Single best upgrade on a bass? (Poll)

[Kael]

New strings. When I find myself uninspired by an instrument I normally use, fresh strings fix that 99.997% of the time.

disclaimer: I am a light touch guy that likes WELL broken in rounds. Juse swapped out strings on my two main players for the first time in over a year.

 

[Scarysharkface]

I was just wondering what y'all in general would consider to be the "best" (certainly a relative, subjective term) upgrade for a bass. I understand that different basses would probably benefit from different upgrades but if you're looking to tinker with a bass you "like" but want to "love" then where do you personally start? Pickups? Tuners? Bridge? New neck? Pots and wiring? Preamp? Strings?

I'm interested to see differing thoughts and opinions, not looking to crown a champion. Let's go!

It depends entirely on the instrument.

John

 

[David McIntire]

Strings

 

[gcb]

Other: nut

 

[MG Wolf]

*Other

 

[GreyBeard]

This is honestly the best option.

For an actual hardware thing, my thought process is always "Does it stay in tune?" as the #1. If the answer is "No.", then tuners are first. If that answer is yes, then I go with "How does it sound?". At that point, you need to prioritize your money. The least expensive way to vary the sound of a bass is probably string-rolling until you are happy.

I voted tuner also. Bad tuners are a total PIA.

 

[Geogio]

I've gutted close to every bass I've ever owned, there have been a few that I did not touch.
Machine heads most of the time are changed.
Bridges usually remain.

Add that up and if you don't do it yourself add the labor charges and the cost of the bass and strings and that's your actual cost.

I' ve played '50s &'60s basses and guitars TBH I would rather have a new one with new appointments that I prefer over old gear that probably should be on display at this point in time.

Retro specs are if no interest either. Especially fret wire.

 

[jbasedig]

My 93 Jazz Bass sounded better after putting in a Bad Ass bridge. Actually, any Fender or Fender style bass I have or have had, gets the bridge changed. I don't think it's all in my head, look at what Music Man and G&L did with their bridges.

 

[Clark Westfield]

Strap locks

 

[Nedmundo]

Of course it depends on the bass, but the best upgrades I've done have been pickups, specifically Lindy Fralins in my 2003 MIA Jazz and a 2004 MIA Precision I used to have, and Lace Man o' Wars in my G&L USA JB. It's the same on the guitar side, where Lace Sensor Hot Golds (with hot bridge) were a fantastic upgrade for my 2004 MIA Strat. I also thought a Gotoh bridge was an excellent upgrade for an MIM Jazz I had for awhile.

I've never experienced bad tuners, but if the instrument can't stay in tune those would be most important. I've been in two bands with guitarists whose guitars could not stay in tune, and I coerced them into using an old Ibanez of mine, which was rock solid and always stayed in tune. Made a big difference.

 

[Outbush]

I like my bass to hang at a 40-45 degree angle so ultralight tuners are a must.

I’m another obsessive straplock user too.

 

[Bighouse]

A nice, comfortable strap...second to practice.

 

[chris_b]

I the past I've bought fantastic playing and sounding basses but every one has moved into another league after a good set up (and possibly a fret stone) and with a new set of strings.

Assuming I bought the right bass in the first place that's where my upgrades stop.

 

[Whale guy]

I agree with strings and practice. The couple of times I "upgraded"a bass, I ended up putting it back to stock or selling it. Spend that time on practice and that money on more gear.

 

[rtslinger]

I said tuners if it doesn't stay in tune what good is it

 

[MrB64]

To me, that would depend on the bass you're thinking of upgrading. What could be better on it? You could have 5 different basses with each having a different thing that could be improved upon.

 

[james condino]

Upgrade yourself with lessons....

 

[BassStarvedSoul]

Time.

It's a wonder how a bass can change through time, if you stick with one long enough.

With time, if you practice long enough, you get better and the bass sounds better. And the bass also gifts you with several happy surprises on the way.

Personally, when I got the bass, the only thing it needed was a setup (truss rod related), but otherwise, I had to get used to it - how to play, my fingers complained it was a murder and I seriously doubted that I would ever reach the frets needed and getting off-rhythm drove me up the wall. And that Pinky Hell, when I discovered that my pinky finger was needed to play some songs right.

I had to learn how to wire the setup and how to dial in to hear the bass through headphones and so on, especially when I use hearing aids and I had to invest in a good pair of headphones (currently AKG K712). Computer didn't really deal well with drivers used, so this was next learning experience.

It was a revelation to get the sounds working as I want then, even if at the beginning, only passive side got through, but after a whimsical change of battery, I am now happy to experiment with active sounds, which adds a whole another dimension to already played and learned songs. I am looking forward to discovering what else the bass can do when I will get better at playing it.

 

[2F/2F]

Other.

A hand made nut, tailored to the strings of your choice, and a hand fret leveling and dressing.

This improves 99 percent of factory made basses to the point at which everything else can pretty much be done with technique and rig adjustments.

 

[Nev375]

When it comes to modding I think the secret is in knowing exactly what you want.

It can take a lot of upgrades and experimentation to get to that point. ...At least it did for me.