Bass Mods... Seriously???

[iriegnome]

I buy many basses with the specific intention to modify them. my favorite these days is 4 to 5 mod's.. I also don't spend more than $100 total including mod's as well! Fun to do. Have a good time doing it too!

 

[Doc Mojo]

Like music itself, it's a form of expression. Up until now the only person that worried about it was my ex-wife.

 

[Ken J]

There basses I buy that I will never tinker with such as my Cortobass and there are others that I buy for projects.
I prefer short scale fretless with active pickups. Not a lot out there to choose from for $300-500. Besides I'm a builder with a shop and a fridge full of beer what better to do with ones free time in the middle of winter.
This is my next project.

 

[Ragoo]

Why settle?

 

[Ken J]

Here's a bass you won't find in a catalog

Short scale
Fretless
Bass Lines
Schaller bridge
CTS pots

 

[Geri O]

i can't understand why anyone would buy something and assume that some manufacturer automatically knows what it is that they want and what is best suited to their needs.

except for apple buyers.

Geez...someone always has to go there.

Whatever...

 

[wmhill]

I bought this MTD new, and ordered the replacement pickups the same day. I never played it out until I got all my mods done. Never been happier! (the color didn't change...its the lghting

 

[gjohnson441496]

I can give you a perfect example using myself, as I'm Spector artist but much prefer the dynamics and headroom of passive pickups...on nearly every Spector I've ever owned I've swapped out the active EMG's for a passive set, everything from Aguilar and Nordstrand to the new GZR's on my current NS-2

If you love everything about a bass except one thing that's incredibly easy and affordable to modify, and doing so would truly make the bass perfect for you, why wouldn't you do it?[/QUOTE]

I think I hear what you are saying but I want to make sure I got it so, correct me if I'm wrong... You're a Spector artist, which I think means Spector supplies you with their basses for you to endorse, but you are not actually endorsing the Spector product in sincerity because you don't like the pups Spector puts in their basses? It sounds like you actually endorse Aguilar and Nordstrand pups and not Spector basses because the pups are the fundamental characteristic of the bass. I'm I wrong about that?

 

[Jay2U]

Sometimes a bass can be bought for a very reasonable price. If the woodwork and the frets are ok, one may buy it to upgrade it to the desired standard. I bought a Tribute G&L L2000 and replaced the capacitor in the tone control circuit immediately, because I wanted a larger control range. I once bought an Ibanez GSR200EX for small money. I removed the active electronics, because it cost batteries, limited the dynamic range and added noise. I also optimized the neck joint. Why not?

I think there's nothing wrong with modifying a bass to get it to the desired level. First thing I 'modify' are the strings. I never leave them on, because I have my preferences regarding strings.

 

[wmhill]

I should also note my sectors have been slightly modded ie pickups and preamp and pickups. I will say 2ay long aago we opened for Winger and he himself told me he had one USA NS2. And his other two were NS2As that were modded with emgs. Currently i use a modded NS2A with Seymour Duncan's with the dipswitches. This things rocks and the neck profile is slimmer and body weight way less than a Euro which I owned previous. I will note I bought the bass in mint condition and a new hardshell case for 200. Pups for 40 dollars. If you can find even a ns2a this nice at this price then your in the gameView attachment 539452

shazam!!!

 

[gjohnson441496]

Why did you paint your house? Oh every room didn't come with the color you like? You didn't like the previous furniture so you got something different? Why wouldn't you just have a house built to your every nit picky custom detail? Doesn't everyone have all the money?

Well, actually I did. But I get your point.

 

[spectorfreak]

That's a mod and a half, somebody did some serious routing. Nice.

I bought this MTD new, and ordered the replacement pickups the same day. I never played it out until I got all my mods done. Never been happier! (the color didn't change...its the lghtingView attachment 539827

 

[gjohnson441496]

I wouldn't say that. Our guitarist buys cheap Epis and Squiers and mods the pickups. All 3 of my main players have been modded. I know lots of dudes who play for a living and modded their axes. They just tend to be more thought-out about their mods and figure out the weaknesses of their instruments first.

JimmyM, I'm curious as to how long did it take for them or for you to figure out what to mod?

 

[gjohnson441496]

Hey soon as Fender sells a Jazz with factory EMG J set, a Babicz bridge and Hipshot HB series tuners I'll be the first one to order.

