GrumpyGregry
Here for rides.
It depends on (1) whether you want to resell it in the future and get as much money for it as possible, and (2) whether you care about people being amazed that you are playing a scratched-up bass.
I see.
I never sell my gigging basses not even in PX for new ones. They go and live in the loft when they retire, and I bring them down once in a while and get all nostalgic. They are, after all, fetish objects. I'm content that people are amazed that a shaved ape like me can play bass at all, scratched up or no.
I wonder whether folk behave spectacularly indecently towards musicians in general, or electric bass players in particular, given the scenario I've described has happened dozens of times and no one has ever left a note. With one exception; when I was playing an upright acoustic which got scratched.