Normal wear and tear on a bass.

[arthurhenry]

I've noticed a trend of badly "reliced" basses on ebay. Presumably done by some bloke in his garage, taking a belt sander to cheap Squier basses in order to make them look "just like" vintage Fenders. In fact they look like they've been attacked with power tools (they have) and often feature ridiculous amounts of rust on the metal parts.
The question is: What's a normal amount of wear on a well used working bass? Sheehan's "Wife" and Rory's strat are back to the bare wood, but Geddy's '72 Jazz has only a small amount of visible wear (ironically, his new Jaco Jazzes have much more!) I know the laquer used on old Fenders was a lot thinner/less hard wearing than modern equivalents, but for a real working bass to look like the reliced versions, it would have to be seriously misused.

[TheGreek]

No such things as "normal wear and tear" - there are many here (and elsewhere) who have 20-30 year old basses with [u]NO[/u] W&T - look after your gear and it will always look as good as the day it left the factory. IMHO new "roadworn" basses look crap - a fad that will surely pass..the sooner the better I say..

[arthurhenry]

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1356349902' post='1909359']
No such things as "normal wear and tear" - there are many here (and elsewhere) who have 20-30 year old basses with [u]NO[/u] W&T - look after your gear and it will always look as good as the day it left the factory. IMHO new "roadworn" basses look crap - a fad that will surely pass..the sooner the better I say..
[/quote]
True to a degree, but a certain amount can be expected through normal use. My '72 has wear marks where the ends of the strap have been in contact with the body, where I tuck the lead through the strap and where my wrist rests on the upper body. This could only have been avoided by not playing it, or sticking bits of felt over those areas!

[Lozz196]

The 78 Precision I`m selling has some wear on it, but considering its a 34 year old instrument, it`s surprisingly little - mainly dings etc, that don`t affect the playability. So really, anything more than what is on the Fender Roadworn Series to me looks a bit much, although a mate of mine has a 77 Jazz with one large worn area, due to him wearing studded wristbands whilst playing. The rest of the bass is in good nick though, so looks a bit odd,

[Spike Vincent]

My main 78 Precision has a patch where the paint has worn down to the undercoat where my wrist used to rest on it,other than that a few dings here and there and that's it.

[SlapbassSteve]

I absolutely loathe the look of those intentionally 'relic'd' things(though natural ageing can be beautiful). Completely fail to see why anyone would want one other then a (loaded)bedroom bassist or collector that wanted people to think they bought it in 'new' condition and personally wore it in...

[thepurpleblob]

I just see it as a finish - if you like it then what harm does it do. Why you would pay extra for some dude with a belt sander is a mystery though.

[Jus Lukin]

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Edited February 16, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[Cat Burrito]

I think it's very common with collectors to have several basses or keep instruments for home use so you'd expect them to look immaculate. I bought and sold a bunch that looked "as new" during my GAS phase. However I had a P bass that was my main player from 1989 / 90 until 2004 (& periodically beyond) which had collided with guitarists onstage, been all over the UK and told more stories than a Jackonary DVD Box set. Therefore it was covered in lacquer cracks and had a few chips. Parts had worn out and had to be replaced. Granted it looked a lot tidier than a few of the relics but I think it comes down to what sort of a player you are and what you own. I look after my gear but my 2 remaining Fenders are definitely story basses rather than museum pieces

[BottomE]

Its a taste thing innit. Not my taste but its up to the owner. I remember it was quite cool to relic a new pair of jeans. My mum tells me she used to sit in the bath with new jeans on to relic them.

Wear and tear depends on a lot of variables. I have a 20 year old bass that looks new. I have a 4 year old bass that looks tired.

[mushers]

watched a tv show about chas and dave the other night and daves bass had some serious wear but i think he spent most of his 40 years on the road with it so its to be expected i guess, i had a hole apearing in my sr505 just below the g string where i kept catching the grain of the wood with my nail popping notes but all my other bases are in good nick and i hope they stay that way
as for road worn it reminds me of that horrible pop band bros ripping holes in their jeans becauuse at the time some thought it looked cool >.<

[Happy Jack]

Some of my basses show signs of wear.

