How the hell do some people treat their basses?!

[xilddx]

[quote name='retroman' post='739491' date='Feb 8 2010, 10:21 PM']And then spend about 2 hrs having to chisel off the bolt that the 50p spanner has mangled beyond all recognition

I can understand the mechanic and his tools thing. I am a qualified mechanic, and must have at least £10,000 worth of tools They're all spotless, and kept in a very neatly arranged roll cab....Why? The amount of time that you can waste using inferior, poorly maintained, filthy tools, stored in a disorganised tool box is unbelievable. Not to mention the risk of personal injury increases using cheap tat, or looking highly unprofessional.

Like I said, look after your tools, and they will last you a life time. Same levels of tidyness apply to my bass equipment.

BTW, did I mention I'm a neat freak!

No offence meant to anyone, just my own opinion. At the end of the day, we're all different, and it's OK to enjoy our hobby in different ways to each other [/quote]
Excellent post, demonstrating exactly what I mean, from someone who actually knows what they're talking about, unlike me

[Prosebass]

[quote name='Gareth Hughes' post='739295' date='Feb 8 2010, 07:29 PM']Yup, that's Watt's -tho I think this is the one he had nicked last year.[/quote]

It is and he was gutted , it wasn't me by the way

[ThomBassmonkey]

As someone said earlier, if someone buys something, it's their right to do to it what they want.

For a regularly gigging rock/metal musician, I know that people turn up to gigs to see the show, if they wanted to just listen to the music, they'd put on a CD. If you're terrified of damaging your instrument then you end up stood still or trying to avoid the guitarist who's giving the audience the show they came to see.

One of the CLASSIC guitar moments is Hendrix lighting a candle on his guitar, that's hardly respecting his instrument but it's something that I'm sure everyone knows about because it's not just a guitarist stood about playing.

In saying that, I believe any instrument should be looked after. It's ok having a pristine guitar but if none of the electrics work consistently, what's the point? I've seen FAR more guitars that barely look used but barely work than guitars that're battered about but never cut out and still have their original tone.

None of my instruments are very battered (a few scratches, a ding where it fell on the edge of a cymbal etc) but without close inspection they all look near enough perfect. It's purely chance though, they've been battered about, they're just holding up incredibly well. But none of them cut out or have lost any tone which is way more important to me.

And this ties in with the tools thing too, you don't keep your tools perfect because you want them to look nice, you keep them perfect because you want them to work perfectly.

Edit: I ought to add that of course it's up to the owner and of course different music requires different stage shows. Just because you're not diving about, it doesn't mean you're not putting on a show.

Edited February 9, 2010 by ThomBassmonkey

[WonderHorse]

[quote name='riff raff' post='735967' date='Feb 5 2010, 11:36 AM']thats the most ridiculous thing to say.if i work hard(i do) and earn the money to buy the gear i want(i do) i can do whatever i like with it.and treat it however i like.

they're only tools.beat the sh*t out of them i say.[/quote]


[quote name='riff raff' post='735980' date='Feb 5 2010, 11:42 AM']if an instrument works properly and is fit for use,i have absolutely no interest or opinion on its aesthetic condition.

and to suggest that not anally cleaning and polishing a piece of wood, somehow means that as a person you are somehow deficient is bollocks. :wacko:[/quote]


[quote name='Wil' post='736003' date='Feb 5 2010, 11:52 AM']The cosmetics don't matter one jot. I'm very much of the opinion that if you save up and spend your money on anything you can do whatever you like with it

chips, dents, scratches, dirt, all irrelevant.[/quote]


[quote name='Prosebass' post='736011' date='Feb 5 2010, 11:58 AM']You can say the same about Cars , some people waste hours of their lives polishing them on Sunday mornings ?
If you want to keep a bass looking like new then fine, thats your perogative, but others don't care , doesn't make them 'less of a person' and whatever they do with their basses is entirely their choice.[/quote]


A seletion of quotes that make sense.

I prefer to play my bass rather than sit there polishing it and getting to that speck of dust under the strings. Same with my motorbikes - I ride them rather than spend all day cleaning the things.

They're only tools.

[jim_bass]

FWIW. I rarely clean my bass. Except for a duster thats lived in my bass case for the best part of 15 years to wipe the neck when I remember - which isn't very often. Having said that, it still looks pretty tidy, just the odd dint from when I bash necks with our guitarist!

On the other hand, my (mountain) bike takes a battering when I ride it. Lives covered in mud and I never remember to clean it. So I end up with a rusty chain, which sucks. But when it does get cleaned - it gets really cleaned. Like every bolt has to be removed. I strip it down and almost fully rebuild it. Do I need to do it. Not really, but it's fun - I like to know how things work and that why I do it. I guess the same satisfaction comes from stripping a bass (or guitar) apart and meticulously cleaning each individual component.

Totally anal, but surprisingly satisfying.