Creating this thread to get some ideas/options on how to proceed with upgrading my cheapo Chinese Douglass six string. I've had it for four years now (see more pics here) and it is actually a fantastic bass. It plays better than my guitarist's USA Strat and has great tone, so I deem it worthy of some more investment to improve some niggles I have with it.
Not only that, but the preamp is starting to die on me - seems to happen only if I have it plugged in for a while; I start getting a lot of distortion or the volume drops. A new battery didn't help. This occurred on more than one amp, so I can only deduce that it's the preamp. That said, other items are on the table to help make my only sixer that much more loveable, even though I would love to go out and shop for another bass (who wouldn't?)
I'm limited by price, and I've found some great options I want to go with:
Preamp - I've had great experience with the Tone Monster pre's on eBay, so I'm planning on installing a SBK-3AD (with stacked bass/treble and mid/shift pots) so I don't have to drill holes. I'm not sure where I can get more bang for my buck than this - they are clean, work and sound great (transparent with no noise) so for the price they can't be beat (let me know if you have a better cost-effective idea).
Pickups - mine sound great so I have no motivation to change them.
Bridge - the bridge on this bass has got to go. I made it work but setting string height is a challenge due to the design. My preference is the Hipshot "A" style but not only do they cost almost what this bass did when it was new, they have now added screws to adjust saddle travel and eliminated the set screw that locks them in place. IMO the previous design was better.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed] that replicates the older Hipshot model and it will allow me to use thicker strings as it is an 'open' design. I could get individual saddle/bridge pieces but this is a much better option that makes alignment is easier.
Lastly are the tuning machines - while the original ones work, they feel cheap. I'm also moving to all-black hardware, but I'm having trouble finding a reasonably priced set. These Gotoh (Japan) tuners looked promising, but they only have one side and I need both left and right. These Gotoh GB-720 tuners are nice but now out of stock. Any suggestions?
I think that does it for now, any assistance appreciated.
Raz
Not only that, but the preamp is starting to die on me - seems to happen only if I have it plugged in for a while; I start getting a lot of distortion or the volume drops. A new battery didn't help. This occurred on more than one amp, so I can only deduce that it's the preamp. That said, other items are on the table to help make my only sixer that much more loveable, even though I would love to go out and shop for another bass (who wouldn't?)
I'm limited by price, and I've found some great options I want to go with:
Preamp - I've had great experience with the Tone Monster pre's on eBay, so I'm planning on installing a SBK-3AD (with stacked bass/treble and mid/shift pots) so I don't have to drill holes. I'm not sure where I can get more bang for my buck than this - they are clean, work and sound great (transparent with no noise) so for the price they can't be beat (let me know if you have a better cost-effective idea).
Pickups - mine sound great so I have no motivation to change them.
Bridge - the bridge on this bass has got to go. I made it work but setting string height is a challenge due to the design. My preference is the Hipshot "A" style but not only do they cost almost what this bass did when it was new, they have now added screws to adjust saddle travel and eliminated the set screw that locks them in place. IMO the previous design was better.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed] that replicates the older Hipshot model and it will allow me to use thicker strings as it is an 'open' design. I could get individual saddle/bridge pieces but this is a much better option that makes alignment is easier.
Lastly are the tuning machines - while the original ones work, they feel cheap. I'm also moving to all-black hardware, but I'm having trouble finding a reasonably priced set. These Gotoh (Japan) tuners looked promising, but they only have one side and I need both left and right. These Gotoh GB-720 tuners are nice but now out of stock. Any suggestions?
I think that does it for now, any assistance appreciated.
Raz
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