Let's See Your Hot-Rodded Cheapo Basses!

[HoHumbucker]

Just found this thread. I started a journey of playing and modifying with a new Gretsch G2220 with the ***-bucker P/Us. I figured that at $299 it was the same as buying a build kit to learn tech skills, and only 1/2 the price of the last tenor sax mouthpiece I bought. I have documented my path with this in a series of posts.

The plan:
- Replace knobs
- Replace tuning machines
- Replace pickups
- Print new truss rod cover
- Print new pick guard
- Replace bridge
- Install flat wound strings
- reshape/refinish body
- rewire to VVT (ended up not doing this part)
- change to all black hardware
- Add Straploks

https://www.talkbass.com/threads/3d-printed-parts-for-gretsch-g2220.1583832/#post-26956311
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/g2220-mods-part-1.1600356/#post-28197413
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/g2220-mods-part-2.1603964/#post-27404319
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/g2220-mods-part-3-final.1621688/

Bought for $299. I have about a grand into the upgrades. And a lot of hours figuring out how to do things. I think it plays great now.

Here is the G2220 as it is being played (albeit poorly) today.

 

[60bass]

Hello fellow TB'ers. This is my first time posting over here. Riff Ranger suggested I come on over.
Here's one that I've done.

It started life as a Limited edition Jackson JS1M. Nothing to rave about but a good platform to experiment with. The flat black body wasn't my thing. So, the body was scuffed and sprayed with clear. Then, that overly white looking Maple also had to go. Enter the amber tint and vintage amber topcoat. The neck was also shaved down from the heavy D profile to a more fat C style similar to a Tele bass neck. Fingerboard edges rolled as well. These necks have graphite rods in them stock. Surprising on an under $200 dollar bass. The amber really makes the Birdseye and flames in the Maple pop. Also shows off the scarf joint.

Now for the sound. I didn't like the tone of the stock ceramic magnet pickups. So, they were upgraded to an EMG Geezer Butler signature set, since I had a spare set here anyways. After all is said and done this bass looks and plays great. Sounds HUGE and hits way above it's price point. In fact I've been asked a few times if it was a vintage USA Jackson.

I also run the Official Black 'n' Maple basses owners club. Feel free to hear on over there and say hi.
60bass
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/th...-club-part-four.928117/page-112#post-28480043

The stock look (puke)

After mods.

 

[McSalterson]

I’ve been thinking of getting one of those Jacksons. Interesting approach to adding a clear coat. I have a flat black Ray4 that I used car polish and a car buffer on to get a shiny finish.

I also added all black hardware and an EMG pickup system with a parallel/series push pull knob

 

[60bass]

I’ve been thinking of getting one of those Jacksons. Interesting approach to adding a clear coat. I have a flat black Ray4 that I used car polish and a car buffer on to get a shiny finish.

I also added all black hardware and an EMG pickup system with a parallel/series push pull knob
View attachment 5466659

That looks awesome. I've got a Jaguar H that I'll be posting soon.

 

[4 Out of 5]

Hello fellow TB'ers. This is my first time posting over here. Riff Ranger suggested I come on over.
Here's one that I've done.

It started life as a Limited edition Jackson JS1M. Nothing to rave about but a good platform to experiment with. The flat black body wasn't my thing. So, the body was scuffed and sprayed with clear. Then, that overly white looking Maple also had to go. Enter the amber tint and vintage amber topcoat. The neck was also shaved down from the heavy D profile to a more fat C style similar to a Tele bass neck. Fingerboard edges rolled as well. These necks have graphite rods in them stock. Surprising on an under $200 dollar bass. The amber really makes the Birdseye and flames in the Maple pop. Also shows off the scarf joint.

Now for the sound. I didn't like the tone of the stock ceramic magnet pickups. So, they were upgraded to an EMG Geezer Butler signature set, since I had a spare set here anyways. After all is said and done this bass looks and plays great. Sounds HUGE and hits way above it's price point. In fact I've been asked a few times if it was a vintage USA Jackson.

I also run the Official Black 'n' Maple basses owners club. Feel free to hear on over there and say hi.
60bass
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/th...-club-part-four.928117/page-112#post-28480043

The stock look (puke)
View attachment 5466651

After mods.
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Great work. Especially that amber tint on the neck. Your bass looks killer now!

