Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Let's See Your Hot-Rodded Cheapo Basses!
- Thread starter Riff Ranger
- Start date
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
Ok … it is a $50 bass body from ebay about 2004, mighty mite neck, cheap ebay tuners, cheap ebay bridge, cheap ebay pickups, the only expensive part is the $150 Audere 4 band preamp.
This bass has been frankensteined and refrankensteined … 4 or 5 different bridges, maybe 6 or 8 different pickup and wiring configurations … the finish is hand rubbed tung oil and mineral spirits.
older versions of this bass
can you give a brief description of how you did your "blacked out" board, please? i have a fretted neck/board i'm thinking about defretting --- thought i'd just use a black epoxy coating and be done --- but i'm curious about your method/experience.
Please go the epoxy route!
I just used acrylic black undiluted, let it completely dry, caked on a couple more layers and sanded it as close to flat as possible. It turned out fine aesthetically but I'm sure it'd fade/chip after some time. Mine didn't for quite some time but it wasn't the truest board and I took it all off anyway to level it.
Surprisingly, though, sanding the hardened acrylic paint off the board wasn't as easy as I thought! But yeah, please go the epoxy route.
Yes it is. I took it out of an ATK 100 bass and put it in the Squier CV 50 natural precision.
Instead of filling up the cavity of the former pu, I made a ramp which also functions as a thumb rest.
The controls are vol-tone-switch for single coil / humbucker. The bass plays great and sounds awesome.
Ok scrolling through here seeing all y'all's beauty's made me wanna share mine..
She's a 2007 affinity bone stock except for the electronics, new CTS pots Sprague cap and a Thompson guitar and Thrift "Motor City" split coil pup if u don't know about these guys I suggest you check them out seems like good quality parts with good prices and free shipping in the US, oh and flat top chrome knobs just because
She's a 2007 affinity bone stock except for the electronics, new CTS pots Sprague cap and a Thompson guitar and Thrift "Motor City" split coil pup if u don't know about these guys I suggest you check them out seems like good quality parts with good prices and free shipping in the US, oh and flat top chrome knobs just because
Don't know why the new image is having trouble but here's an old one of when I first got this thing...
I confirmed with the luthier who did this conversion for me (Gordy Bischoff in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, better known for his acoustic guitars and ukuleles but good with anything you put in his capable hands) that he did indeed use a combination of epoxy and fine rosewood sawdust to fill the slots.can you give a brief description of how you did your "blacked out" board, please? i have a fretted neck/board i'm thinking about defretting --- thought i'd just use a black epoxy coating and be done --- but i'm curious about your method/experience.
(Gordy has crafted exquisite instruments for a number of lucky Wisconsinites, including my high school classmate, Justin Vernon of Bon Iver.)
Now back to the cheapo, and Memorial High School alumni still toiling in obscurity
:@JRA, I’m so glad you asked about this. How could it possibly take 21 pages of a thread I started myself to finally present …
… my very first hot-rodded cheapo!
In 1997(?), my mother picked me up from the airport in Minneapolis after an early visit to my eventual home in California. On our way back to my childhood home in western Wisconsin, we made a pit stop in Hudson, Wisconsin just across the state line, happened upon a music store, and happened upon this instrument. I believe the listed price was 150 USD—good luck finding one for even 500 now, but either they didn’t know what they had (as this was early days for the internet), or anything this ‘80s was so hopelessly out of fashion at the time that they didn’t think it would fetch much of anything. Well, they didn’t count on me coming in, and they certainly didn’t count on my mother! “Well, you’ve just got to have that,” said she. Note that she wasn’t offering to pay, only stating the obvious! So I ponied up and happily brought it home. I hadn’t had it long before deciding that if it was headless and bodiless, it might as well also be fretless, so I called upon my late father’s old friend to make the change. I don’t recall what Gordy charged me, but it wasn’t much, so I ended up with one of the kookiest instruments ever made, made slightly kookier, for chump change
That’s awesome!!I confirmed with the luthier who did this conversion for me (Gordy Bischoff in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, better known for his acoustic guitars and ukuleles but good with anything you put in his capable hands) that he did indeed use a combination of epoxy and fine rosewood sawdust to fill the slots.