Yeah, but judging from the feedback I'm pretty sure once you get it you'll switch out the pickups, change the bridge, and order a new set of tuners.

 

[wallawallabob]

I bought (stole) a Squire Showmaster. I bought it because I had never really played a BG before (I usually play upright) and I wanted something to learn on. So now I've learned how to do fretwork and truss rod adjustments but I intend to pull the frets, relic the body,make my own pickguard, maybe replace the bridge and tuners, and definately replace the pups. If I screw it up I'll donate it to the local Goodwill!

 

[eddododo]

Just being honest here. For the life of me I can't understand why anyone would buy a guitar with the intentions of modding it. I can understand if you had a bass for a while, years, and decided maybe I'll upgrade the pickups or whatever. But, to buy a bass with intentions to immediately mod it???? Why not just find the bass that you're looking for and be done with it? Lets say you spend $300.00 on a bass, buy another 300.00 worth of upgrades, and pay for labor on top of that. Why not just save the money and buy the bass you're after? I'm mostly referring to mods that effect sound or playability.
I don't know I just had to post this because I seriously don't get it. Is it just a hobbyist thing?

really not too hard to understand, methinks youre just refusing to...

-the specs you want might not (probably wont) exist in a mass-produced item
-a great-feeling bass may have crummy pickups
-some people (like me) LOVE to mod and upgrade things... gives you a much better understanding of what you like anyway
-in many cases its MUCH cheaper to get, say, a fender and upgrade the electronics, get it set up awesomely, and have a top-notch bass for a grand than to get a $5k sadowsky.

 

[gjohnson441496]

I bought this MTD new, and ordered the replacement pickups the same day. I never played it out until I got all my mods done. Never been happier! (the color didn't change...its the lghtingView attachment 539827

Here is a fine example of what I was trying to point out! You didn't even play the bass! You had no idea how it sounds! How do you know that you never could have been happier? You could have been happy with the Fender Modern Player Jazz from the looks of the mod you did. You changed everything on the original except the body!!!! This is what I don't understand! BTW - How does it sound?

 

[gjohnson441496]

Sometimes a bass can be bought for a very reasonable price. If the woodwork and the frets are ok, one may buy it to upgrade it to the desired standard. I bought a Tribute G&L L2000 and replaced the capacitor in the tone control circuit immediately, because I wanted a larger control range. I once bought an Ibanez GSR200EX for small money. I removed the active electronics, because it cost batteries, limited the dynamic range and added noise. I also optimized the neck joint. Why not?

I think there's nothing wrong with modifying a bass to get it to the desired level. First thing I 'modify' are the strings. I never leave them on, because I have my preferences regarding strings.

I don't consider strings to be a mod, more a replacement IMO. Most basses do not come with flatwounds so I switch out the manufacturers strings. But it doesn't sound like you just nilly/willy modify your bass. You're doing this from experience and you know exactly what you want. You're not just buying basses as an experimental project or trying to turn your Tribute G&L into a $1800.00 Rickenbacker.

 

[wmhill]

Here is a fine example of what I was trying to point out! You didn't even play the bass! You had no idea how it sounds! How do you know that you never could have been happier? You could have been happy with the Fender Modern Player Jazz from the looks of the mod you did. You changed everything on the original except the body!!!! This is what I don't understand! BTW - How does it sound?

I already owned the same model, in a different finish, and with the same bart pickup....so I had a very good idea what to expect, and also had plenty of time to consider mods that would benefit me, after 3 years of playing the original one. The switching options, with the dual pickups was a big "want" for me. All the hardware was and neck was left stock. The cosmetic stuff (pearloid cover, abalone inlayed knobs...etc) was strictly for eye appeal, but still made the package that much nicer to me. Basically it's my way of getting a "custom" bass without actually dropping the coin to have one built. It's by far my fave bass, and glad I did the mods. Sounds great, plays awesome, looks cool and I was at under a grand with labor and all.

 

[gjohnson441496]

Here's a bass you won't find in a catalog
View attachment 539811
Short scale
Fretless
Bass Lines
Schaller bridge
CTS pots

I must admit. You are enjoying yourself it seems and there's nothing wrong with that.

 

[basslifter]

But....the mod-er cannot reasonably expect that everyone would share the same taste or passion when it comes time to sell. I put $300 into it! Sorry, but it may not be worth that to a prospective buyer depending on what you did.