Share your modified basses!

[COLDGLU]

I'm just about to modify this baby (the one on the top):

I plan on adding white pickup covers, changing all hardware to gold and the plastic on the controls to white.

So, I'm wondering what basses have you modified and how have they turned out?
Before and after photos are a bonus!

 

[2saddleslab]

Best of luck w/ the mods. Always fun to personalize.

I took a standard issue Cabronita and added a custom 2 saddle string thru bridge, custom pg and control cover, Gotoh Res-o-lite tuners, TV Jones, ThunderBlade, red pearloid knobs, and custom neck plate. As always, I have to give aesthetic credit to @Gods Favorite Bass for the inspiration.

 

[Malak the Mad]

So, I'm wondering what basses have you modified and how have they turned out?
Before and after photos are a bonus!

Why must you bring up my sordid past?

Seriously though, most of my basses get some kind of Hipshot Drop-D tuner…very convenient!

Some mods I do are purely functional. I had some extra routing done to a Squier Standard Jazz's bridge pickup slot. Finally the darn thing can accept a properly-sized bridge pup!

Some of my mods are both functional and cosmetic. For example, I put a Fender American bridge on an MIJ "Foto-Flame" JB62…

…not because I believe a bridge will radically alter a bass' tone, but because I like the threaded barrels. Also, the original bridge was all beaten up and gnarly-looking. Plus, I added a new pickguard since the original was similarly chewed-up. And of course, I added black-finished pickguard screws. They're also fairly standard-issue around my place. If it has a black pickguard while living in my house, the screws must match!

This one's for you, @COLDGLU!

Then, of course, there are the purely cosmetic mods. My favorite is the do-it-yourself tinting I performed on my Fender Blacktop Jazz's pickguard. Before…

…and after!

It's not that it looked bad to begin with, but when I got it, I felt it needed a little "something" to reflect how incredibly boss it sounded. So, a few swipes around the edge of the guard, some burnishing to remove the excess dye, the ubiquitous black pickguard screws, of course…and violá!

 

[Bassmods2318]

Why must you bring up my sordid past?

Seriously though, most of my basses get some kind of Hipshot Drop-D tuner…very convenient!

Some mods I do are purely functional. I had some extra routing done to a Squier Standard Jazz's bridge pickup slot. Finally the darn thing can accept a properly-sized bridge pup!

Some of my mods are both functional and cosmetic. For example, I put a Fender American bridge on an MIJ "Foto-Flame" JB62…

…not because I believe a bridge will radically alter a bass' tone, but because I like the threaded barrels. Also, the original bridge was all beaten up and gnarly-looking. Plus, I added a new pickguard since the original was similarly chewed-up. And of course, I added black-finished pickguard screws. They're also fairly standard-issue around my place. If it has a black pickguard while living in my house, the screws must match!

This one's for you, @COLDGLU!

Then, of course, there are the purely cosmetic mods. My favorite is the do-it-yourself tinting I performed on my Fender Blacktop Jazz's pickguard. Before…

…and after!

It's not that it looked bad to begin with, but when I got it, I felt it needed a little "something" to reflect how incredibly boss it sounded. So, a few swipes around the edge of the guard, some burnishing to remove the excess dye, the ubiquitous black pickguard screws, of course…and violá!

Are you selling the mij foto flame?

 

[Grumry]

I have a Bronco in CAR I got for $50 on CL. It's really ugly and I hated the white pick guard, so I took it off and covered it with black gaff tape. Also hated the white plastic knobs so I got a set of chrome looking knobs from China for a dollar, as well as a fake Fender strap for a dollar, and a set of mismatched Schaller knock off strap locks (one silver, one black).

So, for $53, I have a super awesome (read lol worthy) short scale bass I wanted to experiment with.

Some day I'll strip the paint and do some routing mods for a new pickup. But for now, I have a perfect platform for screwing up to my hearts desire.

I'll snap a pic later today of anyone wants.

 

[spiritbass]

 

[Malak the Mad]

Are you selling the mij foto flame?

I'm thinking about it. I'll send you a PM later and we can discuss it further.

