At what point are pickups "too good" for a bass?

jamisonsalamand · #1 07-21-2011, 01:43 AM

I got my bass used for $500, and was thinking about replacing the EMG pickups and preamp for Bartolinis. It will come close to $400 for the pickups and preamp. My friend pointed out that I should think about whether spending almost as much as I did on the bass originally will be worth it. At what point would folks on here say that a bass doesn't have enough quality for such an upgrade?

NoiseNinja · #2 07-21-2011, 01:49 AM

If it's plays very well and it sounds good acousticly, then I guess nothing is too much spend.

maturanesa · #3 07-21-2011, 01:55 AM

for me, pickups are "too good" for a bass when you can get a much better bass selling your old bass and saving the money you would spend in the pups...

So, if you can get a better bass for u$900, i wouldnt put a u$400 pups on a u$500 bass.
I´ll go for a u$900 bass...

GizmoTheOne · #4 07-21-2011, 02:00 AM

Well, it makes for a total of almost $1000 for an instrument that was supposed to cost about $500.

If you're sure you are going to like it very much after the upgrade, there's no reason not to do it. However, if I were you, I would also consider selling the bass and getting a "better" one. For $1000, you can get a very, very nice used bass.

Also, have you thought about changing only the preamp? It can make worlds of difference.
My bass cost me $3000, new. I recently swapped the preamp ($120), and boy what a difference it made! Awesome tone now, didn't even need to touch the pickups. That was worth it.

testing1two · #5 07-21-2011, 02:14 AM

It's only a bad investment if it fails to inspire you to play.

mpdd · #6 07-21-2011, 09:32 AM

when u try to sell your bass and the store offers you 60 dollars less than you paid for the pickups for the whole bass, that's why my mij basswood 62ri will never be sold, next i'm going to put even more money into it by getting more serious tuners in addition to the custom shop pickups and heavy duty bridge i already installed

(i love this bass, even in comparison to my usa precision and usa sb2)

groooooove · #7 07-21-2011, 09:53 AM

when you personally find its not worth the investment. you can only polish a turd so much.

Nedmundo · #8 07-21-2011, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoiseNinja

If it plays very well and it sounds good acousticly, then I guess nothing is too much spend.

I largely agree with this. If it's a bass you enjoy playing, and will enjoy it even more with the new electronics, it could be worth it. But, unless you're really sure the electronics mod will work out for you, it's sort of a gamble, because it won't increase the value of your bass on the used market to any significant degree.

Also, you should compare it to some $900 basses out there, and find out which you would prefer. G&L Tributes, for example, are outstanding instruments that sell for less than that, even new. And I think you can get a Bartolini-loaded Lakland Skyline or Ibanez for less, either new or used. You might like one of those more than your current bass, and end up spending much less in the aggregate than you will with the mod.

What kind of bass is it?

BigOldHarry · #9 07-21-2011, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamisonsalamand

I got my bass used for $500, and was thinking about replacing the EMG pickups and preamp for Bartolinis. It will come close to $400 for the pickups and preamp. My friend pointed out that I should think about whether spending almost as much as I did on the bass originally will be worth it. At what point would folks on here say that a bass doesn't have enough quality for such an upgrade?

Ask yourself this: What are you lacking with the current pickups?

Seriously: Spending $$ on new electronics will only do so much. In fact, unless what you have in there now is flat-out crap, it won't do very much at all - - particularly if the instrument itself isn't made of good materials.

Now, you COULD keep the old parts and put them back in when it's time to sell (and trust me, you will sell this bass. You will. It is the way of the universe) but then you'd have to have a new home for those fine Barts & preamp you just bought. That might not work out.

EMG p'ups can be very good - why do you want to replace them??

MusicBear · #10 07-21-2011, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mpdd

when u try to sell your bass and the store offers you 60 dollars less than you paid for the pickups for the whole bass(...)

If the upgrades you are planning are reversible and the bass can be restored to "stock" condition if/when you decide to sell it, then go ahead. If the upgrades will make you much happier with the bass and you can then keep the pickups/preamp to use in your next bass, then you won't lose anything.

FunkMetalBass · #11 07-21-2011, 12:14 PM

I have a Spector Legend 6. I bought it for about $500 on clearance. One EMG 45P, EMG 45TW, Aguilar OBP-3, ModBoard Tremolo, and 6 Ultralites later and I've spent about the same amount on upgrading it. It not only balances nicer, but it sounds so much better that I can't imagine ever selling it.

