diff --git a/lib/straps.js b/lib/straps.js
index 3e638b0b..a4fa1b1a 100755
--- a/lib/straps.js
+++ b/lib/straps.js
@@ -109,58 +109,34 @@ var Base = this.Base = new function() { // Straps scope
 			// string values starting with '#'
 			if (typeof val === 'string' && val[0] === '#')
 				val = src[val.substring(1)] || val;
-			var func = typeof val === 'function',
+			var isFunc = typeof val === 'function',
 				res = val,
 				// Only lookup previous value if we preserve or define a
 				// function that might need it for this.base(). If we're
 				// defining a getter, don't lookup previous value, but look if
 				// the property exists (name in dest) and store result in prev
-				prev = preserve || func
+				prev = preserve || isFunc
 					? (val && val.get ? name in dest : dest[name]) : null;
 			if ((dontCheck || val !== undefined && src.hasOwnProperty(name))
 					&& (!preserve || !prev)) {
-				if (func) {
-					if (prev && /\bthis\.base\b/.test(val)) {
-						var fromBase = base && base[name] == prev;
-						res = function() {
-							// Look up the base function each time if we can,
-							// to reflect changes to the base class after
-							// inheritance.
-							var tmp = describe(this, 'base');
-							define(this, 'base', { value: fromBase
-								? base[name] : prev, configurable: true });
-							try {
-								return val.apply(this, arguments);
-							} finally {
-								tmp ? define(this, 'base', tmp)
-									: delete this.base;
-							}
-						};
-						// Make wrapping closure pretend to be the original
-						// function on inspection
-						res.toString = function() {
-							return val.toString();
-						};
-						res.valueOf = function() {
-							return val.valueOf();
-						};
-					}
-					// Produce bean properties if getters are specified. This
-					// does not produce properties for setter-only properties.
-					// Just collect beans for now, and look them up in dest at
-					// the end of fields injection. This ensures this.base()
-					// works in beans too, and inherits setters for redefined
-					// getters in subclasses. Only add getter beans if they do
-					// not expect arguments. Functions that should function both
-					// with optional arguments and as beans should not declare
-					// the parameters and use the arguments array internally
-					// instead.
-					if (beans && val.length === 0
-							&& (bean = name.match(/^(get|is)(([A-Z])(.*))$/)))
-						beans.push([ bean[3].toLowerCase() + bean[4], bean[2] ]);
-				}
+				// Expose the 'super' function (meaning the one this function is
+				// overriding) through #base:
+				if (isFunc && prev)
+					val.base = prev;
+				// Produce bean properties if getters are specified. This does
+				// not produce properties for setter-only properties. Just
+				// collect beans for now, and look them up in dest at the end of
+				// fields injection. This ensures base works for beans too, and
+				// inherits setters for redefined getters in subclasses. Only
+				// add getter beans if they do not expect arguments. Functions
+				// that should function both with optional arguments and as
+				// beans should not declare the parameters and use the arguments
+				// array internally instead.
+				if (isFunc && beans && val.length === 0
+						&& (bean = name.match(/^(get|is)(([A-Z])(.*))$/)))
+					beans.push([ bean[3].toLowerCase() + bean[4], bean[2] ]);
 				// No need to look up getter if this is a function already.
-				if (!res || func || !res.get)
+				if (!res || isFunc || !res.get)
 					res = { value: res, writable: true };
 				// Only set/change configurable and enumerable if this field is
 				// configurable
@@ -171,7 +147,7 @@ var Base = this.Base = new function() { // Straps scope
 				}
 				define(dest, name, res);
 			}
-			if (generics && func && (!preserve || !generics[name])) {
+			if (generics && isFunc && (!preserve || !generics[name])) {
 				generics[name] = function(bind) {
 					// Do not call Array.slice generic here, as on Safari,
 					// this seems to confuse scopes (calling another
diff --git a/src/core/Base.js b/src/core/Base.js
index 6093ae47..98c1b588 100644
--- a/src/core/Base.js
+++ b/src/core/Base.js
@@ -82,11 +82,11 @@ this.Base = Base.inject(/** @lends Base# */{
 