 

[60bass]

Great work. Especially that amber tint on the neck. Your bass looks killer now!

Thank you. I honestly don't know why the manufacturers don't tint those necks I know a lot of players don't like the gloss because of the feel of the back of the neck.

However, there's no reason the manufacture can't put some kind of a darker tent on the maple to make the natural beauty of the wood pop more. I know a lot of players would like the improved visuals. I also realize that manufacturers are trying to deal with certain price points and sometimes things are different on a lower end instrument but really the cost to the manufacturer to 10th and neck is really not that much when you consider they are doing it on a large scale.

Oh well, that just means for people like me that can't leave anything alone That gives us something else to do. Also, in all honesty installing a $120 set of pickups is overkill for a bass like this but I already had a set so why not.

 

[60bass]

As promised, here's my cheapie Squier Affinity series Jaguar H medium scale. Many mods done to this one.

Charvel/Fender (aka Kluson) high mass bridge added. Easily adjusts to the shorter 32" scale.

Upgraded the tuners to tension adjustable Grover style. They are from AllParts part number (TK-7946-010). I honestly can't tell a difference between these and the Grovers. My bet is that they are both made by the same company somewhere in Asia. They fit Squier stock mounting pattern with 3 of the 4 screw holes lining up. The 4th is close but needs drilled to be safe. I've never drilled them and have had zero issues with tuning.

No CNC hole under the PG YAY! So I can get the no PG look. Also added black P style knobs vs the J style. Now here's where it gets cool.

I really don't like ceramic magnet pickups and the pickup in the stock Jaguar bass was OK but not my cup of tea. The first thing I did was to pick up an AlNico 5 magnet pickup off of the Bay. Which I was disappointed with but since it only cost 28 bucks I wasn't expecting that much to begin with.

So, I started searching around for a better quality replacement. It's always a juggling match because you can end up spending more for a replacement pickup than you did for the instrument. I happened to latch onto a deal for a Delano and since it was a 4 wire I knew I could do some coil switching options to it. The price was right so I grabbed it. Always wanted to try one of their pickups anyways.

I had a friend of mine who is much better with soldering than I am. Install it and put in a mini switch to give me series/parallel/single coil switching. Very similar to a G&L Kiloton. Also had him shield the bass while he had it over there. The Delano probably didn't need to have the shielding done, but since one of the positions of the switch is just a single coil I figured the shielding would help.

I still have the stock pickup I can put back in just in case I ever want to sell it. Now With the shielding in there, they'll be no noise in the future if I ever have to go back. While, my friend was doing the electronics he added some black paint into the Squire logo on the neck plate which filled it in a little bit. Very subtle but it is noticeable.

Lastly dat blindingly white Maple neck . Something absolutely had to be done about that. So, off it went to another one of my friends to have the neck tinted Amber and have some clear shot over it. Again IMO making it look far nicer than it ever did when it was made.

The addition of that Delano pickup with the switching options absolutely transformed this bass. It just sounds absolutely huge and it is dead quiet. I can't even begin to put into words how much better it sounds now. It is one of the best sounding bass guitars that I own right now. I would gig this thing in a heartbeat. If anyone has one of these that is still stock and is thinking of looking into a pickup upgrade. I heartily recommend the Delano it's just flat out awesome. I'm so pleased with it I'm going to probably install a set of their P style in one of my precisions.

It's OK as is. Especially for the price that I got it for which was 189 bucks. However, it could be transformed into something way better. You be the judge if it's better now.

EDIT I realized I forgot to post the neckplate my buddy put the black into.

 

[Oig]

Here’s mine, another black n’ maple.

The stock Stingray SS was good, but let down by a couple of surprising QC issues like a rough, unfinished feeling neck, wobbly set screw knobs on split shaft pots and fret sprout (though to be fair, that can happen to almost anything).

I started by filing the frets flush with the fingerboard and profiling the ends. The agricultural feeling neck finish was fixed with 600 grit and ultra fine steel wool.

Next, I installed a Delano MC4 FE. I’ve swapped out a lot of pickups over the years, and I’ve rarely seen a jump in sound quality this big. It’s a huge improvement over the stock unit. I also wired a new harness with full size CTS pots, an Alpha switch (all with bigger diameter solid shafts, which necessitated new flat topped knobs) and a Mallory cap. I got rid of the push push functionality on the volume pot too. No fake boosts here!

