"Project Basses" - An Epiphany

To the Group -

This isn't a rant nor is it a position statement. I just had an experience that I wanted to share and see if others have had a similar one.

Like you, I've read all of the threads about buying a cheap bass and modding it. Sometimes, those degenerate into "Why buy cheap when you can buy quality from the start?" This really isn't that thread and it isn't the discussion I hope to spark.

I bought an inexpensive, used bass yesterday, brought it home, did some specific mods and am now very satisfied with the end product. I expected that. (Well, I was hoping for the best!) What I did not expect was the very cool feeling that the project gave me.

Don't laugh but I feel some intense satisfaction here -- not just the "I love it when a plan comes together" feeling. It's more like, "I have officially made this bass MINE. It plays like I want it to play -- it sounds like I want it to sound." That is very cool, indeed!

I've been playing bass for about a year and I have a number of basses. Some very expensive ones (2 Barkers), some "Middle-of-the-Road" ones (Standard Jazz, Washburn ABG), some oddballs (Aria Sinsonido, Optek Fretlight) but this was the first one that I bought with the specific objective to open it up and replace parts in order to change its character to suit me.

I know some folks think that buying a bass just to upgrade seems like a waste of time. They say, "Save your money and buy a higher quality instrument from jumpstreet." That's one approach and under some circumstances, it's the correct one. In other cases however, there is tremendous intangible, intrinsic value in the process of modifying an instrument to suit your personal preferences.

I am not an electrician, nor am I an electronics wiz. On the other hand, between all of the knowledge on Talkbass, the good folks at Seymour Duncan (who answered my questions pleasantly and professionally), and a little patience, I was able to get done what I wanted done. And I am more than a little self-satisfied about it.

I'll close by saying this: If you know what you're looking for (sound/feel-wise), and you're willing to do your homework (knowing what's available, how it works, and what it costs), and are willing to take your time and be patient, buying a used/inexpensive instrument and upgrading it can have some tremendous benefits -- don't knock it 'til you've tried it!

 

Absolutely!

The only problem there is the cost factor. Cost aside, that's one of the neat things about working with folks like Nino Valenti or Carvin -- you get to specify exactly what you (think you) want. And you don't have to worry about screwing it up. Trust me -- when I finished my project, I was holding my breath when I plugged it in for the first time. ("Uh-oh ... am I SURE I did this right?")

On the other hand, when you do it yourself, there is (IMHO) the personal satisfaction of having used your own brain and guile to bring your vision to life.

 

The Project:​

What I needed:
A 5-string to get comfortable on. I started playing bass with a Standard Jazz early this year and for better or worse, that's what I am most comfortable playing. I have recently started shedding on Gospel music and for that idiom, you really need a 5-string.

I'd been seriously considering a Fender Jazz 5-string but for the money, I wasn't impressed with what I'd been seeing and I didn't really want to buy one off of Ebay.

The constraints:
1) Cost: It's close to Christmas and I don't have a lot of extra cash floating around to buy a new bass.

2) Configuration: I don't care for a 35" scale. Call it preference, call it inexperience, but I have played several of them and it's not comfortable for me.

I also wanted something with 19mm string spacing (Identical to my Standard J-bass.) Again, this may be inexperience speaking but I needed to stay as close to what I've been learning on as possible.

3) Weight: I have a bad back and anything over 10 pounds simply is too heavy for me.

What I bought:
A used Squire P-Bass Special V. I had seen these in a few music stores and played them. I was impressed with the feel and weight. I love neck and the scale. Excellent stock bridge and tuners. Pickups and pots varied by instrument. I did some research and found generally favorable reviews on it with the usual caveats (electronics & setup.)

This one was located at a local music store (Brickhouse Music in River Falls, WI -- this is spitting distance from my home Minneapolis/St. Paul.) Brickhouse is an excellent store with knowledgeable, honest folks. The bass had been sitting on the shelves for quite a while and nobody was really paying it any attention. I called the store specifically looking for this model and initially, they didn't even know they had it.

When I got there, I played it and was pretty pleased. The setup/action was good. The neck was excellent, and the electronics were clean but the pickups were a bit noisy and the B-string sound was "so-so." (I found out later that this bass comes stock with 4-string pickups!) The strings were also tired.

I did some horse-trading and got an excellent price. As an added bonus, the Bass tech (Clark - who is a great guy!)checked out the connections/pots and worked with me to set it up to my preferences.

What I did:
* Took it home and cleaned it up.
* Replaced the stock pickups with some Seymour Duncan SJB-5 stack® for Jazz bass®. (I already had these in my possession and they needed a home.)
* Had to Dremel the pickguard opening a tiny bit to allow the new pups to fit.
* Replaced the strings with LaBella BNT's

The Outcome:
An excellent sounding bass! I didn't expect it to sound like a P-Bass because these are Jazz pickups in a (modified) Jazz configuration. On the other hand, the strings round out the Jazz tone and take a bit of the edge off. The Basslines have absolutely NO NOISE (they're unbelievable!) Played singly or in tandem, they give a nice, growly tone with virtually no hum. Because I'm not limited to playing them both at the same volume, I get a lot of flexibility of tones.

What's Next:
* A tort pickguard (just because I like that look.)
* When I replace the pg, I may have it re-wired from "vol/vol/tone" to "master vol/blend/tone."
* I may even get funky and add a series/parallel switch. (Doubtful that I can do this myself -- I DO know my limits!)

Bottom line:
I got what I needed without breaking the bank. (I paid a LOT less than I would have for a used Jazz 5-string.)

I am pleased.