smitty_p
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Well put.
This, boys and girls, is natural play wear.
I just visited my mother recently and this is the bass that belongs to the bass player in her church.
I spoke to him a bit and asked to take a picture of his bass. He told me he bought this Precision Bass in 1962. Every nick, every chip, every scuff, and the worn off finish at the waist of the body came from real play wear, gigging, and use.
I wish the camera on my phone could have captured the colors better. The headstock is more yellowed and aged-looking than the picture suggests.
The smiley face sticker is his own customization!
One key thing I discovered from looking at his bass vs. relic jobs, is the wear at the waist of the body is absolutely smooth. The wood has it's own patina. Because the wear comes from the skin on the player's hands and wrist, not sandpaper, the wood actually takes on a satiny, buffed appearance.
The nicks and chips are also unique. The size and orientation are very random. It looks quite unlike the artificial attempts to recreate an aged, worn appearance.
The bass player told me that this instrument saw a lot of use in local bars in years gone by, and it looks it!
It was a gorgeous instrument.
EDIT: I have since learned that this is actually, at least, a 1964 Precision. The bass player was a very kind and friendly elderly gentlemen. It's entirely possible he was off by a couple of years when he told me when he bought it.
Hey, sometimes I forget my own birthday!
At any rate, it was really nice to be able to see and touch this instrument.
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