Putting my bass on steroids

[Bachh]

Oy, fellow bassists.

Any big leap or professional upgrade is out of question atm so trying to make the best out of my situation I'm planning on changing my bass's electronics & strings.

I rock a decent Cort Action which is suitable or almost anything with a twist of knobs (almost).
But i was wondering how much will it cost me to tweak it?
Any suggestions on pickups, bridges & strings (3 most accessible & changeable parts)?

Also, it came from the factory with a rather high action so will a set up get me up and going with a lower action or will i get fret buzz?

An approximation of prices will be of much help, combo suggestions, anything.

Thanks in advance :>

 

[ctmullins]

Changing the bridge will yield minor results if any. Changing pickups is complicated, at least in comparison to changing strings.

So, my first recommendation is to experiment with a few different string choices. What's on there now, and what are your tonal goals?

 

[dmac1961]

^^^ Spot on assessment.

 

[Bachh]

Changing the bridge will yield minor results if any. Changing pickups is complicated, at least in comparison to changing strings.

So, my first recommendation is to experiment with a few different string choices. What's on there now, and what are your tonal goals?

I have cheap maxtones on, i'm looking for a punchy funky sound all while maintaining the low end growl, any suggestions?

 

[ctmullins]

Very subjective topic. Lots of (sometimes conflicting) opinions in the Strings forum. I'm no expert, but DR Hi-Beams or Lo-Riders would be a good starting point IMHO.

 

[BlueTalon]

Any big leap or professional upgrade is out of question atm...

That may be true, but I suspect a small-to-medium step might still be a significant upgrade for you. For the money you could spend to get a good bridge, a good set of pickups, and 3-4 sets of strings, you are already more than half-way to what it would take to get a better bass.

 

[ddnidd1]

The bridge appears to be solid, so replacing it would basically be a waste of money. Try strings first and see how things sound.

 

[WyreAndWood]

The first thing you should do before worrying about pups,is upgrading your harness.
New pots,caps,jack and wiring.
You'll get better results doing that first.
If you're handy with a soldering iron(which anyone should be) it shouldn't cost anymore than $40-$50

 

[Crater]

...The first thing you should do before worrying about pups,is upgrading your harness.
New pots,caps,jack and wiring.
You'll get better results doing that first.

That's nonsense. Replacing the pots, caps and wiring will make NO audible difference if you replace things with the stock values. Unless you're having a problem with scratchy pots, noise pickup or other weirdness, I'd leave the wiring harness alone. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" as we say in Texas.


It's a "P-J" style bass with a Precision-type split pickup and a single J-bass type pickup at the bridge. There are TONS of aftermarket pickups that will fit, in every price range from budget to boutique - from GFS/Guitarfetish, Seymour Duncan, DiMarzio, EMG and so on. If money's tight, just replace the split P-bass pickup.

 

[Ewo]

+1 to the suggestion about experimenting with strings. You might even contact Jason at Bass Strings Online for advice.

 

[Marcury]

Also, it came from the factory with a rather high action so will a set up get me up and going with a lower action or will i get fret buzz?

A setup and new strings would be the place to start. I wouldn't spend any money on hardware until the instrument is is set to play the way I like it. Probably cost between $45 & 60 plus the cost of strings (sounds like round wound are what you're looking for). At least that's what it would cost where I live. I'd also make sure it's setup that the pickup height is adjusted. After that if it plays like you want and it still doesn't sound like you want I would consider pickups before bridge.

 

[WyreAndWood]

That's nonsense. Replacing the pots, caps and wiring will make NO audible difference…

What the hell is it with the self agrandiosing experts on this forum?
He is doing an upgrade.
You suggesting he go out and blow $ on pickups before checking his pots,which will more than likely be budget crap,and upgrading is foolish and shows your ignorance.
Please,in future,refrain from the smugness,mind your manners and post when you know what you're talking about.
Now,run along.

 

[ctmullins]

At the risk of pointing out the obvious (and potentially derailing the thread in the process), there are two subtly different perspectives surrounding this "replace the pots" suggestion.

Wyre is approaching it from the notion that cheap imported electronics components often are of poor mechanical quality, with broad tolerances and potentially compromised electrical characteristics as a result. Within this context, it is indeed beneficial to upgrade to robust and well-constructed components, although the benefits may not be immediately apparent.

