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Upgrading Cheap Bass into Something Lovely

matty78943

matty78943

Guest
Oct 13, 2016
39
20
Somewhere
#1
ok so ive been playing bass for about 4/5 months now and am thinking of getting a second bass.

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this one to be precise! /\/\/\

now i know it will be a bit meh but playable so here is my plan!
- im going to swap out the stock pickups for either some seymour duncan SPB-1's or the steve harris signatures (massive maiden fan btw!!)
- add teh shiny pickup and bridge covers for the '60s retro style
- maybe some new tuners (hipshot xtender?)

and in the end of this little project i should have experience with the internals of a bass and also a lovely vintage style "'63 p bass" without having to shell out $$$!

any tips or ideas that i should incorperate?

(ive included the picture of the bass i want to replicate)
 

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#2
When you swap the pickups out, you should also upgrade the pots, output jack and wiring.

It would probably need to have a fret job and at that price, the neck (wood between the frets) would also need to be levelled.

At the end of the day you will probably have more money into the upgrades than buying a real Fender P bass.
 
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#3
5544 said:
At the end of the day you will probably have more money into the upgrades than buying a real Fender P bass.
Click to expand...

This could very well be true. However, it really depends on your goals as to whether or not that's a bad thing. If your goals are to both wind up with a bass more to your liking than you can afford right now, AND to learn about the inner and outer workings of the bass guitar in the process, then I would say go for it.

After playing for more than 30 years I recently put together a parts bass. It was rewarding and a learned a ton about what goes into a bass coming together. The results are more than just the sum of their parts. There is almost always something you didn't think of.

I agree that you should swap out all of the electronics rather than just the pickup. But the components are cheap. Even a prewired wiring harness wouldn't be very expensive. But putting a nice pickup in front of cheap pots would likely not allow the pickup to reach its full potential.
 
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#5
@matty78943
Should be a goer :thumbsup: Only thing I think you'll have to do is plug the scratchplate holes and drill new ones when you change the plate. Everthing else is just down to the parts you choose.I wonder what the nut width is ? That's the same shape headstock as on Peavey basses so the necks may well come from the same factory but recent Peavey necks have been 38mm. Can't find the same on the G4M site.

The good news is even on entry models Peaveys come with great necks so if they are the same you've struck gold.
Remember G4M have a good return policy so you can always change your mind.

Good Luck.
 
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#6
matty78943 said:
ok so ive been playing bass for about 4/5 months now and am thinking of getting a second bass.

Invalid Link Removed

this one to be precise! /\/\/\

now i know it will be a bit meh but playable so here is my plan!
- im going to swap out the stock pickups for either some seymour duncan SPB-1's or the steve harris signatures (massive maiden fan btw!!)
- add teh shiny pickup and bridge covers for the '60s retro style
- maybe some new tuners (hipshot xtender?)

and in the end of this little project i should have experience with the internals of a bass and also a lovely vintage style "'63 p bass" without having to shell out $$$!

any tips or ideas that i should incorperate?

(ive included the picture of the bass i want to replicate)
Click to expand...
Why not just save your money and buy a real Fender P-bass?
 
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#11
My only bass for 12 years was an inexpensive Chinese import. Still has the original pots,circuitry and tuners. But I did put aftermarket pups in it. The rest of it I modded myself but most aren't in the position of being able to make their own parts. I have no experience with paulownia wood so really can't comment on its sound. The covers look cool but really get in the way if you're a fingerstyle player. If you buy the bass in person I highly recommend you bring an experienced player along with you if you can. If they have more than one, play them all and pick the one you like best.
A better move I think would be to save up a little bit for a Squier of some sort. Lotsa used ones out there if you're patient.
 
#17
If the close up of the pickguard is any indication, the updates will need to be more than you imagine, and if I recall correctly, students don't have loads of spare time. :) The pickguard shape is not only pretty far off standard, but the pictured one is roughly cut and not flush to the body around the jack. As mentioned, if you get a new pickguard, the holes will be WAY off.

The neck looks potentially interesting though. Looks like multi-laminate like the Factor necks, though certainly lower grade ply. But, it seems possible that a ply neck like that might be less prone to twisting than a one piece maple neck.

I'm a big fan of modding, but you can't overlook the time and money that will vanish if you commit to it. There is no true cheap way to mod your way all the way up. If that brand's reputation can't be verified, I agree with the Squier path. Still cheap, fewer mods needed, and you might just decide it's good enough stock!
 
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#19
cdlynch said:
If the close up of the pickguard is any indication, the updates will need to be more than you imagine, and if I recall correctly, students don't have loads of spare time. :) The pickguard shape is not only pretty far off standard, but the pictured one is roughly cut and not flush to the body around the jack. As mentioned, if you get a new pickguard, the holes will be WAY off.

The neck looks potentially interesting though. Looks like multi-laminate like the Factor necks, though certainly lower grade ply. But, it seems possible that a ply neck like that might be less prone to twisting than a one piece maple neck.

I'm a big fan of modding, but you can't overlook the time and money that will vanish if you commit to it. There is no true cheap way to mod your way all the way up. If that brand's reputation can't be verified, I agree with the Squier path. Still cheap, fewer mods needed, and you might just decide it's good enough stock!
Click to expand...
When you get below a certain price point the quality really dips down into marginal territory. At least my budget bass has an alder body. As mentioned, a used red CV would seem the budget way to go and is a known commodity in the resale market.
 
#20
Killed_by_Death said:
I you insist on mail order, just get this one:

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Click to expand...
My local mom and pop had an affinity PJ in "race red" around Christmas time that I kept having a look at. I kept trying to convince myself that it couldn't possibly be any good at all but the more I looked, the more I liked. It had pretty good resonance and I was mentally turning it into a Pino lookalike in my head. I finally decided to buy it and went in the store and it must've sold in the previous 48 hours :bawl:.
I might ask him to bring in another one but for now my gas has been cured.
 
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