What's the best modification you've made?

[JIO]

I don't understand why brass nuts or zero frets aren't more common.

Agree - not a 'mod' but a recent build w/a 32" 22 fret neck with a zero-fret - I also cut brass nuts and hybrid brass/bone, brass/tusk, brass/ebony nuts. This one is bone as the fret delivers to tonal response and the 'nut' in this application is primarily a string guide/retainer.

 

[eli]

I asked Carl Pedigo at Lakland some years ago why they didn't do zero frets. He told me they take just as much if not more work than a normal nut, so they saw no advantage.

 

[JIO]

I asked Carl Pedigo at Lakland some years ago why they didn't do zero frets. He told me they take just as much if not more work than a normal nut, so they saw no advantage.

that's one opinion

 

[jhb138]

My main P was already heavily modded when I got her: finish removed from neck; Schaller 3D bridge; EMG active pup; aftermarket pg.

The best mod *I've* made was swapping the pup for a passive EMG Geezer.

 

[7615]

Practicing more often

That is the one. In reality any bass (within reason) will do.

 

[Copperhead]

I put DS-1 Pickups in my '73 Guild JS-II. It's...it's... It's just unreal.

 

[Marty Forrer]

Replaced the stock preamp with an Aguilar OBP3 in my MTD Kingston Heir.

 

[4 Out of 5]

that's one opinion

I asked Carl Pedigo at Lakland some years ago why they didn't do zero frets. He told me they take just as much if not more work than a normal nut, so they saw no advantage.

So they don't offer them because it adds cost to the bass. I guess the reality is most people don't know what they are so wouldn't be looking for one in a new bass. And at the end of the day it's about maximising profit.
I guess bone nuts are just inherited from the double bass. When you think about it it's a bit strange on a fretted instrument for the nut to be made out of a completely different material to the frets.

 

[nostatic]

Best modification I did was lessons with Ant Wellington some years back...

 

[Craig4003]

Practicing more often

In this vein, I'd say my best "mod" was joining a band again for the first time in many years. Rehearsing regularly with the group, playing a wider variety of songs in different styles, and having to devise bass lines for the band's originals has done a lot for my playing.

 

[logdrum]

Bartolinis

 

[Axstar]

So I say things like this....

Selling it and buying a bass that closer suited my tonal requirements.

...but what I mean is...

I love modding basses! If I find a bass that is 90% right for my needs then I carry it that last 10%, even if it makes poor financial sense. Some guys pour money into old cars, yachts, keeping a Cessna in the air...

I picked up this sunburst Dearmond Starfire locally. This is after I cleaned it up:

But when I think of Starfires I think of stuff like this:

This is a pair of Guild BS-1 pickups, and in the photo they are test-fitted and not plumbed in. The tricky bit is having to hand-shape the spacers that sit under the pickups. So far I've built one, from 5mm ABS plastic and hand tools:

The Starfire is a flight of fantasy. My two working basses are PJ Mustangs.

#1 Mustang has a replacement pearloid WD Music pickguard, thumb rest, Fender Badass II-style bridge, copper shielding, Seymour Duncan pickups (stacked Jazz pickup) and a total rewire.

Mustang #2 has a black WD Music pickguard, thumb rest, Fender Badass II-style bridge, copper shielding, Dimarzio Model P and J pickups and a complete rewire.

Both basses have had their frets leveled, crowned and polished and their 3-way switches replaced.

The modifications to the Mustangs are the best I've ever made, as they make the bass play and sound better! No noise, no hum, and powerful output.

 

[JIO]

So they don't offer them because it adds cost to the bass. I guess the reality is most people don't know what they are so wouldn't be looking for one in a new bass. And at the end of the day it's about maximising profit.
I guess bone nuts are just inherited from the double bass. When you think about it it's a bit strange on a fretted instrument for the nut to be made out of a completely different material to the frets.

All good points. To add to this, the majority of inexpensive short scale basses (mostly) from Japan in the 60's (again mostly) had zero frets. Many young players (me included) started on these instruments and frankly didn't know anything about such details - to us it was a bass. When we progressed we saw that Fenders and Gibsons etc didn't have zero frets and that probably added to the stigma that later was leveled on these cheap instruments for not being as good as more expensive Fenders, Gibsons etc. All of this is not to say either method is right or better than the other, but trends and fashions (in this case a legitimate option) are often effected by impressions not related to function.