The faux printed tort guard also had to go (I already wore a white patch through it), and was replaced with a real celluloid tort WD guard—a subtle improvement that goes a long way. Last, I replaced the stock tuners with Schaller BMs, a significant improvement.

Together with the work to the neck finish and fret ends, the mods have elevated this thing to an entirely new level. The difference in feel, sound, and function is hard to describe. The pickup in particular is in a different league—it absolutely smokes the stock unit.

The only downside is it wasn’t the lightest bass to begin with, and I think I’ve added a couple of oz with the mods lol. Still very manageable though, and if anything it balances just a bit better with the extra weight on the body.

It’s currently #1, and likely to stay that way for a while.

 

[60bass]

Here’s mine, another black n’ maple.

The stock Stingray SS was good, but let down by a couple of surprising QC issues like a rough, unfinished feeling neck, wobbly set screw knobs on split shaft pots and fret sprout (though to be fair, that can happen to almost anything).

I started by filing the frets flush with the fingerboard and profiling the ends. The agricultural feeling neck finish was fixed with 600 grit and ultra fine steel wool.

Next, I installed a Delano MC4 FE. I’ve swapped out a lot of pickups over the years, and I’ve rarely seen a jump in sound quality this big. It’s a huge improvement over the stock unit. I also wired a new harness with full size CTS pots, an Alpha switch (all with bigger diameter solid shafts, which necessitated new flat topped knobs) and a Mallory cap. I got rid of the push push functionality on the volume pot too. No fake boosts here!

The faux printed tort guard also had to go (I already wore a white patch through it), and was replaced with a real celluloid tort WD guard—a subtle improvement that goes a long way. Last, I replaced the stock tuners with Schaller BMs, a significant improvement.

Together with the work to the neck finish and fret ends, the mods have elevated this thing to an entirely new level. The difference in feel, sound, and function is hard to describe. The pickup in particular is in a different league—it absolutely smokes the stock unit.

The only downside is it wasn’t the lightest bass to begin with, and I think I’ve added a couple of oz with the mods lol. Still very manageable though, and if anything it balances just a bit better with the extra weight on the body.

It’s currently #1, and likely to stay that way for a while.
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That bass looks awesome. Great job.

I've got the same exact model mine is exceptionally but it's fully stock(so far lol). Very lightweight at 6 1/2 lb. In fact I couldn't believe it when I saw it on Sweetwater site. They had five of them and all of them said just a bit over 8 lbs. Then I saw this one at 6 1/2 lbs. I asked the sales rep to absolutely verify that that was the correct weight before I decided to buy it. As the light weight was the main reason I bought it. Also, after seeing that yours doesn't have any hole under the pickguard I may pull the pickguard off mine. I really like the black body no pickguard look especially with a maple neck.

It's so small being a short scale and so light that it almost feels like a toy but it sure doesn't sound like one.

I can attest to how great the Delano pickups are. It made a huge difference in my Jag. I actually haven't found the neck to be that bad on mine It's nice with level frets and no sprout. Not a fan at all of the overly white color of the maple. I may end up sending that neck off and have it tinted Amber and refinished too.

I don't find the pickup in there to be that bad but I think the push push volume knob is a gimmick and I will probably replace that with a standard volume pot. I like the switching options they have on the pickup and in fact I am very surprised that music man decided to go passive on these. That's another reason I was interested in it as I'm not really a fan of active bases.

Right now when I play the two basses, My Jaguar H that I modified absolutely slays the Sterling SS. There's no doubt it's because of the Delano pickup that it sounds so good.

 

[Oig]

That bass looks awesome. Great job.

I've got the same exact model mine is exceptionally but it's fully stock(so far lol). Very lightweight at 6 1/2 lb. In fact I couldn't believe it when I saw it on Sweetwater site. They had five of them and all of them said just a bit over 8 lbs. Then I saw this one at 6 1/2 lbs. I asked the sales rep to absolutely verify that that was the correct weight before I decided to buy it. As the light weight was the main reason I bought it. Also, after seeing that yours doesn't have any hole under the pickguard I may pull the pickguard off mine. I really like the black body no pickguard look especially with a maple neck.

