Have/Would You Upgrade an Inexpensive Bass?

No, you’ll never get the money in upgrades back out of it if you sell it, but if it’s a bass you plan on keeping then it’s probably worth it. You could always keep the stock electronics and swap them back in if you decide to sell it.

 

I've done it and would do it again. It's easy to keep the stock electronics and swap them back in if you decide to sell later. Zero effect on resale value, and you get to enjoy the upgrades while you own the bass.

 

I just finished modding up a Glarry P-Bass. It's been a fun project, but I don't know if I ever need to do it again.
Mind you I think I have about $110 (and 8 man-hours of finishing work) into this thing.

Don't buy instruments because you may sell them someday, they are awful investments. Buy what you want, consider the money spent. If you decide to sell, anything you get is "found money".

 

Not if you plan to use it as an instrument. I find the concept of needing an instrument to not cost you anything in the long run to be a bit silly. Imagine thinking that way about a phone or a microwave.

Here's a few pics of my extreme upgrades to a $115 bass that I wouldn't sell for a grand now.

My OLP, and what it has become.

 

I typically buy a Squier Jazz and put in an EMG J System, this makes the bass quiet and gives it a greater range of tones. If I want to sell it I'll put in the old pickups and controls and keep the EMG's for the next J bass, I make a loss of a couple of hundred dollars after a few years use so no big deal.

In any other profession no one considers the 'tools of trade' as a money spinner, they buy, use and discard them when they become unserviceable. It's the cost of doing business unless of course you make money flipping basses, nothing wrong with that either but that's a different gig.

 

some cheap basses i don't upgrade, some i do. as i voted, it depends.

 

I think a lot of upgrading tends to be less successful when trying to turn a mediocre bass into a better bass. That doesn’t mean that the process isn’t rewarding, enjoyable or educational....it just means the $572 you’ve spent total on a bass may not fully reflect in tone, playability or resale value....in other words you may have gotten more bang for your buck simply buying a better bass for more money that didn’t “need upgrades”.

Very few upgrades are cost effective in terms of resale value..your lucky to break even if you buy used parts at a good deal...even if you can install them yourself.

Upgrades are fun and a great way to “personalize” an instrument. I have certain preferences, like threaded saddle bridges, 500K pots and Pbass knobs so I install them on a lot of my basses. To me they’re upgrades...to the next person they’re probably just parts that need replacing.

 

If after a set up and bass plays nicely and feels and sounds good, then I think it's worth investing it. It's not throwing good money after bad, if it's a good player in the first place.

Some people a down with buying and selling, some like messing with stuff (obviously some are both). So if you know you are going to sell it sooner than later and don't get a kick out of meddling, there's no sense in using money to upgrade, just use the money for something better, and sell it on.

My Squier VM, has new bridge, pickups, push pull pots, (pickguard and knobs), and now new pressurewounds. The tuners are fine, so I'm kind of done. Spent the last week playing my new bass, but after finishing the electrics on the Squier last night, it's definitely not going to collect dust.

 

If the low cost bass is nice to play, solid neck, nice fret work, no dead spot , no ski jump, acceptable weight.... sure i will give it hardware , pickups and electronic upgrade.

 

If you're upgrading to sell it, that's always a bad idea, and a sure fire formula for disappointment.

I've upgraded a few El Cheapos in my time, for me to play. I have no plan to sell them, and know I will lose money if I do. My go-to girl, Jenny, is a modified Harley Benton Shorty that I got for €50.



Ivy, another modded El Cheapo I paid €50 for:


I bought this one for €35, and went to town:


Katherine, a Harley Benton PB50 I'm still working on, also €50:

 

I'm a fan of inexpensive quality gear. Knowing when to spend the time and effort on a project is the key here. If there are more cheap parts than good ones or the most important/integral parts are the weak link that means it isn't worth the trouble. If the bridge is kind of cheesy, the pickup is rancid and the tuners are junk but the neck is great, the body is beautiful and balanced it is worth it. Understand that simply throwing money at an instrument won't guarantee it will be improved by it. Sometimes a perfect combination of mediocre parts makes a stellar instrument. First mentally disassemble the bass in question, evaluate what parts you have and decide based on that. I've done lots of mods and some were worth it, others not so much. Hope this helps.

 

i'm trying to imagine "major loss of resale value" on a cheapie!

there are lots of threads and even some clubs devoted to such things!
Official Exquisite/Glarry/Burning Fire Bass Club?

if a cheap ax has some qualities (or if it can be made to have some qualities) that you want/need/prefer or depend on, then it's no longer just "cheap" --- it has value to you (e.g., as a "platform"). where modifications are concerned, i'd advise going all in or going home: make the instrument play for you. (e.g., why would i care about what you think of my instruments in your hands? the purchase price is irrelevant!)

the conventional/useful wisdom is: it's only an "upgrade" to you. accept that bit and the world is your oyster!

also: "resale value" is an important concept for those who:
- have a "flipping" business.
- are unsure of their purchases.
- made a mistake with a purchase(s).
- don't have the time, interest, or skill(s) to modify an ax to their preferences.


gratuitous pics of cheapies modified to be priceless for this player:

 

I took a brand new Squier Jag I bought for $200 and 24 hours after I got it home it was in pieces. I added a $600 custom fan-fret graphite neck, a $75 Badass bridge, $75 New tuners, $75 Hipshot D-Tuner, $120 Bartolini pickups, about $25 of miscellaneous aftermarket hardware and it's the best bass I ever played.

I have no intention of ever selling it. The value of a tool has to do with how well it works IN YOUR HANDS, Not what you can sell it for.

Worst case scenario I dismantle it and apply most, if not all, of the hardware to a new build.

 

I recently spent more than double what I paid for a bass on upgrades, and I’m very happy with the result. I got the bass for what I feel was a good price, and to buy something comparable new would cost almost double my current investment.

I have no plans to sell, but if I did someday I could put the original parts back on and use them for a different bass. Meanwhile I love using my vintage Tokai, and the work & customization helps to make it feel like it’s mine more than if I just bought it as is.

See these threads if you’re interested in the details:
NBD — Tokai Hard Puncher, 1980 P Bass clone

Tokai Hard Puncher, MIJ P bass copy upgrade stage 2

Poll: Seymour Duncan Antiquity vs. emg GZR vs. etc…

Metal Dome Knobs with Numbers

Many examples of it in use (with my less than satisfactory current playing ability) can be found on my YouTube: Bass Song Covers - YouTube

 

Have done and would do again.

But your question begs a second question:

What constitutes an upgrade? Is there a difference between modding and upgrading an instrument? Is it worth drawing a distinction?

Because an upgrade (to me) is changing out to correct something that I would consider subpar or inadequate, whereas a “mod” is changing something (like pickups) just because I wanted to install something else.

 

It all depends on your needs and plans. I have three main basses:

- '76 jazz body with '73 P neck. Hen I bought it in '83, it had an upgraded neck pup and a Badass bridge. I added a Hipshot de-tuner, and three decades later, refinished (when I bought it, the finish had been ruined), and put a stock bridge on it.

- 2004 (I think) Lull P4, bought new. Never touched anything.

- 2001 MIM Jazz fretless. When I bought it last year, it had an upgraded bridge (don't care), pups, and tuners.

So if you know what you are doing, a few upgrades can help. But in general here, I think people are too obsessed with mods. There are lots of threads with people looking to make extensive grades before they have even touched the bass. Most more expensive basses are better made and from higher quality parts.