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Do you Mod your Fenders? And why?

#41
Except fro my first Fender, a late '60s Jazz Bass that I traded away, in 1973, before I got into modding instruments, every Fender bass I have owned ( two 1972 Jazz Basses, two 1972 Telecaster Basses, 2003 AV '62 Jazz Bass, 1997 California Precision Special, 1997 Mustang Bass) had to been modded to make them better/suitable for my needs. However, the 2010 G&L JB-2 and 2013 EBMM Stingray (bother Fender related) I had were perfect out of the gate.
 
#42
On my MIJ Geddy Lee Jazz: silver refin and a new pickguard made of Ash. Have a gander:

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Gosh, what a beautiful bass (IMO)



I've also had hum-cancelling Aguilars put in my Squier Fretless Jazz.

I've told myself for over two years to get a plain white pickguard for my White Blonde Mark Hoppus Precision but it hasn't happened yet.
 
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#43
Fletz said:
hey all - I've modded my P-bass quite a bit to make it "mine." Have you modded your fender? And is it true that Fenders are more "moddable?"
Click to expand...

Sure have!

My MIJ Marcus Miller jazz now has a John East preamp and plain old single coils from an Am. Standard. It is hands down the best sounding active jazz I've ever played, and extremely versatile.

My 90s MIJ unlined fretless jazz is none stock, however. I won't change a thing on that bass.
 
#44
I guess I follow the trend here as well. In my youth I was a tinkerer, and whether it be a lawnmower, alarm clock, or electric bass, I had to take it apart to see how it worked. This insatiable desire to see how things ticked allowed me to learn a lot about various instruments, and modding my basses was just a logical approach for me to get what I liked set up in a bass.

My main touring Precision suffered the most abuse (or mods, if you will) all which I wish I wouldn't have done, but they work and is all good. In the 80's I sanded the back of the neck to remove the gloss, because the guitarists Charvel was set up that way and was cool. I rubbed boiled linseed oil into it sealing it, but it took a long time not to be tacky. A hipshot went on after I met Billy Sheehan and how that handy little device opened a lot of doors for a four string, and I also routed out the 70's position for a jazz pickup, then added a schaller bridge because I loved how I could set the string spacing. It's a great player, but I wish I would have left it alone. She does have charactor though. She is a 1985 MIJ P bass, and built as good as any American bass from any era.

My 2011 American standard jazz fiver I have left bone stock, because it played and sounds amazing. There isn't anything I'd want to or could do to make it sound or play better.

The Mim's usually get some sort of fret job, fret end detailing work, and electronics or hardware based on how they feel and play. I like the feel and spacing of the Gotoh 201b for my four string basses, so I'll usually put one on a player I'm gigging a lot with. I will replace the tuners based on how they feel, not due to weight. Same with a nut. If it's cut good from the factory I leave it alone.

So in a nutshell, I have a certain feel and sound I like out of my basses, and those that I play a lot generally get mods to get them into those specs. this goes for all my basses, Fender or non Fender.

The newer basses are simply amazing cost v quality, due to low overseas assembly and cnc machines getting things right. Older fenders were all over the map in quality, and hence made a good argument to mod to get them in the sweet spot, or outfitted with items the factor wouldn't provide. These were usually fashionable time sensitive mods, but they do reflect certain times and eras in music.
 
#45
Fenders are definitely more "moddable" considering how popular and available they are. With that being said, I have also modded my Aerodyne with some EMG GZR P/J pickups (the stock J was pretty quiet) and since I did that, I had to get new knobs since the stock ones didn't fit. Then, just because I found it for a good price and the ease of changing strings, I replaced the stock bridge with a Hipshot A Style bridge.

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#46
Yes. I have very specific taste in pickups. Also believe that most tuners are substandard to hipshot, but fenders are usually ok, like the versatility and girth of a babicz bridge, although a hipshot a type is good too.
If active, pre usually goes. Most mfg in my price range don't get it as right as, say East for example...
So there you go, not necessarily why I mod fenders, but it would be fender inclusive.
 
#48
Its OK to make changes to your bass of choice. But, I would keep all the original parts just in case you want to sell it. A bass with original parts will always (mostly) sell for a higher price. Although you may like the PU or bridge better when added, the buyer is buying that bass for what it looked like and sounded the way it was.
 
#50
I had an 1997 USA Lake placid blue Jazz, Maple fingerboard I never modded. The bass was awesome but I sold it for a Warwick which was the biggest mistake of my life. Since 2000 I've had dozens of different fender basses all of which ive modded and sold. The new Fender AM Pro Jazz I've been playing for 3 days now is IMHO too awesome to mod
 
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#53
My USA Geddy has Nordstrands and ultra-lite non-reverse tuners, my American Standard Jazz has EMGs and a black pearl guard, my American Special P has a J bridge pickup and Dimarzios. These were all DIY and all parts were used. So worth the money. When buying Fenders my goal was always excellent playability, minimal dead spots, and solid construction. Unfortunately I had to buy/sell/flip over 100 to find these three keepers.
 
#54
Reasons I mod mine are a combination of function and aesthetics, but mostly the former

Aerodyne P-Bass:
  • replaced the stock white pickguard with anodized gold
  • disconnected the jazz bridge pickup (never used it)
  • moved the tone control where the bridge volume control was, added front-mount output jack (my preferred position), original side-mount jack is still intact but disconnected
  • replaced the volume and tone knobs with Jazz bass knobs (personal preference, I prefer their feel and having numbers for visual reference)
  • added a P-Bass pickup cover
  • added a leather strap secure thing I bought 20 years ago
Fretless Jazz Bass:
  • replaced the stock pickups with noiseless (Dimarzio I believe)
  • added a J-Bass pickup cover
 
#57
Not anymore. In fact I have gotten rid of the mods. I've had this geddy lee jazz for about 10 years which was my main bass since I began playing, until I started modding it. Got rid of the audere preamp, the Bartolini pickups and now I remember why I loved this thing so much.
 

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