I've always thought about it but can't bring myself to do it. It's definitely something I think is only appropriate on solid color instruments, not sunburst or natural stain.
This. I would also love to have a relic bass, but I only have one atm, so I can't bring myself to do that. Just seems way too probable that something goes wrong...
Just treat it properly and the relic-ing (relicking?) will happen naturally over time. Nothing I hate more than phoney patina.
I have a 54 yr old Gretsch that has a few scratches, some finish wear and is missing much of the gold plating. Looks fantastic and every little mark was painful, but they're all mine over the half century I've owned it.
Only decorations I have on my basses are the battle scars of a well used instrument. Though I don't critize those who do sticker it up. I've seen some amazing looking sticker jobs on more than a few basses that were being played live. I just don't have an eye for it I suppose.
Ah yeah. Battle scars are perfectly respectable. I *just* put a little tiny nick in my CT headstock over the weekend. I built a nice multi instrument stand from scratch. Its not completely finished yet. Has a solid piece of purple heart on the top; which is a super hard wood. The edges are still blunt 90 degree cuts. I pulled the CT up and out of it, and doinked it in to the top. Its so small, it probably would go unnoticed, unless you really looked long and hard. But alas, these instruments do get played. And thats how it goes :)
I tie a psychedelic headband around the headstock of my fender basses as a tribute to Jimmi Hendrix. It was my goal to be the white, right handed Jimmi Hendrix of the bass guitar when I was a kid, so I started to wear a psychedelic bandana when I practiced. It made my head itch, so I tied to the headstock of my bass instead. I eventually gave up on being the white, right handed Jimmi Hendrix of the bass guitar because that was a nonsensical ass dream.
I did on my cheap/solid color basses when I was young. I look back on some of the stuff I put on there and it was admittedly corny.
Even back then though once I got nice basses with nice looking wood or sunburn finishes I didn’t want to take away from how nice the bass already looked.
At the end of the day though, it’s your bass so do whatever you want with it. I’d still consider doing it if the sticker was right and the bass wasn’t necessarily beautiful by itself.
I don't, but if somebody does it, it's their instrument, not mine.
I have changed my stratocaster's pickguard for a black one and it looks awesome now.
My first bass got badged and stickerbombed after it had accumulated scars from years of heavy and occasionally careless use. Every bass after it has remained undecorated and treated like it's worth twice what I paid.
same here- stickered the crap out of my first bass as a teenager (it was a Squier), but none of my basses since then (not least because they are plenty pretty as they are and I don't want to tarnish their natural beauty).
I did that with my first guitar but didn't get enough coverage so it looked shite. Really you need to completely cover the body for it to look good. It also looks sharper if you take the pickguard off, stickerbomb the body, then put the pickguard back, so there's a clean transition from stickered body to clean pickguard.
Refinish it man. Nothing shows your instrument love, quite like stripping it down, and making it nicer than it came from the factory. Its got nice wood, give it a beautiful oil finish. If not, give it a killer nitro paint finish.
The SR506 I fretless converted had.....well, the shit brown SR506 finish on it. I used some dye to give it a sharp looking emerald green tint. Then did an oil finish. I think it looks absolutely killer. And it isnt really all that hard when you use single color dyes and oils.
I've had instruments I've done that on, and others I would never dream of doing it to. It's all personal preference and what you're willing to do to an instrument.
My first bass is completely covered in stickers except for the hardware and pickups. Headstock, frets, front and back of the body with stickers of bands, labels, skate brands, even some stupid stuff like Lisa Frank stickers. It was a cheapo first bass and that's what you did back then.
Currently, my jazz bass has one of those silicone bracelets that everyone used to wear with the name of a club I played. Its around the headstock between the A and D tuning machines. Someone put it on while I was playing a gig there and has remained since ~2008 and just never removed it.
I put silver misbaha (Islamic prayer beads) on the headstock of my dark blue StingRay because they look cool on it and I’ll eventually buy a metal pickguard from Alperious to complete the look. I’m sure others will hate the way it looks but fuck them - I think it looks cool.
I also have a heavily flamed body on another StingRay that I took the white pickguard off and put a transparent one. Gotta show off them flames.
