POLL: Do you mod your basses?

[jg42]

Almost of all my basses are modded. How about yours?
Please elaborate.

 

[RED J]

Most of my mods are reversible, like component changes.
I do however, build Frankensteins.

 

[jg42]

Most of my mods are reversible, like component changes.
I do however, build Frankensteins.

Do you keep the original parts then? In theory all my mods are reversible too, however the original parts usually end up being sold. (no, I don't mod vintage or any good sounding basses for that matter)

 

[Doctor J]

I try not to, if at all possible. I quite like the differences between instruments, so I wouldn't lump the same bridge on every bass, or the same pickups or whatever. If I get a new instrument I live with it for a good while and, if something isn't working for me, I decide then if it's worth changing the irksome part or moving the whole thing on.

 

[RED J]

Do you keep the original parts then? In theory all my mods are reversible too, however the original parts usually end up being sold. (no, I don't mod vintage or any good sounding basses for that matter)

Pretty much this too.

 

[brianrost]

I don't see the point...if the bass is not up to snuff as is, why buy it?

I have only modded two basses out of the two dozen or so I have owned over the years. One mod was to add a buffer preamp, the other was to swap out questionable non-original pickups for an EMG PJ set. In retrospect neither mod was worth doing...neither bass was a keeper.

 

[cm3ohana]

I only have one bass that's still all original which is a Peavey Dyna bass with the super ferrite pickups. Two basses just have pickup mods. The other five basses I have are parts builds. I sold all of my other original basses....too many to count or remember.

 

[chris_b]

I had a J pickup and preamp put in my P bass. It cost a lot and didn't do half of what I wanted so never again.

These days I buy basses that sound like I want them to sound from the start.

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

Usually just pick guards. I have a Frankenfurter in the works. I keep trying to find time to complete it.

 

[FlatwoundFunk]

I try to get basses that are already satisfying from the jump. But the idea of getting one to do mods, does come to mind from time to time. Mainly because I love the sound of Bartolini's. When I start adding up the cost of what I want, it just doesn't seem like an good idea everytime. I'm impressed by cats that do the mods and get an great outcome.
FF

 

[Killed_by_Death]

Biggest mod I've done to a bass is change the pickguard & knobs, but I might get around to shielding my Fender. I probably leave my G&L alone though. It's a limited edition run, not to mention I don't feel comfortable taking out the preamp & stuff.

 

[Deleted member 269102]

It depends, but in general the only way I can get 100 % what I want is to get a bass that's 90 % there and do some modding. Sure, I could have a custom model built, but I actually like doing the work, and it seems like a better cost/value proposition to me.

On one end of things, I have a completely stock MIJ P that's perfect as is. At the other I have a franken P/J I built around a Squier P body and a J neck. Both suit me VERY well, and were just different paths to arriving at personal bass "perfection".

YMMV

 

[static0verdrive]

I modded most of my basses. It really depends - I wanted to motivate myself to play my fretless Squier VM so I put Nordstrand pickups and CTS pots in it, and swapped the bridge for the awesome Hipshot A-style high-mass. I also swapped the control plate and knobs for black but that was just aesthetic.

On my Squier MB-5, I swapped out the bridge for the same Hipshot A-style but black, and the tuners for ultra-light hipshots. Both these were for solving neck dive and worked beautifully, but the blacked out hardware looked so good to I replaced the remaining chrome (knobs) with black as well.

Only did the pickguard on my James Johnston Squier CV jazz, just aesthetics.

All three above got strap lock pins installed too, for functionality.

Never touched the ol' Mako P-bass or the Nate Mendel P-bass (for sale!) because it had stock everything I wanted... I just don't play it and I'm buying a house so it's up for sale (reluctantly).

So yeah - it depends!

 

[Jayhawk]

When needed. Most of my basses have mods, whether I did them or a previous owner did. The only fully stock bass I have is my 2013 MIA Fender Standard P.

 

[Doner Designs]

Just a little....

 

[Hopkins]

I don't have a single bass that has not had some sort of modification. The closest to factory bass I own is my 1981 T40, which I put the coil splits on push/pull pots so it can run in humbucking at full range instead of having to roll off the tone pot.

 

[Nephilymbass]

Almost of all my basses are modded. How about yours?
Please elaborate.

I've never taken a saw to a bass or anything like that, but the strap buttons tend to go within the first week, always replaced with some type of strap lock system. that's the most common mod I've done.

I've had some Aguilar obp-3 pres installed by my favorite local repair guy, figured I would do it myself but when got in the 1st one in mail and was like to heck with that.

Nut filing and replacement. I've don't some nut work. (That's what she said)
Mainly just to get basses set up for heavier gauges particularly back when I was using low f# strings.

 

[M.R. Ogle]

A teeny bit.

 

[bikeplate]

No. I buy the bass I want in the first place

 

[DwaynieAD]

I bought a Dean Z specifically to mod
I have a squier precision that is pretty good but could definitely benefit from new tuners, maybe new pups. it sounds like a P but I want to sound more like a P
both my 4 and 5 string jazz need nothing
same goes for my musicman

unless we are calling pick guards "mods" then I've modded them all except the MM
if we're calling strap locks mods then they're all modded.