How much is this bass worth? Aka: Is it worth repairing/replacing parts?

[gapiro]

Hi chaps.
I'm looking at this bass I picked up from gumtree super cheap (40 quid). Realistically I need to get a new tuning peg. But being me, I would want to replace the entire set. Therefore, I am wondering if its worth spending the value of the bass again on a new set of keys?
Anyway, its an Aria Pro II fretless RSB Special.
I can't find anything about it on the internet, not even on the matsumoku project page. as far as the internet is concerned, it doesn't seem to exist. The colour doesn't seem to exist either.
Its in mostly good nick, for an old piece of japcrap.Lots of MWAH sound.

Ps, there is only two strings on because I was playing with the tuner pegs trying to see if they were fixable.

So i guess if i replace the set of tuners, how much would I reasonably expect it to be worth? Not sure If i want to keep it as I have my super sexy mwahy hohner fretless I also find it bloody confusing to play as the Dots are at fret positions as opposed to in between.
http://imageshack.us/g/718/img07341.jpg/

[mcnach]

I personally do not understand measuring how much you allow yourself to spend on improvements based on the cost of the bass.
To me what counts is the final value, and to some extent sentimental value.

Say, I have a bass that cost me £40. Will I put a £100 preamp on it? Well, can I get something similar already assembled for £140? If the answer is no, then go ahead. If I am somehow sentimentally attached to the instrument, then even if the answer is yes I might go ahead.

The objective is ending up with a good bass, I presume, at least that's always my goal. Spending less to end up with something "meh" is a false economy... then best not to buy the cheap bass in the first place.

Now, with my mission statement out of the way I guess you can foresee my answer to your question: improve at will as long as you like the bass enough. If it cost you only £40 you have a lot of room for improvements (if the bass needs them), so it sounds like a good deal.. if it's a decent bass, and I presume it is.

Why do you want to replace the whole set of tuners? If there's something wrong with them, fine... but I feel people are often too quick at changing tuners that are perfectly functional. If they're damaged then a whole set is not so expensive.
I am not an expert on Arias, but I have heard good things about them, I don't expect there would be any worse than a Squier... and Squiers are fine serviceable instruments.

[gapiro]

The problem with the tuner is that the previous owner sheared the bolt on the E string tuner somehow. and thus there is a chunk of metal lodged into the tuner hole. The chance of me finding an identical tuner is low, and I would find it far more aesthetically pleasing to have matching tuners. It has a bsolutely no sentimental value to me, i'm merely looking to fix it up and pass it on either to a friend who is just starting on bass , or to sell .

[mcnach]

I am sure you can get a decent set for around £20. Check out the Forsale section of the forum... but be careful... I have gone there looking for something end ended up being tempted by a few other unrelated items... that's how I got my G&L and my fretless Fender Precision...

[BottomE]

FWIW i'd put a new set of tuners on it for the relatively low price that they will be. Arias (if it is one) were pretty good in their day. Got to be worth a go.

[gapiro]

ugh dont let me near the for sale forums, I have my eye on a very nice lakland P if i go near that...

[LukeFRC]

I had a similar bass that I bought traded from rasta. It was the two pickup version of this, in the 80's some dude had defretted it and stuck new pups in.
And the bass sang. Really really nice to play, awesome sound and yeah lovely neck.
I sold it to a guy who took it to overwater to fix up for him, he liked the sound of it - and that was the best thing. It played in an amazing way.

So yeah do this up, you only need one tuner- stick an advert in the wanted section- then what more do you need? the bridge is good and recessed into the wood so you can't really change that (or need to) but you have a bit of money for pups or build a preamp or something.
will be a good bass.
Let me put it this way, if I saw an aria like this on gumtree (with frets) for less than a ton i would be all over it

[spinynorman]

You could put it on eBay as it is, adding that you don't know anything about basses, but you're sure the tuner would be a cheap and easy fix. For real bravado, start the bidding at £450.

I'm sorry if this doesn't help, but we're short of things to laugh at in the Ebay Links forum.

[Paul S]

I did something 'similar' to my Westone Thunder Jet bass, bought for £77. Like Aria basses, Westone basses are exceptionally good value for money - well made with beautiful necks. For the T-jet in particular the electrics let it down - I installed a Kent Armstrong pickup, a J. East P-Retro I bought on here second hand and a Gotoh 201 style high mass bridge (mainly because I don't like the look of the BBOT bridges). Now I have a beautifully built (and lightweight at 8lbs) bass with a gorgeous neck that also plays and sounds like a million dollars. If I get fed up with it I will break it back down, sell the upgrade bits, then return it to stock.

[JTUK]

It is all down to the core elements. I don't think you can make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, myself... but if you could find some pegs for not much pennies and then get use out of it, it will be worth the exercise.
Whether it is worth the trouble, who knows and only you can say.

If it were me, I'd give it away...which is what the seller presumably did.

[Rick's Fine '52]

Don't worry one bit about adding parts that cost more than the bass itself. Firstly, get the parts you need, as you want to play this bass, right? Use it, enjoy it. When youre done, if you cant sell it as a whole, then break the parts out again, and sell them off, providing you dont pay over the odds in the first palce, its a no lose, and you'll have enjoyed the bass in the meantime.

For your info, i just added parts worth £1500 to a bass that was worth £600, but it is now everything i need on that particular bass, so i love it. Could i sell it on for £2100?? Definitely not, so when i come to part with it, if ever, I'll just swap the parts back, keep the expensive bits, and move on. Do what suits your needs.

Good luck

[muttley]

So, £40 for the bass and £40 for the tuners? I make that £80, plus a bit of your time, for a cracking Japanese-made instrument. Even if you include the price of a new set of strings you've only spent just over £100. You could buy a new bass for £100 but after you've played it it will only be worth £50 on a good day. The Aria will always be worth at least what you paid.

I'm not providing justification, just food for thought .

[muttley]

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1316793548' post='1383060']If it were me, I'd give it away...which is what the seller presumably did.[/quote]

Let me know if you are going to do this 'cos I'll take it off your hands.

[Happy Jack]

[quote name='Rick's Fine '52' timestamp='1316896780' post='1384276']
Don't worry one bit about adding parts that cost more than the bass itself. Firstly, get the parts you need, as you want to play this bass, right? Use it, enjoy it. When youre done, if you cant sell it as a whole, then break the parts out again, and sell them off, providing you dont pay over the odds in the first palce, its a no lose, and you'll have enjoyed the bass in the meantime.

For your info, i just added parts worth £1500 to a bass that was worth £600, but it is now everything i need on that particular bass, so i love it. Could i sell it on for £2100?? Definitely not, so when i come to part with it, if ever, I'll just swap the parts back, keep the expensive bits, and move on. Do what suits your needs.

Good luck
[/quote]

This ^ is absolutely right.

I have a £150 Maya P-bass from about 1973. It's a beautiful instrument, lovely pieces of wood, well put together, but spoiled by cheap Schaller tuners and a crap Schaller mudbucker from the 80's.

I just fitted £40-worth of good-quality tuners plus a P/J set of Lollars which cost me another £150.

I now have the perfect pub bass. It plays and sounds like a vintage Fender, but any bass player in the audience will assume it's cheap, modified JapCrap.

If & when I decide to sell it on I'll never get £340 for it. But I reckon I'll get my money back on the Lollars, or move them on to another bass, and I could do the same with the tuners.