Friend gave me a bass, I cleaned her up a bit. I've tried to figure out what make and model she is but no one knows. Seems like a strat body and Tele pickup and an Ibanez neck. Plugged her in to play a bit today and sounded like garbage no clue what is wrong either. Thinking about replacing the electronics. Will it be worth it? Or should I get someone to try and get it to sound the best it can be right now?
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What do I have here?
- Thread starter Skitrodabro
- Start date
That's are very "interesting" bass looks like something someone would make at home out of other guitars
My guess is that it probably is but idk for sure nor do I really know the history behind the guitar
Ibanez 2353 Tele bass (early 70s??)
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Looks like those Ibanez basses for sure- maybe if you don't lower the strings, raise the pickup towards the strings a little. It should probably be about 2 mm from the strings when they are pressed down at the last fret. That may improve the sound drastically. Also, try to straighten out that messy bridge- it's all pushed out and wonky, causing the strings to not line up so good over the fingerboard.
I wouldn't upgrade it till you've set it up right like the action and pickup height then you can see if its worth upgrading. if it still sounds terrible and the intonation won't stay and the neck is screwed sell it on or part it out. But if that helps upgrade it then you could have a very unique bass that plays well and sounds good
That's a very cool bass. Probably just needs a set up.
Well, as for the make, the headstock does seem to say "Ibanez". Looks nice, if the neck is straight and the truss rod works, might be quite a player.
What specifically is wrong with the sound? You won't easily find a replacement pickup that's an exact fit, but any blade single coil strat format pickup would probably fit in that cover. But yeah, set it up properly first before deciding on an overhaul.
Lots of static in general, and when ever I make contact with the bridge it becomes even louder (static wise) also if I touch the cover for the pots some of the static goes away. Could it just be shorted somewhere?
She's sounds a bit better now, still quiet but there is a little bit less static.
That is a very cool looking bass. Sounds like you have a bad ground in there as well as some dirty pots. Definately worth getting it checked out by a pro if you are not comfortable. May just need some cleaning. There is always the option too of passing it on to some weary sole (like me) who would give her a nice home...
mdogs I think is right about the bad ground and dirty pots. Get it checked out, it may turn out good!
Hahahaha I would but this is my first bass and I sorta wanna hold on to her! But I will have to take her into a pro and get the ground 're wired I just took off the bridge and the ground was broken off. Thanks for the advice
Could be a loose ground wire that needs re-soldering. If it's actually a vintage bass from the 1970s, I probably wouldn't make any upgrades. Working original condition might be worth more to collectors.
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
It's actually a very sweet looking bass. Get the ground fixed, get the pots cleaned, and set up, and you have a unique bass. A chambered body, which is nice as well. You might be very pleasantly surprised.
