ive never understood a bass as a financial investment. i buy them to play. to play how i want. to keep. its up to you if you ruined it for you.
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Did I ruin A great Bass?
- Thread starter chuck65
- Start date
In 2003 I purchased a brand new CIJ Geddy Lee JB. Has the " Limited Edition" neck plate.
I bought a set of active EMG's and took it to a local luthier / tech and asked him to do the install. All went well , EXCEPT .... When I got it back it had a battery holder installed in the back of the Bass.
In his defense , he did call me , but I was at work and busy so I misunderstood him when he said something about " battery access ".
SO, now that I have a modded CIJ GL JB. Is it still worth what a stock one goes for these days?
BTW , it is a total tone monster and I would not put the stock pickups back in it even if I still had them. It's not my daily driver but works great with my old ME 50B for open mics and jams that I don't want to take my G&Ls and main rig to.
Opinions , comments , and chastising welcome
While the Geddy Lee Js are great basses (I have a couple myself), they are not (or are ever likely to become) collectors items. * The battery box is going to be useful to you as you won't have to pull up the control plate and muck around with the electronics every time you want to change out the battery. The luthier/tech did you a solid ... be happy.
* Don't let the "Limited Edition" neck plate throw you. The reason they're not likely to ever become collectors items is because they are VERY popular basses and there are a whole lotta them out there.
In 2003 I purchased a brand new CIJ Geddy Lee JB. Has the " Limited Edition" neck plate.
I bought a set of active EMG's and took it to a local luthier / tech and asked him to do the install. All went well , EXCEPT .... When I got it back it had a battery holder installed in the back of the Bass.
In his defense , he did call me , but I was at work and busy so I misunderstood him when he said something about " battery access ".
SO, now that I have a modded CIJ GL JB. Is it still worth what a stock one goes for these days?
BTW , it is a total tone monster and I would not put the stock pickups back in it even if I still had them. It's not my daily driver but works great with my old ME 50B for open mics and jams that I don't want to take my G&Ls and main rig to.
Opinions , comments , and chastising welcome
I also have this worry, Ive been contemplating on installing a humbucker pickup at the bridge of my Fender Noir Precision Bass but I cant help but feel like id be ruining its worth
I installed EMG’s in a MIJ jazz bass and there was no way i could fit a battery under the pots so i made a little pocket in the cavity.
If you're happy with it, no. You didn't ruin it. It's not really a rare, collectible bass. I think you're ok.
I'd think that, plus, anything that is already designed to be a reproduction of what has become a collector's item already has that against it. Not that it won't have some value, but...reissues, right?
(I have one on order myself, FWIW)
In 2003 I purchased a brand new CIJ Geddy Lee JB. Has the " Limited Edition" neck plate.
I bought a set of active EMG's and took it to a local luthier / tech and asked him to do the install. All went well , EXCEPT .... When I got it back it had a battery holder installed in the back of the Bass.
In his defense , he did call me , but I was at work and busy so I misunderstood him when he said something about " battery access ".
SO, now that I have a modded CIJ GL JB. Is it still worth what a stock one goes for these days?
BTW , it is a total tone monster and I would not put the stock pickups back in it even if I still had them. It's not my daily driver but works great with my old ME 50B for open mics and jams that I don't want to take my G&Ls and main rig to.
Opinions , comments , and chastising welcome
Do you buy basses as investments? If you do, don't modify them.
I buy them to use, much like the sports cars I play with. I modify them better for me and to make them "mine".
There are some I would never alter, but not many.
Geddy modded the hell out of his bass. That's why the Geddy edition bass is different. Why shouldn't you?
I see a fundamental conflict between "I wanted different pickups because I bought this to play" and "I care about resale value". You obvs bought it to play. Don't look back, and never sell it, even if it becomes your 9th backup.
Also, no I don't think it's ruined. Even if you change pickups again, you never know when you might want to try something active. As long as it's a clean install it's a good mod.
I see a fundamental conflict between "I wanted different pickups because I bought this to play" and "I care about resale value". You obvs bought it to play. Don't look back, and never sell it, even if it becomes your 9th backup.