 

[NoiseNinja]

My Ibanez Mikro that beside various visual mods has got a new black bridge and a pair of EMG Geezer Butler pickups:

 

[Bassmods2318]

I'm thinking about it. I'll send you a PM later and we can discuss it further.

Ok sweet thanks

 

[wdinc01]

It's not that it looked bad to begin with, but when I got it, I felt it needed a little "something" to reflect how incredibly boss it sounded. So, a few swipes around the edge of the guard, some burnishing to remove the excess dye, the ubiquitous black pickguard screws, of course…and violá!

I'm not one for red and black (or just red in general), but looks really awesome!

 

[eastcoasteddie]

All of my basses are modded in some way, but mostly functional.
L2500:

I got this bass brand new in '97, with very little knowledge of how the preamp was supposed to work....I have had standard active basses and kind of disliked that I had to keep the Bass pot dimed for it to have any low end...so I had a Pensa preamp installed at Rudy's about 9 months after I got it (still have the OE preamp and pots).
About 12 years later, I started futzing around with pickup coil switching and added the 4th mini switch to give me Inner/Outer coils in Coil tap mode.

Dean Sledgehammer 5:

Probably the most modded out of the bunch..
Installed 2nd pickup along with A/P switch, coil selector switches for each pickup, Les Paul-style pickup selector, Passive Tone control always in the circuit.

Squier VMJV:

I bought this to keep as a beater...but liked it so much I just couldn't subject it to any beatings...
Installed 2-band preamp (out of a 2nd Dean Sledgehammer I had in 2010), A/P switch with Passive Tone control always in the circuit, High-mass bridge, and most recently installed SD Quarter Pound Jazz V pickups. I love this bass...!!!

Squier Affinity JV:

I got this one used for $120...to be the sacrificial beater.
I almost immediately installed the MM bridge pickup and SD QP neck pickup, MM pickup has coil switching capability. All stock passive tone controls.
Bought the VMJV neck and pickguard from Stratosphere parts.

The original neck is now Fretless and is waiting for when I have Fretless GAS.

 

[Malak the Mad]

I'm not one for red and black (or just red in general), but looks really awesome!

Thanks, dude! In this case, it comes down to "How much is enough?" If there's not enough, it's invisible, whereas if there's too much, it runs the risk of becoming garish. Ironically, and without my previous knowledge, Fender also released a Blacktop Jazzmaster with a similar color scheme, complete with red highlights…go fig!

In this particular case, and in my own opinion, keeping the pickguard black/white/black works better than adding yet more red to the entire package. By my sense of aesthetics, that much more red would nudge it a bit towards "garish".

The original neck is now Fretless and is waiting for when I have Fretless GAS.

Holy crap! That slab o' fretboard wood is flippin' gorgeous!! drool

 

[eastcoasteddie]

Holy crap! That slab o' fretboard wood is flippin' gorgeous!! drool

It is pretty nice...
I took that photo under a cloudy sky, but when the sun is out, the red really pops!

 

[GoLeafsGo]

Did this to a Jag SS, Seymour Duncans, new pick guard, pots and knobs, black tapes, ash tray bridge cover, and just like Malak, the required black pick guard screw mod.

 

[Doner Designs]

Warmoth Iceman with a few mods.

Time Machine Bass Project - Build Thread

 

[mark beem]

My modified Lakland Skyline 55-01

Replaced stock pickups with US Bartolini MK5CBC pickups
Replaced stock preamp with US Lakland LH3 pre
Replaced stock neck with Lakland lined rosewood fretless
Added ramp
Replaced stock knobs with wood knobs

I'd eventually like to get the fretboard epoxied.

 

[InternetAlias]

Warmoth Iceman with a few mods.

Time Machine Bass Project - Build Thread

View attachment 3227594

Woah that is just insane 0.0

 

[spiritbass]

My modified Lakland Skyline 55-01

Replaced stock pickups with US Bartolini MK5CBC pickups
Replaced stock preamp with US Lakland LH3 pre
Replaced stock neck with Lakland lined rosewood fretless
Added ramp
Replaced stock knobs with wood knobs

I'd eventually like to get the fretboard epoxied.

View attachment 3227649
View attachment 3227650

That is some amazingly spalty spalt.