My first(and currently only bass, as i'm going to pick up a rickenbacker at the end of this month) is a 1999 MIM Standard Jazz Bass. Swapped the bridge, feels amazing and sounds great. I'm content. I guess what I'm saying here is that each instrument differs - my thunderbird I recently sold didn't feel good, and could have used a pickup swap. Case by case. But I couldn't agree more with this: Playability/Feel is THE MOSE IMPORTANT!
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Playability is the very first parameter. If it doesn't want to be played it has to undergo modifications. If that doesn't cure the problem, the open fire will be the next stop.
Tone comes next. The right type of strings and the right pickup height are the basis. Pedals and eq-ing should do the rest. If not, pickup(s) may be swapped.
Aesthetics? Not all that important to me. I play a lot of punk rock, so what?
since i first got my ibanez rb630 in 92, i've been wanting to add a J at bridge position. also not happy with the faux maple neck.
Hi Jay, good to hear from you. Any mods specifically made to your G&L basses?Playability is the very first parameter. If it doesn't want to be played it has to undergo modifications. If that doesn't cure the problem, the open fire will be the next stop.
Tone comes next. The right type of strings and the right pickup height are the basis. Pedals and eq-ing should do the rest. If not, pickup(s) may be swapped.
Aesthetics? Not all that important to me. I play a lot of punk rock, so what?
Sure! I swapped the 47 nF tone capacitor for a 220 nF capacitor to enhance the control range. I also improved screening and grounding.
The cheap Chinese P-Bass underwent a series of modifications, like screening, grounding, reshaping the headstock for better weight distribution and I mounted a black pick guard
When its a well-built P Bass with flats that's had a good set up. Obviously, a tort pickguard is required as well.
To me playability is a combination of action feel and tone.
I don't buy a bass that doesn't look good, but I won't play a bass that is butt ugly either. Has to be at least presentable for me to play it. No brown paper bag basses/bassist for me...
If I can't get the tone I want, I'll modify pickups or electronics until I get what I'm looking for. So far I've swapped in 18V Bartolini jazz pups and a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound P pup. The vintage Rivoli already has all the tone I could ever want.
I don't buy a bass that doesn't look good, but I won't play a bass that is butt ugly either. Has to be at least presentable for me to play it. No brown paper bag basses/bassist for me...
If I can't get the tone I want, I'll modify pickups or electronics until I get what I'm looking for. So far I've swapped in 18V Bartolini jazz pups and a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound P pup. The vintage Rivoli already has all the tone I could ever want.
If I can pick up a bass and plug it in and it makes a sound like a bass, and the intonation is good and it stays in tune reasonably well, and the strings aren't a mile off the fingerboard its good enough for me anyway. I like the challenge of playing older beat on Japaneses made basses and such from the 60's that are less than perfect and being able to play anything well on them. However my go to basses are nicer than that like my Squier CV60's P bass with Geezer Butler pickup, My Rick 4003s and my Epi Jack Casady. They are well beyond good enough for me. Even stock the Squier is an incredible bass. And I set them up nice with low to medium action depending on the bass and strings. I guess what I'm saying is I don't really have a set standard to go by. I just like to play!
Very nice. I had a train wreck of a P clone that I was gonna try and salvage, but it proved to be an unnecessary addition to my already-too-large stable (3). I promptly returned it to the pawn shop for a channel mixer.Sure! I swapped the 47 nF tone capacitor for a 220 nF capacitor to enhance the control range. I also improved screening and grounding.
The cheap Chinese P-Bass underwent a series of modifications, like screening, grounding, reshaping the headstock for better weight distribution and I mounted a black pick guard
So far never ....... But my next bass .
The bass that was good enough I let go thinking something was missing . Sometimes you don't know what you got until it's gone . Like love , finding the bass that's good enough is a long long road.
Playability seems key to me .Does not matter how great it sounds if I can't get super low action out of it cause I know I can have both .
The bass that was good enough I let go thinking something was missing . Sometimes you don't know what you got until it's gone . Like love , finding the bass that's good enough is a long long road.
Playability seems key to me .Does not matter how great it sounds if I can't get super low action out of it cause I know I can have both .
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When it gets to the point that I start looking for a spare one, I'm usually pretty happy. This lasts for about ten years and then different aspects get refined. Tone is part of it, ease of controls, not usually worried about the looks.
I can have a body that looks like it has went through a nuclear holocaust but the neck has to be imperfection free on the back side. Lately been playing around with flattening the finish with 2000 grit wet paper on the back of the neck.
It's evolved over the years, me not so much, but it is subtle.
I've never really owned a fine instrument, but a made-in-Indonesia Squier currently meets the need. It's basically straight out of the box, with a not-too-expert home setup.
I thought about doing some mods, but honestly don't see the point for my purposes. This is not to disparage what others have done in their own quest for tone. It's just that my current instrument has a decent basic sound and a good tonal palette, and is more than enough to show my flaws as a player.
Well, there is one mod I love: I always put flats on my bass guitars. I took 10 years of cello lessons as a kid, so flats are just plain vanilla strings to me. Roundwounds still feel all guitar-ish and stuff.
To me a major mod is trying a different brand of flats, or switching between Dunlop and D'Andrea picks.
Somebody in another thread said that the order in which to upgrade things is cab, head, bass. That sounds about right to me, after having had a chance to play this Squier through Phil Jones gear. I also love what Jamaladeen Tacuma's able to do with a Squier + Aguilar amplification. YMMV!
My perspective may soon change. A friend wants me to try his made-in-China Dingwall. Same guy who has the PJB gear.
I thought about doing some mods, but honestly don't see the point for my purposes. This is not to disparage what others have done in their own quest for tone. It's just that my current instrument has a decent basic sound and a good tonal palette, and is more than enough to show my flaws as a player.
Well, there is one mod I love: I always put flats on my bass guitars. I took 10 years of cello lessons as a kid, so flats are just plain vanilla strings to me. Roundwounds still feel all guitar-ish and stuff.
To me a major mod is trying a different brand of flats, or switching between Dunlop and D'Andrea picks.
Somebody in another thread said that the order in which to upgrade things is cab, head, bass. That sounds about right to me, after having had a chance to play this Squier through Phil Jones gear. I also love what Jamaladeen Tacuma's able to do with a Squier + Aguilar amplification. YMMV!
My perspective may soon change. A friend wants me to try his made-in-China Dingwall. Same guy who has the PJB gear.
Generally speaking I'll only buy a bass if I like it as it is (setup notwithstanding). My most heavily modded bass is an '07 MIA P with a Lollar pickup, vintage style wiring (orange drop cap, no s-1), hipshot ultra lites and strap locks. My next most modded is my '70 EB-3L that has strap locks and a hipshot supertone bridge to replace the collapsed stick bridge. Everything else is box stock except strap locks and a few pickguards.
you'll know your bass is good enough when you stop worrying if your bass is good enough and begin to worry about your amp being good enough
I have a pre-conceived idea of what my bass (es) should sound like.
When it does it is "good". When it doesn't it isn't.
When it does it is "good". When it doesn't it isn't.
Sure. My basses are great and all do what they do perfectly. The ultimate question is: does your standard out-of-the-box bass do the job, or do you like/need to mod. If so, when are you satisfied?
Personally, I only upgraded a bridge on a Squier Jazz. Next are pots and tuners. Otherwise, the bass needs nothing else.