 

[Copperhead]

Wow! You and I think alike. I take the same approach.

I bought a set of those Dearmonds some time back, maybe from you ?
Anyway, they were a step up in tone in the JSII.

When I bit the bullet and bought the BS-1's I had to do the same spacer mod because the bezel was too high for the neck position.

I then took one of the Dearmonds and put it in my JS-1, with Labella flats its a monster old school thumper with the punch and perfect spot in the mix like an old P. The Dearmonds have more full range than originals.

I would like a Starfire II. I almost sprung for one of the Dearmonds recently, but really want BS-1's so It will probably be a Reish Guild.

BTW, both my Guilds had replacement bridges, and I sprung for two of the repros from best bass gear? I think .

Period correct, not that expensive. They do require a shallow rout under the dimples on the bottom as your photo shows.

So I say things like this....



...but what I mean is...

I love modding basses! If I find a bass that is 90% right for my needs then I carry it that last 10%, even if it makes poor financial sense. Some guys pour money into old cars, yachts, keeping a Cessna in the air...

I picked up this sunburst Dearmond Starfire locally. This is after I cleaned it up:

View attachment 3111148

But when I think of Starfires I think of stuff like this:

View attachment 3111149


This is a pair of Guild BS-1 pickups, and in the photo they are test-fitted and not plumbed in. The tricky bit is having to hand-shape the spacers that sit under the pickups. So far I've built one, from 5mm ABS plastic and hand tools:

View attachment 3111150

The Starfire is a flight of fantasy. My two working basses are PJ Mustangs.

View attachment 3111151

#1 Mustang has a replacement pearloid WD Music pickguard, thumb rest, Fender Badass II-style bridge, copper shielding, Seymour Duncan pickups (stacked Jazz pickup) and a total rewire.

View attachment 3111152

Mustang #2 has a black WD Music pickguard, thumb rest, Fender Badass II-style bridge, copper shielding, Dimarzio Model P and J pickups and a complete rewire.

Both basses have had their frets leveled, crowned and polished and their 3-way switches replaced.

The modifications to the Mustangs are the best I've ever made, as they make the bass play and sound better! No noise, no hum, and powerful output.

 

[Axstar]

Wow! You and I think alike. I take the same approach.

I bought a set of those Dearmonds some time back, maybe from you ?
Anyway, they were a step up in tone in the JSII.

When I bit the bullet and bought the BS-1's I had to do the same spacer mod because the bezel was too high for the neck position.

I then took one of the Dearmonds and put it in my JS-1, with Labella flats its a monster old school thumper with the punch and perfect spot in the mix like an old P.

I would like a Starfire II. I almost sprung for one of the Dearmonds recently, but really want BS-1's so It will probably be a Reish Guild.

BTW, both my Guilds had replacement bridges, and I sprung for two of the repros from best bass gear? I think .
Period correct, not the expensive.

Hey hey!! I still have the stock Dearmond pickups, though I will sell them if I stick with the BS-1 pickups.

The Dearmond pickups aren't too exciting for me. They are quite dull really, and not very hot at all. The poles also seem to unscrew themselves, which is annoying!

The Dearmond pickups are visual copies(ish) of the old Guild humbuckers that replaced the Bisonics in the early 1970s. The Guild pickups were really hot though.

Your JS-1 sounds cool though! I'm sure these pickups work in the right context. I figured I might keep one and put it in my Jack Casady project bass.

The neck angle on the Dearmond Starfire is nothing like the Guild basses. This has given me a few problems. I dug up photos of vintage Guild Starfires and the Bisonics sit on fairly tall bezels that look like they are painted wood? The string angle is steeper, and the harp bridge teeters on two screws on those basses. The harp bridge on my Dearmond is screwed right down, and the bass has regular Fender-style saddles. Both stock BS-1 bezels needed a total shave to get the pickups to fit under the strings, so I started making my own to test a few things. I need to compensate for the contouring on the top of the bass, so my DIY bezel is concave on the underside.

