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Bass upgrade help please

F

Fechow

Nov 30, 2010
15
0
#1
Hi i want to upgrade my old squier p. it was my first bass and i want it to play live, i was reading some posts of this subject and im kind of confuse, some people says it doesnt worth it, some said it can soun really good, and there is a lot of different opinions of what really works, i hope you can give some advises. I read i need to change the pots and re wire it. I want to put ir a badass bridge but some says it doesnt make much diference-
Can you give me any advise?
Thanks
 
#2
But how do YOU like the bass? Does it sound good to you and your band mates? Do you like how it plays? If your answers are yes to those questions then you should be good to go. If not, I suggest you figure out what you don't like and then look into what you want changed. Some changes are pretty inexpensive like a good setup compared to something like changing out electronics, new bridge, etc.
 
#3
A good very long standing upgrade pup has been Dimarzios's model P. Since the 70's bass players pro and hobbyist have used them to replace fender pups and other p type pups in basses as a great upgrade. If your bass has small little pots, replacing them with better ones can improve the basses sound. I know I read countles threads about peeps saying first needed mod to all sx's was replace the cheap pots and wiring. Esp when rondo stuff was first becoming popular in couple main forums for basses and guitars as cheap alternative to more known brands.

I'm not a fan of baddass bridges. to trebly zingy to me. Himass bridges by gotoh, hipshot, and schaller are very good replacements fo the thin bent metal fender style bridges imo.

Overall the best way to improve a basses sound is to replace the pups. if it also has cheap electronics even if passive, replacing that can give better fuller sound. Cheapo pots tend to rob a bass and guitar of its low end potential imo.
 
#5
IMO, that money would be better spent on a proper set-up and a set of strings that you prefer.

I still have my first cheap P-bass, undoubtedly built with worse quality standards than your Squier, and I'm satisfied with it. Sure, when I started out like you I obsessed over "upgrades" and such, but after I finally paid a luthier for a complete set-up and a pair of flatwounds, I was done.
The bass is stock (except the nut) and I love the feel and sound of it so much that I refuse to replace any parts even though I can afford to.

If your pots are scratchy, spray it with some DeoxIT F5. If you want to play live, you shouldn't worry about "better" pots. In most cases, you won't hear the difference. A can of DeoxIT is $10 at GuitarCenter and you'll save money in the long run (scratchy pots in your amp).
 
#6
Fechow said:
Hi i want to upgrade my old squier p. it was my first bass and i want it to play live, i was reading some posts of this subject and im kind of confuse, some people says it doesnt worth it, some said it can soun really good, and there is a lot of different opinions of what really works, i hope you can give some advises. I read i need to change the pots and re wire it. I want to put ir a badass bridge but some says it doesnt make much diference-
Can you give me any advise?
Thanks
Click to expand...

Depends on how much you want to upgrade it.

Pickups are cool, I replaced mine with Seymour Duncan 1/4 Pounders many years ago and still love the way it sounds. I also put a nice set of TI flats on it and also replaced the cap and pots for more treble...but I also did all the work myself so I just paid for parts. A new bridge? Nah. Not worth it.

If you are paying for someone to do this for you, remember to consider what you will be paying for labor. Don't put more into the bass than what it's worth. At that point you may as well sell it and get a better bass.

:D

Joe.
 
#7
Not worth it.

Look for a used bass on these forums. There are Fender Standard Ps floating around all the time and they will be a HUGE upgrade and will last a lifetime. The Squier, IMO, is meant to be a teenager's bass, which is cool and all but when you try something else you're like, oh, maybe Abercombie isn't the best clothing in the world after all. :D
 
#8
SirGrotius said:
The Squier, IMO, is meant to be a teenager's bass, which is cool and all but when you try something else you're like, oh, maybe Abercombie isn't the best clothing in the world after all. :D
Click to expand...

:rollno:

To the OP - if it sounds good to you, it doesn't need upgrading. I've played a borrowed Squier P live a couple of times and it sounded fine. If there's a problem, fix it. If it doesn't sound how you want it to, describe what sound you want and I'm sure peole will be able to advise on the best strings, pickup, bridge etc to get that sound.
 
#9
Senator said:
IMO, that money would be better spent on a proper set-up and a set of strings that you prefer.

I still have my first cheap P-bass, undoubtedly built with worse quality standards than your Squier, and I'm satisfied with it. Sure, when I started out like you I obsessed over "upgrades" and such, but after I finally paid a luthier for a complete set-up and a pair of flatwounds, I was done.
The bass is stock (except the nut) and I love the feel and sound of it so much that I refuse to replace any parts even though I can afford to.

If your pots are scratchy, spray it with some DeoxIT F5. If you want to play live, you shouldn't worry about "better" pots. In most cases, you won't hear the difference. A can of DeoxIT is $10 at GuitarCenter and you'll save money in the long run (scratchy pots in your amp).
Click to expand...

