To upgrade or UPGRADE?

[Dave_the_bass]

Suffering from some undefined GAS at the moment so I'm looking for some advice on trying to cure it.

I have a Tanglewood Rebel (pre 4k models) that was my very first bass and I still love to play. It's genuinely road worn from 16 years of giging and rehearsing which gives it an even bigger sentimental value. It had been semi-retired to a home use/backup bass as the electrics have started to suffer from age releated deterioration.

Having recently changed bands; my thunderbird is a bit "wrong" for new band (plus the action is that low that it won't tune down to Eb) so I've gone back to the Tanglewood.

I love PJ basses, that P pickup on full giving a nice thump with just a small amount of the J bridge pup to warm it up, so the Tanglewood ticks the sound and looks box.

Now for the million dollar question; do I

A, upgrade the electrics; new pups, pots, socket, wiring and shielding

or

B, Allow the Tanglewood to reclaim it's semi retired state and purchase a new PJ bass

If the wife would give approval for a roscoe century 4 or similar then this would not be an issue; I'd be at bass direct placing an order! However, decent upgrades for the Tanglewood will probably cost me at least as much as a Squier VM PJ!

So, your suggestions please folks as I have serious gas cramps but I don't know what will cure them!

[grayn]

If you have a tech you trust, why not get them to service the Rebel's electrics, replacing anything that needs to be. The Pickups should still be fine.
If that isn't too pricey, treat yourself to a nice new PJ bass.

[Dave_the_bass]

That's logical, yep I have a tech I trust. Although, I like to tinker myself so doing the pots, wiring n' stuff is something I'll happily sit down and do.

Decisions, decisions.

[Ghost_Bass]

I would start by replacing the electronics on the Tanglewood (keep the stock pickups) and go from there. It will be very cheap (i would guess around £20 for the full thing, you can even get a wiring loom ready to fit the bass from a BC user whose nick isn't comming to my mind at the moment) and in the end, even if you decide that you realy need a new PJ you'll still have your trusty Tanglewood fixed and ready to serve as a beckup/home rehearsall.

If it would come to the point of having to change the pickup on the Tanglewood to get a better sound (or a different sound that you'll need) i would prefer to get a Squier CV/VM PJ and leave the old bass with the stock pickup.

New pots/jack/capacitor are cheap and allways worth replacing, new pickups only replace on very good or very expensive basses. My 2p

Cheers

[itsmedunc]

KiOgon on here made me a vintage solderless harness for my precision. A really nice piece of work. I'm sure if given the specs he could sort new electrics for you. I think mine cost about £28.00 delivered. Seems mad to replace the one you love with a possible one night stand!

[Happy Jack]

[quote name='Ghost_Bass' timestamp='1377788302' post='2191856']
... new pickups only replace on very good or very expensive basses.


[/quote]

Hmmmmm. Not sure I agree. Here on BC you can frequently buy good pre-owned pickup sets at sensible prices. If you want your money back later, just whip them out again and sell them the same way you bought them - separate from the bass.

[chris_b]

Your money is always best spent on a better bass. If you're bored don't mess around with the bass, get lessons and practice.

If you like the bass but don't like the tone get a good outboard eq.

[BobVbass]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1377863344' post='2192898']
Your money is always best spent on a better bass. If you're bored don't mess around with the bass, get lessons and practice.

If you like the bass but don't like the tone get a good outboard eq.
[/quote]

what Mr B says ^^

[Dave_the_bass]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1377863344' post='2192898']
Your money is always best spent on a better bass. If you're bored don't mess around with the bass, get lessons and practice.

If you like the bass but don't like the tone get a good outboard eq.
[/quote]

Right, let's clear this up.

I'm not bored, yep I could probably do with practicing more but couldn't "most" of us.

I love the tanglewood bass and the tone; the main issues it has are crackle and hum from the pots/shielding (was never that noticable with an Ashdown amp) and really weak output from the pups (again not too noticable with an SS amp but now I have a valve pre that I like to go just a shade gravelly it's not cutting the mustard).

I'm thinking that it's going to be a case of head to a music shop, try out a couple of PJ basses and make a decision from there.

Thanks for your thoughts folks.

[Musky]

Given that the bass has sentimental value it would seem sensible to to sort out it's electrics to give it a new lease of life anyway. Pots are relatively cheap and you can get good results shielding with aluminium foil for pennies. Whether you think it's worth shelling out for another pickup is your call, although as Jack points out buying used will get you your money back should you decide to sell later.