 		_classes: {},
 
-		extend: function(src) {
+		extend: function extend(src) {
 			// Override Base.extend() with a version that registers classes that
 			// define #_class inside the Base._classes lookup, for
 			// deserialization.
-			var res = this.base.apply(this, arguments);
+			var res = extend.base.apply(this, arguments);
 			if (src._class)
 				Base._classes[src._class] = res;
 			return res;
diff --git a/src/core/Callback.js b/src/core/Callback.js
index 55ccd429..676a04c4 100644
--- a/src/core/Callback.js
+++ b/src/core/Callback.js
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ var Callback = {
 	statics: {
 		// Override inject() so that sub-classes automatically add the accessors
 		// for the event handler functions (e.g. #onMouseDown) for each property
-		inject: function(/* src, ... */) {
+		inject: function inject(/* src, ... */) {
 			for (var i = 0, l = arguments.length; i < l; i++) {
 				var src = arguments[i],
 					events = src._events;
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ var Callback = {
 					});
 					src._eventTypes = types;
 				}
-				this.base(src);
+				inject.base.call(this, src);
 			}
 			return this;
 		}
diff --git a/src/item/Group.js b/src/item/Group.js
index f7558d09..7ca9d022 100644
--- a/src/item/Group.js
+++ b/src/item/Group.js
@@ -97,9 +97,8 @@ var Group = this.Group = Item.extend(/** @lends Group# */{
 			this.addChildren(Array.isArray(arg) ? arg : arguments);
 	},
 
-	_changed: function(flags) {
-		// Don't use this.base() for reasons of performance.
-		Item.prototype._changed.call(this, flags);
+	_changed: function _changed(flags) {
+		_changed.base.call(this, flags);
 		if (flags & (/*#=*/ ChangeFlag.HIERARCHY | /*#=*/ ChangeFlag.CLIPPING)) {
 			// Clear cached clip item whenever hierarchy changes
 			delete this._clipItem;
diff --git a/src/item/Item.js b/src/item/Item.js
index d73aba66..a973a0a5 100644
--- a/src/item/Item.js
+++ b/src/item/Item.js
@@ -26,14 +26,14 @@ var Item = this.Item = Base.extend(Callback, /** @lends Item# */{
 		 * Override Item.extend() to merge the subclass' _serializeFields with
 		 * the parent class' _serializeFields.
 		 */
-		extend: function(src) {
+		extend: function extend(src) {
 			if (src._serializeFields)
 				src._serializeFields = Base.merge(
 						this.prototype._serializeFields, src._serializeFields);
 			// Derive the _type string from _class
 			if (src._class)
 				src._type = Base.hyphenate(src._class);
-			return this.base.apply(this, arguments);
+			return extend.base.apply(this, arguments);
 		}
 	},
 
diff --git a/src/item/Layer.js b/src/item/Layer.js
index 8d60f91a..516376ab 100644
--- a/src/item/Layer.js
+++ b/src/item/Layer.js
@@ -69,9 +69,9 @@ var Layer = this.Layer = Group.extend(/** @lends Layer# */{
 	* Removes the layer from its project's layers list
 	* or its parent's children list.
 	*/
-	_remove: function(notify) {
+	_remove: function _remove(notify) {
 		if (this._parent)
-			return this.base(notify);
+			return _remove.base.call(this, notify);
 		if (this._index != null) {
 			if (this._project.activeLayer === this)
 				this._project.activeLayer = this.getNextSibling()
@@ -85,18 +85,18 @@ var Layer = this.Layer = Group.extend(/** @lends Layer# */{
 		return false;
 	},
 
-	getNextSibling: function() {
-		return this._parent ? this.base()
+	getNextSibling: function getNextSibling() {		
+		return this._parent ? getNextSibling.base.call(this)
 				: this._project.layers[this._index + 1] || null;
 	},
 
-	getPreviousSibling: function() {
-		return this._parent ? this.base()
+	getPreviousSibling: function getPreviousSibling() {
+		return this._parent ? getPreviousSibling.base.call(this)
 				: this._project.layers[this._index - 1] || null;
 	},
 
-	isInserted: function() {
-		return this._parent ? this.base() : this._index != null;
+	isInserted: function isInserted() {
+		return this._parent ? isInserted.base.call(this) : this._index != null;
 	},
 
 	/**
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ var Layer = this.Layer = Group.extend(/** @lends Layer# */{
 	}
 }, new function () {
 	function insert(above) {
-		return function(item) {
+		return function insert(item) {
 			// If the item is a layer and contained within Project#layers, use
 			// our own version of move().
 			if (item instanceof Layer && !item._parent
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ var Layer = this.Layer = Group.extend(/** @lends Layer# */{
 				this._setProject(item._project);
 				return true;
 			}
-			return this.base(item);
+			return insert.base.call(this, item);
 		};
 	}
 
diff --git a/src/item/Shape.js b/src/item/Shape.js
index 4320a82d..e4d6a3f0 100644
--- a/src/item/Shape.js
+++ b/src/item/Shape.js
@@ -67,10 +67,10 @@ var Shape = this.Shape = Item.extend(/** @lends Shape# */{
 		}
 	},
 
