$100 Saddle on a $10 Horse? Sure!

[DwaynieAD]

View attachment 781472 I have this cool 60's Japanese short scale I got for $59 at a pawn shop. Play it all the time and it's awesome! Neck feels good, balances well, sounds...Umm, interesting? I like it for the odd recording, but doubt I'd play it live as-is. I am seriously considering a new set of tuners and bridge. Maybe even a retro type pickup like a ChiSonic or a gold foil. It sounds silly to sink like $300 or more into a $59 bass, but I like this thing! Anyone done something similar?

my question is always "what are you trying to accomplish by modding this bass"

you say you love it so what are you trying to change about it and why?

 

[Mosstone]

View attachment 781472 I have this cool 60's Japanese short scale I got for $59 at a pawn shop. Play it all the time and it's awesome! Neck feels good, balances well, sounds...Umm, interesting? I like it for the odd recording, but doubt I'd play it live as-is. I am seriously considering a new set of tuners and bridge. Maybe even a retro type pickup like a ChiSonic or a gold foil. It sounds silly to sink like $300 or more into a $59 bass, but I like this thing! Anyone done something similar?

This was my very first bass. It may not be as 'vintage' as you think (my mother bought mine new in '81 or "82. The body of mine was made of particle board (learned that when I dropped it on the sidewalk and knocked off a chunk of finish).

All that being said, if I had one now, I'd probably upgrade the bridge, pickup and tuners (DEFINITELY the tuners. The ones on mine were tight and stiff). But I wouldn't go too crazy.

 

[JackANSI]

Definitely consider the "why am I doing this?" before actually doing it. I'm not from the Vintage Bass Preservation Society or anything, just someone who has done this before and I've had just as many duds come out of the process as I had winners. Some of the duds became "parts" because there was no turning back.

 

[tfer]

I heard of this guy who didn't have any money at the time, and used a 'b' stock body and neck, with a handful of parts, and a router, and did alright. He even used tape and a couple of cans of spray paint because a paint job was out of the question.

 

[TripleDouble]

All the Dudepitters gonna say put a Darkstar in that thing.

 

[wcriley]

Here's my $100 saddle AND my $10 horse
View attachment 781840

Hey, Duke-O.
I'll give you $200 for that $100 saddle with the twisted-looking neck.

 

[dukeorock]

Hey, Duke-O.
I'll give you $200 for that $100 saddle with the twisted-looking neck.

As always, you're too good to me, Criley

 

[wcriley]

Try a pickup from a German Hofner. One of those ought to drop right in and keep the look stock.

Duke-O, I think I have some old Hofner pickups buried somewhere in my junk room. If you want to try them, shoot me a PM and they're yours.

 

[iiipopes]

Late to the party, but there are 18mm 4-string bass bridges on Ebay for @ $20; they look to be similar, from the saddle shape, to those which are stock on low end Ibby basses. I'm thinking about one myself for another project bass, since I prefer the narrower string spacing:

Quality CR 4 String Bass Bridge For Bass Guitar L Shape Saddle Wholesale parts

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

This would be a great bass to steampunk.

 

[dukeorock]

Duke-O, I think I have some old Hofner pickups buried somewhere in my junk room. If you want to try them, shoot me a PM and they're yours.

Thanks, brother! May take you up in that!

 

[bholder]

This would be a great bass to steampunk.

It already kind of is!

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

It already kind of is!

Kind of, but I can see some opportunities.

 

[RedVee]

That thing is industrial grade from the waist down! Sweet!

That bridge cover is the coolest ever!

yeah!

Yep, I like it. I think it is a Teisco build from around 68. I'm planning to use it for sorta 54-66 rnb,rock'n'roll type stuff. I think it has the vibe . Next thing I'll try is a foam mute.

I had thought about going BEAD but as it seems to not have a rod, I may defer from that. Even though it has a big strong looking neck.

 

[bholder]

Kind of, but I can see some opportunities.

Needs some gears and steam lines and at least one pressure gauge, I guess.

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

Needs some gears and steam lines and at least one pressure gauge, I guess.

And replace those rocker switches with these:

 

[kcole4001]

I had a two pickup version of that in white as my first bass, marketed in Canada under the 'Vibra' name.

The pickup is actually the best part of the bass.
I played a Hofner copy that used two of the exact same pups and it sounded surprisingly good.

 

[bholder]

I heard of this guy who didn't have any money at the time, and used a 'b' stock body and neck, with a handful of parts, and a router, and did alright. He even used tape and a couple of cans of spray paint because a paint job was out of the question.

Reminds me of:

 

[dave64o]

I took an SX fretless I wasn't playing and did the following to it:

- Replaced the neck with a fretted SX neck (and I bought a couple of them to get one that felt right!)

- Replaced the stock pickups with Nordstrand NJ5S pickups

- Added an Audere 4-band preamp and replaced the stock knobs with chrome Audere knobs

- Replaced the stock white pickguard with a custom cut WD Music 4-ply tort pick guard

- Replaced the stock strap locks with Ernie Ball strap locks

- Replaced the stock bridge with a Hipshot "A" style bridge

- Replaced the stock tuners with Hipshot Ultralite tuners

- Added a roller-style string tree to the headstock

- Had a professional luthier do all of the assembly and also cut a new side jack since the Audere preamp used all four holes on the control plate.

Even buying all but the preamp and the pickguard used, I still spent probably 4-5 times what the original bass cost on parts and labor. Was it cost effective? Hell no! This was probably one of the stupidest financial decisions I've ever made! But I had fun learning some things about basses, I have a unique instrument that is tailored to me and valuable only to me, I have a bass that sounds FANTASTIC in a band setting, and it's a great dive bar bass that would never get the attention of anyone considering stealing it simply because of the SX label on the headstock.

It took me a while to finally bring it out to play with the band but I did that recently and, even though they gave me some strange looks when I took it out of the case, they loved how it sounded. So did I!

EDIT: Ignore the glare on the neck and around the bridge. It's actually in immaculate condition.

 

[Gaolee]

View attachment 781472 I have this cool 60's Japanese short scale I got for $59 at a pawn shop. Play it all the time and it's awesome! Neck feels good, balances well, sounds...Umm, interesting? I like it for the odd recording, but doubt I'd play it live as-is. I am seriously considering a new set of tuners and bridge. Maybe even a retro type pickup like a ChiSonic or a gold foil. It sounds silly to sink like $300 or more into a $59 bass, but I like this thing! Anyone done something similar?

Yep, sure have. The Zombiecaster started life as a mid-80s Squire Contemporary Bullet HST. I got it as a bunch of parts in baggies. It has a flamed maple neck that is shaped like a Tele neck but has a Strat headstock and an awesome Squire Bullet 1 logo with a star. The body is about the size of a Les Paul, and is shaped like the love child of a Tele and an ES175. It weighs a ton and is made of a stack of luan veneers. You would not expect it to resonate for days, but it does. I spent a fortune on frets, pickups, and pots for it, but I have a complete blast playing it. Plus, it sports a beautiful green sparkle rattle can paint job, complete with sags and weird spots. It was worth every ill-considered penny I spent on it.