Customizing Your Bass

[Christian Joseph Allbee]

I'm actually considering buying a medium-scale SX Jazz Bass (it was a mistake for me to sell my Squier Jazz Bass) replacing the pickups, tuners and bridge. I'm mainly doing it so that I can learn how to replace pickups and I don't wanna risk it with my Mustang Bass and then not have an electric bass at all.

 

[bigmoosepi]

people actually care about resale value?

Maybe don't buy the bass in the first place if you think you're just going to sell it.

 

[jg42]

people actually care about resale value?

Maybe don't buy the bass in the first place if you think you're just going to sell it.

Probably, but in that case they act as investors - not as musicians...

Out of my 4 basses 3 are modded - most likely the 4th will be modded as well. All of them are Ibanez - very comfy, however they lacked in electronics. New preamps and pups solved the issues.

Like with everything else, I think "to each it's own".

 

[babaseen]

Switched the neck on my Sadowsky 5 with the help of Best Guitar Parts and Jimmy Mouradian...from fretless morado to fretted maple...glad I did! Debated whether to change out the EMG's for years but stuck with them and now I know it was the right decision.

 

[Rip Topaz]

I'm actually considering buying a medium-scale SX Jazz Bass (it was a mistake for me to sell my Squier Jazz Bass) replacing the pickups, tuners and bridge. I'm mainly doing it so that I can learn how to replace pickups and I don't wanna risk it with my Mustang Bass and then not have an electric bass at all.

You may find that the stock pickups are a lot better sounding than you expect. Definitely wouldn't swap the pickups in mine, they sound great.

I would suggest taking the time to do the research and learn fretwork. You'd be amazed how good most off the shelf basses can be made to play with just some minor attention to the frets.

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

I totally customized my Fender Aerodyne Jazz bass. All to make it sound and play better. Don't play it much anymore due to a change in project requirements so it's up for sale now. But had I to do it again, I do exactly the same thing over again. It sounds and plays amazing compared to stock gear! Upgrades also make the difference between a mid-tier and higher-tier instrument. That's why better instruments cost more - they use better components and have better attention to detail such as dressing frets, etc.

 

[JIO]

exactly.

a lot of people love the pj combination. fender only makes them because so many people in the 70s modded their p bass to have a jazz bass pickup. it's good to know the history of things.

+1 - and Fender has been continuing to mine this technology for the last number of years with their Pawn Shop, Road Worn and various '70's "what if" series, all riffing off of real players modding their instruments (for whatever reason but usually in a search for a certain sound or specific playing need). This whole over-inflated investment value concept is a relatively recent market/monetary driven phenomena. Not saying older instruments don't have appreciated value - just saying the current level is valued according to factors more related to artificial reality.

 

[Malak the Mad]

Money isn't everything, but it's an unsurpassed way of keeping score.

That's a rather funny way of "keeping score", given the ever-depreciating value of any given currency. Money, and it's supposed value, may not be sustainable…but good music can last forever. And the idea of "only buy something if everything in it is exactly what you want"? Well, to slightly bend the "car example" fielded earlier;

"I found the car that looks, feels and performs exactly the way I want it to. Unfortunately, I had to pass on it. I didn't like the radio…or the door lock knobs…and the shifter stick didn't use Roman numerals…"

Sorry, dude…but I gotta call shenanigans.

And just to wax a little sarcastic…

I just bought a Blacktop Jazz a couple o' months ago. It goes for about $500 retail and it's in perfect working order. Now I'm thinking of selling it off, unfortunately…

…I replaced most of the pickguard screws with black ones and used a Sharpie to turn the black/white/black guard into a black/red/black one. Now I can only get a highest-bid offer of $75. That a small plate of cookies as consolation for absolutely ruining a once-proud piece of musical engineering. You'd think I'd at least get a school-cafeteria-sized box of milk with it. I mean, really?!

Now, back to the OP's original question;

My mods tend to lean towards the cosmetic…pickguards and strings, mostly. I'm planning on having a custom-made pickguard, something Marcus Miller-esque, to drop onto a CV Jazz. To Hell with resale value…I wanna make it that much more "MINE!"

Functionally speaking, I love the Drop-D tuner on my Aerodyne. I'll probably add one to the Blacktop sometime 'round the end of this year (then maybe I can get $85 and that box o' milk!). I might also try out some Quarter Pounders to beef up my Squier P-Bass Special some day.

And to wrap up this rant…

• To mod? Sure. It's not like you'd be hurting someone in the process (tool-based accidents notwithstanding).
• Do something artistic? The illustrator in me says "Certainly! Make it sing visually as it does sonically!!"
• Experiment and in the process learn more about what makes our instruments "tick"? Bonus!*

*Official Disclaimer: Good artistic taste, useable results and First Aid kits are not included in this tirade.

 

[Hobobob]

I'm planning on putting some Barts on my Jazz 24, and later down the line I'll probably have someone (or I might even do it myself, who knows) make a neck for it that has the profile of the current American Special P's. I prefer wider spacing at the nut, and the profile of those necks are just magical.

 

[Batmensch]

The only things I've done to any of my basses have been purely cosmetic, Pickguard and knob swaps, thumb rests and bridge/pickup covers, threaded saddles. ON my 3 basses(2 Squiers and a Fender), I found absolutely no need to change out any of the functional bits. (other than the saddles, but again, really done for aesthetic reasons.)

 

[pickbass]

I have yet to find a perfect bass. I went so far as to buy a neck from Carvin, built a body around it paying close attention to the layout, then chose the electronics and hardware. Did I wind up with the perfect bass? Close but no. It is missing the ability to have a bright thin sound that would be appropriate for a couple of songs I play. Am I going to build or buy a new bass to correct 1 small flaw? No! I will get a preamp to boost the highs a bit.

If an instrument feels right and will be yours until the day you die or until a catastrophic accident destroys it, why not modify it to correct a flaw be it real or imagined? True, I wouldn't modify '51 P bass but chances are if I had a '51 P bass I would probably not play it much and certainly not let it leave the house for a gig.