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Anybody have anti modding fever?

#61
Here's a very current example for me. I recently bought this bass:

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It's very well built, feels good, plays really well, I REALLY like the way it looks but the sound is only so-so. I could just sell it and hunt (again) for something that sounds like I want it to, or I could save my money for a better set of pickups and a better preamp and make this baby sound like I want it to. Then I'll have a bass that is well built, feels good, plays really well, I REALLY like the looks of, and sounds really good.
 
#63
What I don't understand is: How do you know the mods you're making are what you really want?
I'm not trying to be antagonistic, but what makes you so different than everyone else?
Most people try to emulate the sound of their heroes, which is usually a stock bass with a certain amp and EQ.
Just wondering, that's all.
 
#64
erigod23 said:
What I don't understand is: How do you know the mods you're making are what you really want?
I'm not trying to be antagonistic, but what makes you so different than everyone else?
Most people try to emulate the sound of their heroes, which is usually a stock bass with a certain amp and EQ.
Just wondering, that's all.
Click to expand...

Well, you have to know what you want and how to get it don't you? And you only get that from experience.

And you get the experience by 1) buying or trying lots of basses 2) doing your own experimental mods 3) a combination of 1 and 2
Why is that so hard to understand? (not to be antagonistic)

The other point is that, for some of us who like to tinker and experiment, moding is a great way to learn more about your instrument. If that does not appeal to you (no reason why it should) then you can ignore all those bothersome threads on mods.
 
#65
erigod23 said:
What I don't understand is: How do you know the mods you're making are what you really want?
I'm not trying to be antagonistic, but what makes you so different than everyone else?
Most people try to emulate the sound of their heroes, which is usually a stock bass with a certain amp and EQ.
Just wondering, that's all.
Click to expand...

#1 - I'm not 'most people' and I don't emulate heros.

#2 - In at least one case, I'm trying to fix one thing that's not right with a bass I otherwise love. Why buy completely new when what I want is easily within modding reach. Also, in the modding journey, I've learned a helluva lot and made some new friends along the way.
 
#67
I just got bit by the modding bug, I installed a 2 band pre in my professionally setup, highly playable but bland sounding squier jazz5. I am always intrigued by new challenges, so I enjoyed the process of learning about active electronics, soldering, etc. The project was a success, but since I just finished it yesterday and had no real time to play, I still don't know if it was a subtantial improvement. Besides my neck p/u vol pot was making a horrendous crunching sound, so it was in need of replacement.
 
#68
I wouldn't call it fever, but I have no desire to do anything beyond the most basic stuff, like removing a bridge cover or switching out a pick guard.

It's a time and $$ thing, mostly. I'd rather spend time on the front end figuring out what, exactly, I want, and then, when I get it, focus on the playing & minor maintenance. And not spend additional time or $$ (neither of which I have extra to spare) on upgrading it.

On the other hand, if I came across something special at a really great price that I could easily upgrade without investing much time/$$, then I might go for it. Like, for example, an Oly white Marcus Miller priced super-low that I could take and install different pups, pre-amp, etc.
 
#69
Come on guys.... There are LOTS of ways to enjoy the world of bass guitars, including...MODDING for the fun of it.

I really enjoy that aspect, assembling and swapping components around to see how the sounds change, and have learned a lot, enough to build myself several guitars from parts or scratch.

I'd say that anyone who has NOT ever taken the time to experiment with different components, especially electronics, really cannot say they understand the subtle interaction of each component, like the differences between 250K pots and 500K pots, the sound of a split humbucking vs a single coil, or the rolloff of a different rated capacttor.

If you haven't dived into a bass' guts and re-wired one (or many) yourself, swapped around pickups between several different types, tried different bridges and strings, or simply assembled that's not commercially available, then YOU really don't have as deep an understanding of the instrument as those who HAVE.
 
#70
I've done every mod near know to man and survived with playable basses. Which is the given. If you can see/hear you can do it. If you can't hear/see it give to someone else to do. ...... I have a 64 Fender P-bass that's been cut down to a tear drop, I didn't do this one, but the guy who did installed a large piece of brass below the bridge to off set the weight, all Fenders are neck heavy, and it added incredible sustain. ...... Marcus or Jaco would never arrived at their own original doorsteps had they not walked up to that door and walk through it. ......
I started modding cause back in the 70's you only owned one bass. Then in the 80's there were two 90's four, etc, etc, etc.
 
#71
M.R. Ogle said:
There are LOTS of ways to enjoy the world of bass guitars, including...MODDING for the fun of it.
Click to expand...
+1. I love tinkering, and I'm having loads of of fun buying cheap SX basses, and turning them into reliable workhorses that I can use professionally. That usually means levelling the frets, shielding the cavities, new electronics, and a careful setup.

Now I don't NEED all those basses, of course. But I'm having fun! It's just a hobby, I guess.
 
#72
The other is keeping you eyes and hears pealed for mods other players have done and passed on. .... I recently picked up a 04 MIM Jazz with about $400 worth of electronic mods done to it no body else got. I've played $1,500 basses that didn't sound this good. I'd like to meet the guy who did it cause he started out with a good MIM body and neck and then went from there. And I paid less for it than the mods were worth. ......
 
#73
Its the samething that makes people "Hot Rod" cars

Chevy never made a 57 Belair with Glasspacks and Chrome wheels and those fuzzy dice hanging from the mirror.

Jeep Never made the CJ with 33" mud tires and Lockers front & rear.

Fender never made a GL Jazz with Di Marzio's and a Hipshot Extender with all black hardware and a flat black pick gaurd, but thats what I wanted............ So thats what I did.

Unless its a one-of-a-kind or rare bass, I see no problem with making it your own, I also see no reason not to leave it alone if you are happy with it.
 
#74
Lemoore-on said:
Unless its a one-of-a-kind or rare bass, I see no problem with making it your own, I also see no reason not to leave it alone if you are happy with it.
Click to expand...

I agree. I have a co-worker who bought a brand new BMW 320i in 2002. Since then, he has changed just about everything on the car (including an engine swap last year). He's probably spent at least as much as the original car cost in mods and repairs over the 8 years he's had it. Would I do that? Nope, I would consider it a huge waste of money but hey, it's his money, not mine. And he gets great pleasure out of driving the car and making these improvements. Modding is not wrong nor is leaving the bass completely stock. It all depends on what you're trying to achieve and whether or not you like to tinker. If you like that kind of thing, I say go ahead and if you don't then leave it as it is.
 
#75
If you're going to mod a bass you have to be prepared for reduced resale value because of the changes, unless you're making generally valued improvements. If most players consider the bridge on a particular bass to be junk you might improve resale value by replacing that bridge with a different one. If you're not going to sell it at some point then mod away!
 
#78
wshines1892 said:
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?
Click to expand...
Sometimes you get a bass that you like everything about except one thing (ex: pickguard). If a change that small can make your bass more likeable to you, I say do it!

Sometimes you get a bass that does in fact have parts that you believe to be sub-par. Maybe the pots are on the fritz and don't work all the time. Maybe the tuners don't keep the bass in tune. Stuff like that.

If you're like me, you simply cannot get everything you want in one bass without paying a lot of money or modding it. Modding is usually cheaper.

I do agree that the idea that a bass MUST be inferior based on reviews and that it absolutely MUST be modded is a bit stupid.
 

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