Bass mod regrets

[CalgAaron]

So like the title suggests, anyone out there mod a bass and immediately regret doing it? I had my USA Deluxe V Jazz bass re-finshed from Olympic White (which was aging nicely) to a metal flake turquoise. When the painter refinished the bass it added about a pound of paint on it. Now the bass is much heavier, which says a lot considering it's a 5 string, and it just doesn't seam the same as before. Almost deader sounding and no sustain.

To be fair I was probably at the peak of my quarantine depression and was tinkering with all of my basses as I went from 60+ gigs a year to none. I want to sell it but I am worried I am basically going to lose my shirt on the sale because it's refinished.

Here is a photo of it. It's not too hard on the eyes but I loved it when it was Olympic White. Now it feels pretty "meh" to me. I almost want to refinish again back to white.

Anyone else out there have any bass mod regrets?

 

[Dave TB Killer]

If I screw something up really bad I'll just throw it away and don't tell anybody.

 

[JIO]

I very much doubt it added a pound to the weight of the bass.

 

[PJ Muzikmansky]

Thirty years ago I purchased a badass bridge to put on my '78 jazz bass because an advert in Guitar Player magazine convinced me I had to have one. I spent $80, put the bridge on and it made NO difference whatsoever. None.

 

[CalgAaron]

I very much doubt it added a pound to the weight of the bass.

Well, it was 9.8 lbs before and it's 10.7. So i guess I was 0.1 off

 

[JIO]

Well, it was 9.8 lbs before and it's 10.7. So i guess I was 0.1 off

oh well...

 

[CalgAaron]

Thirty years ago I purchased a badass bridge to put on my '78 jazz bass because an advert in Guitar Player magazine convinced me I had to have one. I spent $80, put the bridge on and it made NO difference whatsoever. None.

I did something similar to my 57 AVRI P bass. I noticed no difference between the standard bridge and the Hipshot bridge. The Hipshot now sits in my bin of random parts.

 

[SleepyShark]

Can’t comment on your situation but the wood grain on that fingerboard is superb.

I really like the turquoise flake!

 

[PJ Muzikmansky]

I did something similar to my 57 AVRI P bass. I noticed no difference between the standard bridge and the Hipshot bridge. The Hipshot now sits in my bin of random parts.

Not surprised Aaron. IMO the whole "high mass bridge" thing is the biggest marketing con ever foisted upon the modern bass player LOL.

 

[68Goldfish]

I'd rock that turquoise jazz in a heartbeat!

 

[StevieMac]

So far so good for me, no regrets. Great looking bass BTW.

 

[musicman556]

Nope. Thankfully I've enjoyed every mod I've made on a bass and have never reverted back to previous parts or anything.

I've changed pickups in a few basses. I've never then changed any of those pickups out again for something else. If I wanted another tone I've just bought another bass.

I've changed out bridges, added Hipshot extended range tuners, swapped pickguards, replaced wiring/controls/pots... not sure if I'm missing anything else.

The only time I spent real money on something and decided to go back was strings. I LOVE TI Jazz flats on a couple 4 string I have, so I decided to get a 5 string set ($130!!!! Yikes!) but after a few months I just finally admitted the B string just wasn't any good. It wasn't the bass, as it is killer with nickel or stainless rounds, but I just don't think there's enough tension on that flatwound B to give it any real authority. Back to plain ol D'addario XLs. I DID keep the flats and they are going on a fretless I'm having made... minus that B string.

 

[Rolling Thunder]

So like the title suggests, anyone out there mod a bass and immediately regret doing it? I had my USA Deluxe V Jazz bass re-finshed from Olympic White (which was aging nicely) to a metal flake turquoise. When the painter refinished the bass it added about a pound of paint on it. Now the bass is much heavier, which says a lot considering it's a 5 string, and it just doesn't seam the same as before. Almost deader sounding and no sustain.

To be fair I was probably at the peak of my quarantine depression and was tinkering with all of my basses as I went from 60+ gigs a year to none. I want to sell it but I am worried I am basically going to lose my shirt on the sale because it's refinished.

Here is a photo of it. It's not too hard on the eyes but I loved it when it was Olympic White. Now it feels pretty "meh" to me. I almost want to refinish again back to white.

Anyone else out there have any bass mod regrets?View attachment 4619295

Great finish. Needs a mint green pickguard.

 

[MYLOWFREQ]

I have a fretless Ibanez Roadstar II. It was originally black and in '98 I got it refinished with clear coat only so it's natural now. I regret the decision.

 

[JW56789]

Not any mods I regretted, but for a while there when I was teaching myself to do my own set-ups, I took perfectly good-playing basses and turned them into utter logs until . . . the little light came on and I 'got it'. Was a pretty bumpy ride for a while . . . .

I once had a Fernandes Gravity 4 that came with their pickups and the lamest preamp ever that I traded out to a full EMG PJ + BTS Control setup. That went great. I had the mods done (I routinely stay away from soldering irons . . . ) on my Squier James Johnston Jazz, turned out real well. Never was much for swapping bridges ( I lived through the fat, heavy, brass everything days, there's nothing there), or pickups or keys. I usually just bought what worked for me.

 

[pepj]

I like the look. I might put a tort plate on it but if you have regret and you can't get past the changes, sell it to someone who appreciates as is.

Not the worst of mods at least cosmetically, imv

 

[jamro217]

I bought an original '70's Gibson Ripper with the guts torn out, no pickguard, missing one tuner and a bridge saddle. The tobacco sunburst was in decent shape. Since the electronics weren't all there either, a complete rebuild was in order (at least I thought so). That was thirty years ago. I refinished it in brown (hated it), then green (Jolly Green Giant's bass!), now black (my least favorite color for an instrument). I should have left it sunburst. After researching the production numbers (low) and seeing how the L9 series basses are creeping up in value I'm kind of kicking myself. There were less than 130 sunburst/ebony board Rippers made. I might try battleship grey with a black guard next.

 

[5StringBlues]

I put Muy Grande pick-ups in my fretless '79 Jazz.

Didn't even try to gig with them, i could tell they weren't what I wanted as soon as I demoed them at home.

 

[mongo2]

I have had many modding adventures and I have no regrets.

 

[Doctor Morbius]

Thirty years ago I purchased a badass bridge to put on my '78 jazz bass because an advert in Guitar Player magazine convinced me I had to have one. I spent $80, put the bridge on and it made NO difference whatsoever. None.

You're not alone. Advertising convinces millions of people to part with their hard earned cash for no reason. That's exactly what it is supposed to do.