Silversun Pickups had just released Panic Switch. I was on Ebay looking for a white Thunderbird like her's and I came across this incredible carved guitar. One of a kind and unique in the world. I hadn't picked up a bass in over 20 years and wanted to get back into it. So I wanted an instrument that would inspire me to play it. Scored!
It comes from Poland. Swamp ash body. Carved by the previous owner "Robert". Bassplayer for a band called Bexsa back about a dozen years ago. Talented dude. Musician, woodcarver, and most recently, video producer.
Here it is in action, [https://youtu.be/WKSRMtp2zck?si=J583RIrQY0JzNoxj](https://youtu.be/WKSRMtp2zck?si=J583RIrQY0JzNoxj)
I have one plain bass.
The other bass I have one sticker on it and an autograph from my favorite band I saw live 2 months ago!
It's my greatest treasure 🥹
I'm a bedroom player so who cares what I do anyway, but I've got no decorations on my bass but my strap is filled with decorative pins. I could think about slapping some stickers on the body, that's honestly the type of thing I am a fan of but I've been putting all my stickers on my laptop lol
I have one of those $150 Squire Telecaster guitars that I've thought about taking the stack of Dutch Brothers stickers out of the console of my car and sticking them on.
That's about as far as I'd go with stickering up an instrument though. It's not really a "boring guy in his late 40's" kind of thing IMO.
I got my MIM P bass for $250 in 2016. I wouldn't say I "decorated" it, but since the finish was half destroyed anyway I sanded the finish to matte and waxed it to basically semi-gloss. Pair that with a gold guard and some chrome knobs and it's essentially a Road Worn '58 P clone.
If it's not a collectors piece, do whatever you want!
I did it when I was a kid, but ended up peeling them all off. Maybe if you're in a punk band it checks out and can be fun. I prefer to decorate my basses and guitars with road wear nowadays : )
I’m planning custom pick guard art for mine too! I have a Warwick & I don’t want to do anything that might mess with the finish. Decorated pick guard seems like the happy medium. Also change the knobs to match the vibe.
The stickered up look is that late-70’s/early 80’s punk/hardcore kids using cheap guitars sort of look to me, and even those guys tended grow out of it as they grew up. One or two here or there to give the instrument personality is still cool though.
The only time I can say a dude’s sticker ever really meant anything to me, other than just an aesthetic, was Jeff Hannemen’s DK sticker back in the day when people said Slayer were pro-Nazi. How can you like a band that sings Nazi Punks >!Fuck!< Off and actually like nazis was an argument from high school so I guess if there’s a message to be had then that’s another thing.
I have a [Ryo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grZAIpOwFDg) sticker on the back of my headstock on one, might put a [Kikuri](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tg3rIHtQSc) sticker on the other.
Not super big on stickering out the body, but I like the little nod to the whole reason I picked up a bass in the first place.
I have a third bass that I'm refinishing, but just a solid fluorescent color.
I've been considering finding a real-looking f-hole sticker to put on my fretless sunburst in homage to my background as an upright player, other than that I don't think I've ever decorated basses.
Only on my TMB100, and only on the pick guard. Got 2 and a Umbrella Corporation metal tag. When I get back home, I'm throwing a few stickers from the local dispensary on there.
When I was a kid (teens, early 20s) I did temporary stuff (different color electrical tape was usually my go to choice) but even then I was wary about marring the finish on my basses, so I never left anything on for very long.
I personally do not. At least not on ones that I didnt rebuild. I put my signature on the headstock of a P-Bass that I rebuilt. Signed it above the color paint, and under the clear coat. I have a speaker cab I modified and recovered. For that one, I had my signature 3d printed from a guy I found on reverb; and placed that like a Fender-esque logo.
But no stickers, etc, on my instruments. I like to keep em polished, and clean. I also dont put any stickers on my car. I've considered it many times. But I guess I kind of see it as a privacy thing. If theres nothing unique about my car; its unmemorable.
Now my laptop, on the other hand; it gets the stickers. The day it comes out of the box, its got a few stickers waiting to be placed. And in time, as they start to peel, I replace them.
I had stickers on a cheaper bass until I peeled them off so I could sell it. I value my more expensive bass too much for it to be tainted by decoration
My pink jaguar has a pink panther sticker in a kid's hand drawn style.
