On board preamp with parametric mid control. Best knob ever.
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Best bass mod ever for you?
- Thread starter Raman
- Start date
On board preamp with parametric mid control. Best knob ever.
Dunlop Strap Locks. Everything else I have done has been lesser in every way.
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
This is my cheap $135 Maestro bass … Stingray clone.
When I got it had no string tree, the electronics did not work. It needed fret leveling, and fret dressing.
I added a 4 band Audere preamp, a battery box, a string tree, and straploks, I put more into the upgrades than the original price of the bass, but now it is an amazing player, and looker, with good tone.
When I got it had no string tree, the electronics did not work. It needed fret leveling, and fret dressing.
I added a 4 band Audere preamp, a battery box, a string tree, and straploks, I put more into the upgrades than the original price of the bass, but now it is an amazing player, and looker, with good tone.
By far, it was adding Lindy Fralin's noiseless Split-Jazz pickups to my 2003 MIA Fender J. No hum, totally classic J-bass tone IMO. I've tried four other sets of noiseless J-bass pickups across three basses, and while most have been excellent, I like the Fralins the most.
reading through the thread i realized i've done about all of them, and i realized i don't have an ax which hasn't been modified 
(some more than others).
it's difficult for me to say what the best single mod is, but: making the necks (sanding/shaving/narrowing/etc.) ideal/comfortable is the mod i 'go to' on every one. all of them also get strap locks, pickups, bridges, tuners, knobs, and more recently: button extenders--- it's all fun, but it's especially satisfying when an 'orphan' becomes a real player.
a lot of great looking instruments here!
(some more than others). it's difficult for me to say what the best single mod is, but: making the necks (sanding/shaving/narrowing/etc.) ideal/comfortable is the mod i 'go to' on every one. all of them also get strap locks, pickups, bridges, tuners, knobs, and more recently: button extenders--- it's all fun, but it's especially satisfying when an 'orphan' becomes a real player.
a lot of great looking instruments here!
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
The is my SX Stingray
another cheap bass, The original neck was s curved, and original preamp made bad noises.
I got a replacement sx neck, I put in a 4 band Audere preamp, added a string tree, and straploks, and I replaced the pickup and wired it like 2reverse wound single coil pickups. It has a killer low B acoustically and plugged in. It has a solid elm body that resonates nicely. I shimmed the neck with a 1/8" piece of solid walnut. it is a looker and a player, but out of the box it was a dog.
another cheap bass, The original neck was s curved, and original preamp made bad noises.
I got a replacement sx neck, I put in a 4 band Audere preamp, added a string tree, and straploks, and I replaced the pickup and wired it like 2reverse wound single coil pickups. It has a killer low B acoustically and plugged in. It has a solid elm body that resonates nicely. I shimmed the neck with a 1/8" piece of solid walnut. it is a looker and a player, but out of the box it was a dog.
I play the 100. My drummer plays cajon usually, but he brought the kit to a bar gig once. He hits hard, and with PA support, the 100 was almost enough. 200 would have been fine .
But if youre doing DIY sound, you might not want to count on PA support. Like many said, the 500 alone might do it, id try it and see. 2 "big guns" options would be:
-500c + 4x10 ext cab, or
-2x 500c (which someone mentioned) those rumbles chain together nicely. That would get you up to 700w!
But if youre doing DIY sound, you might not want to count on PA support. Like many said, the 500 alone might do it, id try it and see. 2 "big guns" options would be:
-500c + 4x10 ext cab, or
-2x 500c (which someone mentioned) those rumbles chain together nicely. That would get you up to 700w!
I get a kick out of inexpensive cosmetic mods.
Gold knurled knobs for my Cirrus: $35 for five knobs shipped. Bling!
Best ever: installing Luminlay dots on my Dingwall 6. About $35 and a couple hours easy work. That includes taking the neck off, cleaning, Luminlay install and new strings.
Got a huge charge out if it every time I saw the glowing blue dots.
Gold knurled knobs for my Cirrus: $35 for five knobs shipped. Bling!
Best ever: installing Luminlay dots on my Dingwall 6. About $35 and a couple hours easy work. That includes taking the neck off, cleaning, Luminlay install and new strings.
Got a huge charge out if it every time I saw the glowing blue dots.
Great thread, lots of great ideas here. For me it was the day I bypassed the cap in the bridge pickup circuit in my 79 Rick 4001, the poor unloved thing is still in there though. Second mod I can remember is having a luthier add a volume control and putting the jack on the side of the bass on my Tony Franklin Fender P/J fretless. OK one more, putting a different choke in my 65 EB-3 which allows more bottom in pos. three, both pickups on. Oh yeah, putting a 0.1 uf tone cap in my 96 RI '62 Jazz and adding a new American Pro Jazz neck (old one was defective and don't really like .725 radius necks either). Another one, adding two Mike Lull T bird pickups to my Gibson LE. T-bird I very rarely do anything to alter basses cosmetically although these did, they're chrome instead of black which I really like. Oh one more
, taking the covers off of any bass I've ever bought that came with them including Ricks and Fenders.
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Does that really work, dead spot is gone or just spread out? Where did you get it?
Bridge & Potentiometers/output jack mainly. Pickups if need be - most of the time i just like trying new things
I took this Squier VM P neck and shaped the headstock to my desire!!
Strap Pins.
I changed all of my Dunlop Straplok to Loxx. Loxx are just a better design. Easier to use and is less obtrusive in the case and in the rack.
After installing them on over 20 guitars, I will never go back to the Dunlop or E. Ball type. Those are just too difficult to use and way to obtrusive in the guitar case, rack or stand. Straploks also are a pain in the butt to install on the guitar straps too. I wish I knew about Loxx 4 years ago. I would have saved a ton of money and a lot of headache trying to install them on thick straps.
I changed all of my Dunlop Straplok to Loxx. Loxx are just a better design. Easier to use and is less obtrusive in the case and in the rack.
After installing them on over 20 guitars, I will never go back to the Dunlop or E. Ball type. Those are just too difficult to use and way to obtrusive in the guitar case, rack or stand. Straploks also are a pain in the butt to install on the guitar straps too. I wish I knew about Loxx 4 years ago. I would have saved a ton of money and a lot of headache trying to install them on thick straps.
Once had a bass with Lindy Fralins not sure if they where Passive or Active but when I installed a Benavente custom 3 band preamp on it. That same bass Roared!! That was probably the best mod I ever did on a bass! But or coarse had to let it go cause of the 20 mm spacing on that 5er combined with a wide neck was just too much!
