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Black basses: Cool or boring?


TRBboy
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All depends. I have 0 black basses/guitars. I often consider a Stingray in black (again) because EBMM's black is incredibly well painted on. It just seems to have so much sheen and class.

But, I find it boring. I rather stupidly think black, especially all black (hardware etc) makes you look like a 'metal head', and as a (hopefully) fairly smart mod about town, I steer clear from anything that associates me with something I tried out when I was 13 and grew out of.

White is cool.

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I like to see the grain on my basses, if a really well done translucent black bass came across my path and it played right then I might be tempted, however on the whole I'm not a fan, just find it too boring and common place. So far I've owned a Red bass, Metallic Blue, Gun Metal and now a Walnutburst, I think my walnutburst is my favourite without a doubt! The grain and finish is just stunning!

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Some basses look great in black , some less so . A lot also depends on the fingerboard wood and the colour of the sratchplate as well . It's not just black basses though - different basses look good / better in some colours than others . I wouldn't want a Steinberger XL2 in anything except black , but by the same token I wouldn't want a black Lakland Holowbody , for example . We all have our own prejudices - I would never consider buying a blue or green bass of any description , but red and white are fine in most cases . That said , I am frequently amazed by the colour combinations some people gravitate towards on Basschat in contrast to my my own exquisite and impeccable taste . I like a lots of basses in black because I am a very serious man , or as some people would describe it , a miserable bastard . Black will always be cool because it is such a rock and roll colour and it can signify or suggest so many things : it can be associated with heavy metal , as it can be punk and /or goth , that is true , but far more significantly , it is resonant of the Bauhaus ( that's the university in Germany , [u][i]not[/i][/u] the band !) school of design whose adopted philosophy of " form follows function " recognised the power of the colour black for manipulating space , shape and volume towards a pleasing aesthetic and functional outcome . These ideas and others closely associated with them have influenced much of Twentieth century popular culture , not least of all popular music ( just ask David Bowie - he based his career on them ) and hence the residual and enduring appeal of black as [i]the [/i]rock and roll colour .

Edited by Dingus
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[quote name='chrismuzz' timestamp='1363619751' post='2014820']
My newest bass is ridiculously black[/quote]

Agreed! Needs black strings though.... and colour in the dot markers with a pen... (a black one, obviously). B)

[quote name='Schnozzalee' timestamp='1363623396' post='2014895']
If it's completely black you can't see what it is,[/quote]

I think you are confusing the colour black with a "somebody else's problem" field... [url="http://hitchhikers.wikia.com/wiki/Somebody_Else"]http://hitchhikers.wikia.com/wiki/Somebody_Else's_Problem_field[/url]

Edited by Conan
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Well this poll is kind of inconclusive then...... although the vast majority have voted "Cool", I think that most of those have a vision of a black/maple p-bass in their head. Maybe I should have made it about my bass specifically! I suppose there's no doubting that black is a cool colour itself, I guess it's just that it does carry a "Metal" stigma with it as far as guitars go, plus it can have a tendency to make a bass look more "budget" than "premium".

I think my black one looks okay, but a little dull I guess. The other factor is that I've had an itch for a cherry sunburst/maple/black hardware version for some time...... Maybe I'm just looking for some justification to sell the black one and order that!

Thanks for all your replies so far!

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[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1363625911' post='2014935'] it is resonant of The Bauhaus ( that's the university in Germany , [u][i]not[/i][/u] the band !) school of design [/quote]
Oh dear lord not Bauhaus again! I was dragged along to the Barbican exhibition on The Bauhaus last summer by my girlfriend, can honestly it was the most boring 2 and a bit hours of my life! Of course I then dragged her down Denmark Street to make up for it ;) I will agree on some other posters about Stingrays in black, probably the only bass I'd get in black, so long as it was a white guard and maple neck! That looks nice! When I win the euromillions on Friday...

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[quote name='TRBboy' timestamp='1363627006' post='2014957']
Well this poll is kind of inconclusive then...... although the vast majority have voted "Cool", I think that most of those have a vision of a black/maple p-bass in their head. Maybe I should have made it about my bass specifically! I suppose there's no doubting that black is a cool colour itself, I guess it's just that it does carry a "Metal" stigma with it as far as guitars go, plus it can have a tendency to make a bass look more "budget" than "premium".

I think my black one looks okay, but a little dull I guess. The other factor is that I've had an itch for a cherry sunburst/maple/black hardware version for some time...... Maybe I'm just looking for some justification to sell the black one and order that!

Thanks for all your replies so far!
[/quote]

Cherry sunburst reminds me of egg yolk surrounded by tomato ketchup and has a tendency to look a bit Cheesy Wotsit / Judith Chalmers orange under stage lights . At least black always looks black .

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[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1363614348' post='2014735']
Depends on the bass.

BTW most "black" basses aren't.

IMO for a bass to be properly considered black, the only allowable non-black items are: frets, fret markers and strings
[/quote]

My black bass has Rotosound black strings :)

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I don't really see how a bass can look cool, whatever that is, or boring merely because of the colour of its body finish.

If I didn't like the look of a particular bass then painting it black or whatever is not going to make it cool.

Like BRX said, most aren't wholly black anyway.

I'm always surprised at the love for black body with maple fingerboard - not black and not cool for me at all.

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