anyway.

I have never caused belt rash on any bass I have but i've bought used basses that unfortunately already had buckle rash.[/quote]

I am only talking about surface scratches. The ones you cant see unless the light is hitting them at the right angle. Ive never actually broke the surface of the lacquer.

Edited July 16, 2009 by dave_bass5

[woodyratm]

I used to use a wristband too. Looks abit suspect when you're undoing your belt in the middle of a venue like!

[waynepunkdude]

[quote name='Geoff' post='542131' date='Jul 16 2009, 12:18 PM']I always find my t-shirts get ruined when playing gigs, as they get scratched between the belt buckle and the bass body meaning I have a wardrobe full of t-shirts with lots of little holes on the front.

At least my bass is fine then [/quote]


I guess you don't need to worry when wearing spandex

[BigRedX]

If your belt is damaging the finish of your bass and it's not a requirement to hold your trousers up, take it off. No-one except you will notice since it's covered by your bass (which is why its marking the finish).