Highly Modified Does Not Equate To Higher Prices

[metron]

Maybe, maybe not.

Some people have an aversion to mods of any kind. I think this is derived from the perspective in the vintage market where mods simply decrease value. This is extended to lots of instruments that have no vintage value, or are still available new. I dont get the no mods crowd. Fenders for example were designed as parts instruments. That was an innovation way back when.

That said, mods sometimes have questionable quality of install or are are destructive. Those decrease value for most. Upgrades that are undoable can add value, but only if a prospective buyer is looking for those specific things.

I feel like everything I said is obvious.

 

[DwaynieAD]

Instrument is worth the used price of the base instrument regardless of what you put in it. If you want money for the upgrades as well then part it out.

 

[Eilif]

Generally the only mods that I've seen affect the value positively are particularly well known pickups in certain cheap instruments.

I got a premium for my Ibanez Artcore that I had loaded with Jack Casady pup and guts. Was more than the clearance price I had paid new, but was not more than original list.

A pair of Geezers boosted the resale of my LTD Vintage 214 but it was just about a wash vs total invested.

The equation that I think has the best chance for success is a used instrument upgraded with certain used parts. It's tough to get the value of new upgraded parts back.

I definitely agree with those who say in most cases put it back to stock before selling.

 

[Bassmike62]

Upgrades are subjective IMO, I make them to have a better playing experience, not to add value. I do it for me. I always felt my usual upgrades (Hipshot Xtender and hardcase, sometimes a Hipshot bridge) helped me sell a bass faster and usually without much negotiation, I never expected to get all my money back.

 

[B String]

There's a big difference between polishing a turd and upgrading certain parts that improve a good instrument.

 

[80jazz]

Depends on the bass and the cost of the upgrades. Cheapo tuners to Hipshot? I'm charging more. Cheapo pickups to EMG/Nordstrand/Sadowsky/Seymour Duncan, etc.? I'm charging more. Cheapo preamp to Aguilar/Sadowsky/John East? Yeah...........I'm charging more. Or else I'm removing everything and putting the stock crap back in it.

No way you're getting these upgrades for free!

Assuming I didn't find them to be upgrades, I would be fine with the stock parts going back in.

Yes, I am one of those who thinks that most of that stuff should be referred to as mods rather than upgrades.

 

[skycruiser]

So, hypothetically & for sake of argument, you’re telling me that if I were to post my very freshly modified Classic Vibe P in the classifieds for $600 (new EMG GZRs + new gold anodized pickguard + new Hipshot Kickass bridge + new DR Sunbeams) you wouldn’t be interested in buying? Absolutely NO ONE would be at all interested?
View attachment 4697642

That bridge devalues the bass in my opinion. Too heavy, limited saddle position range without swapping screws, and no obvious benefit in the sound.

 

[Texican]

Hey, I like Fralin pickups and bone nuts and all my Teles have Electrosocket jack cups because stock ones are awful. I do it so I will enjoy playing them more. If I sell it I understand what it really does to the sale value. I also understand that used basses are not worth more than new ones. I never have difficulty selling.

You are free to list your items for any price you feel is appropriate. Nobody on TB can tell you what to do.

I agree with everything you said there. What I don’t agree with is that your Tele lost half its value when you made those changes. Unless it was an original vintage piece.

 

[Texican]

Two thoughts:

1.) I “upgraded” my Player Series P bass with the flavor of the month Aguilar 60’s pickup. I hated the pickup and found it to be weak and sterile sounding. Sold the bass for more than it was worth because of that pickup. Had people lined up to buy it and they were all asking about it. When something is hot, it’s hot! When it’s not, it’s not.

2.) Fender is stingy with Fiesta Red and tort, and people want it!… probably because Pino. So you can get a custom shop, maybe find a rare roadworn, or the most common is the Squier Classic Vibe 60’s P bass from many years back. They sell for around $800 which is crazy to me! But the pickups and hardware were better on those. I guarantee that the Fiesta Reds aren’t being price slashed in half because someone put a PV63 in it. Although at $800 I’d start piecing together my own.

The market is whatever we make it.

 

[zubrycky]

Here's a personal anecdote: I have an highly modified Giannini SG bass, a brazilian bass made in the 70's. It was my first bass and I bought it in a really bad shape. To make it playable, I had to change it a lot with the parts I could find (Original parts were impossible to find in Brazil during the 90's).

The restoration process was a success, I play and record with that bass until today.

Nowadays (I'm not complaining), a mint condition Giannini SG bass is much more valuable than my modified ax.

 

[tbz]

One of the few exceptions to this rule: non-USA Spectors and preamps.

Replacing a Tone Pump or OBP pre in a Spector euro, with a Haz 9v will generally get you 80%+ of the haz price ($600 now iirc) in additional resale. If you replace a Tone Pump with a SNC haz clone you’ll generally get higher resale as well.