It's so small being a short scale and so light that it almost feels like a toy but it sure doesn't sound like one.

I can attest to how great the Delano pickups are. It made a huge difference in my Jag. I actually haven't found the neck to be that bad on mine It's nice with level frets and no sprout. Not a fan at all of the overly white color of the maple. I may end up sending that neck off and have it tinted Amber and refinished too.

I don't find the pickup in there to be that bad but I think the push push volume knob is a gimmick and I will probably replace that with a standard volume pot. I like the switching options they have on the pickup and in fact I am very surprised that music man decided to go passive on these. That's another reason I was interested in it as I'm not really a fan of active bases.

Right now when I play the two basses, My Jaguar H that I modified absolutely slays the Sterling SS. There's no doubt it's because of the Delano pickup that it sounds so good.

Thanks, likewise. And yeah, it's not that the stock pickup is bad, just that the Delano is many orders of magnitude better lol. I toyed with the idea of a single ply back pickguard with black screws before deciding on tort - I'll bet that would look badass on yours!

 

[ravelax]

My Epiphone EB-0, hotrodded by adding a Serek LZN-B90 bridge pickup. Controls are (currently) volume, tone, pickup selector and series/parallell switch for the bridge pickup.

 

[Runnerman]

I've completed mods to my Jackson KBX (MIJ) which I purchased late last year. It was a great starting platform, totally untouched stock model with original Duncan Designed pups. I knew right from the start that I wanted to upgrade the pups for sure. They are reverse PJ configuration. Here is a pic of the original bass when I brought it home.

To HOT ROD this bass, I decided to go with 916 hand wound neo-pickups. Frankly, I had heard some buzz about these pups and the builder who is on this forum. Customer service was great and the product is excellent, came with fresh caps and all the hardware (springs and screws). Covers for the new pups do not show the pole pieces.

Other mods I made include:
- rewired the controls from volume-blend-tone to VVT.
- moved the strap button to the back of the neck
- GHS Pressurewound strings
- a good setup

This bass is now a joy to play and really growls and punches. This is my second PJ bass and I've become a real fan of this configuration. It took me some time to get the tone I wanted dialed in. I am pleasantly surprised with the neo pups. More articulate without losing any of the grind and mid-heavy character of a traditional P. I played the bass last night on the second set which has a lot of 80's songs. It's just a fun bass to play.

I probably have enough money into this bass now to just leave as is. Something I may do is add stickers to change it to a shark fin neck. The hardware is adequate, there are better tuning machines out there for sure. But the aluminized plating is pretty unique and I would likely need to change out all the hardware so it would match. Here's a pic from last night.....

 

[HutHutHuda]

This is originaly a SX Ursa 3 7/8 Size (Medium Scale) pink bass. Current avatar.
I wanted to keep it pink, so I refinished with Rustoleum Rustic Pink and Clear Gloss (then left in the sun for a month. The color likely changed slightly to a more "fleshy" color). Refinished the neck with Rubio Monocoat, put in all new electronics, Yamaha pickups (from their BBP34 bass). Installed a Hipshot Vintage bridge, Hipshot UL tuners and Hipshot knobs. D'Addarrio Elliptical end pins. I designed a custom string tree based off another design I found, then sent it to a laser engraver. I am working on making a new pickguard by hand - cream colored.
This is the first time I've done something like this. Lots of ups and downs, lots of challenges, it's certainly not perfect. But it was a great learning experience.

 

[CoryB]

I bought a $200 mint green SUB, complete with a broken tuner and probably a pound of dust and crud on it. It got a repaint and a few upgrade parts.

-Metallic Candy Red paint with custom hand-painted pinstripes
-Black Schaller tuners
-Aguilar AG4M pickup
-Boscoe Pre-amp and wiring
-Black and gold Albridge replacement bridge
-Amazon's finest gold screws and knobs
-Black pearl pickguard
-Black strap buttons and string guide
-EB Cobalt flats
-Multiple hours of cleanup, tweaking, adjusting, smoothing and filing

And now it looks like this.

 

[Riff Ranger]

I bought a $200 mint green SUB, complete with a broken tuner and probably a pound of dust and crud on it. It got a repaint and a few upgrade parts.

