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What Little Mod Made All The Difference?
- Thread starter plangentmusic
- Start date
I switched the stock (well I bought it switched) pups in my dirnt for QPs. Damn it sounded 10000000000% better. I dont have them in there now, but that needs to change soon.
On a bass?
Switching out the bridge of my 4001 copy for a hipshot. Sounds great and has good intonation now. I do miss the mute a little, though.
On a guitar?
Changing out the pickups and wiring in my Quest explorer copy. Fed back like hell before, was incredibly muddy, etc. New pots and Duncan pickups and it sounds great clean or overdriven now.
Switching out the bridge of my 4001 copy for a hipshot. Sounds great and has good intonation now. I do miss the mute a little, though.
On a guitar?
Changing out the pickups and wiring in my Quest explorer copy. Fed back like hell before, was incredibly muddy, etc. New pots and Duncan pickups and it sounds great clean or overdriven now.
I made a cheap jazz into a stereo PJJ only to find out that i prefer a simple P bass 
one mod that did something was switching to schaller 3d bridge, cause the original bridge was out of place... with 3d, i got perfect alignment and intonation...
best mods are for playability... sounds won't change drastically unless you change pickup type etc... i replaced a cheap P with a Nordie NP4 and the change in sound was minimal (when compared to changing strings or simply turning the tone knob and/or adjusting technique)... but replacing a J with P of course did change things quite a bit
one mod that did something was switching to schaller 3d bridge, cause the original bridge was out of place... with 3d, i got perfect alignment and intonation...
best mods are for playability... sounds won't change drastically unless you change pickup type etc... i replaced a cheap P with a Nordie NP4 and the change in sound was minimal (when compared to changing strings or simply turning the tone knob and/or adjusting technique)... but replacing a J with P of course did change things quite a bit
Not so much a mod but something small that can yield big results is a simple string change.
But more on subject changing my 2-way switches to 3-way to add single coil on my humbuckers was a couple bucks very well spent. Single coil mode is the bee
s knees.
But more on subject changing my 2-way switches to 3-way to add single coil on my humbuckers was a couple bucks very well spent. Single coil mode is the bee
s knees.
Better tuning machines. Not having to retune between songs is a good thing.
FWIW the best upright mod was when the tailpiece was replaced.
FWIW the best upright mod was when the tailpiece was replaced.
Bryan R. Tyler
TalkBass: Usurping My Practice Time Since 2002
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Oooh, speaking of upright mods... my bass became SO much better when I had the bridge and endpin replaced.
I have done a lot of mods on a lot of basses. Usually pickups/preamps. But the mod I've done on a couple of instruments that had the biggest impact - turning a bass that was essentially unplayable into a player - is installing Hipshot Ultra-Lite tuners. If you have a bass that has neck dive, but is otherwise good give them a shot.
The latest I did this mod on was a Brice HXB-406 6 string bass. With the huge neck and 6 tuners it had neck dive that made it virtually unplayable to me. I installed Ultra-Lites, and now it balances perfectly. And those cheap no-name Korean pickups actually sound pretty good, so switching tuners was a much more useful mod than switching pickups would be. Without the Hipshots I would have sold the bass, now I'm playing it a lot.
The latest I did this mod on was a Brice HXB-406 6 string bass. With the huge neck and 6 tuners it had neck dive that made it virtually unplayable to me. I installed Ultra-Lites, and now it balances perfectly. And those cheap no-name Korean pickups actually sound pretty good, so switching tuners was a much more useful mod than switching pickups would be. Without the Hipshots I would have sold the bass, now I'm playing it a lot.
- Feb 16, 2008
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IMO, alot of the comments about setup and strings are really just maintenance. for me, one of the best 'mods' is to add a little roll-over to the fingrboard's edges to make it feel smoother and more 'broken-in' .
JohnK... How do you do the rollover?
My brother-in-law's Carvin guitar has a rather sharp edge to the fingerboard, and I don't know the best way (tools or sequence) to do the rounding.
Especially, how do you deal with the fret ends? Curious, as I've been asked to fix this, but don't really know where to start.
My brother-in-law's Carvin guitar has a rather sharp edge to the fingerboard, and I don't know the best way (tools or sequence) to do the rounding.
Especially, how do you deal with the fret ends? Curious, as I've been asked to fix this, but don't really know where to start.
Years ago I put a polyurethane coating on a Peavey T40 fretless w/ rosewood board. I also reprofiled the neck to be more like my Jazz bass, replaced the nut, put a set of active EMG P/J pups in, and replaced the bridge w/ one from a Fender Elite. This was an awesome bass (but heavy). I ended up selling it in need of cash, plus at the time I didn't have the discipline to become a good fretless player. Ah...youth.
Recently when I learned about the .0047 cap on the bridge pups of the earlier Ric basses I checked my '85 4003 and found it didn't have one. I promptly added one and a mini toggle to bypass it when I want too. Great mod, no wonder Ric added the "vintage tone circuit" a few years back.
Recently when I learned about the .0047 cap on the bridge pups of the earlier Ric basses I checked my '85 4003 and found it didn't have one. I promptly added one and a mini toggle to bypass it when I want too. Great mod, no wonder Ric added the "vintage tone circuit" a few years back.
Best cheap mod I've done is to put a Sprague .047 Orange Drop cap in. It really made the tone so much better and creamier. I think it cost me $3.