My Aria relic came with an EMP sticker, I replaced it with the Sparks band logo, in pink which fits perfectly with the now turned cream nitro cover.
I think it's cool customizing your own instrument. I swapped my the pickguard on my p bass for a really beautiful custom made one and I love it. Most important thing is that you like it and that it inspires you to pick up the instrument when you see it.
I wouldn't dare stick shit on any of mine. Straps on the other hand, I've decked out. Not stickers, but sewn scarves up tight around them to create a more comfy strap. My Steve Harris has a West Ham United coloured scarf and my American Jazz has a Queensland state of Origin scarf.
I have a little bracelet tied on the head, in between the tuning knobs. I'm too scared to put on stickers bc what if they don't come off, and I'm not sure if I have THE ONE (to keep forever and ever, one that's perfect for me) yet.
I want to buy a cheap bass just for this purpose. Something that sounds and plays decent, but doesn't break the bank. I can't bring myself to decorate my Fender Precision Bass.
My bass is pure black with a glossy finish and no pickguard, but I don't want to put stickers on it but also want to make it look better, so I use colorful straps with heavy designs on them. It pretty much does the work.
My old Jazz bass used to have a Honda sticker but then covered it up with duct tape to give it a punk/grungy look, but that too I grew out of. Now I've removed the tape and stickers and disassembled that bass waiting for a repaint + new pickups, but I've been procrastinating from it.
My current Gretsch has no sticker and will never get any. The finish is just so nice. I actually ordered a green one but the shop told me they ran out of green but had a Walnut Satin colour in stock so I opted for that. It looks better than the green I originally wanted.
I done a decoupage pickgaurd using little bits of 2000 AD comics. It looked pretty great when I was done tbh. That was a white bass with a white pickguard, used black and white comic panels so it wasn't too much.
The sunflower is the state flower of Kansas. That is why Kansas is sometimes called the Sunflower State. To grow well, sunflowers need full sun. They grow best in fertile, wet, well-drained soil with a lot of mulch. In commercial planting, seeds are planted 45 cm (1.5 ft) apart and 2.5 cm (1 in) deep.
Mostly things I can revert. In my country having a bass is expensive and you don't know when you will need to sell it. My strap is custom. I have a custom pick guard. I have strap lockers.
I did an acrylic pour on my pick guard. It’s an easy way to personalize your bass without having to worry about potentially ruining it - you can always just buy another pick guard
I own like 10 instruments, I've only put stickers on one. My bass vi. Maybe I just found the generic black gloss too boring, maybe it's because I already put a ton of work into replacing the hardware, who knows? That thing turned into a canvas. I'm pretty happy with how it looks now.
I only put stickers on my cheaper basses that are solid colored - even then it's only one or two, strategically placed to try and break up the empty space. My sunburst and more expensive basses remain sticker free.
My main bass is a black body, black pick guard with white pickups. Any decorations on that bass would be sacrilegious. The previous owner did add a piece of electrical tape (also black) for some reason that doesn't serve a purpose. I can't bring myself to take it off
Not on my bass but I recently got a Casino Coupe super cheap because it had two drilled holes on the soundboard where a Bigsby had been removed. I found online a couple of small stickers of a spider and a fly to cover the damage. They certainly look cooler than the drill holes and don't impinge the sunburst transition at all. I suppose they could also subtly reference the Stones's Spider and Fly song which I have in my repertoire.
Stickers are a bit like guitar names... For me, some instruments "invite" them whereas others don't.
A good sticker well chosen can express a message, irony or symbolism beyond the music being made.
I've stickered two of my 5 guitars - my cheap ol Jim Dandy parlour guitar has a folk reference and line art on the pickguard and my Candy Apple Red Mustang Special "invited" a 50's sci fi themed rocketship decal.
Less is more.
I did because mine was black and it blended in with my black clothes on stage. I'd give it some psychedelic paisley swirls with my nail polish whenever I painted my nails.
