have a 2000 swamp ash 3-tone sunburst bass with a tortoise shell pickguard and am putting the thumbrest on. i want to do some sort of mod to it, not quite sure, thinking about three things. 1)sand parts down to make it look like a 60's or a relic? 2) put an active mm humbucker in the bridge position 3) get it refiished to olympic white. opinions.
Its your bass, you know what you like. You decide. I'd paint it pink with yellow spots and stick a 'googly' eye on the headstock and call it the 'mr.blobby bass.' Seriously, what are you not happy with? The look? The sound? The style? It'd be helpful to know what music you play, what bands you play in, even what bass it is and what the finish it already.
I like the humbucker idea. I've seen two jazz basses that have been modded like this. They sounded good to me
Build in a compressor to what control cavity you may or may not have. I wanted to do that once, with an Ibanez I had. I was going to buy a compressor (I think Boss) rip the gut out and put a toggle on the front of the bass, and have cut outs on the back to make adjustments, or 4 tiny knobs or something. I dunno, I thought it'd rock . Ray
I am going through a similar phaze at the mo. I have a jazz copy which needs that little something. As for colour its black and I like it that way but the scratch plate is white and I'm not so keen, so I will probably get a tortoise or black one. I know a guy at work who is an electronic's buff who is either going to get or build me an active circuit board. I suppose it all comes down to cost and what you can do yourself, if you can use a soldering iron and/or a router (you can get both quite cheap now). It will just cost you the price of the parts. I am also going to get another single coil and sort my own hummbucking device out. But as my wife says if you don't like what you've got sell it and buy what you really want.
I vote option 2 only. MM humbucker is a good idea, I think. As for the fake 60's look, NOOOO! It's fake, it's cheating! Rather let it have a story behind it in 20 years' time. I mean, do what you want, but I think that it's a tad lame to fake things. And the olympic white... personally, I wouldn't go for it. I just don't like white guitars.
