That bass has been used/abused with no regard for the quality of craftsmanship it obviously possesses. Just to take the sharpie marks off the bass would require either someone who knows how to remove the marks without marring the original finish ( which I doubt can be done), or having to sand the marks off and refinish the bass (more likely).
The chip that is missing next to the control cover shows more signs of disregard for a custom instrument. And lastly, the case is another sign a former owner either dropped it with considerable force, or to me it looks like the case was was pryed open... I wonder if this bass was once stolen? I can't imagine that the original owner of this bass would pay for an expensive bass, then "cheap-out" and put dots on the neck with a sharpie.
It would take some work to restore it, although it is a good looking bass. Why do people do things like that to expensive things?
