Bass Horror

[Wil]

I wont pass judgement on 'em, because its only a plank of wood with strings on, the customer wanted it, and having worked in retail I probably would have joined in if I worked there, it does look like a laugh.

What other method of relicing a bass would the customer expect, asking a guitar shop to do it rather than a luthier? I'm sure he knew what he was in for.

[The Funk]

I'm sure he had no idea what he was in for or what he was doing. You'd expect someone in a shop to say "we don't do that and we're not the people to ask". A helpful shop would then say "ask such and such".

[mancunianfox]

I don't have a problem with the attempt to relic it. I'm offended that they would sell a mex jazz with that cavity routing without a scratchplate on it. The customer wanted a jaco jazz and that doesn't even look close to it. They obviously have no eye for detail and that is what is important to musicians when they spend large amounts of money on a new instrument.

[cetera]

[quote name='The Funk' post='64698' date='Sep 24 2007, 12:31 PM']I'm sure he had no idea what he was in for or what he was doing. You'd expect someone in a shop to say "we don't do that and we're not the people to ask". A helpful shop would then say "ask such and such".[/quote]

+1,000,000

[Wil]

How do you know the customer wanted a Jaco Jazz? How do you know the customer wasnt some young kid without a lot of cash who wanted a beat up mexican Jazz with no scratchplate? How do you know he wasnt there in the shop taking part?

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

[quote name='The Funk' post='64698' date='Sep 24 2007, 12:31 PM']I'm sure he had no idea what he was in for or what he was doing. You'd expect someone in a shop to say "we don't do that and we're not the people to ask". A helpful shop would then say "ask such and such".[/quote]
In my experience a lot of shops charge for a simple set up when they really should refer the customer to someone better qualified. I've seen shop staff making the classic mistake of raising or lowering action using the truss rod without considering the amount of relief in the neck. I guess its like the floor staff in PC world thinking that a purple shirt, name badge and the ability to read the backs of boxes means they're qualified to give IT advice even when they don't really have the slightest idea of what they're talking about.

[bass_ferret]

[quote name='Wil' post='64707' date='Sep 24 2007, 12:40 PM']How do you know the customer wanted a Jaco Jazz? How do you know the customer wasnt some young kid without a lot of cash who wanted a beat up mexican Jazz with no scratchplate? How do you know he wasnt there in the shop taking part?[/quote]
That they were comparing it to a picture of Jaco might be a clue

[thumbo]

[quote name='Wil' post='64691' date='Sep 24 2007, 12:20 PM']What other method of relicing a bass would the customer expect, asking a guitar shop to do it rather than a luthier? I'm sure he knew what he was in for.[/quote]

Perhaps he thought the guitar shop had an on-sight luthier or that they were in some way affiliated with a local luthier? Nahh... that's a just a crazy idea!

[bassbloke]

This whole relicing business seems a bit bizarre to me.

I mean, if I found a nice Porsche Speedster for sale, I'd hardly ask the owner to drive it into a couple of walls to give it more character, but that's effectively what people are asking for in instruments.

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

[quote name='Wil' post='64707' date='Sep 24 2007, 12:40 PM']How do you know the customer wanted a Jaco Jazz?[/quote]
Of course we don't know anything about what the customer wanted, but we can see that they are trying to emulate the wear pattern of a jaco jazz as they are referring to a picture of one onscreen.

[Count Bassy]

I was assuming that the customer was there at the time and knew what he wanted, and if them getting the files out to it was not what he wanted, then he would have said stop. Having said that, the customer would appear to have been youngish and didn't know any better himself? but does that preclude him from making his own decision?

+1 on the Porsche analogy.

Clive

Edited September 24, 2007 by Clive Thorne

[Cantdosleepy]

you guys take yourselves and your opinions on kosher ways to treat a bass far too seriously.

it's not your bass, not your request, not what you want, none of your business.

maybe they're mates with the guy who's bass it is. maybe he's not bothered that that's not an authentic relicing.

maybe they thought it would be fun.

maybe they suggested a proper luthier, and the customer was like "well, I need it for a muso fancy dress party tonight", or "I've only got £15 - just have a crack at it".

y'all need to be a little less judgemental.

[mancunianfox]

[quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' post='64727' date='Sep 24 2007, 01:00 PM']Of course we don't know anything about what the customer wanted, but we can see that they are trying to emulate the wear pattern of a jaco jazz as they are referring to a picture of one onscreen.[/quote]

I was working off that assumption as well. I am still suprised that the shop would be that eager to devalue one of their instruments, customers wishes or not.

[Wil]

[quote name='Cantdosleepy' post='64738' date='Sep 24 2007, 01:31 PM']you guys take yourselves and your opinions on kosher ways to treat a bass far too seriously.

it's not your bass, not your request, not what you want, none of your business.

maybe they're mates with the guy who's bass it is. maybe he's not bothered that that's not an authentic relicing.

maybe they thought it would be fun.

maybe they suggested a proper luthier, and the customer was like "well, I need it for a muso fancy dress party tonight", or "I've only got £15 - just have a crack at it".

y'all need to be a little less judgemental.[/quote]

Big +1.

[The Funk]

[quote name='Cantdosleepy' post='64738' date='Sep 24 2007, 01:31 PM']it's not your bass, not your request, not what you want, none of your business.[/quote]

It's good to know what the staff at a bass shop are like. And now I'm glad that the people posting in this thread have shown me that this is a shop to avoid.