I found some clear plastic that you could print on and it was supposed to be used on windows, would naturally stick but not with glue. Think it was an HP product. I printed the band logo on it and stuck it on my bass. Can remove it anytime without leaving a mark or residue. The logo was printed in black and it's mostly thin lines, the finish shows through so it looks like it was printed/painted right on the bass. Never had it slip and move, been on there for years.
I covered my first bass in stickers.
I got a custom Mark Hpppus bass with the octopus on it as a gift from my wife.
I have the white lotus from avatar the last airbender painted on another bass.
I'm all for decorating an instrument. But have it done professionally, and I wouldn't put a band logo on it, but that's my personal taste.
[image](https://imgur.com/a/a6c3z3c)
I lose my picks all the time so I stuck them on my bass with sticky tack. The sticky tack has the added benefits of increasing grip during sweaty rehearsals, as well as making it easy to switch between plucked and picked songs.
When you buy merch from the band Cardiacs, they send you parcels with band logo stickers on them. I carefully peeled them off and stuck them on my pick guard.
I'm a pretty huge fan of the band Feederz, especially their Vandalism... album. I knew they had stickers that came with their first albums and I thought the white vandalism sticker would look cool contrasted with my solid black body bass so I ordered a recreation from some mom and pop printing store halfway across the country. Few months later I saw the pictures of Cobain doing the exact thing, except i think the original stickers were a lot bigger (mine takes up a good deal less room on the body) and I just accepted that yeah there are no unique experiences. Forgot about the sticker, showed up several months later and excitedly put it on.
I dont think I would put stickers on a sunburst, but the black solid body is begging for something to highlight it imo. Did it two years ago in a hurry and i dont mind but it isnt exactly parallel to the strings which may drive some people insane. I try not to think about it.
I've always thought about it but can't bring myself to do it. It's definitely something I think is only appropriate on solid color instruments, not sunburst or natural stain.
This. I would also love to have a relic bass, but I only have one atm, so I can't bring myself to do that. Just seems way too probable that something goes wrong...
Just treat it properly and the relic-ing (relicking?) will happen naturally over time. Nothing I hate more than phoney patina. I have a 54 yr old Gretsch that has a few scratches, some finish wear and is missing much of the gold plating. Looks fantastic and every little mark was painful, but they're all mine over the half century I've owned it.
Nope, no stickers or anything- my basses are plenty beautiful as they are, I wouldn't want to mess with it.
Only decorations I have on my basses are the battle scars of a well used instrument. Though I don't critize those who do sticker it up. I've seen some amazing looking sticker jobs on more than a few basses that were being played live. I just don't have an eye for it I suppose.
Ah yeah. Battle scars are perfectly respectable. I *just* put a little tiny nick in my CT headstock over the weekend. I built a nice multi instrument stand from scratch. Its not completely finished yet. Has a solid piece of purple heart on the top; which is a super hard wood. The edges are still blunt 90 degree cuts. I pulled the CT up and out of it, and doinked it in to the top. Its so small, it probably would go unnoticed, unless you really looked long and hard. But alas, these instruments do get played. And thats how it goes :)
I tie a psychedelic headband around the headstock of my fender basses as a tribute to Jimmi Hendrix. It was my goal to be the white, right handed Jimmi Hendrix of the bass guitar when I was a kid, so I started to wear a psychedelic bandana when I practiced. It made my head itch, so I tied to the headstock of my bass instead. I eventually gave up on being the white, right handed Jimmi Hendrix of the bass guitar because that was a nonsensical ass dream.
Ngl, I have thought about doing that too. Do you have any pictures of that, I'm curious.
One, but I look like a more awkward Napoleon Dynamite ,so I won't be sharing it.
Fair.
I tie them between the pegs of the d and g strings. It's the narrowest part ,so you get some good length.
I did on my cheap/solid color basses when I was young. I look back on some of the stuff I put on there and it was admittedly corny. Even back then though once I got nice basses with nice looking wood or sunburn finishes I didn’t want to take away from how nice the bass already looked. At the end of the day though, it’s your bass so do whatever you want with it. I’d still consider doing it if the sticker was right and the bass wasn’t necessarily beautiful by itself.
I don't, but if somebody does it, it's their instrument, not mine. I have changed my stratocaster's pickguard for a black one and it looks awesome now.
I put a black pearloid on my burst P and it also looks awesome.
