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Bass mod regrets
- Thread starter CalgAaron
- Start date
I remember telling my parents we should invest in land just north of San Antonio in 1987. We took a country drive and saw for sale signs all along the then new Loop 1604. (for those who don't know, the loop rings the city and back then it was just empty fields to the horizon. today its the wealthy urban core outside of the downtown area.)
I also recall telling my mom to invest in APPL. We didn't understand what that meant. In the early 90's the stock price was around $60 or so.
no one has a crystal ball. had we, you would have taken that '64 and left it in the closet and we would have been TX land barons with a diverse stock portfolio.
Had a 69 P-bass and had a jazz p/u installed and had the body stripped and stained and to make matters worse ended up trading for a Moog Synth ! I also had a luthier to take a Univox p-bass and turn it into Geddy Lee's teardrop bass back in 77 or something and never got it back after the luthier died .
I never change the appearance on a bass, no paint jobs etc but did several mods that I can remember that I regretted. I did a Jaco on a Rick 4001 fretless with two part epoxy and it never sounded anywhere near as good as it did stock, (I probably left it way too thick). I sanded down the back of a 70's Fender P fretless neck so much that I exposing something or other with the stripe (many years ago). I also superglued a fretless 4003FL, I don't regret doing that except I did a VERY sloppy job, all over the pickguard and the body. It plays great but was almost mint when I bought it. I also had a '72 fretless P bass coated with the stuff they do bar tops with, I didn't like that either. So now I have a TF fretless with ebony and I really like it and it's staying stock. I'm hoping to be able to clean up the Ric too as it does play and sound good.
Oh yeah, I traded a Tele bass for a '68 CAR P bass with a very early rosewood fretless neck on it and put Rotos on it and keep wearing down certain notes. I finally sanded the crap out of it and ruined it. I never thought to bring it to a luthier (what's that?) Most of this stuff I did when I was young and dumb.
Oh yeah, I traded a Tele bass for a '68 CAR P bass with a very early rosewood fretless neck on it and put Rotos on it and keep wearing down certain notes. I finally sanded the crap out of it and ruined it. I never thought to bring it to a luthier (what's that?) Most of this stuff I did when I was young and dumb.
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Stripped the paint off my 1970s Japanese fretless in 1975 to my wife could carve and paint it.
She never finished the painting.
She never finished the painting.
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
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- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
I think it's gorgeous. Would be even better with a nice Tort pickguard.
Man that would look good. I say keep it turquoise.
Man that would look good. I say keep it turquoise.
- Nov 27, 2003
- 2,017
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- Rogue luthier employed at Knooren Handcrafted bass guitars
Pearloid and metal flake would be way over the top for me. Fancy sparkle finish = plain pickguard. I really like the look as is, personally.
‘Leaving well-enough alone’ can constitute a supreme act of will.
i was actually thinking about getting one a few weeks ago. overwhelmingly negative responses all like what you said. they seem to be extremely overrated. if i wanted a himass bridge i can save 50 bucks and get a brand new fender himass which they just recently started making to replace the ba iis.
So, what does a Badass II really do for the bass?
Ooof! That poor thing!
Years back I had a nicely reliced and yellowed 1968 Tele bass and for some reason I didn't think it looked good so I decided to get it refinished black by a so called expert. Well a can of black spray paint later. Presto!! A completely ruined bass. Took me a while to get over that one.
'73 Fender Precision (I still have it)
I got caught up in the early 80's Mighty Might, Schecter, DiMarzio, etc. instrument customizing craze. Stripped off the finish to give it a natural, tung oil finish and in the process sanded down the little hump in the lower cutaway. I switched and got rid of the original pickguard for a chrome one. I switched and got rid of the original bridge and replaced it with a Leo Quan Badass II. I removed and threw away the original pickup and replaced it with a cream colored DiMarzio pickup with adjustable pole pieces. Luckily, I kept the original neck plate and machine heads.
I have since refinished it with a Fiesta Red nitrolacquer finish, found some era specific hardware, but have a Basslines pickup.
Why did I do all that stuff you may ask? Because, in the late 70's and early 80's, because that bass was not pre-CBS, it would never be worth any more than the $300 I spent to buy it. Hindsight, baby.
I got caught up in the early 80's Mighty Might, Schecter, DiMarzio, etc. instrument customizing craze. Stripped off the finish to give it a natural, tung oil finish and in the process sanded down the little hump in the lower cutaway. I switched and got rid of the original pickguard for a chrome one. I switched and got rid of the original bridge and replaced it with a Leo Quan Badass II. I removed and threw away the original pickup and replaced it with a cream colored DiMarzio pickup with adjustable pole pieces. Luckily, I kept the original neck plate and machine heads.
I have since refinished it with a Fiesta Red nitrolacquer finish, found some era specific hardware, but have a Basslines pickup.
Why did I do all that stuff you may ask? Because, in the late 70's and early 80's, because that bass was not pre-CBS, it would never be worth any more than the $300 I spent to buy it. Hindsight, baby.
A mod that I regret.
In an attempt to cancel neck dive on my second Tune TWB sixer,I relocated the upper strap peg to the back of the neck of my bass.
Once,twice,three times I moved the peg.
The third time the screw hit the truss rod and the head broke off.
I then had to drill a larger hole to take out the broken screw.
I then put in a 3/8 wood plug.
A short time after, I discovered the neck dive cancelling Comfort Strapps.
In an attempt to cancel neck dive on my second Tune TWB sixer,I relocated the upper strap peg to the back of the neck of my bass.
Once,twice,three times I moved the peg.
The third time the screw hit the truss rod and the head broke off.
I then had to drill a larger hole to take out the broken screw.
I then put in a 3/8 wood plug.
A short time after, I discovered the neck dive cancelling Comfort Strapps.
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@CalgAaron If you think the bass is a different instrument since the refin, I wouldn’t be too quick to blame the actual paint. A complete strip down for a refinish job, including removal and refitting of the neck, the bridge, even the strings, will almost certainly have made a few (maybe very subtle) changes to the setup and general response of the bass. So my advice would be to live with it for a while and maybe try tweaking a few settings here and there, or even some fresh / different strings. Who knows, you might still have the bass of your dreams, right there. Good luck!
