Upgrade a Squier or get a new 5 string?
 

Hey everyone. I've set around £200 aside to acquire SOMETHING bass related, so I've been wondering... Is it worth upgrading my Squier Mike Dirnt P Bass with some Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounders, new hardware (including a Badass II bridge) and a new nut? I mean, would these upgrades make a difference that justify the cost? My other option is to get a 5 string; I've been looking at an ESP LTD B-15 and I really like it. Having played one, the setup seemed absolutely perfect, I like the fact it has 24 frets, and it looks ok, just the pickups seemed a bit noisy, which is quite an important issue to me.

So, advise me, TalkBass. Upgrade the Squier or get the 5 string?

It comes down to what kind of music you are playing. The 5 sting bass you are looking at is a great bass guitar for the working bass player. If you are playing a lot of music that requires a low B I suggest you get the 5 string bass. However if you are rarely going to be using the 5th string I would suggest you upgrade your P-Bass since it is also a very good bass and would be even better with those pick ups!

TL;DR 5 string if you are playing music that requires the low B, if you are rarely going to be using it I suggest upgrading the Squier. :)

I'm not an expert on electronics or the components in a bass when it comes to upgrading, having never even thought about it for my own basses, but if you don't own a 5 string then I would recommend it simply for gaining the experience!

The ESP LTD B-15 is a great starting point on this endeavour! I would also recommend a Yamaha RBX765A if you can find one, it has an amazing value for starting out with 5 string basses.

I would personally upgrade a Squier if I got my hands on good quality used parts or cheaper good parts. If I would use my resources to get expensive parts, might as well shop for a bass that has those installed. For me the charm with Squiers is that every time you get a paying gig you are laughing on the way to the bank.

for a mere $30.00 ($229.00 U.S.) more you can pick up B-55 which is a step up form the B-15....I bought my son a B-55 and it's a great bass!

For QP's your looking at $65.00
Badass II $100.00
Graph Tech Nut $12.00

That's roughly $180.00 bucks on parts and most shops have a rate of roughly $60.00 and hours for labor...that's a grand total of $240.00 and for that you could buy an all new Bass!

Yamaha 5 string....
 

Get yourself one of these:

http://ca.yamaha.com/en/products/mus...product_lineup

or, if you can spring the extra cash, one of these:

http://ca.yamaha.com/en/products/mus...product_lineup

Fantastic basses, in either price range.

Cheers,
Cameron

Thanks for your comments, everyone! It's looking like a five string, then. I might save up another few quid and get the B-55 rather than the B-15.

Keep the money and the Squier CV. It's a great bass. If you feel you must squander some money then add the Seymour Duncan pickups.