None of them show signs of tear.

[chris_b]

If you gig a bass you'll always get wear and tear, but relic'd basses are God's way of telling you you have too much money and not enough sense.


You sat in the bath in order to shrink you new jeans to the right size, not to relic them! That was when "stonewash" came out and before that we used to bleach them in a mottled effect.

Originally Jeans were not preshrunk and you shrunk them by sitting in the bath so they were skin tight.

[lojo]

I like my basses to have dings n things in when I buy them, but only as I hate worrying about them at gigs

The only thing I could not put up with is a ding in the back of the neck (had one in my acoustic 6 string and it really bugged me)

Roadworn paint work can look cool, but I doubt I would buy anything that was made to look that way

I've even seem ads for Roadworn basses in perfect condition ?

[2pods]

Sitting in a bath wearing Levi's.
Wasn't that to shrink them to fit, rather than relic-ing them ?

Either way, I can't stand these relic finishes. YMMV

[Mr. Foxen]

All depends on the player and the playing. I've had a rickenbacker in that the guy had from new and it was beaten enough that the binding had separated.

[ezbass]

My P bass came to me very distressed, I reckon some low slung rocker with a big belt buckle had it once upon a time.

[IMG]http://i308.photobucket.com/albums/kk344/ezbass/PB170011.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i308.photobucket.com/albums/kk344/ezbass/PB170010.jpg[/IMG]

[Coilte]

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1356352592' post='1909405']
Some of my basses show signs of wear.

None of them show signs of tear.


[/quote]


Good point. While I realise it is a personal thing, I could never understand the attraction of a road worn bass.

Nothing wrong with a bass looking used, but often, some look as if they had been used to dig the garden.

[JTUK]

My basses ..and my kit generally... looks well looked after...but that is because it has been well looked after.
I hate dings in the neck and would have the neck re-lacquered if I could feel it whilst playing.

They are working basses so they will get knocks.... but that doesn't mean I will invite them.

So, no to the relicing thing for me.

[Happy Jack]

[quote name='ezbass' timestamp='1356360218' post='1909491']
My P bass came to me very distressed, I reckon some low slung rocker with a big belt buckle had it once upon a time.



[/quote]

Did you sit in the bath with it?

[Coilte]

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1356370981' post='1909652']
They are working basses so they will get knocks.... but that doesn't mean I will invite them.
[/quote]

I agree entirely. I often cringe when I go to a gig and see expensive basses leaning precariously
against a speaker cab or such like. My basses are by no means top of the range, but I always
carry a guitar stand to gigs or rehearsals.

Perhaps it is just my nature, for as a child I was always taught to take care of my belongings.

[ezbass]

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1356372115' post='1909678']


Did you sit in the bath with it?
[/quote]
Nope, but a previous owner may have. What I find surprising is that for all natural ageing that has occurred on my bass (remember it's almost 50 years old) there is none of the forearm wear that relicers immediately apply their sanders to emulate.

[Truckstop]

[quote name='ezbass' timestamp='1356374031' post='1909715']

Nope, but a previous owner may have. What I find surprising is that for all natural ageing that has occurred on my bass (remember it's almost 50 years old) there is none of the forearm wear that relicers immediately apply their sanders to emulate.
[/quote]

Quite.

Most of the wear I see is on the back (buckle rash, general rubbing), along the top bout if the bass has been worn higher than usual or around the pickups where people anchor their thumbs.

Other wear I see a lot is rusty frets and pole pieces due to acidic sweat or the player not cleaning the bass after use.

Truckstop

[louisthebass]

[quote name='2pods' timestamp='1356353412' post='1909414']
Sitting in a bath wearing Levi's.
Wasn't that to shrink them to fit, rather than relic-ing them ?
[/quote]

That's what I thought - Levi 501's with the Red stitching inside the legs?

[thunderider]

iv never been a fan of reliced basses i got a 35 yr old bass thats still great nick! but this one i love...im going to try and buy it....[url="http://alandaveymusic.com/pics.php/my-1-bass"]http://alandaveymusic.com/pics.php/my-1-bass[/url]