Who Believes In Leaving Basses Alone?

[JtheJazzMan]

The "fix it anyways" kind of guys build civilisation so I wouldnt be on their case.

Im a fix it anyways kinda guy.

 

[Tusec]

Isn't that some kind of infinite loop?

No, not really.

It's kind of like a ricerodder's Civic which has the same muffler and intake as every other rice rod you see. Is that car distinctive? I say it's not.

 

[macribas]

I wish more manufacturers had a built to order model such as Taylor or Carvin. This way you would not need to do any work yourself, you choose the way your bass or guitar is going to look like, from the options they give you. Chances are you're going to have a very unique instrument.
I like changing pickguards and hardware, but only for looks. Very rare are the occasions when I need to switch pickups or electronics. It's maybe best to sell that bass and get another one with the sound you're looking for.

 

[3506string]

I'm all for leaving a bass alone, IF you don't know the exact reason you are changing what you're changing.

If the entire motivation is taking a bass you don't really like and turning into one you love you will most likely be dissapointed.

The problem most have with modding is, either them or someone they of heard of has started wrenching away at a bass because they have heard if you change Q,R and S with X,Y and Z it will make it 100 times better, and they have little to no idea why they are changing what they are changing. So after all is said and done they end up with a bass they are still not really impressed with so they will come to the conclusion modding is pointless.

Part of modding is also being able to accept that you may or may not be satisfied with the final results. It's a calculated risk. For instance if you have a darker bass that you would like to be brighter, putting brighter pickups and strings may even out the bass enough for your liking. However it may not. You may be better off starting with a brighter bass. That is where wonderful resources like the search button on talkbass are very helpful to see if someone has been down this road before.

When it comes to modifying a bass the more knowledge you have about the subject the more likely you are to yield the results you are after.

 

[Waterpilot]

No, not really.

It's kind of like a ricerodder's Civic which has the same muffler and intake as every other rice rod you see. Is that car distinctive? I say it's not.

I get what you're saying but... The VAST majority of Civic's (To use your analogy) are stock. So to say it's distinctive, in a small community, while right, doesn't make much sense since it's the exact same as the majority in the over all picture.

 

[Tusec]

So to say it's distinctive, in a small community, while right, doesn't make much sense since it's the exact same as the majority in the over all picture.

No, it makes good sense for the simple reason that context matters. I personally don't care about those thousands of anonymous basses out there, because I never experience them. They might as well not even exist. They're like a tree falling in the forest.

The only basses that matter are those owned, used, and talked about by the enthusiast community. And within the bounds of this group, unmodded basses are distinctive. That's because the conventional wisdom is that you gotta mod to have a bass that's up to snuff.

 

[johnk_10]

every one of my basses that i've modded actually looks and sounds more like a completely 'stock' bass when i'm done with it. so i'm not sure where i fit in?
no BAII HM bridges or pearloid pickguards, for me.

 

[Waterpilot]

No, it makes good sense for the simple reason that context matters. I personally don't care about those thousands of anonymous basses out there, because I never experience them. They might as well not even exist. They're like a tree falling in the forest.

The only basses that matter are those owned, used, and talked about by the enthusiast community. And within the bounds of this group, unmodded basses are distinctive. That's because the conventional wisdom is that you gotta mod to have a bass that's up to snuff.

Well I just checked the first page of this "Basses" section and the majority of threads aren't about modding. Nevertheless, I understand your point and we'll have to agree to dissagree...

 

[Tusec]

Well I just checked the first page of this "Basses" section and the majority of threads aren't about modding. Nevertheless, I understand your point and we'll have to agree to dissagree...

I'm not sure what that proves but I'm okay with agreeing to disagree. Besides, I gotta go to bed...

 

[Munjibunga]

I'm pretty much with you on this. The only mods I've done on any bass is to have the VVT controls changed to VBT on three F Basses. It had no effect on the sound.

 

[JimmyM]

Most artists that I know are never satisfied with anything. Neither in their artwork or in their tools.

They are always just one step away from perfection.... Until their next big idea comes along.

Some musicians I know are more like mechanics. They approach their music as getting the job done and doing it right. If their tools are functional they are probably unmodded.

Not saying that either approach is better or that people are limited to these two stereotypes alone. Everyone is different and thank god for that.

so are you saying that if you don't tinker with your bass that you're not an artist? i hope not, because that would be pretty insane if you thought that.

fortunately, though, i would qualify as an artist my poor 76 precision has been defaced and faced many times throughout the 34 years i've had it. i'll mod a bass if it isn't doing what i need it to do. and i'll leave a bass stock if it does. except for straploks. all my basses have straploks.

 

[RHFusillo]

For me, it depends on the bass. I've owned a Fodera whose sound I was not completely satisfied with. I would never mod a bass like that, so I sold it. I would never modify my Fender Roscoe Beck IV -- it is what it is and it's great. But I have significantly modified basses like SXes and Japanese Fenders and wound up with some really good-sounding basses.

 

[plangentmusic]

Well... you're wrong. No two ways about it.

In your mind. When I say a P with actives isn't a P, I mean it isn't the classic sound associated with a P. (Jamerson et al). I thought that was obvious.

 

[plangentmusic]

The "fix it anyways" kind of guys build civilisation so I wouldnt be on their case.

Im a fix it anyways kinda guy.

I was under the impression it was the "do it" guys.

 

[BryanC]

As every engineer know, equipment has only 2 states of being:

Either it is broken...​

or it does not have enough features.​

FWIW I have not modded any basses, yet.

 

[Coliah]

Some basses, e.g. american standard fenders, rickenbackers, dingwall's, G&L's/Laklands, no, nothing should be changed. heavy emphasis on the Am STD Fenders and ricks. You wanted the rick/fender p/j sound, you bought the bass, you got it. why change it? IMO basses to mod are cheap-o's/knockoff's, ibanez's, epiphone, some squiers, etc. etc..you get the point. But hey, it ain't my bass. Who am I to tell someone what to do with their bass?

 

[Rockmusician]

I have never modified any bass that I have owned but I usually buy high quality basses to begin with. I have considered buying a kit such as the ones sold by Carvin and building my own bass just to see how it comes out.

 

[plangentmusic]

Some basses, e.g. american standard fenders, rickenbackers, dingwall's, G&L's/Laklands, no, nothing should be changed. heavy emphasis on the Am STD Fenders and ricks. You wanted the rick/fender p/j sound, you bought the bass, you got it. why change it? IMO basses to mod are cheap-o's/knockoff's, ibanez's, epiphone, some squiers, etc. etc..you get the point. But hey, it ain't my bass. Who am I to tell someone what to do with their bass?

But Ibanez's have Bartolini pu's. What's wrong with that? I never heard of their tuners breaking or their bridges being inadequate. I also believe an Ibanez will sound like an Ibanez no matter what.

If the $225 Squier isn't up to snuff, splurge the extra 75 bucks and get a CV.

 

[thumpbass1]

If it doesnt have the sound I want, why buy it in the first place?

Sometimes you get a great deal on an instrument that has potential to bring it from it's so-so sounding state, to becoming a hell of a great sounding tone machine. Sometimes something as simple as replacing the pickups and other tweaks have been known to give dramatic results to some instruments. I would never buy an instrument that I didn't like the basic sound of. I will however consider buying something that has potential. In most cases I leave well enough alone, other than doing set up work to make something play like I want it to play.

 

[lomo]

Other then set-up, I leave mine alone . They are only original once. If I dont like the way one sounds or plays, I sell it and buy another. You never get your money back out of a bass that you spend money on to "upgrade".

My chosen approach as well. Other than strings and straplocks, if I don't dig it, it goes.