Yeah. They’re only improvements to the original owner and or a very niche buyer. To everyone else they’re modifications. Which always detract from resale.

see @Texican's post, above. in the real world = it depends!

Helps to quote the whole post. Your average buyer will not see your modifications as an improvement. Niche buyers will. Rare edges like the one I outlined will lead to a value increase.

But on the whole. No. Your buyer will not pay more for the modifications you made. This is just how the market works.

 

[cataract]

That bridge devalues the bass in my opinion. Too heavy, limited saddle position range without swapping screws, and no obvious benefit in the sound.

Wow, okay then. This thread is like watching a snake eating itself— unpleasant & kinda gross. I’ll just see myself out.

 

[friskinator]

Yup. In most cases, mods, even good mods, leave value reduced or unaffected. The people who push modded Squiers at increased prices give themselves away as being very "green," and unaware of the guitar buying and selling market.

My approach:

"Hello,

"Do you have the original parts for this instrument?"

If the answer is no, I say thank you for your attention, but I'm going to pass, and good luck with the sale. Sometimes this begins a discussion that is eventually fruitful.

If the answer is yes, the discussion begins, usually with me asking if they would consider including the original parts instead of their mods, at a reduced price.

So if someone upgraded something that was an undeniable improvement (ex: Hipshot tuners instead of the junk stock tuners), you’d ask for the original ones instead?

 

[sonojono]

So if someone upgraded something that was an undeniable improvement (ex: Hipshot tuners instead of the junk stock tuners), you’d ask for the original ones instead?

This IME is the only exception to the rule from my thread. I kid you not I’ve seen necks with hipshot ultralites installed that go for $500 and they sell.

Did the OG owner have the original machine heads? Couldn’t tell cause that neck was bought up real quick, didn’t even last a day!

 

[JRA]

Helps to quote the whole post. Your average buyer will not see your modifications as an improvement. Niche buyers will. Rare edges like the one I outlined will lead to a value increase. But on the whole. No. Your buyer will not pay more for the modifications you made. This is just how the market works.

my point was that "it depends." i think enough posters have expressed the same.

 

[2F/2F]

So if someone upgraded something that was an undeniable improvement (ex: Hipshot tuners instead of the junk stock tuners), you’d ask for the original ones instead?

Yes. I said that.

Spend enough time in the buy and sell arena for things (e.g. cars, antiques, guitars), and you not only learn the market’s overwhelming value placed on originality, but you get sick and tired of fixing previous “undeniable improvements” of the time.

Besides, I don’t ever run into “junk” tuners any more. I never have tuning issues. I replace tuners based on looks or features only, and always in a way that can leave no evidence upon being returned to stock.

What I do run into almost every time on a modded instrument is mods that I would have performed with a higher level of workmanship.

Mind you, I am not saying I won’t buy a modded instrument. I am saying that mods affect what I will pay, and the presence of original replaced parts increases this.

And I am not saying I won’t mod an instrument. But when I do, I accept that I’m almost certainly reducing market value, and I keep my original parts, and do my best to keep the instrument seamlessly restorable.

Always keep your original parts. Even on a $200 Squier. It will matter to someone, someday – and, IME, to a majority of people, and sooner than you’d think.

 

[slagbass]

when i see that a for sale item has aftermarket upgrades, I assume the work was done poorly, while high, by someone with even less skill than me.

I agree. I also assume whatever mods were done did not provide a satisfactory result for the owner and that is likely why the item is for sale. All this results in a lower value for the item IMO.

 

[tbz]

my point was that "it depends." i think enough posters have expressed the same.

It does depend. But for the most part it does not. Which is my point.

In maybe 10% of cases mods can increase resale. For the other 90% they decrease or do not add value.

My main point though is that I agree with the OP’s title. Heavy mods almost never increase value.

 

[KeithPas]

Depends on the bass and the cost of the upgrades. Cheapo tuners to Hipshot? I'm charging more. Cheapo pickups to EMG/Nordstrand/Sadowsky/Seymour Duncan, etc.? I'm charging more. Cheapo preamp to Aguilar/Sadowsky/John East? Yeah...........I'm charging more. Or else I'm removing everything and putting the stock crap back in it.

No way you're getting these upgrades for free!

I think that I share your opinion. When there is a quantifiable upgrade; crappy tuners to a high quality and expensive tuners that is not subjective and the upcharge is justified. On the other hand I have seen people want to charge more because they put on a new pickguard; that is not just IMO. All those preamps are expensive; they should not be expected for free.

 

[DuluthDank]

I'd pay more for an upgrade if it was something I'd consider doing to my bass anyways. It has to be the right buyer, but the more popular the upgrade (hipshots, EMG GZR P etc.), the larger the pool of potential buyers who dig the upgrade.