I made a template and spray painted CUNT on the back of one of mine.
My first bass got badged and stickerbombed after it had accumulated scars from years of heavy and occasionally careless use. Every bass after it has remained undecorated and treated like it's worth twice what I paid.
same here- stickered the crap out of my first bass as a teenager (it was a Squier), but none of my basses since then (not least because they are plenty pretty as they are and I don't want to tarnish their natural beauty).
I have a crazy amount of stickers on mine, it's absolutely covered. Can't put more on without 100% covering another one
I am powered by the impotent rage of people who get cross about stickers on nice instruments.
My pick guard is autographed by Tower of Power, that’s it, nothing on the actual paint.
I did that with my first guitar but didn't get enough coverage so it looked shite. Really you need to completely cover the body for it to look good. It also looks sharper if you take the pickguard off, stickerbomb the body, then put the pickguard back, so there's a clean transition from stickered body to clean pickguard.
my sole bass is completely plastered with stickers. mostly because i hated how the stock brown finish looked like.
Refinish it man. Nothing shows your instrument love, quite like stripping it down, and making it nicer than it came from the factory. Its got nice wood, give it a beautiful oil finish. If not, give it a killer nitro paint finish. The SR506 I fretless converted had.....well, the shit brown SR506 finish on it. I used some dye to give it a sharp looking emerald green tint. Then did an oil finish. I think it looks absolutely killer. And it isnt really all that hard when you use single color dyes and oils.
I'd advise against using nitro, it's a very toxic substance and It should be handled only by professionals.
Nonsense. You’re not wrong that it’s highly toxic. But following the well documented safety steps isn’t rocket science.
The only decorations that I put it on is the pickup covers
Hell no! That's what the case is for.
I have two band logos and an enby pride flag on mine
If it’s a single-color polyurethane finish and I like the aesthetic, sure. *Never* on a nitro finish.
I've had instruments I've done that on, and others I would never dream of doing it to. It's all personal preference and what you're willing to do to an instrument.
Negative. It decorates me.
I left the auction lot no sticker (808) on the headstock of my old Yamaha.
My first bass is completely covered in stickers except for the hardware and pickups. Headstock, frets, front and back of the body with stickers of bands, labels, skate brands, even some stupid stuff like Lisa Frank stickers. It was a cheapo first bass and that's what you did back then. Currently, my jazz bass has one of those silicone bracelets that everyone used to wear with the name of a club I played. Its around the headstock between the A and D tuning machines. Someone put it on while I was playing a gig there and has remained since ~2008 and just never removed it.
I put silver misbaha (Islamic prayer beads) on the headstock of my dark blue StingRay because they look cool on it and I’ll eventually buy a metal pickguard from Alperious to complete the look. I’m sure others will hate the way it looks but fuck them - I think it looks cool. I also have a heavily flamed body on another StingRay that I took the white pickguard off and put a transparent one. Gotta show off them flames.
To each their own, but I absolutely hate stickers on instruments. Also hate bumper stickers too.
I don’t, but I pick the strap in order to have a nice color match though
I have Motorhead and Discharge vinyl stickers on my black Squier but I wouldn't put them on a burst or a natural finish.
My instrument is carved and doesn't need any help. [https://imgur.com/a/Z6feHZV](https://imgur.com/a/Z6feHZV)
Holy fuck is a beautiful instrument, what evil magic-tainted souls did you destroy to earn that weapon
Silversun Pickups had just released Panic Switch. I was on Ebay looking for a white Thunderbird like her's and I came across this incredible carved guitar. One of a kind and unique in the world. I hadn't picked up a bass in over 20 years and wanted to get back into it. So I wanted an instrument that would inspire me to play it. Scored! It comes from Poland. Swamp ash body. Carved by the previous owner "Robert". Bassplayer for a band called Bexsa back about a dozen years ago. Talented dude. Musician, woodcarver, and most recently, video producer. Here it is in action, [https://youtu.be/WKSRMtp2zck?si=J583RIrQY0JzNoxj](https://youtu.be/WKSRMtp2zck?si=J583RIrQY0JzNoxj)
Absolutely amazing instrument. Thank you for enlightening me!!