(Gordy has crafted exquisite instruments for a number of lucky Wisconsinites, including my high school classmate, Justin Vernon of Bon Iver.)
Now back to the cheapo, and Memorial High School alumni still toiling in obscurity
@JRA, I’m so glad you asked about this. How could it possibly take 21 pages of a thread I started myself to finally present …
… my very first hot-rodded cheapo!
View attachment 3710871
View attachment 3710847
In 1997(?), my mother picked me up from the airport in Minneapolis after an early visit to my eventual home in California. On our way back to my childhood home in western Wisconsin, we made a pit stop in Hudson, Wisconsin just across the state line, happened upon a music store, and happened upon this instrument. I believe the listed price was 150 USD—good luck finding one for even 500 now, but either they didn’t know what they had (as this was early days for the internet), or anything this ‘80s was so hopelessly out of fashion at the time that they didn’t think it would fetch much of anything. Well, they didn’t count on me coming in, and they certainly didn’t count on my mother! “Well, you’ve just got to have that,” said she. Note that she wasn’t offering to pay, only stating the obvious! So I ponied up and happily brought it home. I hadn’t had it long before deciding that if it was headless and bodiless, it might as well also be fretless, so I called upon my late father’s old friend to make the change. I don’t recall what Gordy charged me, but it wasn’t much, so I ended up with one of the kookiest instruments ever made, made slightly kookier, for chump change
yep, i'm with EatS1stBassist --- totally awesome!I confirmed with the luthier who did this conversion for me (Gordy Bischoff in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, better known for his acoustic guitars and ukuleles but good with anything you put in his capable hands) that he did indeed use a combination of epoxy and fine rosewood sawdust to fill the slots.
(Gordy has crafted exquisite instruments for a number of lucky Wisconsinites, including my high school classmate, Justin Vernon of Bon Iver.)
Now back to the cheapo, and Memorial High School alumni still toiling in obscurity
@JRA, I’m so glad you asked about this. How could it possibly take 21 pages of a thread I started myself to finally present …
… my very first hot-rodded cheapo!
View attachment 3710871
View attachment 3710847
In 1997(?), my mother picked me up from the airport in Minneapolis after an early visit to my eventual home in California. On our way back to my childhood home in western Wisconsin, we made a pit stop in Hudson, Wisconsin just across the state line, happened upon a music store, and happened upon this instrument. I believe the listed price was 150 USD—good luck finding one for even 500 now, but either they didn’t know what they had (as this was early days for the internet), or anything this ‘80s was so hopelessly out of fashion at the time that they didn’t think it would fetch much of anything. Well, they didn’t count on me coming in, and they certainly didn’t count on my mother! “Well, you’ve just got to have that,” said she. Note that she wasn’t offering to pay, only stating the obvious! So I ponied up and happily brought it home. I hadn’t had it long before deciding that if it was headless and bodiless, it might as well also be fretless, so I called upon my late father’s old friend to make the change. I don’t recall what Gordy charged me, but it wasn’t much, so I ended up with one of the kookiest instruments ever made, made slightly kookier, for chump change
what a unique instrument! and i agree: "might as well be fretless!" thanks for the info on the fingerboard work/materials. cool all the way around!
How would something like this "JX5" grab you? Instead of two volumes, it has a volume pot, a tone pot and a 5-way rotary switch. From the website…
JX5 - This is an extremely versatile and unique setup for a jazz bass but you get to keep your vintage look too! It features a 5 position rotary switch which will provide youwith the neck pickup alone when dialed fully counterclockwise and the bridge pickup alone when dialed fully clockwise. In between you get to combine the 2 pickups together in 3 different ways: parallel, series, and out of phase. This configuration comes with a master volume and master tone making it easier to adjust the volume of the entire instrument from one pot. Here is a detailed breakdown of the 5 way selector switch: position 1: neck pickup alone; position 2: neck and bridge in parallel (hum-cancelling) - classic j-bass tone; position 3: neck and bridge in series (hum-cancelling) - louder with more midrange punch. Very p-bass like; position 4: neck and bridge in series, yet out-of-phase (not hum-cancelling). This is a very unique and cool effect. The sound with be thinner and lower in volume; position 5: bridge pickup alone.
