dazza14 Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 I'm thinking about picking up a cheapo J or P bass copy (and chucking a J neck on it) and modding the hell out of it. I play in a punky, reggae, ska band and although i only play a cheapo Squier VM Jazz i've caught a few people 'eyeing' it up and i'm scared to hell of it being nicked (not worth much, but i love it!) and we play in some rough-ass places and festivals so the threat is always there. So i'm toying with the idea of getting a cheap bass, maybe a Westfield or similar, setting up the action to suit, tarting up the pups (although i hear stock Westfield pups are pretty decent) and possibly drilling through the body for a feed-thru bridge to give a little more resonance. That way i can enjoy a beer at the bar without having to keep a watchful eye on my bass when it's not being played. Any suggestions?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Play in nicer places, to nicer people? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazza14 Posted March 19, 2013 Author Share Posted March 19, 2013 we do... but every now and then we find ourselves surrounded by a drunk audience with sticky fingers... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Gotoh bridge - looks very similar to the stock ones, but higher-mass, and better overall quality. Not thru-body though. If thru-body is essential, Fender Hi-Mass, the ones as on the 2008 onwards series. I`d also look at pickups - a higher quality pickup will go a long way towards making a cheaper instrument sound better, and at same time, change the pots/capacitor/wiring. Whilst you`re in there, may as well do it, and the cost of those parts isn`t significant, but again, will be an improvement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazza14 Posted March 19, 2013 Author Share Posted March 19, 2013 Thanks Lozz, thats good advice, never thought of upgrading the electrics but you're right, "whilst you're in there". Thru-body isn't a must, i just thought it would improve things, again i'm trying to make small changes to add up to a big change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iiipopes Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Two thoughts: 1) If you put too much money into a modded inexpensive bass, you will never get the return out of it should you have to sell it; and 2) Two sides of the same coin: 1) you might like it so much that it becomes your main bass, to which you will start to be too concerned about it as you are your current bass, or 2) it will never be as you desire compared to the feel or tone of your main bass, and you will eventually regret spending the money on it. My advice: play it. That's why you bought it. Get a stand that has a latch on it so if somebody tries to nick it they can't do it without either taking the stand with them, or at least it takes an extra few seconds to unlatch it so by that time it's not a quick getaway, and any would-be thief is deterred. Or get strap locks of the screw-in type and not the clip-on type and wrap the strap around the guitar stand. Again, the goal is deterrance. No "lock" will keep a thief away who really wants the item desired, but a good lock or other security measure will provide enough deterrance that a thief will look elsewhere. Finally, I never leave the stage unless I can keep a good eye on my instrument, and we take turns watching when each of the players in turn needs to excuse himself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richardjmorgan Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 [quote name='iiipopes' timestamp='1363711365' post='2016384'] My advice: play it. That's why you bought it. [/quote] Big +1 on this. If you're worried, insure it and look after it, but don't leave it hiding in your house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazza14 Posted March 20, 2013 Author Share Posted March 20, 2013 Maybe i've explained it a little incorrectly, the issue is we play two-three gigs a month, some of these are at festivals where keeping an eye on your stuff is more difficult with bands coming and going, the places i'm talking about make up about 10% of the venues and the cheap bass would be used for those places. I like the idea of a stand with a 'deterent' on it, something to slow down the threat of stealing it but i also like the idea of taking a cheap bass and making it more 'personal' but not spending loads on it in the first place. I mean i wouldn't buy a MM Stingray and mod it up and lose it's value in money OR in function. Like i said i play a Squier Jazz, so a P Bass would be cool so i had two choices on sound to play around with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 Get a cheap, but good bass and don't spend anything on it? I picked up a slightly ratty Yamaha BB300 for about £100 just for the purpose of playing a festival, because of some of the concerns you highlight. It was great without having to spend anything on it. And I've replaced that with a Yamaha BB450 which I rescued from a maxed out truss rod and some other issues for less than £100. Both fantastic basses which I would gig with no hesitation, but if they came to grief it wouldn't be a disaster. The trouble with modding is that you get a bit personally involved with it and then it's more of a ballache if it gets nicked, quite apart from the fact that you'll never get your money back on the mods if it came to selling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_5 Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 Artec electronics are brilliant for the money, not quite up there with the East pre's, but then they are a fraction of the cost... http://www.artecsound.com/pickups/index.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maude Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 I picked up an Aria STB Series P bass clone a while back, stock it sound good and played lovely after a quick set up to my taste. I put a Quarter Pounder pick up in and a set of Chromes on and it is absolutely fantastic now, it became my main bass for a while and is only relegated to back up because I got a Variax which I'm liking atm. I need to sell a few basses because they're just not getting the use they deserve but the Aria will never go, only paid £40 for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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