Also, no I don't think it's ruined. Even if you change pickups again, you never know when you might want to try something active. As long as it's a clean install it's a good mod.
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Make this mod to a jazz bass and you will be accepted by the majority of your peers. Make the same mod to a non-collectible Rickenbacker 4003 and you will be several notches below child murderer.
Nicely done, very good job!Can you explain how you did it?
Dremel, chisels and patience
There are thousands of them. They’re not collectors items. Do what you likeIn 2003 I purchased a brand new CIJ Geddy Lee JB. Has the " Limited Edition" neck plate.
I bought a set of active EMG's and took it to a local luthier / tech and asked him to do the install. All went well , EXCEPT .... When I got it back it had a battery holder installed in the back of the Bass.
In his defense , he did call me , but I was at work and busy so I misunderstood him when he said something about " battery access ".
SO, now that I have a modded CIJ GL JB. Is it still worth what a stock one goes for these days?
BTW , it is a total tone monster and I would not put the stock pickups back in it even if I still had them. It's not my daily driver but works great with my old ME 50B for open mics and jams that I don't want to take my G&Ls and main rig to.
Opinions , comments , and chastising welcome
In 2003 I purchased a brand new CIJ Geddy Lee JB. Has the " Limited Edition" neck plate.
I bought a set of active EMG's and took it to a local luthier / tech and asked him to do the install. All went well , EXCEPT .... When I got it back it had a battery holder installed in the back of the Bass.
In his defense , he did call me , but I was at work and busy so I misunderstood him when he said something about " battery access ".
SO, now that I have a modded CIJ GL JB. Is it still worth what a stock one goes for these days?
BTW , it is a total tone monster and I would not put the stock pickups back in it even if I still had them. It's not my daily driver but works great with my old ME 50B for open mics and jams that I don't want to take my G&Ls and main rig to.
Opinions , comments , and chastising welcome
I’ll bet it kills through that Eden Stack. For me, I never think of my gear as being a collectable. Pretty much I look at them as useful tools. I wouldn’t sweat it.
It's worth less, of course, but it's really not something to worry about...especially since you're not planning on selling it.In 2003 I purchased a brand new CIJ Geddy Lee JB. Has the " Limited Edition" neck plate.
I bought a set of active EMG's and took it to a local luthier / tech and asked him to do the install. All went well , EXCEPT .... When I got it back it had a battery holder installed in the back of the Bass.
In his defense , he did call me , but I was at work and busy so I misunderstood him when he said something about " battery access ".
SO, now that I have a modded CIJ GL JB. Is it still worth what a stock one goes for these days?
BTW , it is a total tone monster and I would not put the stock pickups back in it even if I still had them. It's not my daily driver but works great with my old ME 50B for open mics and jams that I don't want to take my G&Ls and main rig to.
Opinions , comments , and chastising welcome
I modded my G&L L2000, only a cosmetic mod, but one I made to make it just a little bit different than every other L2000.
Funny thing is, it's worth more than the day I bought it two years ago...more to me, that is.
Io, you didnt ruin anything. Geddys arent hard to come by and they're not really increasing in value. Now, say you butchered Geddys personal J then that'd be different. But until that happens, dont sweat the small stuff.
was the rout well done? is it in a nice place and parallel with any centerlines? is the battery holder or door a quality unit and is it easy to open and close? does it fit all brands of batteries?In 2003 I purchased a brand new CIJ Geddy Lee JB. Has the " Limited Edition" neck plate.
I bought a set of active EMG's and took it to a local luthier / tech and asked him to do the install. All went well , EXCEPT .... When I got it back it had a battery holder installed in the back of the Bass.
In his defense , he did call me , but I was at work and busy so I misunderstood him when he said something about " battery access ".
SO, now that I have a modded CIJ GL JB. Is it still worth what a stock one goes for these days?
BTW , it is a total tone monster and I would not put the stock pickups back in it even if I still had them. It's not my daily driver but works great with my old ME 50B for open mics and jams that I don't want to take my G&Ls and main rig to.
Opinions , comments , and chastising welcome