It's an interesting gadget, no doubt there. The out-of-phase setting is weird, but kinda cool. Fun fact…I had it hooked up to those pickups I recently sold you.
It's great if you're a "set it and forget it" kinda player. The rotary knob takes a bit o' force to turn, so no worries about nudging it while playing.
Thanks for the link.
That would be perfect, or possibly Vol, Balance. Tone.
If/when I get another Jazz I can envisage hours of fun prototyping both to see which I like the best (or make 2 control plates with quick connectors so I can use whichever grabs me)
After adding reissue guild bisonic to my 2001 korea epi and then later removing tone pot that didnt do much so I could have pickup selector and add a surface mount Victory pickup....decided to try a kellingsound varitone. (My eb0 is my little mod platform monkey).
Got the 12 setting one and while not all sound much different it actually changes tone which old knob never did. Still need to figure out what setting is what capacitor but feel even wide open it sounds better than my old vol pot (and even old vol + tone) Nice to have clean wire setup and not my old learning to mod mess. And no soldering just screw in 3 wires (pbass harness fit eb0 fine but Jack was a bit to short and had to file a hair of cavity to bolt it on...still good purchase).
I still need to add mini pickup selector so for now have my goldfoil poking out of cavity cover with it's own jack. Using it to test different electronics. So far a tbx control (tried different caps and resistors but didnt like it as it didnt do much) and retried tone pot (still barely does anything). For now just ability to play it no vol or tone control yet still sounds great.
Waiting for novak gold foil bass pickup to come out (saw on facebook). While I like the victory it's more for a guitar so couldn't go past middle position for strong spacing. Hoping novak can hit closer to bridge for a different sound. Or at least sound different from my bisonic (victory sounded 99% same) but maybe my eb0 and me just sound like eb0 and me no matter the pickup.
Totally in love with my recent cheap Jazz build, best Jazz I've had, and one of the best sounding I've played (best playing for me is still the japanese Geddy Jazz). Wasn't sure if it was gonna sound aggressive enough for my taste, yet thick and full. It does. I'm treasuring these "mistery" pickups. I'm also in awe at this neck, doesn't have the skinny A/F profile I'd like (despite me being beyond freak for skinny necks, this is still a decent modern C) but it's so flat, frets are so perfectly levelled and dressed, can dial in ridiculously low action, amazing for only 23 (yes, you read that right, twenty-three) damm euros
Last edited:
D
Found some pictures of my old bass, does this count?
Ibanez SR1010 '1998 Japan Modified
1x Schaller Security Locks BC - 18,90€
1x Schaller Bass Bridge 3D-4 BC - 90.00€
1x Göldo EL900 Profi Shield Screen (shielding) - 13,90€
1x Glockenklang 3-Band Electronics -stacked 4 Pots - 149,00€
1x Gruvgear SoloStrap 4 Neo BK - 61,00€
1x Elixir Nanoweb Long Scale - 40,00€
1x Warwick Potiknob Tandem Metal 2B - 7,40€
3x Warwick Potiknob Metal 1B - 11,31€
- custom finger ramp
1x Schaller Security Locks BC - 18,90€
1x Schaller Bass Bridge 3D-4 BC - 90.00€
1x Göldo EL900 Profi Shield Screen (shielding) - 13,90€
1x Glockenklang 3-Band Electronics -stacked 4 Pots - 149,00€
1x Gruvgear SoloStrap 4 Neo BK - 61,00€
1x Elixir Nanoweb Long Scale - 40,00€
1x Warwick Potiknob Tandem Metal 2B - 7,40€
3x Warwick Potiknob Metal 1B - 11,31€
- custom finger ramp