-Metallic Candy Red paint with custom hand-painted pinstripes
-Black Schaller tuners
-Aguilar AG4M pickup
-Boscoe Pre-amp and wiring
-Black and gold Albridge replacement bridge
-Amazon's finest gold screws and knobs
-Black pearl pickguard
-Black strap buttons and string guide
-EB Cobalt flats
-Multiple hours of cleanup, tweaking, adjusting, smoothing and filing

And now it looks like this.
View attachment 6976339View attachment 6976340

A true low rider of low end!

 

[Dark Horse]

Might have plenty basses cost more but this one gets the playing time It starts with a Peavey Zepher 5,the Zephyr series were a European only release. Passive,neck thru though some bolt-ons did happen. The rumour is Peavey were testing the market for a passive Cirrus.
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Anyway Zephyr 5 £100 s/h. Previous owner had busted a couple of pots so scrapped the lot of them for a Tone Monster preamp £30. The stock 4 wire humbuckers were good but I like Warman Jazzbar HB's , 2 of them £32. Rosewood covers for the Warmans £6

All was good. Playing/sounding sweet Then a "friend" suggested gold hardware I listened

5 Wilkinson tuners £30. Brass nut £4. Strap locks £5. Jing Ho bridge £15 (Jing Ho is the Korean factory making Wilkinson parts). Football jack plate £2. Marshall amp knobs £4. Black Ash TRC and control cavity cover made from scraps £0

Total inc bass £226

Nice… looks like what Peavey marketed as the “Grind Bass” here in the states

 

[Riff Ranger]

Might have plenty basses cost more but this one gets the playing time It starts with a Peavey Zepher 5,the Zephyr series were a European only release. Passive,neck thru though some bolt-ons did happen. The rumour is Peavey were testing the market for a passive Cirrus.
View attachment 3165299
View attachment 3165293

Anyway Zephyr 5 £100 s/h. Previous owner had busted a couple of pots so scrapped the lot of them for a Tone Monster preamp £30. The stock 4 wire humbuckers were good but I like Warman Jazzbar HB's , 2 of them £32. Rosewood covers for the Warmans £6

All was good. Playing/sounding sweet Then a "friend" suggested gold hardware I listened

5 Wilkinson tuners £30. Brass nut £4. Strap locks £5. Jing Ho bridge £15 (Jing Ho is the Korean factory making Wilkinson parts). Football jack plate £2. Marshall amp knobs £4. Black Ash TRC and control cavity cover made from scraps £0

Total inc bass £226

Glad to be reminded of this one. I have no memory of the Marshall knobs here. Such a cool touch

 

[2saddleslab]

I bought a $200 mint green SUB, complete with a broken tuner and probably a pound of dust and crud on it. It got a repaint and a few upgrade parts.

-Metallic Candy Red paint with custom hand-painted pinstripes
-Black Schaller tuners
-Aguilar AG4M pickup
-Boscoe Pre-amp and wiring
-Black and gold Albridge replacement bridge
-Amazon's finest gold screws and knobs
-Black pearl pickguard
-Black strap buttons and string guide
-EB Cobalt flats
-Multiple hours of cleanup, tweaking, adjusting, smoothing and filing

And now it looks like this.
View attachment 6976339View attachment 6976340

The CAR/ Pinstripe Club!

 

[blr2]

My dirt cheap Squier Sonic P, upgraded with Fender Pure Vintage 60 pickup, Fender (CTS) pots with original screw-tight knobs, Swichcraft jack and aftermarket tort guard. Plays and sounds really nice. I have basses costing close to 10 times as much, but more often than not, I reach for this humble Squier.

 

[kodiakblair]

Nice… looks like what Peavey marketed as the “Grind Bass” here in the states

Not quite.

First difference being the 'Grind' has an offset body shape and is 35" scale length. Then there's the history, Grinds started life as a USA production line bass. They were an active bolt on neck design, the 4 string being a PJ and the 5 string a JJ. Those were quickly joined by an import line with the same hardware/materials/spec. Below are my US Grinds along with the more common neck through version.

Sales were poor so Peavey switched things around.

Passive C-Series/Zephyrs were brought back with a scale length increase to 35", active pickups/EQ and a new name; "Cirrus BXP".

Active bolt on Grinds became passive neck through basses. For some reason there was a slight change to the pickups, 4 wire humbuckers became 2 wire humbuckers and the DCR dropped by 5%