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Highly Modified Does Not Equate To Higher Prices

#201
jonasparker said:
Some mods are always better. John East preamp is always better than a Carvin preamp, so they're in all my Carvins. Delano pickups are always better than Carvin pickups too, so, they get swapped. Putting in a single star ground and adding shielding to the pickup cavities helps reduce noise, so I do it. Where it gets subjective is putting in switches for every series/parallel combination possible. All the combinations sound good to me. But I don't expect anyone to pay for that part, should I ever sell my basses (after all that and how good they sound, why?) If someone had already done all that and I trusted their work, I'd pay a little more.
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This is where we get into issues.

Sometime around 2004 I recorded the bass parts for a CD in a real studio (my only experience doing so). I owned 8 basses at the time and brought them all. Some were really nice, and some not so much. I had tried several basses and the engineer was not impressed. He told me to whip out each one and record a few bars. When I got to my (bone stock) Carvin LB76, he was happy. He requested that I record all of the tracks with that bass.

So, your statement is ridiculously subjective. TO YOU swapping Carvin electronics is always better. Period. It is NOT ALWAYS better.

As such, we get into debates over the value of upgrades.
 
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#202
jmattbassplaya said:
You also have to question how well the mod was done. That’s difficult when buying used online, so it’s best to assume it was done poorly in case it needs to be “fixed.” This, again, diminishes the value.
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I suppose thats a part of how i was trying to express it.

"not factory stock" = some amount of unknown. Depends on the bass.
 
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#203
two fingers said:
This is where we get into issues.

Sometime around 2004 I recorded the bass parts for a CD in a real studio (my only experience doing so). I owned 8 basses at the time and brought them all. Some were really nice, and some not so much. I had tried several basses and the engineer was not impressed. He told me to whip out each one and record a few bars. When I got to my (bone stock) Carvin LB76, he was happy. He requested that I record all of the tracks with that bass.

So, your statement is ridiculously subjective. TO YOU swapping Carvin electronics is always better. Period. It is NOT ALWAYS better.

As such, we get into debates over the value of upgrades.
Click to expand...

Agreed, those pickups and electronics could work for certain situations. Even "crappy" tones are the best sometimes, not saying Carvin electronics are ever crappy. Ridiculously subjective, how about potentially subjective like anything else. East is a class A pre-amp with more accurate reproduction and more extreme and precise tonal flexibility, and with a great passive circuit, so as much as I'd like to agree with you, not seeing it with that particular upgrade.
 
#204
jonasparker said:
Agreed, those pickups and electronics could work for certain situations. Even "crappy" tones are the best sometimes, not saying Carvin electronics are ever crappy. Ridiculously subjective, how about potentially subjective like anything else. East is a class A pre-amp with more accurate reproduction and more extreme and precise tonal flexibility, and with a great passive circuit, so as much as I'd like to agree with you, not seeing it with that particular upgrade.[/QUOTE
No, electronics preferences are about as subjective as you can get.
East products are fantastic and well built, but not for everyone, it's subjective.
I get it, you're a fan, not everyone is.
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#205
jonasparker said:
Agreed, those pickups and electronics could work for certain situations. Even "crappy" tones are the best sometimes, not saying Carvin electronics are ever crappy. Ridiculously subjective, how about potentially subjective like anything else. East is a class A pre-amp with more accurate reproduction and more extreme and precise tonal flexibility, and with a great passive circuit, so as much as I'd like to agree with you, not seeing it with that particular upgrade.
Click to expand...
No, electronics preferences are about as subjective as it gets. East products are fantastic and well built, but are not for everyone, it's subjective.
I get it, you're a fan, not everyone is.
 
#206
Few things are as obnoxious as anyone talking “values” of Squiers.

They are budget new. Definitely budget used.

Why act cocky because one is stock and one is upgraded as if putting Hipshots on a Squier bass is like tossing random parts on a classic car with otherwise all matching numbers.

Congrats. You have a stock Squier and I guess if there is a market for stock Squier you’ll be a winner.

I love taking budget basses and modding it all. Not once is it done for resale value.

this snobbery makes me want to begin buying vintage basses and wrecking them just to make people twitch.

They are tools. Nothing more.

Sitting on your budget basses you’ve kept stock will do nothing for you financially than modding them out will do because life shouldn’t come down to you needing to profit off selling old instruments unless your career path is vintage instrument sales.

which is why it amuses me to imagine all the rage by looking after antique basses and just modding them out because I personally don’t care about squatting on “values” of these tools.

I’d rather someon PLAY them than shove them in a corner and rub their hands because marketplace currently says they can make an extra hundo now.

The Van Halen sharks juicing up prices of anything with EVH on it makes me want to buy a few of those as well just to have fun with them instead of hope to make $$ by selling them.

Have more fun. Stop worrying of values.

I’ll take you back to 1989 and tell you about baseball cards and the boom and I mean you better keep those boxes sealed for future value.

right.

Discussing value of Squier basses based on modifications is like discussing wax boxes from the 90s and whether or not it’s better to own 500 cases of unopened Donruss 1990 or 500 cases opened and used to carpet the floors of said residence.
 
