wintremute
mediocrity at its finest
- Oct 16, 2014
- 6,942
- 29,551
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Langstrom Carrot Farms
This is the thread to show my wife when she says I don't need any more basses.
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Show me your cheap basses with expensive upgrades
- Thread starter Sindhu Partomo
- Start date
Here's what started out as a Barracuda jazz bass. The Fender noiseless pups were almost as much as the bass cost. The bridge and ferrules I machined myself as well as the burled redwood guard. It has an attractive alder body and nicely painted burst. It's also basically a set neck now, and the notes just roar out of it. Forgot to mention I also added a very thick brass nut to it that is actually screwed down into the neck.
Attachments
@Fender_Bender
I love that PG. Very very classy.
@Abra
What kind of upgrades are you thinking of ? Visual stuff. Until the SX arrives you won't know if things like light tuners are needed. So what's your ideas ?
I love that PG. Very very classy.
@Abra
What kind of upgrades are you thinking of ? Visual stuff. Until the SX arrives you won't know if things like light tuners are needed. So what's your ideas ?
There's a few advantages. It will never break like a piece of bone could and it "should " offer better open string sound as the string is in/on metal at both ends. I also believe it being a substantial piece of metal has helped the tone. It was all I had for a dozen years so I tried to get the maximum out of it. I was careful to remove material only from the headstock side of the nut slot so as not to mess around with the scale length.
@Fender_Bender
I love that PG. Very very classy.
@Abra
What kind of upgrades are you thinking of ? Visual stuff. Until the SX arrives you won't know if things like light tuners are needed. So what's your ideas ?
I don't know yet, visually probably nothing right away. They already had the bass set up and I also ordered strings and some other tools so I should be ready to just start practicing. If the tuners or electronics are crap well I don't really have much choice but to fix it... but I'm hoping they wont be that bad
Custom parts jazz bass. Hipshot tuners. Straploks. Aguilar 70's winds single coils. Aguilar 3 band preamp with tone control.
Here's how it sounds.
Here's how it sounds.
Cheap basses with expensive mods, you say? I'll bite! I've done some big and not-so-big mods on basses ranging from "inexpensive" to "moderately pricey", but there's one that seems to fit the groove of the thread, so here she is.
I'd bought the Squier Standard Jazz on the right with the express interest to use it as a modding platform. Plus, I maxi-dig the color (you think?!
), but that's a whole separate discussion.
The first, easy mod was to install a Hipshot BT7 Drop-D tuner. Despite the Standard model's incompatibility with most spare parts, it was one of the very few, clean drop-in's I was able to perform. That's why I had to have some additional routing performed upon the bridge pickup slot.
Once that was done, I had a set of Fender Super 55's installed. For those who aren't familiar, they're split-coils in a Jazz package, so no single-coil hum. Sonically speaking, they're noticeably "beefier", but without sacrificing the classic, Jazz tonal palette. If you love the Jazz sound, but want or need a little more "oomph", see if you can find a set of Super 55's. Sadly, they've been discontinued, but there are still some suppliers who carry them. Check eBay first.
I feel I shouldgive a shameless plug mention a Squier Standard Jazz @JIO recently put up for sale in the TB Classifieds. Believe me when I say I would've snapped it up in a heartbeat if I weren't lousy with Jazzes here AND facing down some considerable hospital bills.
For Sale - Squier Blue J
I'd bought the Squier Standard Jazz on the right with the express interest to use it as a modding platform. Plus, I maxi-dig the color (you think?!
), but that's a whole separate discussion.The first, easy mod was to install a Hipshot BT7 Drop-D tuner. Despite the Standard model's incompatibility with most spare parts, it was one of the very few, clean drop-in's I was able to perform. That's why I had to have some additional routing performed upon the bridge pickup slot.
Once that was done, I had a set of Fender Super 55's installed. For those who aren't familiar, they're split-coils in a Jazz package, so no single-coil hum. Sonically speaking, they're noticeably "beefier", but without sacrificing the classic, Jazz tonal palette. If you love the Jazz sound, but want or need a little more "oomph", see if you can find a set of Super 55's. Sadly, they've been discontinued, but there are still some suppliers who carry them. Check eBay first.
I feel I should
For Sale - Squier Blue J
Like I mentioned most folks are happy with the SX and only change the strings. Fact I've heard plenty say they swapped pickups then went right back to the original ones as they sounded great. Others will talk about fret dressing etc.
I say play the bass,enjoy it,get used to how it sounds. Play up it's strengths and be proud of it.
I say play the bass,enjoy it,get used to how it sounds. Play up it's strengths and be proud of it.
I've never touched an SX but believe my Chinese knockoff to be a pretty similar animal. The tuners, pots and bridge should all be serviceable. Mine still has the original pots and tuners. The pickups would be where your first upgrade would make the most difference imo.I don't know yet, visually probably nothing right away. They already had the bass set up and I also ordered strings and some other tools so I should be ready to just start practicing. If the tuners or electronics are crap well I don't really have much choice but to fix it... but I'm hoping they wont be that bad
Here's mine. 03 cort elrick. Loaded with aguilar super singles and aguilar ob3 preamp. Kept the stock bridge but changed out to real gotoh tuners. Strung with elixir nanoweb strings. I'll put this bass up against anything. It is that good.
Personally I always try different strings before thinking of swapping anything.
I agree at least to my knowledge with guitars the pickups were usually the priority but people keep saying the stock SX pups sound pretty good so I'll have to play it a while first to decide what's worth upgrading.
EdwardofHuncote
I Still Dream of Jeannie
- Aug 21, 2013
- 6,654
- 2
- 16,426
- Disclosures
- I privately own and operate a local musical instument repair shop.
Play it stock, scratch that--change the strings, and see how it goes. The pups I put in mine were basically top of the line at the time and are stacked humbuckers. The sound was noticeably different and not a totally 100% positive change. They are noiseless though,so I can solo the neck pup for a convincing P bass tone.
This was one baad boy that I so shoulda held onto: an Indonesian Squier Affinity with DiMarzio Model J pickups and all upgraded hardware.
It sounded alive, and I had almost nothing invested in it.
Cort elricks go for cheap if you can find one. The aguilar electronics tuners and setup cost me way less than a grand
This is a $200-250 bass with $300 in upgrades.
Invalid Link Removed
New tuners, bridge, pickups, electronics, strings, and the high end pickguard
Aside from the strings and pickups, all the other changes where cosmetic. I basically wanted to replace the chrome with black. Although, ironically, it is strung with chromes.
Invalid Link Removed
New tuners, bridge, pickups, electronics, strings, and the high end pickguard
Aside from the strings and pickups, all the other changes where cosmetic. I basically wanted to replace the chrome with black. Although, ironically, it is strung with chromes.