In that way it is my business. Going to a different shop.

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

[quote name='Cantdosleepy' post='64738' date='Sep 24 2007, 01:31 PM']you guys take yourselves and your opinions on kosher ways to treat a bass far too seriously.

it's not your bass, not your request, not what you want, none of your business.

maybe they're mates with the guy who's bass it is. maybe he's not bothered that that's not an authentic relicing.

maybe they thought it would be fun.

maybe they suggested a proper luthier, and the customer was like "well, I need it for a muso fancy dress party tonight", or "I've only got £15 - just have a crack at it".

y'all need to be a little less judgemental.[/quote]

Nope
Very Big -1

for the reason stated by the funk above

I don't need to be less judgemental. Others may from time to time prefer me to be, but it's not something I need.

[Cantdosleepy]

Youtube comments:

[i]demongene
Congrats Eric Lindsey Music Shop in Catford, London. You are the lucky recipients of the "I'm f*cked if I'm ever buying anything from you" award....

RockinThaLP
Ha ha stupid twats

stereoroid
This video has been linked from the UK Basschat forum, and we've already identified which music shop this is. Congratulations: you've just lost any chance of business from about half the active bassists in the UK.[/i]

These are hateful unpleasant comments and if whoever posted them then should be ashamed of themselves. Massively unhelpful, critical without being constructive, gleefully telling someone how their business is going to fail.

Not in any way cool.

[Chop]

Hmmm...I do take Cantdosleepy's point.
IMO, reading over the posts above its not all that cut and dried is it? If the punter has asked for his bass to be vandalised / aged, half of us think thats up to him. HOWEVER, as a previous post said, the guy seems young: and (probably) don't know any better when it comes to ageing a bass....so he's going to rely on the advice he gets from the shop. At best, the advice doesn't seem that responsible given their inability to do it properly.

- Surely anyone starting out on buying instruments is owed a duty of care from his shop to receive guidence and advice about what is [i]sensible[/i] to do? I don't see that the shop can just abdicate all responsibility, and they do seem to find it a bit amusing.

Anyway, the rights and wrongs of this are subjective not objective. IMO, it seems wrong.

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

Sounds like a ticking off directed at people here

If not why didn't you post it as a comment on the youtube page.

I don't know (or care) if anyone posting here on BC posted those comments, but they have to expect trolls. Unfortunately thats the nature of youtube if you leave comments open.

[MB1]

[quote name='Clive Thorne' date='Sep 24 2007, 12:02 PM' post='64676']
Have they affected the playability of the instrument? NO.
Have they wrecked a rare vintage instrument ? NO
Have they given the customer what he wanted ? YES.

Also, the impression is that the customer is present at the time, so why are we giving them such a hard time?
(I'm not one of them by the way, I just feel we're all being a bit harsh on them)
A natural/genuine relic instrument achieves this state through years of abuse. So which is the most authenic way to reproduce this effect artificially? A very skilled paint job and sand papering by a craftman, or some abuse with a file by some young lads in a shop? Who knows? The craftman job would be very careful and skilled, but totally lacking in any abuse that a naturally battered instrument will have suffered. The file and sandpaper job in the front of a shop lacks any finess, but does at least involve some real abuse, so is possibly closer to the spirit of a genuine relic!.

My own view is that either method is artificial, so why bother at all?
Clive

MB1.
Well Clive!..."Good Luck" selling your old bass!....

[MB1]

MB1.

Bastards!....... who wants to join the queue to relic the sales assistants?

[john_the_bass]

[quote name='bassbloke' post='64726' date='Sep 24 2007, 12:59 PM']This whole relicing business seems a bit bizarre to me.

I mean, if I found a nice Porsche Speedster for sale, I'd hardly ask the owner to drive it into a couple of walls to give it more character, but that's effectively what people are asking for in instruments.[/quote]

"I'd like the James Dean signature model"
"Certainly Sir...." Nips out the back to fetch crash helmet, neck brace and private medical insurance certificate

[MB1]

MB1.

The Bolan 1275GT Signature with wooden dash!

[Soundgoduk]

Hi all

Thanks for the verbal... lets set a few things straight...

-The bass had just been bought by one of the staff doing the 'relicing'
-We knew it was a mexican and not an american.... and all about the routing differences
-It was not a request from a customer and we would never do this to a customers bass for money
-The member of staff in question prefered the finished article
-It was a lot of fun to do and we were taking the p@ss "trying to make it look like Jaco's"

If any of you fancy a real relic.. we've got a lovely custom shop one in...

Cheers

..... you may now resume the abuse

[EdwardHimself]

[quote name='bassbloke' post='64726' date='Sep 24 2007, 12:59 PM']This whole relicing business seems a bit bizarre to me.

I mean, if I found a nice Porsche Speedster for sale, I'd hardly ask the owner to drive it into a couple of walls to give it more character, but that's effectively what people are asking for in instruments.[/quote]

however, if you crashed a car into a wall the handling and mechanical parts would most likely be affected in a negative way. Not so with a bass seeing as it's just whacking the body a couple of times, infact taking off a bit of the finish would probably make it resonate better, if only slightly. Plus metal doesn't look nice all rusty, the type of ageing you see on wood can be desirable and unless you get it wet won't damage it either.