tegs07

Schools Out - Alice Cooper

Boys from the county hell - The Pogues

Strong -London Grammar

Super Blue - JJ Cale

Like most topics this one is entirely subjective! If you have the money to buy your ideal bass ( or basses as it’s pretty tricky to find one bass that will do everything) then modding/upgrading whatever you want to call it is pointless. If you only have the cash to buy a budget instrument and are happy with the way it looks and sounds then it’s pointless to change it. If you don’t like how it looks or sounds but can afford incremental changes then why not do so? If your a hobbyist meddler and get a kick out of making changes then as long as no small animals are harmed in the process why should anyone care? Finally if your looking at buying another bass and someone is charging more for changes you don’t like don’t buy it. If it’s overpriced it won’t sell.

Indeed. Sometimes breaking down the bass and selling some parts on and keeping others for the next project is also an option. I’m speaking as someone who did a few of these projects just to keep sane during lockdown rather than as general advice!

I’ve moved on modded instruments, Bitsa’s, factory originals. Some worked for me, others didn’t. Some were traded up, some to free up space, some to raise cash for other projects. I’ve made money, lost money but the cost to reward ratio on all of them was in balance to the reward. Hours of enjoyment for small change in the grand scheme of things.

Come away with me - Norah Jones

Seven days of falling - E.S.T

I guess it’s all about how you do things. In the past I’ve sold stock Squire machine heads on a used bass for £25-30 on eBay/Gumtree and bought used Hipshot or Schaller ones for £50ish and stock Squire pickups for £30ish and bought used Dimarzio Model P/EMG GZR/Tonerider for £60ish so spending £50 or £60 in total. Even after doing so as the bass was used to start with it’s still a couple of hundred quid cheaper than a stock new one. Money well spent for me but others will have a different point of view.

Night shift - Commodores

I’m not sure this is limited to second hand instruments more of a fundamental restructuring of the global economy. Inflation was being artificially reported and central banks have been in denial for a decade. A 1970’s style inflationary spike was inevitable before Covid and now thanks to Putin it will be turbo charged. Bit off topic sorry. The good news is that there are a lot of great instruments at reasonable prices out there. Personally I’ve never been attracted to “new” for the sake of it. If I can buy a well loved instrument locally that has been well set up and has better pickups and hardware than it left the factory with it is more appealing than waiting months for arrival, messing about waiting for couriers etc.

10.15 Saturday night - The Cure

The sacred and profane - Smashing Pumpkins

Away from the numbers - The Jam

Albert goes west - Nick Cave

Southern Man - Neil Young (Stills/Nash)

All tomorrow’s parties - velvet underground

One hundred years - The Cure

Pusherman - Curtis Mayfield

Ballad of a thin man - Dylan

Dead skin cells - Future Sound of London

Dark night of the soul - Sparklehorse

Nowhere man - them again

Boots of Spanish leather - Dylan