+1 Good advice here. It's amazing what spending $20-$25 dollars on the right strings and another $25 or so on a good setup can do to improve your bass. A $1000 bass with a crappy string match and a poor setup isn't any better off than yours. Both will sound bad and play badly.

If you want to improve it go strings, pickups/pots, bridge, nut, in about that order. Senator is right. Unless the pots are causing you noise problems they're probably the least of your worries put if you end up replacing pickups you might as well replace the pots while you have it apart if they're low quality. If not just clean them as he advised.

Make a list of what you intend to do and cost it out. If it turns a $150 bass into a $750 investment that's only worth $300 when done you better love it and love to play it since you'll never get your $$$ out of it. You may be better off to simply upgrade to a better bass. Mods can run into money that you'll never recover if you're not wise.
 
#10
Hi thanks for your answers you are helping me a lot, i only want to upgrade the bass because it was my first bass and i think it would be fun to play it live sometimes, i guess is the only bass i will never sell. i will start with the strings, pickups and pots, i´ll give you notice how is working for me
 
#11
Fechow said:
Thanks for the reply, right now im between the dimarzio´s and the original fender can you tell me the difference between these two
Click to expand...

The dimarzios have more output volume, more articulation in the low bass, and nice extended treble ability. The latter from raising the pole peices a little bit above the top of pup housing. A more modern, bit more agressive tone then the fenders of the mid to latter 70's as an example. Good amount of crunch to the voice to, though not quite as much as emg's for example.
 
#14
The bass is good i just want to improve the sound a little, im going to the luthier to get a good set up, and im changing strings all the wires, jack and pots... yesterday i played with this bass at the rehersal and pluged to my amp and pedals it sounded really really good, i gues i didnt remember, because the last time i played with it was in 1999.

And i don´t need to buy a new bass i have a fender plus, an american fender jazz and a 5 strings warwick $$ (made in Germany) i just want to play with this bass because it was my first, is so light weight (thanks God!!) and because i like it; and i know it is unbeliveble but im getting the tone i had in mind for this band with this squier (made in Indonesia lol ) the other tree basses were good at the recording session but live this bass rocks.
 
#15
Fechow said:
The bass is good i just want to improve the sound a little, im going to the luthier to get a good set up, and im changing strings all the wires, jack and pots... yesterday i played with this bass at the rehersal and pluged to my amp and pedals it sounded really really good, i gues i didnt remember, because the last time i played with it was in 1999.

And i don´t need to buy a new bass i have a fender plus, an american fender jazz and a 5 strings warwick $$ (made in Germany) i just want to play with this bass because it was my first, is so light weight (thanks God!!) and because i like it; and i know it is unbeliveble but im getting the tone i had in mind for this band with this squier (made in Indonesia lol ) the other tree basses were good at the recording session but live this bass rocks.
Click to expand...


Awesome!

:D

Joe.
 
#16
+1 on the Dimarzio pick up upgrade. I put their p/j pick ups in a Fender P-Bass Deluxe Special and they sound great. (they are aggressive sounding) I also have put BadAss IIs, I think they improve the sound and I like the look and feel. With a decent set up from a competent tech and the fairly inexpensive DiMarzio upgrade, you will have a very useful bass that you can play live and not worry about it getting dinged up.
 
#18
This is an ongoing debate here, but I definitely side with the camp that the BadAss II are a worthwhile upgrade. To me, the higher mass gives more resonance to the instrument. (I have noticed that Fender is offering High Mass Bridges on lots of models now too) With the BAIIs, you can file the saddles to fit your string perfectly, which seems to give a clearer tone as well. (and to be honest, I just like the way they look). I have used BAIIs on my last three basses, the last one I put on because the stock bridge on my MIM Deluxe P Bass Special had an issue with the saddle on the G constantly going down on one side. The BAIIs work great and I don't find that I need to adjust them often. Again, this is my opinion, and if I had to prioritize upgrades, I would go set up/strings, DiMarzio Pick ups, and the BAII as the last thing. I also used upgrading that bass as a chance to learn how to do everything myself (except some fretwork), and I am so glad that I did. Enjoy playing that thing out!
 
#19
the problem with the saddles 'going down' on any fender stock bridge is easily resolved with blue loc-tite, and i personally prefer the stock bridges over any badass. if you squier has the duncan designed pickup, which many of them do, IMO, they are great sounding pickups. if not, the febnder '62 AV RI or Duncan spb-1 sound just like a vintage p bass should. so, i would just get a pro setup on it and install the strings that you like the tone & response of, and play it that way.
 
#20
johnk_10 said:
the problem with the saddles 'going down' on any fender stock bridge is easily resolved with blue loc-tite, and i personally prefer the stock bridges over any badass..
Click to expand...

+1

johnk_10 said:
if you squier has the duncan designed pickup, which many of them do, IMO, they are great sounding pickups. if not, the febnder '62 AV RI or Duncan spb-1 sound just like a vintage p bass should. so, i would just get a pro setup on it and install the strings that you like the tone & response of, and play it that way.
Click to expand...

Would like to add Bartonlini vintage (single coil) pups.
 

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