Anybody have anti modding fever?

[wshines1892]

I've seen people posting all about their uber modified basses. They seem to have the idea that they have to change a bunch of stuff about it as soon as they get it, like new pickups, a tort guard, BAII bridge, CTS pots and orange cap, etc.

I seem to be in the opposite school. I'll drive it until the doors fall off as it were, and only replace a part once it's stopped functioning. For instance, the volume pot has finally stopped functioning as it should on my '92 precision and the saddle screws are boogered up somehow on the bridge. These parts have been on it since it came out of the factory, and I'm finally replacing them 18 years later.

I'm just wondering if there's anyone else who just pulls it out of the box, sets it up, and let's it speak for itself?

 

[bolophonic]

Not really.

 

[m_bisson]

I'm like you. I think the instrument is designed with a certain character in mind; that is the sound I want. If you take 2 different basses and outfit them both with the exact same stuff then are they really two different basses anymore?

I'll replace the strings when they need it, and the strap when it's worn out. But the rest can stay as it is until it stops working.

 

[ShirazBop]

The bass I least mode is the one most likely to sell...sometimes....

I've moded (reversibly) a couple instruments that I've subsequently sold...

 

[MNAirHead]

I modded one bass.. it was not worth it...

Many times folks really want to "like" a bass... in realty they "love" another.

 

[erigod23]

I'm with you. If you need to change a bass, why not just buy one with the things you want already on it?

 

[Big_Daddy]

I'm not going to change something unless I'm not satisfied with the tone (and I feel that somehow, a new bridge or pickups will change that) or it doesn't work anymore. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

The only mods (if they can be called that) will be to add a chrome bridge and pickup cover to my 2010 Deluxe jazz when I get it....

 

[martyman5000]

I say mod away as long as you don't damage the instrument....you should be able to put it back to it's original state after.

 

[Phalex]

My Fender really isn't a Fender anymore. My Rickenbacker has remained stock for the past 18 years and will continue to do so.

Whatever it takes to get the job done.

 

[m_bisson]

Here's another way of looking at it.... If you buy a MM stingray and then change the tuners, bridge, pups, electronics, etc... can you still say that you own a MM stingray?

 

[Bongolation]

I'm totally down on modding as a fool's errand, but that said, I just bought two new basses with those stupid BAIIs on them and am looking to replace them with the plain, thin-stock, low-mass, toploader bridges like come on the Standards and Classics.

Just goes to show that all of us eventually have to change something.

The upside is that the old-styles are about free from thousands of people who have ones left over from when they "upgeaded" to high-mass bridges , then I can eBay the BAII new pulls for $90+!

 

[unclejane]

I've seen people posting all about their uber modified basses. They seem to have the idea that they have to change a bunch of stuff about it as soon as they get it, like new pickups, a tort guard, BAII bridge, CTS pots and orange cap, etc.

I seem to be in the opposite school. I'll drive it until the doors fall off as it were, and only replace a part once it's stopped functioning. For instance, the volume pot has finally stopped functioning as it should on my '92 precision and the saddle screws are boogered up somehow on the bridge. These parts have been on it since it came out of the factory, and I'm finally replacing them 18 years later.

I'm just wondering if there's anyone else who just pulls it out of the box, sets it up, and let's it speak for itself?

I think the days of having to mod are basically over, at least with new instruments. As Ed Friedland says, "there isn't any junk out there anymore".

Even Fender has finally fixed their basses for the most part - nowadays they're made of good wood, necks don't move on the bodies, electronics are good, they've even finally put a decent bridge on most of them. Used to be you had to get out the chisel, screwdrivers and soldering iron soon as you brought the thing home, but not really anymore.

Perhaps the Rick 4003 is the only one that kind of needs mods out of the box, but that's generally just the bridge. And even then you don't get a whole lot of improvement, at least any that's audible.

The only bass I have that needed modding was my G&L L2000, but that was only because the neck on my particular bass has a defect that I didn't really clue in on until some years after I bought it. It had a "ski-jump" in the middle of it, which required some heavy sanding on the fingerboard at the heel to straighten out. But I havn't had to replace anything on it due to any design problems (there really aren't any).

