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Let's See Your Hot-Rodded Cheapo Basses!

032.JPG 002.JPG 040.JPG 041.JPG This is my 2010 Squier Vintage Modified P Bass, purchased used and all stock 2 years ago for $175. I decided I wanted to learn how to mod/fix basses so I bought a Seymour Duncan PB-3 pickup on sale with a new set of Ernie Ball strings for $75, then put the strings and the original Duncan Designed pu's in another Squier Bass and sold it at a profit, so basically the pu's were free. After playing a Squier Jazz Bass, and deciding I really liked the thinner nut width, and my maple fingerboard looked too light next to the maple body. I bought a brand new Squier VM Jazz Bass for $225, swapped necks, put the maple neck on the jazz bass and sold it for $275. I also added a chromed high mass bridge for $10, a new set of black knobs for $8, black pick guard screws for $3, and a brass nut for $7. Lastly, I bought a set of Wilkinson machine heads in perfect condition for $30. After using all my original parts on basses I've sold, or on another project to sell, it's pretty much still a $175 bass.
 
And here's my other cheapo bass. 2006 fretless Fender jazz, bought for $300 out the door from GC. But it came from out of state, and the neck PU didn't work. It was replaced at the owner's expense, but with a SD jazz . Now the neck pu just OVER POWERED the factory bridge pu, so I had to buy the matching SD bridge pu. Since then I've replaced the original knobs with black Les Paul style knobs, covered the control plate with a carbon fiber decal, and added a Gotoh high mass bridge I got for free. I have about $375 in it so far...
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Recently "accidentally" found this like new Olympic White 1995 MIM Fender at a local shop for $350. Not a mark on it anywhere, it looks like it just came out of the shipping box and has a gorgeous flamey maple neck with a nice, dark rosewood fingerboard.

I took it home and installed a Lollar PU, a new wiring harness with CTS pots, an Orange Drop cap and a Switchcraft jack, a Gotoh vintage style bridge, an old American Standard pickguard that was in my parts stash, Gotoh vintage nickel tall tuners and a new set of DR Sunbeams.

It will now go toe-to-toe with any Fender Custom Shop P-bass for a fraction of the cost.

95 P-bass Lollar PU Gotoh bridge.jpg
95 P-bass Gotoh tall tuners.2.jpg
 

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