thinking of upgrading...worth it?

TheMarkV · #1 01-04-2010, 09:18 PM

so, i have a dean 10a bass and it plays really well, but the sound is just kind of flat and, well, crappy to be honest. its not the worst sound, but i want to try to make it into a good bass. i am looking to switch out the pickups and tone circuit, but i am a bit swamped with trying to figure out what to do. the stock pickups are 4 screw soapbars the same size as bartolini mk's so i was thinking i would get those as replacements, and would just have to drill new screw holes. but im not sure if i want to get active pickups, or passive pickups with a preamp.
im trying to make it pretty versitile. i need it to do anything from metal and possible drop tuning, to funk, to flea-ish tones and soft stuff.
is it worth my money and time to work with it, or should i just invest in a new bass?

fretster · #2 01-04-2010, 10:50 PM

Well, the sound you get is a product of your bass, your amp, and your cab. And your fingers too!

You might want to play your bass plugged in to a bunch of different amps and cabs and see if that makes a difference. Similarly, you might try out different basses plugged into your amp. After doing this, the question of what to change out will be a lot more clear.

Jefenator · #3 01-05-2010, 01:38 AM

When I really enjoy playing a bass unplugged (I'm talking specifically about the sound) then it sucks when I plug in, IME that's a good candidate for upgrading.

If the bass has other issues, or I'm just not "feeling" it, even after trying a few different types of strings, then it's probably good money after bad.

TheMarkV · #4 01-05-2010, 08:32 AM

yeah, well i have played it through a couple of amps already and tried out some other basses, and budget is a bit of an issue, which is why i was looking to possibly upgrade instead. but im just not sure what i sould aim for if i do, or if i should just say screw it and buy and ibanez sr300 or something along those lines.