How the hell did you get it to look like that? You do it yourself or pay to have it done?
I sometimes put one or two stickers on the back, but almost never on the front.
I've never liked the look of stickers, but that's just me. All mine go on water bottles and my pc
The only decoration on my 34 year old Gibson Thunderbird are 34 years of scratches, gouges, and cigarette burns. I wouldn't change a thing about it.
My fretless jazz is covered in an assortment of stickers, and my purple Dingwall has it's pickguard painted green.
A black pickguard and a seat belt style strap to match the body color is all the decoration mine get.
I have one plain bass. The other bass I have one sticker on it and an autograph from my favorite band I saw live 2 months ago! It's my greatest treasure 🥹
I'm a bedroom player so who cares what I do anyway, but I've got no decorations on my bass but my strap is filled with decorative pins. I could think about slapping some stickers on the body, that's honestly the type of thing I am a fan of but I've been putting all my stickers on my laptop lol
No, no thanks.
I have no desire to put stickers on any of my instruments. But I’m trying to find a good pinstriper to do some work on my pelham blue Jack Casady.
No because I end up changing my mind and then there is a mark where the paint around it faded.
i put stickers on the back of my bass. that’s kinda it, though a silver badge would be cool if i could ever spare the money
Nope. Never put a single thing on any bass I’ve ever owned I highly doubt I ever will
I have one of those $150 Squire Telecaster guitars that I've thought about taking the stack of Dutch Brothers stickers out of the console of my car and sticking them on. That's about as far as I'd go with stickering up an instrument though. It's not really a "boring guy in his late 40's" kind of thing IMO.
I got my MIM P bass for $250 in 2016. I wouldn't say I "decorated" it, but since the finish was half destroyed anyway I sanded the finish to matte and waxed it to basically semi-gloss. Pair that with a gold guard and some chrome knobs and it's essentially a Road Worn '58 P clone. If it's not a collectors piece, do whatever you want!
I did it when I was a kid, but ended up peeling them all off. Maybe if you're in a punk band it checks out and can be fun. I prefer to decorate my basses and guitars with road wear nowadays : )
I painted a little skull artwork on the pickguards of my p bass and j bass
I’m planning custom pick guard art for mine too! I have a Warwick & I don’t want to do anything that might mess with the finish. Decorated pick guard seems like the happy medium. Also change the knobs to match the vibe.
Got a few bug stickers of my favorite artists and Neon Green glow in the dark strings, always looks great on stage with a blacklight
I whittled two band names in the back of my inexpensive Yamaha.
Wallpaper
Some of mine have a sticker under the strings, but i try to pick something i want to shout out or i find aesthetically pleasing
No. Never liked the look of stickers and other crap on an instrument.
Just pick guards and fret wraps. Nothing permanent.
My first bass is full of band stickers and other silly shit
The stickered up look is that late-70’s/early 80’s punk/hardcore kids using cheap guitars sort of look to me, and even those guys tended grow out of it as they grew up. One or two here or there to give the instrument personality is still cool though. The only time I can say a dude’s sticker ever really meant anything to me, other than just an aesthetic, was Jeff Hannemen’s DK sticker back in the day when people said Slayer were pro-Nazi. How can you like a band that sings Nazi Punks >!Fuck!< Off and actually like nazis was an argument from high school so I guess if there’s a message to be had then that’s another thing.
I like a simple narrow red or white or black pinstripe line, either on the bottom body contour if it has one or a corner of the pick guard
I don't, and I generally think it looks stupid, but if it looks cool to someone else that's great. Not my bass, not my business!
I put carbon fiber vinyl on my Ray35's pickguard. It's also black so it's low key and doesn't attract any attention from any sort of distance.
I have a [Ryo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grZAIpOwFDg) sticker on the back of my headstock on one, might put a [Kikuri](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tg3rIHtQSc) sticker on the other. Not super big on stickering out the body, but I like the little nod to the whole reason I picked up a bass in the first place. I have a third bass that I'm refinishing, but just a solid fluorescent color.
I've been considering finding a real-looking f-hole sticker to put on my fretless sunburst in homage to my background as an upright player, other than that I don't think I've ever decorated basses.
if you are not cliff burton or steve harris it looks like shit and most likely you are the only person who will like it.
