Not completely true. Some vehicles have their value increase with the right mods. I have over 45 years experience doing just that. Turning a $10K-15K vehicle into a $50K vehicle. I would imagine some guitars and basses would too.
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Highly Modified Does Not Equate To Higher Prices
- Thread starter sonojono
- Start date
Not completely true. Some vehicles have their value increase with the right mods. I have over 45 years experience doing just that. Turning a $10K-15K vehicle into a $50K vehicle. I would imagine some guitars and basses would too.
I don't upgrade my basses though I do make them how I want them to be, without doing it on the cheap (of course, unless I find a deal on what I want), and without concern for what anyone else might want. They're not investments.
I think replacement tuners could reasonably be described as an upgrade if the original ones were not good at staying in tune but the replacements are.
But all of the other potential modifications I can think of are a matter of personal taste.
I agree with this, but with the caveat that it's worth $600 to a greatly reduced pool of buyers. You need someone that wants the same modifications, likes the sound of any new pickups and electronics, likes the look of any cosmetic changes, is a fan of any hardware swaps - and someone that actually knows what the mods are & their worth.
I paid a bit extra for a used bass with Hipshot Ultralites, because I like them and it saved me a job installing my own. I wouldn't have paid extra if it had an EMG or Seymour Duncan pickup set installed, though - the original pickup is fine and if I changed it, it'd be to a Delano probably. In that case, the seller would be looking for people willing to pay extra for Hipshots AND pickups, and that just means a reduced customer base.
The instrument that is modded loses value as well as all of the aftermarket parts installed. They are now considered used items and will fetch lower prices if sold separately. That isn't usually considered in the sum. "Those are $300 pickups in there." "Not after you put them in they're not!"
There’s NO WAY I’d sell my modded Squier for at least the value of the sum of its parts + any extras (case, bag, shipping, etc.)
Unless I know you & feel like cutting you a deal.. why willingly lose money in a transaction?
If you’re replacing a bent tin bridge with a Badass II that’s inherently worth more, why wouldn’t you add the price of the Badass bridge to the total cost of the instrument? This topic doesn’t make any sense IMO
Unless I know you & feel like cutting you a deal.. why willingly lose money in a transaction?
If you’re replacing a bent tin bridge with a Badass II that’s inherently worth more, why wouldn’t you add the price of the Badass bridge to the total cost of the instrument? This topic doesn’t make any sense IMO
Eventually, for most of us, time and taste changes, and they will get sold off or traded.
When that time comes, if I was smart, I break even, lose just a little money, or make a little money.
People pay what they expect to pay for the brand name, and I'd posit that an axe modded way past it's usual price will become a keeper . . . as it's going to be a very hard sell.
It may be different for me, they're very nice tools that I replace over time and am not sentimental about a 'lifetime' bass that's 'the one'. I got over that a long time ago.
When that time comes, if I was smart, I break even, lose just a little money, or make a little money.
People pay what they expect to pay for the brand name, and I'd posit that an axe modded way past it's usual price will become a keeper . . . as it's going to be a very hard sell.
It may be different for me, they're very nice tools that I replace over time and am not sentimental about a 'lifetime' bass that's 'the one'. I got over that a long time ago.
I'm not much of one for "upgrading" my instruments, but on the very rare occasions when I change something, it's because it gives me something I want. Does it make it more valuable? Only to me. It doesn't follow that anybody else wants,or even cares about, my "mods".
Someone buys a MIM PJ and rips the standard pickups out and replaces them with SD Quarter Pounders and replaces the tuners with Hipshot Ultralight Y Keys. I buy it and swap the SDs for EMG Geezers and put cloverleafs back on.
Someone buys a MIM PJ and rips the standard pickups out and replaces them with SD Quarter Pounders and replaces the tuners with Hipshot Ultralight Y Keys. I buy it and swap the SDs for EMG Geezers and put cloverleafs back on.
I enjoy tinkering by putting the upgrades in, rewiring, all that stuff but it took me one guitar that I dropped hundreds in that I never got back to realise you keep the old parts (unless they’re broken) and put them back when you go to sell.
Not worth the time to try and convince buyers they should pay for the upgrades - just sell them to them seperately
Not worth the time to try and convince buyers they should pay for the upgrades - just sell them to them seperately
Honestly i would have asked you the same as I have a very specific taste for P-bass pickups .. plus a further discount for selling me a bass without pickups …
A cheap bass with some some expensive parts added is either: a. still a cheap bass, or b. some 2nd hand expensive parts on a plank of wood.
The sale ads which say "this owes me xxxxx" typically don't quite grasp that.
Some sellers even try to factor in charging for their time spent on the project.
The best advice is, if you are doing it for yourself, keep the originals so you can put them back when you come to sell.
