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Why do you mod your basses?

Why do you mod your bass(es)?

  • I enjoy working on my bass.

    Votes: 62 55.4%

  • I just want to change something on it.

    Votes: 50 44.6%
  • Total voters
    112
superfunk47

superfunk47

Sep 9, 2007
2,090
39
#1
Just curious - Do you guys and gals modify your basses purely because you want something about it to be different, or is it that you enjoy the process of working on your bass?

I realize most, if not all of you, do it for a little of both reasons. Just pick whichever is your primary motivator when you do your modifications :)

EDIT: Just for the record, there's nothing wrong with modding your basses, I'm just curious as to what motivates you to do it. :)
 
#3
I think it's like a salesperson told me when I bought my bass; "You'll either spend at least $1200 on a good bass the first time, or you'll spend about $800 getting a $400 bass to sound like one." Personally, I enjoy the challenge and the customization. My bass now is exactly what I like, it just took a little longer to get there.
 
#8
It's fun. And making a **** bass sound excellent is a task that gives me a relative bit of pride.


Plus, with the amount of great aftermarket stuff and different sounds, most stock instruments just can't compare IMO.

And furthermore, I can get a great sounding piece of wood for anywhere from 150 to 600 bucks, and by the time I fix little things, they play and sound IMO the price of 2k instruments.
 
#12
No bass is perfect. I have always changed out the pickups and, in one case, the bridge, and another, the neck. If I like the bass and changing the pickups or whatever makes it happen, I'm happy. If not, I move on.

My main bass, in fact, is a Fender Standard P. I put an SD QP and TI Jazz Flats on it, and changed out the neck for a custom Warmoth fretless. The modifications changed it from a so-so MIM P to a real honey.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/19652150@N02/2068468907/

I've been modding an Epiphone Sheraton II guitar I traded for: didn't like the amber knobs, so it got gold speed knobs. The pickups were weak, so I rewired it with Seymour Duncans. The pickguard looked tacky, so I took it off. Finally, the black plastic pickup rings and switch knob didn't make it, so I replaced them with creme parts.

Now it's a great sounding, classy looking axe, perfect for playing at church. It's what **I** want, not what's cheap or convenient for Samick to make.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/19652150@N02/2608180029/
 
#13
lpdeluxe said:
No bass is perfect. I have always changed out the pickups and, in one case, the bridge, and another, the neck. If I like the bass and changing the pickups or whatever makes it happen, I'm happy. If not, I move on.

My main bass, in fact, is a Fender Standard P. I put an SD QP and TI Jazz Flats on it, and changed out the neck for a custom Warmoth fretless. The modifications changed it from a so-so MIM P to a real honey.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/19652150@N02/2068468907/

I've been modding an Epiphone Sheraton II guitar I traded for: didn't like the amber knobs, so it got gold speed knobs. The pickups were weak, so I rewired it with Seymour Duncans. The pickguard looked tacky, so I took it off. Finally, the black plastic pickup rings and switch knob didn't make it, so I replaced them with creme parts.

Now it's a great sounding, classy looking axe, perfect for playing at church. It's what **I** want, not what's cheap or convenient for Samick to make.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/19652150@N02/2608180029/
Click to expand...

That has to be the most beatiful 335 type guitar I have EVER seen. That and your unlined fretless maple P show that you sir have impeccable taste.

OT: I have plans to mod my bass for sonic reasons but I also just love tinkering.
 
#15
I took a $195 new Danelectro Rumor bass and installed a DiMarzio "Model P" pup, a Hipshot B-Type bridge, a set of Sperzel tuners, and disconnected the goofy "built-in chorus" effect.

Result: for less than $450 including parts and labor, I had a featherweight super P-type bass that sounds and plays great, looks like nothing anybody else plays, and has no real value if stolen, lost, or broken.

Why do I modify? To make a decent bass into a great bass!

Lowbrow

dano20080624frontal.jpg

dano20080624body.jpg

dano20080624headstock.jpg
 
#17
I didn't vote either. I think what I do is more along the lines of building parts basses than modding an existing bass. For me, there are three areas in which the given project must cut it: 1) looks, 2) sound, and 3) feel.

Here are two examples.

The JB is an SX body/bridge/pickguard/control plate, Ibby TR Series neck with reshaped headstock, Gotoh tuners, SD Antiquity II's. The controls are a 6-way rotary for tone caps, AllParts knobs, a 6-way rotary for pickup selection (off, off, neck, both, bridge, off...there's room for another pickup), and a push/pull pot used for series/parallel, TI JF344s. No pots are used.

The P-Bass is an Epi body, Ibby TR Series neck with reshaped headstock and fake Fender decal and stock tuners, Dano RI pickup, SD SPB-1, two 6-way rotary switches as on the JB, no pots, MIM Fender bridge, knobs from an old fuzz, Warmoth mint green pickguard, LaBella DT760FM's. It looked 1,000 times better with the original rosewood 'board, but I didn't like the feel of the neck so it had to go.
 
#18
GlennW said:
I didn't vote either. I think what I do is more along the lines of building parts basses than modding an existing bass. For me, there are three areas in which the given project must cut it: 1) looks, 2) sound, and 3) feel.

Here are two examples.

The JB is an SX body/bridge/pickguard/control plate, Ibby TR Series neck with reshaped headstock, Gotoh tuners, SD Antiquity II's. The controls are a 6-way rotary for tone caps, AllParts knobs, a 6-way rotary for pickup selection (off, off, neck, both, bridge, off...there's room for another pickup), and a push/pull pot used for series/parallel, TI JF344s. No pots are used.

The P-Bass is an Epi body, Ibby TR Series neck with reshaped headstock and fake Fender decal and stock tuners, Dano RI pickup, SD SPB-1, two 6-way rotary switches as on the JB, no pots, MIM Fender bridge, knobs from an old fuzz, Warmoth mint green pickguard, LaBella DT760FM's. It looked 1,000 times better with the original rosewood 'board, but I didn't like the feel of the neck so it had to go.
Click to expand...
How did the added j pup at the neck change the sound of the P-Bass?
 
#19
Not enough choices in the poll. Any bass I buy that has an active preamp gets that immediately removed. Most passive basses I buy have 250k pots. these get replaced with 500k. Modding is necessity for tone's sake, not simply because I enjoy it.
 
#20
I wanted a nice 6 string but couldn't afford one. It is easier to add to it as I got money in. I bought a new but discontinued Peavey Fury VI, US$300 and added bart quad coil pickups US$300 and an aguilar obp-3 US$125. So now it sounds like a dream. And looks/feels quite good too I might add.
 

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