Jay Turser Jazz... Mod it??

[Tooned]

Heya,

I have this Jay Turser Vintage Series Jazz which I bought when I started bass 4 years ago. It's obviously a cheaply made bass but I was thinking of the possibility of using the body/neck as a modding platform.
I'd swap out the hardware and electrics but keeping the body and neck to create a Fender '62ish copy. I just bought a house here in Vancouver($$$$$!!) and I'm not currently allowed to buy any new basses as every spare penny for the foreseeable future will have to go into the house. I am however allowed to put money here and there into buying parts. $100-200 at a time instead of $700+..
The neck pocket it good and tight so I like that but the nut was installed crooked. It's skinny and plastic. If I replaced it with a nicer (thicker) nut, does it look like that could be straightened out?
The neck has some nice grain on it too which is cool. Anyone know what the body wood would be on these? Basswood or poplar? It's super light. People always say that basswood is light but my VM Tele is a brick, but I don't mind the weight.
Anyway here's some pics.. Not a bad looking bass on the whole as you'll see. Shown with matching dog....

 

[bassrique]

How is the truss rod? Does it need fret work? [If the truss stinks, don't bother with fret work.] Do the tuners hold her in tune? If the tuners function, are they still too heavy for your tastes? How do the pups sound? If Turser gets his pups from the same outfit that supplies Essex, they may be keepers. Do you mind vintage style Fender bridges? You can keep that too. Spend a few bucks on pots maybe? Do you have to have a pre?

EDIT: I received a phone call during my post and forgot your post. It looks like I ignored what you wrote a bit. Check out online reviews to find out the body wood.

 

[newbold]

the neck looks good.
I'd say to shield the cavities and get a new/used bridge with a bit more mass, put in nicer caps, put on a fender control plate, get a set of nicer knobs...and if you want a new sound toss in a pair of ModelJs and paint the headstock to match the body.

It'll look fantastic, sound fantastic, and if you ever have to take it into a studio or work with anybody you'll never get the 'why don't you try THIS bass'.

 

[newbold]

ModelJs, matching headstock, and nice bridge.

 

[pinkzepphish]

not toooo shabby. i have a turser jazz (402 not vintage) as well, but mine is weighs about a thousand pounds. I know what you mean about the crooked nut, i see signs of shoddy craftsmanship all over the place, still sounds good for the money though. i was thinkin about defretting, but then i would need some nice pups and one thing would lead to another... interested to see what you do with it.