The sale ads which say "this owes me xxxxx" typically don't quite grasp that.
Some sellers even try to factor in charging for their time spent on the project.
The best advice is, if you are doing it for yourself, keep the originals so you can put them back when you come to sell.
This, the problem that I see is when people want to charging you more for upgrades that IMO are not needed, example: Lakland, Fender, with X upgraded pickups, Sadowsky with upgraded preamp, etc.
Your five year old Squier is not a 60's Fender. It's not a unique collectors item because its got the original parts. It's never going to be collectable - its only value is to be played. It has sucky pickups in from the factory to switching them out to make it a gig-able instrument makes it better.
If I take a $200 bass and add $500 parts, its not a $700 bass, and sure you'd have to question the economics of the original investment (and it may be better for the seller to strip the parts), but if it plays and sounds better then it's worth more than (used) stock.
Would I pay $200 for a used low end Squier? No. Would I pay $200 for a used low end Squier that has a SD pickup(s), and Hipshot tuners? Quite possibly. Would I choose the mod-ed bass over the stock? every time.
The balance changes when you move up the food chain. I've got some instruments in the $500 range where the stock pickups sell for $150 each. Any switch out of pickups is devaluing (and in fact its pretty common to find them on eBay with "upgraded" pickups - where the seller bought it to strip and resell to get $300 of pickups for the cost of whatever he switched in).
If I take a $200 bass and add $500 parts, its not a $700 bass, and sure you'd have to question the economics of the original investment (and it may be better for the seller to strip the parts), but if it plays and sounds better then it's worth more than (used) stock.
Would I pay $200 for a used low end Squier? No. Would I pay $200 for a used low end Squier that has a SD pickup(s), and Hipshot tuners? Quite possibly. Would I choose the mod-ed bass over the stock? every time.
The balance changes when you move up the food chain. I've got some instruments in the $500 range where the stock pickups sell for $150 each. Any switch out of pickups is devaluing (and in fact its pretty common to find them on eBay with "upgraded" pickups - where the seller bought it to strip and resell to get $300 of pickups for the cost of whatever he switched in).
In my mind a cheap bass modded is still a cheap bass. A more expensive bass modded is personalized. I wouldn’t pay more than going rate for either.
i reckon a parts bass is worth the sum of its parts, less the expense of selling off those parts individually.
It’s like the $600 Squier conundrum. Yep, I see you’ve put in some nice tuners and have upgraded the electronics, but it’s still a Squier. IME as both a buyer and seller, you’re better off returning it to stock as you’ll attract more buyers and get a better ROI.
I dunno, you set the price based on what its worth for you to part with it. If there's no takers you keep it. So long as your description isn't fraudulent I don't care if you set the price at a billion dollars.
D
In most cases it's not really "upgrades" is it? More like "personalized". Especially if we're talking about things that affect the tone (like pickups/preamp) or visual appearance (like a pickguard) or other stuff that may be down to personal taste like hi-mass bridges, pickup/bridge covers or even a refinish. I would never pay extra for someone else's personal taste.
However, there are also some things that I would consider actual upgrades:
-Professional levelling/crowing of the frets on cheap instruments.
-Replacing cheap, poor quality tuners with good ones like Gotoh.
-Replacing poor quality pots, switches and jack sockets (like the "accident waiting to happen" jack sockets they have used on many Epis for YEARS now or the poor quality switches they use on most Gretsch basses/guitars).
-A professionally made bone nut/saddle.
But in most cases people tend to spend money on "bling" rather than things that will actually improve the instrument. Which is fine of course but I would never buy such a personalized instrument, let alone pay extra for it.
However, there are also some things that I would consider actual upgrades:
-Professional levelling/crowing of the frets on cheap instruments.
-Replacing cheap, poor quality tuners with good ones like Gotoh.
-Replacing poor quality pots, switches and jack sockets (like the "accident waiting to happen" jack sockets they have used on many Epis for YEARS now or the poor quality switches they use on most Gretsch basses/guitars).
-A professionally made bone nut/saddle.
But in most cases people tend to spend money on "bling" rather than things that will actually improve the instrument. Which is fine of course but I would never buy such a personalized instrument, let alone pay extra for it.
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I learned that years ago.
If you take a $350.00 bass.
Drop in $275.00 pickups.
Install a $300.00 preamp.
It does not equate to a $925.00 resale value.
And realistically,one should never expect it.
If you take a $350.00 bass.
Drop in $275.00 pickups.
Install a $300.00 preamp.
It does not equate to a $925.00 resale value.
And realistically,one should never expect it.
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It’s not just the upgrades but the quality of the workmanship. How do I know the solder joints are good? How do I know that the wiring is routed correctly? If it’s local the seller might let you look under the hood but if it’s long distance, it’s a gamble.