-	_contains: function(point) {
+	_contains: function _contains(point) {
 		switch (this._type) {
 		case 'rect':
-			return this.base(point);
+			return _contains.base.call(this, point);
 		case 'circle':
 		case 'ellipse':
 			return point.divide(this._size).getLength() <= 0.5;
diff --git a/src/path/CompoundPath.js b/src/path/CompoundPath.js
index a35313a2..7e313dde 100644
--- a/src/path/CompoundPath.js
+++ b/src/path/CompoundPath.js
@@ -58,11 +58,11 @@ var CompoundPath = this.CompoundPath = PathItem.extend(/** @lends CompoundPath#
 			this.addChildren(Array.isArray(arg) ? arg : arguments);
 	},
 
-	insertChild: function(index, item, _preserve) {
+	insertChild: function insertChild(index, item, _preserve) {
 		// Only allow the insertion of paths
 		if (item._type !== 'path')
 			return null;
-		item = this.base(index, item);
+		item = insertChild.base.call(this, index, item);
 		// All children except for the bottom one (first one in list) are set
 		// to anti-clockwise orientation, so that they appear as holes, but
 		// only if their orientation was not already specified before
@@ -223,8 +223,9 @@ var CompoundPath = this.CompoundPath = PathItem.extend(/** @lends CompoundPath#
 		return (children.length & 1) == 1 && children;
 	},
 
-	_hitTest: function(point, options) {
-		var res = this.base(point, Base.merge(options, { fill: false }));
+	_hitTest: function _hitTest(point, options) {
+		var res = _hitTest.base.call(this, point,
+				Base.merge(options, { fill: false }));
 		if (!res && options.fill && this._style.getFillColor()) {
 			res = this._contains(point);
 			res = res ? new HitResult('fill', res[0]) : null;
diff --git a/src/path/Path.js b/src/path/Path.js
index 4850eb24..949427b7 100644
--- a/src/path/Path.js
+++ b/src/path/Path.js
@@ -788,12 +788,12 @@ var Path = this.Path = PathItem.extend(/** @lends Path# */{
 		this.setSelected(selected);
 	},
 
-	setSelected: function(selected) {
+	setSelected: function setSelected(selected) {
 		// Deselect all segments when path is marked as not selected
 		if (!selected)
 			this._selectSegments(false);
 		// No need to pass true for noChildren since Path has none anyway.
-		this.base(selected);
+		setSelected.base.call(this, selected);
 	},
 
 	_selectSegments: function(selected) {
diff --git a/src/project/Project.js b/src/project/Project.js
index bd1c1e5b..30221432 100644
--- a/src/project/Project.js
+++ b/src/project/Project.js
@@ -97,8 +97,8 @@ var Project = this.Project = PaperScopeItem.extend(/** @lends Project# */{
 	 * Removes this project from the {@link PaperScope#projects} list, and also
 	 * removes its view, if one was defined.
 	 */
-	remove: function() {
-		if (!this.base())
+	remove: function remove() {
+		if (!remove.base.call(this))
 			return false;
 		if (this.view)
 			this.view.remove();
diff --git a/src/style/Style.js b/src/style/Style.js
index b965dbb8..0df9562d 100644
--- a/src/style/Style.js
+++ b/src/style/Style.js
@@ -223,9 +223,9 @@ var Style = this.Style = Base.extend(new function() {
 		}
 	},
 
-	getLeading: function() {
+	getLeading: function getLeading() {
 		// Override leading to return fontSize * 1.2 by default.
-		var leading = this.base();
+		var leading = getLeading.base.call(this);
 		return leading != null ? leading : this.getFontSize() * 1.2;
 	},
 
diff --git a/src/text/TextItem.js b/src/text/TextItem.js
index 81f132e3..5004b068 100644
--- a/src/text/TextItem.js
+++ b/src/text/TextItem.js
@@ -77,9 +77,9 @@ var TextItem = this.TextItem = Item.extend(/** @lends TextItem# */{
 	 * }
 	 */
 
-	_clone: function(copy) {
+	_clone: function _clone(copy) {
 		copy.setContent(this._content);
-		return this.base(copy);
+		return _clone.base.call(this, copy);
 	},
 
 	getContent: function() {
diff --git a/src/tool/Tool.js b/src/tool/Tool.js
index 8f227150..81e2374c 100644
--- a/src/tool/Tool.js
+++ b/src/tool/Tool.js
@@ -322,7 +322,7 @@ var Tool = this.Tool = PaperScopeItem.extend(/** @lends Tool# */{
 		return true;
 	},
 
-	fire: function(type, event) {
+	fire: function fire(type, event) {
 		// Override Callback#fire() so we can handle items marked in removeOn*()
 		// calls first,.
 		var sets = Tool._removeSets;
@@ -346,7 +346,7 @@ var Tool = this.Tool = PaperScopeItem.extend(/** @lends Tool# */{
 				sets[type] = null;
 			}
 		}
-		return this.base(type, event);
+		return fire.base.call(this, type, event);
 	},
 
 	_onHandleEvent: function(type, point, event) {