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#208
It's pretty simple to me... if I list an "upgraded" bass or guitar for sale, I usually will factor the upgrades into the price I list, because if no one wants to buy it then I can always part it out instead. I really don't care whether the instrument is "worth" the amount I list in any metaphysical sense, as someone either will buy it or they won't. However, I don't see any point in listing the upgraded instrument for significantly less money than I can make parting it out merely because of arguments regarding whether certain instruments are more or less valuable after certain modifications.
 
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#209
buldog5151bass said:
Guys/gals, the issue isn't whether you like modding basses, or whether you like cheap basses molded, but whether, objectively, you will get your money back from any mods on a sale.
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Until it isn’t. That’s the funny thing about discussions with thousands of possible participants… the change and evolve.

Hmm… sounds a lot like a market right?!!!

The market (and also discussion threads) are what we make it collectively. That’s why a Fiesta Red and tort Squier Classic Vibe will sell for more than a black Player Series Precision on the used market.
 
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#210
FRoss6788 said:
No, electronics preferences are about as subjective as it gets. East products are fantastic and well built, but are not for everyone, it's subjective.
I get it, you're a fan, not everyone is.
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I've also heard great electronics make a crappy bass sound even more crappy. Just boosts the crappy!

+1 on the very subjective.

BTW...OP was stating/suggesting upgrades don't equate to higher prices though. Not on the merits of Carvin's electronics from what I read.

I hold fast to the notion instruments having a price range they fall into. Improvements might make up for some depreciation but there is a reason most people would pull Alembic electronics out of a mim jazz bass before they try to sell it. Will they get a bump? Sure. Will it make up for what you spent? Nope. (PS I know there is a Jazz style bass with Alembic electronics in the classifieds right now. Not dissing it as I only noticed it in passing...but I would consider the purchase of the components before considering purchase of the entire instrument in that case).

As far as sitting on budget basses waiting for them to go up in value? (Which wasn't the op's point either)
Well partially the reason instruments like Melody makers, and Fender Bullets went up in value is bc they were cheap. People bought them, modded them and a lot got thrown out when people moved out of thier parents houses and left them there. Same goes for comics or baseball cards or whatever else.
 
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#211
Well, I'm sure the performance difference in fidelity can be measured. I don't have that data visually available for you, but we've both heard it first hand.
Someone said that better reproduction can make a crappy bass sound crappier, and I agree. At that point we're talking bridge and fret rattles, including bad playing, with the treble cranked,

FRoss6788 said:
No, electronics preferences are about as subjective as it gets. East products are fantastic and well built, but are not for everyone, it's subjective.
I get it, you're a fan, not everyone is.
Click to expand...
 
#212
SteveCS said:
Well generally, yes. But the investor in me - a minor character, unfortunately - wishes I'd held on to my 1982 JV-series Squier Precision, and that I hadn't added a J pickup or refinished the original Oly White to Black. Have you seen the price of those recently?
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No, I haven't. I have a hard time putting my head around any of these basses being expensive.
 
#215
dougjwray said:
So (making this up) a Squier Affinity with Fralin pickups, a Modulus neck, maybe a G&L bridge should sell for less than, or equal to, a brand new Squier Affinity right out of the box? To me, that's nuts.
Click to expand...

To me, I would value that collection of parts by the value of the neck. So basically equal to the value of the Modulus neck, used. Because I would never try to add a G&L bridge to a non-G&L body (requires a special route), and I wouldn't install Fralin pickups.

To flip it around on you a bit, when you sell this theoretical parts bass, would you remove the bridge to show what kind of routing working you did, or remove the pickguard to show your soldering?
 
#216
jxj said:
To me, I would value that collection of parts by the value of the neck. So basically equal to the value of the Modulus neck, used. Because I would never try to add a G&L bridge to a non-G&L body (requires a special route), and I wouldn't install Fralin pickups.

To flip it around on you a bit, when you sell this theoretical parts bass, would you remove the bridge to show what kind of routing working you did, or remove the pickguard to show your soldering?
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Well, I would be honest.
I guess these points sum it up my opinion about this topic:
1. Affinities are not collector's items. When was the last time you saw genuine, authentic 2019 Affinity pickup mounting screws on eBay? Maybe a '62 Fender, but not a 2019 Affinity.
2. If I saw a cheap bass which now has a new neck with an excellent chance of having no defects (maybe straight, with rolled edges, level frets, etc.), plus all of the other components which I know I won't have to bother replacing (tuners, electronics, bridge), I would pay more for it than I would for a risky new bass.
But I'm a player, not a collector.
 
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#217
sonojono said:
I don’t understand why there’s many people that think upgrading a Squier or any cheap bass means the value of the instrument goes up. I believe it’s the opposite and whatever part that gets upgraded should be kept as a value of its own and not added to the instrument.

I’m sure there’s a great counter argument to this topic and would like to hear the peoples opinions on this matter (if one cares to express).
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Modded Squier Bronco 2021 Black Fretless Vintage Look Killswitch | Reverb

:)
 
#218
I have two SX basses that I put different pickups in, new CTS pots, plus different pick guards and a different bridge on one. I sanded and rolled the neck edges for a comfy neck feel,

But I entertain no fancies that someone else will see the same value in them.
I don't plan on selling them because they actually preform better than expected for me.
 
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