Crater, on the other hand, is looking at it from a purely electrical standpoint, and this view is valid as well. If you replace one 250k pot with another, and one 0.047uF capacitor with another, the resulting circuit should (in theory) display the exact same electrical properties, and to the extent that the ratings of these components affect the frequency response of the entire system, nothing has changed.

Thus sayeth the Libra.

 

[JimmyM]

What the hell is it with the self agrandiosing experts on this forum?
He is doing an upgrade.
You suggesting he go out and blow $ on pickups before checking his pots,which will more than likely be budget crap,and upgrading is foolish and shows your ignorance.
Please,in future,refrain from the smugness,mind your manners and post when you know what you're talking about.
Now,run along.

I don't think pots or cap make a lick of difference unless you change the pots' impedance or the cap's value. They will last longer, but tonally, I've not been impressed by any "upgrades" to pots and caps.

 

[Nev375]

Mind you, this is just my opinion and I know its likely not going to be popular. But upgrading the pickups in a cheap bass is kinda like putting a New fancy rims on a beat up ford pinto from the '70s. The phrase "trying to polish a turd" comes into play as well.

You need to save your money for a good bass with a rock solid neck. I prefer graphite necks myself, but there are those that come with reinforcing rods in the neck or dual trussrods.

While its true that pickups affect the tone of the instrument, they cant provide what isn't there to begin with. The bright upper harmonic content that I think you are seeking is a result of fresh strings on a solid instrument. Cheaper low quality wooden necks tend to absorb a lot of highs.

Fresh strings will help though... but you will have to keep replacing them to maintain that tone.

 

[ctmullins]

To build upon what Nev states above, IMHO one of the best easy upgrades to an inexpensive bolt-on instrument is installing brass or steel threaded inserts into the neck, and replacing the wood screws with stainless machine screws. Wood screws are great if you're in the accounting department at Cort (or Fender) headquarters, but if you want to optimize your instrument for actually making music, you can achieve a much tighter neck/body join with inserts and machine screws. I have more than a few bolt-ons, and I've done this to every one of them, with great results.

 

[kucor]

I've played Cort Action, both active and passive, it is popular beginner bass here in Europe. It can be nice if properly setup with good strings is done.

soundwise, pickups are somewhat dull and preamp in active Action is practically useless. nothing to complain, it is a cheapo instrument. I would suggest to change pickups with Dimarzio P/J set, it will be huge upgrade and cost is just above $100. In my opinion this is max you should invest, any further investment won't give you much much of improvement, so keep it simple and rock. I would also remove EQ and make it passive if you have active one.

ps, there is absolutely no need for replacing pots and bridge, if they aren't broken.

 

[Hobobob]

Take your bass to a luthier and have it set up. If the current setup is pretty bad, a good pro setup can make it like a new bass.

 

[WyreAndWood]

I don't think pots or cap make a lick of difference unless you change the pots' impedance or the cap's value. They will last longer, but tonally, I've not been impressed by any "upgrades" to pots and caps.

Well ya see,that's where we,I guess,will always disagree. And bonus points for at least acknowledging that you have tried.
The first thing I will always go to and change in most guitars I get,is open it up and drop in quality CTS log pots and upgrade the pubic hair thin wiring to a lower gauge spec wire. if it's needed(and todays guitars,even CS usually do).
Does the wire make more of a difference than the pot upgrade to me? Yes.
Most pots today are usually linear on both vol. & tone.
I prefer log on both. I prefer a gradual(perceived-lets not open another can of worms) taper to blend.

Now,for some of the posters to come in and attempt to p*ss on my 30+ years of knowledge with their holistic point of view will always get my back up,especially when their ignorance is bleedingly obvious.

Accept that there are always 2 ways for all and they are not always right nor wrong.
Now…move along.

 

[Nev375]

Now,for some of the posters to come in and attempt to p*ss on my 30+ years of knowledge with their holistic point of view will always get my back up,especially when their ignorance is bleedingly obvious.

Well, by calling the years of experience of other TBers a "holistic" point-of-view you are kinda pissing on them.

I haven't seen any technical specs, examples or any empirical scientific approach detailed in your conclusions, which leads me to think that your opinion is the more holistic approach. So please, explain more about how pots and caps and wire gauge relate to any audible tone differences relevant in a bass guitar signal range.