 

[Rib 13]

What's the best modification you've made?

divorcing my first wife

 

[Copperhead]

Good info. I always wondered if the Dearmond was a "not quite" copy.

For sure the pickups cantncome close to the BS-1's. They are, though, kind of a bridge between the two others tonally, and pretty suitable for a more balanced old school tone. My current unfinished project is an Epi EB-0 with the other Dearmond and a Supertone bridge that was one of the Guilds when I bought it.

The thing about all of these pickups is they are narrow spacing, and work well with these designs. Isn't the Casady a more conventional long scale spacing ? let me know hows the poles line up I'm curious.

I'm going to put up some pics later.

Hey hey!! I still have the stock Dearmond pickups, though I will sell them if I stick with the BS-1 pickups.

The Dearmond pickups aren't too exciting for me. They are quite dull really, and not very hot at all. The poles also seem to unscrew themselves, which is annoying!

The Dearmond pickups are visual copies(ish) of the old Guild humbuckers that replaced the Bisonics in the early 1970s. The Guild pickups were really hot though.

Your JS-1 sounds cool though! I'm sure these pickups work in the right context. I figured I might keep one and put it in my Jack Casady project bass.

The neck angle on the Dearmond Starfire is nothing like the Guild basses. This has given me a few problems. I dug up photos of vintage Guild Starfires and the Bisonics sit on fairly tall bezels that look like they are painted wood? The string angle is steeper, and the harp bridge teeters on two screws on those basses. The harp bridge on my Dearmond is screwed right down, and the bass has regular Fender-style saddles. Both stock BS-1 bezels needed a total shave to get the pickups to fit under the strings, so I started making my own to test a few things. I need to compensate for the contouring on the top of the bass, so my DIY bezel is concave on the underside.

 

[Axstar]

Good info. I always wondered if the Dearmond was a "not quite" copy.

For sure the pickups cantncome close to the BS-1's. They are, though, kind of a bridge between the two others tonally, and pretty suitable for a more balanced old school tone. My current unfinished project is an Epi EB-0 with the other Dearmond and a Supertone bridge that was one of the Guilds when I bought it.

The thing about all of these pickups is they are narrow spacing, and work well with these designs. Isn't the Casady a more conventional long scale spacing ? let me know hows the poles line up I'm curious.

I'm going to put up some pics later.

I figured the Casady would come out the same, as it has a regular 3-pointer bridge. Maybe some more fun lies ahead of me!

The Dearmond Starfire is a sorta visual copy. The big differences are that the headstock is much smaller, the neck is bound and the neck angle is shallower. The bridge is also the same as was on my old sparkle pink Dearmond Jet Star bass. Guild themselves had a reissue phase or two in the '90s, and some Starfires cmae out with NOS Guild humbuckers and a body outline that was much closer to an ES-355 than the old Guild designs. By contrast the Newark Street stuff seems closer to the originals; they just don't make a sunburst one!

Pics would be cool!

 

[Copperhead]

@axtar

 

[RG bass]

Hi!

I have recently the opportunity to buy a Fender Pbass body 76 that was already beatup with a second Pbass hole at the bridge position, the neck pocket was too much sanded on each side so there was space to sit the neck tight correctly... So i decided to put together parts of 3 iconic bass that i already had at home (Jazz bass/Musicman/Pbass). I have this project in mind for a long time... I called it the "Frankeinbass vintage/modern project"! Thanks to my luthier (instrument maker) who did a fantastic job with all of it!!!

I named it the JPMM-0818!!!
Jazz/Precision/Musicman parts from vintage and modern ages.
Numbers are for the month and year of her resurrection!
What can i say... TONE MACHINE!!!!

Hope that you'll like it!

-Fender Pbass 76 body natural.
-Fender jazz bass 75 maple neck original with maple fretboard block inlays with originals tuners.
-Musicman 93 preamp.
-One pickup from a Stingray HH model from 2006 (bridge).
-Seymour Duncan Steve Harris Signature precision pickups.
-Seymour Duncan Jazz pickup STK-J1N (neck).
-Fender high mass bridge.
-Pickguard white pearloid.
-There's also 3 switches to blend the pickups together that are installed,
series, parallel and off for each pickups!!

Cheers!!
RG bass