My Carvin I've not had to touch beyond putting different strings on it and doing a tweak on the setup....

To me, about all the modding thing buys you in the end is a trip to the rubber room and not a whole lot more. Sure, if you're trying to gig with an old Fender or a Rick, yeah, the chisel and soldering iron are almost a given if you want to be audible and not break your arms. But with a modern instrument, I just don't see it anymore....

LS

 

[DougD]

My mods are functional. If I could buy a bass with everything I want on it stock (with a reasonable price) I would, But it seams that I am an enigma in the bass world. I like things like 3 band eq. I don't want some yahoo pushing his Natural mid crap on me, I need to be able to control them to suit the song. The only other thing I mod is a D-tuner here or there But I do agree that modding has become the "in thing" and is done WAY too much. Especially to a bass that cost as much as a used car IMHO if you payed $2000 or more for a bass , and you feel the need to mod it, you made a poor investment

 

[spade2you]

I get stuff custom. No modding needed.

 

[Ric5]

Anybody have anti modding fever?

Ya ... right ...

I have never bought a bass that met my specs right from the factory ... Also for me building and modifying basses is half the fun. The other half is playing them.

Also there is no factory that makes basses like these ...

 

[joshwilkesbooth]

I threw a 1/4 pounder into my p-bass after I'd had it for five years. I also sanded it down and painted it flat white.

Outside of that, I really don't mod things. Well, I put graphite saddles on a guitar back in the 90's.

 

[ThaLowEndTheory]

If I can buy the bass I want, with the features I want, in the custom color I want at a reasonable price. Then there's no desire to mod. If I can't, I can have it built, or mod it myself. I prefer to do the latter because my labor is free to me, and I like doing it. Some people wittle sticks, I tinker with instruments. Every hobby has a price. I like to play around with my Honda also, but my Acura is untouched except for maintenance work. I play alot of golf as well. Out of the 14 clubs I use regularly only 1 is not modified in some way to fit what I like.

Scratch that, I did change the grip to a half cord.

 

[MegaSwing]

Mods should normally address deficiencies, whether real or imagined. If you end up with a better performing instrument after a mod, it was worth the trouble and investment.

For example, I recently bought a MIM-P that had mild neck dive. Rather than change the tuners and have to drill/fill new/old holes, I put on a heavier bridge. Problem solved.

Mods are a little like plastic surgery: it is possible to go too far and end up with something you don't like, with no way to revert to the original form. Unless I'm trying to solve a practical issue, like balance or basic utility, I'm inclined leave things alone.

Basic utility would cover things such as bridges with better adjustments built in and the like.

I only do cosmetic mods if they are simple and don't cost a lot. IMO, there is no Fender-based look that doesn't have at least some curb appeal.

 

[Medford Bassman]

I basically have only modded one bass. My MIA Jazz. I installed an Audere because I wanted greater EQ control. Also changed the bridge to a Badass III and new pickguard.

Over the years I have re-installed the original bridge because it gave a different tone. Recently though, the BA III made its way back on the bass. Have the mods made that much of a difference? Except for the Audere...eh.

I keep the rest of my basses stock. Just not interested in modding that much I guess.

 

[christw]

Knowing what you want and how to get there goes a long way. I've been through a lot of instruments, done quite a bit of modding, and I have a fair idea of what I want from each one. If I realize that there is a way to make one I like a little more of what I like, I will certainly do it!

Take my Squier Bronco for example. I replaced the pickup twice trying to compensate for poor pickup placement. (The pickguard was cocked so the E wasn't as loud as it should be.) When this failed, I moved the pickguard, dropped in a guitar humbucker, and made a mounting ring to make it look normal. I like it sooo much better now as a deep low-mid monster. That's because I knew what I was doing to it, what effects the mods would have, and what I wanted from it.

Often I find myself replacing pickups in my basses with more modern ones. The Squier was the exception that I wanted to be able to thump on. The rest I want clean, clear, and articulate. I found someone who makes pickups that put me farther down on that road and I certainly used them! Like I said, if it makes it more of what I like, why not!