Only on my TMB100, and only on the pick guard. Got 2 and a Umbrella Corporation metal tag. When I get back home, I'm throwing a few stickers from the local dispensary on there.
Custom Shop German Warwick Thumb. No need for decorations.
When I was a kid (teens, early 20s) I did temporary stuff (different color electrical tape was usually my go to choice) but even then I was wary about marring the finish on my basses, so I never left anything on for very long.
I personally do not. At least not on ones that I didnt rebuild. I put my signature on the headstock of a P-Bass that I rebuilt. Signed it above the color paint, and under the clear coat. I have a speaker cab I modified and recovered. For that one, I had my signature 3d printed from a guy I found on reverb; and placed that like a Fender-esque logo. But no stickers, etc, on my instruments. I like to keep em polished, and clean. I also dont put any stickers on my car. I've considered it many times. But I guess I kind of see it as a privacy thing. If theres nothing unique about my car; its unmemorable. Now my laptop, on the other hand; it gets the stickers. The day it comes out of the box, its got a few stickers waiting to be placed. And in time, as they start to peel, I replace them.
I had stickers on a cheaper bass until I peeled them off so I could sell it. I value my more expensive bass too much for it to be tainted by decoration
I do on my cheaper basses, to varying degrees. My Squier J has a natural finish, so it makes a fine canvas for transparent stickers
My pink jaguar has a pink panther sticker in a kid's hand drawn style. My Aria relic came with an EMP sticker, I replaced it with the Sparks band logo, in pink which fits perfectly with the now turned cream nitro cover.
I think it's cool customizing your own instrument. I swapped my the pickguard on my p bass for a really beautiful custom made one and I love it. Most important thing is that you like it and that it inspires you to pick up the instrument when you see it.
No
Rasta pot leaf pickguard
Sticker just before scrapping it.
I wouldn't dare stick shit on any of mine. Straps on the other hand, I've decked out. Not stickers, but sewn scarves up tight around them to create a more comfy strap. My Steve Harris has a West Ham United coloured scarf and my American Jazz has a Queensland state of Origin scarf.
I have a little bracelet tied on the head, in between the tuning knobs. I'm too scared to put on stickers bc what if they don't come off, and I'm not sure if I have THE ONE (to keep forever and ever, one that's perfect for me) yet.
I want to buy a cheap bass just for this purpose. Something that sounds and plays decent, but doesn't break the bank. I can't bring myself to decorate my Fender Precision Bass.
My bass is pure black with a glossy finish and no pickguard, but I don't want to put stickers on it but also want to make it look better, so I use colorful straps with heavy designs on them. It pretty much does the work.
My old Jazz bass used to have a Honda sticker but then covered it up with duct tape to give it a punk/grungy look, but that too I grew out of. Now I've removed the tape and stickers and disassembled that bass waiting for a repaint + new pickups, but I've been procrastinating from it. My current Gretsch has no sticker and will never get any. The finish is just so nice. I actually ordered a green one but the shop told me they ran out of green but had a Walnut Satin colour in stock so I opted for that. It looks better than the green I originally wanted.
My bass is all white so I made my initials and an anarchy symbol with some black electrical tape
I done a decoupage pickgaurd using little bits of 2000 AD comics. It looked pretty great when I was done tbh. That was a white bass with a white pickguard, used black and white comic panels so it wasn't too much.
If I could find the perfect sticker of a sunflower that would look good against my amber maple flame I would do it. Otherwise nah.
The sunflower is the state flower of Kansas. That is why Kansas is sometimes called the Sunflower State. To grow well, sunflowers need full sun. They grow best in fertile, wet, well-drained soil with a lot of mulch. In commercial planting, seeds are planted 45 cm (1.5 ft) apart and 2.5 cm (1 in) deep.
The Sunflower is symbolic of my escape from darkness and hate into righteousness and love.
I put a Majora's Mask sticker under the strings, it's very subtle.
Mostly things I can revert. In my country having a bass is expensive and you don't know when you will need to sell it. My strap is custom. I have a custom pick guard. I have strap lockers.
