Best bass mod ever for you?

[DModer]

Yep. Have a Squier Affinity 5-string jazz bass, replaced the stock pickups (which didn't actually sound all that bad) with Lindy Fralin single coil pickups, and it sounds great! Use it all the time for cover band & wedding band gigs.

 

[brett adams]

pickups and pots.

 

[JZQuantum]

Dunlop strap lock system and BA bridge and copper shielding is all I've ever done on a bass. I usually don't buy it unless I feel it has all I need. That ability came from 25 years of buying basses.

Turns out, the answer is always P bass or Stingray.

 

[Dbassmon]

The best mod I ever made was to my playing. No matter what bass I play, I still sound like me. Pickups, bridge, new bass, different strings... very minor impact. Improved my playing, my touch....huge!

 

[MikeTranch]

Hi,

I've never altered my instruments, although I've thought about it often. Switch pickups, add a knob, having the body redone completely in a different wood, etc.

For those who have modded stock instruments, I'd love to hear what was the best improvement that you've ever made to a bass.

On my active bass, I use a TRS cable and feed +9 on the ring. The only mod inside the guitar is a short circuit across the 9V battery connector. On my pedal board, I modded the first pedal in the chain to have a TRS jack with +9V on the ring.

And on my passive bass, I added a JFET preamp (Tillman circuit) with a tiny toggle switch so I can go active/passive. Same deal with a TRS jack, +9V on the ring. And on that bass, I also add a push/pull tone pot, with larger capacitance in the pull position.

(I hate batteries!!!)

 

[Doner Designs]

I would probably have to say that the flux capacitor modification is the most significant and timely I have ever done.

 

[hatchards]

Hi,

I've never altered my instruments, although I've thought about it often. Switch pickups, add a knob, having the body redone completely in a different wood, etc.

For those who have modded stock instruments, I'd love to hear what was the best improvement that you've ever made to a bass.

Although I’m a proponent of shielding and wiring upgrades, as well as finding the best string choice for a particular instrument, I really am fond of the screw in neck inserts to convert to machine screws. Makes truss rod adjustments so much easier to remove, and reinstall necks, as well as a tighter neck to body fit.

 

[tallboybass]

By FAR...'pickups in series' mod to every Jazz Bass I own.

 

[phaty]

If you’re looking for permission to mod your bass, you’ll find lots of encouragement here.

Any aspect of a bass is fair game. Try whatever. If you get an idea from the forum, get on it and make it so. A tiny example of that is replacing the Fender headstock button with something non-resonant. Takes out the distinctive Fender ring and evened out the G string dead spot.

View attachment 3233687


You’ll never know if you don’t try.[
Like a plastic washer? What material/tree do you use?

 

[bassdude51]

Personally, I don't like to mod a stock bass. Leave it alone unless if something is broken.

For mods, tweaks and experimenting, I use bodies and necks and stuff that I purchase separately. Builds.

Frankenbasses.

 

[iriegnome]

I have altered a few of my basses. On my Fender, I ditched the bridge, pickups, nut, and all the electronics. Great move. I liked the neck, body and pickguard. The rest was garbage. Now, I have a stellar bass with quality components and I am happy with it!.

 

[Oliver67]

Shielding is a must that can be done when you change your pickguard (if you don't want to change it, just shield it when you change your strings). One cheap mod that I tried and like is the dual capacitor tone control (see Invalid Link Removed). You can discover some new tones from your bass thanks to this.

 

[EddieV]

On my Lakland 5501 I replaced the knobs, installed Dunlop strap locks, shielded with copper tape, replaced the tuners with hipshot lollipop tuners, installed Bartolini MK5 pickups and a Nordstrand 3 band Preamp with a passive tone control. I think that's it. Oh and I added 2 Ninja Turtles stickers to the back that my son gave me.

 

[TH63]

Dimarzio model Js in a Korean jazz copy. It's gone from really nice to awesome.

 

[Bonesworld]

Decided to try a Noll 3 band preamp in my US Masters which already had Kent Armstrong soap bars (one of my favorite pickups). The Masters sounded great with an Aguilar OBP3 but the Noll with the Armstrong pickups are a match made in heaven..!!
I also did the same to a John Meyers custom 5 which had EMG pickups and a Vol. Vol. Tone Tone set up which did nothing for me. Again.... the Noll pre and Armstrong pickups totally transformed the bass into a tone monster...!!!

 

[JimChjones]

Schaller bridge, and replace tone control with in phase/out of phase switch on my Jazz Bass.

 

[Bass1958]

American Fender pickups in a Mexican P-Bass. People keep asking me if it’s pre-CBS.

 

[nick verbic]

Putting DiMarzio pickups on both of my basses....

 

[LoTone]

1. Pickups
2. Wiring/Shielding
3. Tuners
4. Bridge

 

[rickstrong]

I have Foderas now, so I don't mess around with them. When I played Fender (and still may do so again!) I found my favorite mods were:

• Pickups(s): generally replaced the stock ones with Bartolini;
• Bridge: replaced the stock ones with Badass. In one case I used the Fender Claw, a monstrous chunk of metal (mine was brass).