D
all the proportions of that think look sooo off.
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Let's See Your Hot-Rodded Cheapo Basses!
- Thread starter Riff Ranger
- Start date
It's rather adorable, what with the single knob and pickup.
Good luck with your project! I hope you get some useable sounds out of it!
Picked this up off of here a couple of weeks ago. Great lightweight beast. All mods done courtesy of the previous owner. Jack Casady sound without the big neck diving ergonomics
I hot-rodded my last remaining el-cheap-o bass, a Squier parts bass comprised of an Affinity J body (2017-18?) and a 2015 VM JV neck, both purchased from Stratosphere at separate times. I’ve been keeping it cheap purposely because it was my beater/Guinea pig...but alas the parts I had burning a hole in their boxes got the better of me.
Besides, the parts weren’t really anything all that special outside of my little bubble - probably not worth very much on the buyers market, and I really couldn’t prove their provenance outside my word of what that are:
Circa 2010 Fender Marcus Miller pickups from the Signature bass (no markings, no numbers, no stamps - just their signature staggered pole pieces)
Circa 1997 Rudy Pensa 2-band preamp (no markings or stamps, just a hand-soldered circuit board with dime-sized treble and bass pots)
So I went at it...
Man, those pickups sound so smooth and powerful, the preamp adds this bass response that it huge and not boomy, I don’t even know what frequency response it has. The bass has been transformed and just sounds and feels like more than what it is.
Besides, the parts weren’t really anything all that special outside of my little bubble - probably not worth very much on the buyers market, and I really couldn’t prove their provenance outside my word of what that are:
Circa 2010 Fender Marcus Miller pickups from the Signature bass (no markings, no numbers, no stamps - just their signature staggered pole pieces)
Circa 1997 Rudy Pensa 2-band preamp (no markings or stamps, just a hand-soldered circuit board with dime-sized treble and bass pots)
So I went at it...
Man, those pickups sound so smooth and powerful, the preamp adds this bass response that it huge and not boomy, I don’t even know what frequency response it has. The bass has been transformed and just sounds and feels like more than what it is.
Sounds like you got quite the bass-cannon at your disposal, and all for the guitar equivalent of “couch change”! Well done, sir!
I love those MIC Affinity J-bodies made without the ugly-ass bathtub routing. It’s great to have the option to go sans pickguard, should one be so inclined.
Parts P/J with a Jazz neck and I added the block inlay decals. Grand total under 300 bones.
I had my Warmoth fretless neck on this body at first, which is why I routed a truss rod access channel seen in the photo. That neck has a 2.85” wide heel, while this body has a 2.35” heel. Back in 2018, when I went to install the neck, I felt that it was too wide for the pocket in the body. I widened the pocket a bit with a wood file to allow for installation.Sounds like you got quite the bass-cannon at your disposal, and all for the guitar equivalent of “couch change”! Well done, sir!
I love those MIC Affinity J-bodies made without the ugly-ass bathtub routing. It’s great to have the option to go sans pickguard, should one be so inclined.
But now with the VM neck in place, the pocket was too wide. So I went into Home Depot and found some slivers of wood laying around in the lumber section, and used a very thin piece to glue into the pocket and tighten it up.
Earlier this year, I installed that same Warmoth neck into another Affinity body, and did not widen the neck pocket. Turns out that the neck does fit, but is it perhaps the tightest neck joint on earth. I actually had to pound the neck into the pocket with the heel of my palm.
So this sunburst body has been through the wringer and I thought about getting another one some day...but until then...
As prodded on from my thread I humbly post my ‘97 Squier Casadymaster
LOL, I just got through liking that in 2 FB groups and then I get here. You are cleaning up today. That is super tidy though man. I like that a lot.
Lol, I know it’s blowing up. Gotta thank the dude that had this in the Bronco I got. Didn’t think the pick guard would fit but Lo and behold it did. Carving with a dull spoon pays off
D
humbucker swapped for the J, push/pull added for series/parallel for the bucker. Switch added for active/passive.
Helped this Ibanez a LOT!
That SR’s looking BURLY now!
That’s gotta peel paint
D
I have another ibby pj with EMGs in it that growls like crazy. I suppose its another cheap hotrod
I thought i could get that with the SR... nope. Adding the mm style humbucker is nothing like the EMGs but it is cool in its own way. I think P Pickup needs an upgrade next.
Squier Vintage Modified short scale Jag. Plays like a dream.
Mods:
Mods:
- Custom Painted body & headstock. Original color: Black.
- Neck completely sanded and refinished with Tru-Oil.
- EMG Geezer Butler PJ Set & electronics.
- Tort pickguard, of course. What else?
- Fretwork touched up on underside of neck.
- LaBella Low Tension short scale flats.
- Retro knobs (not shown).
I agree that sonic blue and tort go together like bread and buttah.
That's a beauty!
My next entry will be one of these. I have only gotten to the knobs so far
D
$90 Glarry hotrodded
before:
after:
passive volume for each coil.... all blend, no tone pot. On/Off switch because why the heck not.
I lightly sanded down the forarm contour as well, my sweaty arm was sticking to the gloss(I pick).
before:
after:
passive volume for each coil.... all blend, no tone pot. On/Off switch because why the heck not.
I lightly sanded down the forarm contour as well, my sweaty arm was sticking to the gloss(I pick).
