Does Anyone Sell/Make a “Faux”worn Finished Bass

#61
I've got this satin finish Jackson bass. I'm curious if in time it will start to show signs of wear.
My old Ibanez sr900 flame Maple that I used for many gigs and rarely put away in the case had some cool looking wear going on.
But that took ten years.
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#64
Gaolee said:
Nitro is plenty tough. I have had an EB-2 since 1983. It has wear, but no holes in the finish. Same with my Thunderbirds. I do not know why Fender basses wear like they do, poly or nitro. Both seem to wear through faster than other makers' finishes.
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That is an interesting point. One one hand, Fender basses (especially) got played more professionally in the '50s-'60s than other brands. Guitars were used more equally between brands and played professionally so worn in a similar percentage. The Fender bass was thee bass for many years and so it's just a matter of the basses that got more use that got more wear. Aside from that, there may have been differences in the products used between brands even though they were all lacquer. One more aspect was that Fender basses were less fragile that set-neck and neck-thru basses so were tossed around more. Just conjecture - YOMV. :)
 
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#72
I've only owned one bass that was relic'd; a Fender Custom Shop '64 jazz. Wonderful bass! What I've discovered is that I prefer very light relic work. I know some folks like it rather heavy, but visually that's not appealing to me. I don't mind wear, but I draw the line at gouges.
 
#73
Sean150 said:
My thoughts are this. I have not seen a vintage instrument with a finish in a condition that I like and I don’t want to baby my guitars so I am not interested in a Nitro finish. But there are some patters of wear that I like, specifically the smooth wear patterns you get on the upper part of the body where your arm is; especially on those basses with a older layer of pain underneath.

There is no way that I am ever going to wear through my Poly finished basses in that way and would have to get it re-coated anyways if I did. So I am wondering if anyone makes a production instrument of this style; or am I going to have to find a custom shop.

This is more about a specific look artistically than looking old. I am not worried whether the wear patterns are realistic or not.
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Where have you been over the past 20 years or so???
 
#74
scowboy said:
I'm not sure why you stay away from Road Worn. I've owned one, they are very nice basses and even nicer for the price. Even the stock pickup that was in my P sounded great. They are a great value for the money if that kind of thing works for you.
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I could care less who doesnt like the Fender RW basses they dont pay my bills and they sure as hell didnt pay for my RWs...
 
#77
JIO said:
That is an interesting point. One one hand, Fender basses (especially) got played more professionally in the '50s-'60s than other brands. Guitars were used more equally between brands and played professionally so worn in a similar percentage. The Fender bass was thee bass for many years and so it's just a matter of the basses that got more use that got more wear. Aside from that, there may have been differences in the products used between brands even though they were all lacquer. One more aspect was that Fender basses were less fragile that set-neck and neck-thru basses so were tossed around more. Just conjecture - YOMV. :)
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That may be true about fragility. But, then it's hard to know for sure. I have a 2013 EB that set neck but otherwise built more like a Fender than a Gibson. It's got a nitro finish, and I figured it would wear in time. Granted, I'm no pro and don't play night after night, but it's burnishing. The finish isn't getting holes in it for some reason. I also had a Ric that had some dents and dings in it, but it certainly didn't "relic" the way a Fender typically does. If you look at Les Pauls and SGs, they usually don't have the big holes in the finish that an equivalent Fender guitar would have. Even Gibson and other guitars from the '50s, don't show the same kind of wear most of the time. At least a few of those got played every night. Maybe the lacquer went on thicker. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me, but what do I know!
 
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#78
Gaolee said:
That may be true about fragility. But, then it's hard to know for sure. I have a 2013 EB that set neck but otherwise built more like a Fender than a Gibson. It's got a nitro finish, and I figured it would wear in time. Granted, I'm no pro and don't play night after night, but it's burnishing. The finish isn't getting holes in it for some reason. I also had a Ric that had some dents and dings in it, but it certainly didn't "relic" the way a Fender typically does. If you look at Les Pauls and SGs, they usually don't have the big holes in the finish that an equivalent Fender guitar would have. Even Gibson and other guitars from the '50s, don't show the same kind of wear most of the time. At least a few of those got played every night. Maybe the lacquer went on thicker. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me, but what do I know!
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This is all true - but following the same preface, the majority of really player-worn finishes are usually Fenders because they were more visible/present on stages across the world for many years. It's not like Gibsons, Gretsch's, Guild's and Ric's (to name a few) weren't also out there in the trenches - there are 'road-worn' examples of them as well but just not as many. I think the emphasis on 'night after night', 'year after year' professional playing is key to how a finish can become that 'player worn'. This includes traveling/transporting the instrument, sound-checks, shows, rehearsals/playing on a bus or in a green-room etc, etc. More a 360 degree use that most of us experience.
 
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