If the bass plays well and looks good (two things that really can't be fixed), why not spend the money on tonal and minor aesthetic upgrades? Unless you're planning to flip the bass for profit, you're doing yourself a disservice by settling for stock tones that you only slightly enjoy.

millsbass5 · #12 07-21-2011, 12:27 PM

It would really help if you would tell us what the make/model of your bass is. Because you can find some pretty good basses for $500.00 used. Hell,I seen a Lakland 5501 goin' for 5 bills online.
Besides,if you like the feel of it,and it's lacking a little in the balls department,go for it. As long as your're happy,that's ALL that matters.

darkstorm · #13 07-21-2011, 01:10 PM

If you love a basses playability, fit, asthetics and just need to change the pups and or preamp, theres no limit other thejn budget constraints for how much. You can allways remove the upgrade pups and preamp for use in another future bass if you sell the one that got fancy expensive pups and preamp upgrade originally. However in many cases you could put the money for new pups and preamp toward a bass whose sound doesnt need upgrade and sell or trade prev bass as well toward it. Basses and guitars I'd vote as not worth upgrading pups etc on is any made of plywood or with poor playability due to neck profile and lousy qaulity fretwork.

perfektspace6 · #14 07-21-2011, 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamisonsalamand

At what point would folks on here say that a bass doesn't have enough quality for such an upgrade?

What bass is it? I'm not sure there is a specific tipping point but I'm not big on dumping money into cheaper basses. Chances are you will sell it.

If you dump $400 into this bass it's still going to sell for $500, give or take. If you really love it and will get years of play out of it then maybe. I personally don't think so. I have changed p/u's and preamp's on basses in the past but that was on instruments that were a bit more expensive.

Plenty of guys on here buy super cheap basses (squires, SX's) and then go about upgrading nearly every piece to make it more like an American Standard or X. I never understood spending that much when you could get a decent instrument for the price of all those upgrades. Remember, you can't do anything about the quality of the neck and body wood.

Dean N · #15 07-22-2011, 11:12 AM

Let's hear what kind of bass he has first. Let's not assume he's trying to polish a turd. He may have gotten a steal on a decent Fender, or (gasp) a 500 series (or better) Soundgear. 500 bucks can get you a great used bass.

He may never want to get rid of it if he likes its playability.

Stick a great new (or used!) preamp in a 500 series Soundgear, and you have a beast of an instrument. Same goes for a decent fender.

mcnach · #16 07-25-2011, 03:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamisonsalamand

I got my bass used for $500, and was thinking about replacing the EMG pickups and preamp for Bartolinis. It will come close to $400 for the pickups and preamp. My friend pointed out that I should think about whether spending almost as much as I did on the bass originally will be worth it. At what point would folks on here say that a bass doesn't have enough quality for such an upgrade?

The price of a bass is irrelevant.

If you like the bass, and you can improve it for you, then do it.

I have a <$60 Jazz that feels and sounds very good, so I put a John East preamp costing more than that... result is a killer bass.

If anything, cheaper basses are more likely to benefit from upgrades...

mcnach · #17 07-25-2011, 03:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maturanesa

for me, pickups are "too good" for a bass when you can get a much better bass selling your old bass and saving the money you would spend in the pups...

So, if you can get a better bass for u$900, i wouldnt put a u$400 pups on a u$500 bass.
I´ll go for a u$900 bass...

That's sensible. Good answer.

But sometimes a bass feels so right, you can't just substitute it.

jamisonsalamand · #18 07-25-2011, 07:09 AM

The bass in question would be a Schecter Studio 6, and the only other six string I've looked at so far has been a Music Man Bongo 6 (quite a bit over that 900 dollar budget). I can't imagine the Schecter is junk though, I've read everywhere from people who own many expensive basses that it's quality can compare to 2000 dollar basses, or more.

I want the bass to have more depth and richness. Quite often it will sound rather deadto me, and I'll wish it had more warmth and power in the lows and mids. The strings are relatively new as well, I'd be surprised if that was the issue

Jeramy · #19 07-25-2011, 05:00 PM

You can always put the original pickups back in if you want to sell the bass. Extra pickups are good to have you can always put them in another project bass later. I find myself changing pickups on my basses to find the best pickup choice for each bass.

Nev375 · #20 07-25-2011, 05:16 PM

How is the neck on your bass? The neck is the heart and soul of an instrument. Does temp or humidity changes affect it much? Can you get your personal optimum action on it? Are there issues in adjusting the truss rod? Do you have issues with dead spots? Does it have the right number of strings for you? Does it feel good in your hands?

If the answer is yes, then upgrade away unless you are planning on selling it at some point and getting something better. Don't be surprised if the change in pickups has minimal effect. Guess where most of the acoustic tonality of your bass comes from?