The best modification of all times was buying one of the first Bogart / SKC basses. It's concrete-like body finish plus the graphite/ebonol neck were near indestructible, and I am into the heavier music styles, most of the time the stuff around me broke, but never my bass. After 30 yrs it needed a new jack and it could maybe have a new volume pot in near future.
All stuff I tried to mod my previous basses, a cheap Pearl JB and the Ibanez Roadstar II "Beany" bass, and the basses themselves were not really bad, but above features and Bartolini/Noll made it my go-to for 30 yrs. - without ever feeling the need to modify anything.
This made the difference: I had no excuse anymore that the sound or the handling or anything was holding me back, and I could start to blame myself for everything.
No joke, that made the most difference for me.
Now, I have learned that modern ultra-cheap vietnam basses must not be bad at all and inspire me more, than a set of new pickups that would cost as much as the whole bass! For under 400 bucks I got a "Redsub" from UK, that is the first 5-string and fanned-fret I really like to have in hand, it plays really well, sound is OK and excellent for modern metal or metalcore sounds, looks great, great features, and the neck is fabulous. The hardware like the tuners and the bridge screws are crap, the hi band in the active EQ hisses all up. But it still works great when tamed a bit.
I don't get it, that people care about the tiniest finish problems, but on the other hand buy "relic-ed" instruments for the price of a new car, the bass is for playing and not for hanging in the living room to show-off IMHO. If it does not get a ding here or there, you probably weren't gigging enough. Nevertheless, mine was flawless in this regards.
I will try out another active circuitry now, I guess a tone capsule will fit this thing very well. New tuners in the 50 bucks range ... tuners are more a luxury problem. And I mean it. If it does not hold tuning - it is most probably from a well-known guitar manufacturer with far-too-expensive instruments, watch your necks, you know, what I mean. Reminds me of not buying Warwick tuners. In opposite to mentioned manufacturer, these hold the tune, but tend to break like the necks of Gibs... oops, I side-tracked.
If I am not happy enough with that, I - might - try out different pickups, but I doubt I will do.
First - pickups are overrated. Or better: EXPENSIVE pickups are overrated.
Although they have a huge impact on sound, you might like cheap ones just as much as expensive ones. These are not esoteric mic preamp transformers, these are pickups and you can choose the sound you like. I was very happy with Bartolini classic in my Bogart, but also like the different sound of EMGs in my Schecter bass. (I don't have it for long now, and do not play it too often, but it sounds really good.)
But I swear that the JB pickups in my first passive cheap Pearl bass had an enormous output and punch, fat bass and crisp hi-end, and I doubt I would find something similar easily again. Although the neck was twisted crap after 2 years, I got more than half it's new price and found a local buyer instantly because of the sound!
So, I probably will not invest a fortune in pickups and will not hesitate to use "money-back" if I don't like an expensive pair of those. Most probably, the ones in the bass will stay - don't change, what you already like. Maybe I change one of them to a classic Bartolini, to get more low-end punch, but first waiting for the difference with a better electronic circuitry.
When I had my first band rehearsal with the new bass, my guitarist and drummer gave a really, really good feedback about sound, looks and how it inspires me. Without mods. And dropped the jars when I told them the price of this beast. Price does not make sound. Sound makes sound.
PS: BTW., the biggest mod for sound is the cab and the speakers. For me, my Glockenklang 4x10 does it. And a fairly "pure-wire" amplifier. Man, I love the times of class-D amps. Clean power at a fraction of weight and cost.
