I restored an old (early 70s) cream 28" scale jedson bass shaped like a telecaster guitar I restored after purchasing from a BC member. Biggest mod was allowing the floating bridge to ...ERM...move to allow intonation as they left the factory screwed down! Even used the original bridge pickup.
It was a charity gig for a friend in Hitchen and a personal aspiration to restore and play something older than me at a gig was the only reason I did it. The strings were horrendously floppy, the neck too short and narrow (even though I only play short scale) and when I arrived the drummer asked where I got the 'toy guitar' from.......and yet......nobody at the gig noticed anything out of the ordinary!
I now rarely gig with anything valued over £250 and record with the same bass....im not being cheap...honest....(ok maybe i am a little bit) i like to think of it as part of the bands charm and whilst nobody seems bothered, and til the label fancy buying me something else I dont see too much reason to invest further.
In fact In most clubs the mixing seems pretty low/bass heavy (especially as I like a more compressed new wave sound). I wear ear plugs so can't enjoy my tone, and the venues always seem to think that louder is better ( which is fine in the 02 acad or the cavern when its heaving, but less than necessary in an un-named local 2 bit semi filled upstairs 'room') and that always effects the listeners enjoyment..!
Ultimaytely we are bass players, nobody really cares too much about us as stand alone artists or musicians.