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Why
- Thread starter woody357
- Start date
The short answer to what I think you are asking, (although I found no question marks in your post); it's cheaper, quicker, & somewhat enjoyable to buy a good quality bass and make minor modifications than it is to commission a build of a custom bass.
Simple.
1) It's a lot less expensive to get a stock bass and swap out a few things than it is to go custom in most cases.
2) @JimmyM nailed it. I might like everything about a bass except I want it to be a bit more aggressive (swap pickups), want less neck dive (lighter tuners), or genuinely despise the color (refin). So changing one or two things could turn a great bass into a PERFECT bass.... to me.
3) It's fun and less dangerous than drugs.
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Sounds fall out of favor like the 90's scoop slap thing and you change it.
Over time you may have a component die or become noisy and you have no choice but to replace a preamp or setup as passive.
Why doesn't my 2001 BMW have the same tires on it from the factory?
What do you mean I have to put a new roof on my house?
Why did my 35 yo Maytag dryer need a new motor and belt?
My factory battery died on my iPad 1 in 2018, I'm so mad that it didn't live longer than when Apple stopped supporting it.
The finish cracked on my 2005 Warwick, I'm suing.
Yadda yadda yadda
Over time you may have a component die or become noisy and you have no choice but to replace a preamp or setup as passive.
Why doesn't my 2001 BMW have the same tires on it from the factory?
What do you mean I have to put a new roof on my house?
Why did my 35 yo Maytag dryer need a new motor and belt?
My factory battery died on my iPad 1 in 2018, I'm so mad that it didn't live longer than when Apple stopped supporting it.
The finish cracked on my 2005 Warwick, I'm suing.
Yadda yadda yadda
I avoided this by just building my own basses. Exactly what I wanted with no upgrades needed.
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,588
- 221,964
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
yes i agreeSome folks buy an instrument for the way it’s built stock.
Sone folks buy an instrument, but have an inclination to tweak it to taste.
Both set of folks are just fine.
The folks that like to tweak aren’t sick or twisted, nor need to be questioned or pitied about their intentions.
And the tweakers certainly don’t do anything egregious enough to warrant a post on a forum. Do you question the sanity of the Mustang guys that replaced the two-barrel carburetor with a four-barrel?
I’ve never seen a time where people questioned other folks’ inclinations as much as is done these days. WTH???
I confess, I changed the pups and pre on a very nice American Elite Jazz 5. Not because the OEM units were bad, they are actually very good, but I wanted something a little different.
The bass that is my heart these days is a Mike Lull M5V Jazz-style bass. As so very fine as that bass is completely stock, I was still looking for a little different flavor in the tone. So I changed the pups. And I’m much happier because of it.
Oh, and grab your blood-pressure monitor...I replace the B tuner with a Hipshot D (or A, now, I guess) tuner. Just call me certifiable...
It seems that some people just want a piece of wood but are afraid that it will rot or bend all out of shape if it's not an expensive Fender.
Because it cost a whole lot less to change out the pickups and preamp than to have a custom made bass made.
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You don't need a custom made bass if you like your Fender elite sound. Custom bass is only for the rich people that can't find a non-custom bass which satisfies all they requirements from a-z.
To me it goes something like this: Neck (if it's straight, if the frets are leveled, if the truss rod works) -> Body (as long as it's not plywood; the weight, shape) -> Hardware (bridge, tuners, straplocks) -> Electronics (pickup, preamp). What I mean by that is, that the neck, along with the body, form such an integral part of the instrument, that I don't really care about the rest as much. Especially when in these days the rest can be very easily swaped/upgraded.
Ok well that brings another Why... Why did you bought it if it wasn’t all of what you wanted?
Because maybe it's easier to buy that model to achieve that 100% (with a few mods) than it would any other stock instrument.
Lefties know what I'm talking about all too well.
I agree with "JimmyM".. Some have weak pickups , not very strong bridges,Tuners (I'm not a fan of "Reverse Tuners,they are usually the first to go) and on the Deluxes(Elite's) the on board preamp can be limited in some of the years produced.,(No passive,active option,or mid sweep..(Give me a John East preamp any day of the week!)) Everyone has there own flavor and tone in their head.
