Upgrade my cheap ebay bass?

[Bjazzman]

what would make my chinese? ebay bass a better player? new tuners? strings? I invested in a good case from wwbw, and new strings. the bass didn't even come with a tag inside to say where it came from. Do some people have to mess with soundpost adjustment?

[tinwoodsman]

find a luthier take it to them, discuss what style you want to play, and what kind of sound you want. and they will do a set up. that can be an expensive process, it can include , but is not limited too , adjusting the sound post, the action, dressing the fingerboard. when that discussin is over , grab the bass by the neck and smash it pete townsend style, and start saving for new bass... just kidding, a lot of people have decent luck with a ccb after a decent set up. where are you located? www.gollihurmusic.com has a pretty good list of Luthiers in different areas...

[ctcruiser]

There are three luthiers listed for the Twin Cities in Gollihur's directory:

Minneapolis, Gary E. Bartig, Bartig Violin and Bass Shop
800-741-3045 http://www.gelbass.com gelbass@aol.com
repairs to double basses and other strings, sale of his instruments only: maker of the Eminence Portable Upright Bass


Minneapolis, Quinn Violins, Scott Jensen
http://www.quinnviolins.com luthier@quinnviolins.com
Full service repairs and restorations, extensions, instruments


St. Paul, John Michael Smith
651-647-1148 mnbass@comcast.net
Repairs, restorations, setups, rehairs, extensions, accessories


Check them out to get opinions on options. You may find out it may be cheaper just buying a new bass.

Good luck!

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Originally Posted by ctcruiser

You may find out it may be cheaper just buying a new bass.

+1. Often times, trying to do this is like trying to soup up a Yugo. You could do it, but by the time you got done, you'd have spent as much as you would have on a better brand, and you'd still have a souped up Yugo. Something to think about, anyway.

OTOH and IME, the biggest upgrade to make on any really cheap bass for me would be the fingerboard. A luthier I know often says that the two most distinctive elements of the sound are the strings and the fingerboard. A good thick ebony board will improve any bass that doesn't have one already (or has a thin one - most ebay-type basses use some other type of wood to save cost). Problem is, by the time you buy the blank and pay the labor to have a high quality board installed, you're talking in the neighborhood of (I'm sure someone will correct me on this, but) $1K. For that alone, you could almost buy a nicer new axe that will last much longer.

All of that said, if you can't afford a new axe and want to do something to improve the one you have, go to a luthier and have your bass assessed. It may be that something much less expensive like bridge adjusters or a good fingerboard dressing could help you out and get you closer to where you want to be. Good luck.

[Marcus Johnson]

Originally Posted by Chris Fitzgerald

soup up a Yugo

Here's Jay Leno's.... but he's an insane zillionaire;