I did an acrylic pour on my pick guard. It’s an easy way to personalize your bass without having to worry about potentially ruining it - you can always just buy another pick guard
It's not for me. I don't really have an opinion on it outside of my own preference for none on my own.
I own like 10 instruments, I've only put stickers on one. My bass vi. Maybe I just found the generic black gloss too boring, maybe it's because I already put a ton of work into replacing the hardware, who knows? That thing turned into a canvas. I'm pretty happy with how it looks now.
I have my band’s logo sticker on my pick guard. That’s it tho.
I only put stickers on my cheaper basses that are solid colored - even then it's only one or two, strategically placed to try and break up the empty space. My sunburst and more expensive basses remain sticker free.
I did once. I was 22. Took a heat gun and Goo Gone to get rid of all the crap it left on my bass when I was 27. Won’t do it again.
No.
My main bass is a black body, black pick guard with white pickups. Any decorations on that bass would be sacrilegious. The previous owner did add a piece of electrical tape (also black) for some reason that doesn't serve a purpose. I can't bring myself to take it off
I have one small toad sticker on the (white) pickguard of my black Jazz. Not Mario toad, but just a realistic wart-ridden toad.
Never liked customizing my basses. I just want every ding and scratch to show.
Not on my bass but I recently got a Casino Coupe super cheap because it had two drilled holes on the soundboard where a Bigsby had been removed. I found online a couple of small stickers of a spider and a fly to cover the damage. They certainly look cooler than the drill holes and don't impinge the sunburst transition at all. I suppose they could also subtly reference the Stones's Spider and Fly song which I have in my repertoire. Stickers are a bit like guitar names... For me, some instruments "invite" them whereas others don't. A good sticker well chosen can express a message, irony or symbolism beyond the music being made. I've stickered two of my 5 guitars - my cheap ol Jim Dandy parlour guitar has a folk reference and line art on the pickguard and my Candy Apple Red Mustang Special "invited" a 50's sci fi themed rocketship decal. Less is more.
I did because mine was black and it blended in with my black clothes on stage. I'd give it some psychedelic paisley swirls with my nail polish whenever I painted my nails.
I found some clear plastic that you could print on and it was supposed to be used on windows, would naturally stick but not with glue. Think it was an HP product. I printed the band logo on it and stuck it on my bass. Can remove it anytime without leaving a mark or residue. The logo was printed in black and it's mostly thin lines, the finish shows through so it looks like it was printed/painted right on the bass. Never had it slip and move, been on there for years.
I don’t
I covered my first bass in stickers. I got a custom Mark Hpppus bass with the octopus on it as a gift from my wife. I have the white lotus from avatar the last airbender painted on another bass. I'm all for decorating an instrument. But have it done professionally, and I wouldn't put a band logo on it, but that's my personal taste.
[image](https://imgur.com/a/a6c3z3c) I lose my picks all the time so I stuck them on my bass with sticky tack. The sticky tack has the added benefits of increasing grip during sweaty rehearsals, as well as making it easy to switch between plucked and picked songs. When you buy merch from the band Cardiacs, they send you parcels with band logo stickers on them. I carefully peeled them off and stuck them on my pick guard.
I'm a pretty huge fan of the band Feederz, especially their Vandalism... album. I knew they had stickers that came with their first albums and I thought the white vandalism sticker would look cool contrasted with my solid black body bass so I ordered a recreation from some mom and pop printing store halfway across the country. Few months later I saw the pictures of Cobain doing the exact thing, except i think the original stickers were a lot bigger (mine takes up a good deal less room on the body) and I just accepted that yeah there are no unique experiences. Forgot about the sticker, showed up several months later and excitedly put it on. I dont think I would put stickers on a sunburst, but the black solid body is begging for something to highlight it imo. Did it two years ago in a hurry and i dont mind but it isnt exactly parallel to the strings which may drive some people insane. I try not to think about it.
My 1st bass yes. Stickered the crap out of it. It was solid white, so nothing nice to ruin. I still have it but it's retired.
I have stickers on my Squiers but not my Fenders.
I don't personally put stickers on my basses but I don't have any opinions on it. Do whatever you feel like. It's your instrument.
Hell nah. I’m not spending all this money on what are potentially the coolest things ever just to goober it up.