Pimp vs. Buy

[Chrisward]

Hello bass folks,

This is my first post on the forum so please be gentle.

I've had basses since I was 19 (I'm 48 now) but I've never had an high-end one, and I've never customized any of the ones I have owned - which makes me sound rather dull!

I have a very broad question - "how much can be achieved through pimping a cheap-to-mid price bass?"

Let me frame this with some specifics ... I have a [url="http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/reviews/bass_guitars/peavey/zodiac_de_scorpio"]Peavey Zodiac DE Scropio [/url]bass. I really like it, and don't have any really intention to change it, but it's a passive bass pitched at rock players (being a David Ellefson signature) and I like to sometimes play slap bass. I've got a Washburn Status for slapping, but I am intrigued to know if I could replace the electionics on the Peavey to achieve a bass that suits slapping.

Is it ever by worth turning a passive bass into an active bass or is the cost/effort never worth it?

Cheers,
Chris

[CamdenRob]

Hi Chris.

Have you thought about trying an external preamp, compressor etc to improve the slap sound of the peavy? You could pick something up used and if it didn't work out can always move it on at a negligible loss.... bit less extreme than cut and carving a bass you already like.

Oh and just as a heads up...

[quote name='Chrisward' timestamp='1427805845' post='2734429']
...and I like to sometimes play slap bass.
[/quote]

Don't say that round these parts or you'll get lynched

Edited March 31, 2015 by CamdenRob

[chrismuzz]

I love my Scorpios, but I'm putting Entwistle neodymium pickups in to make them even louder and more aggressive in the mids. The SD pickups are good but scoop the mids a little too much for me, but I understand most people like that sound for slap. I would recommend trying different strings before modding the bass though, it's the easiest and often cheapest way of drastically altering the sound. Stainless steel strings give you a nice bright twangy sound if that's what you're after! Personal recommendations would be D'Addario Prosteel, Elites Stadium Series, and Dunlop Super Bright steels. All very nice sounding and around £15 a pack

[FuNkShUi]

I suppose it depends on how much you like your current bass, and how much you would spend on modding it?

If you REALLY like your current weapon of choice, then i would suggest having a play around with the EQ on your amp to suit slapping first, before deciding to mod it.
The "smiley face" EQ setting is usually quite popular with people who play a lot of slap. So boosted Bass and Treble.

And perhaps a new set of strings?
Edit: Beaten to this suggestion!

Edited March 31, 2015 by FuNkShUi

[uncle psychosis]

If you think about it, (nearly) all that a "good" bass is is a collection of good parts that have had some care and attention applied to them.

Now, you can either have these good parts and attention to detail applied in the factory, or you can apply them yourself. The main problem with doing the latter, so long as you have the correct technical skills to do the work properly, is that the resale is (generally) terrible.

Of course, some people will (probably rightly) argue that you get a better instrument if you aim for the best right from the beginning of its life but for lots of the simpler basses---fender styles, for example---there's no reason why you can't get[i] most of the way[/i] to "top" instrument status by `pimping' it.

[Chrisward]

All good replies, thanks folks.

Picking up on some of the points ...

Sorry for using the four-letter "s" word. I don't mean to provoke civil unrest

I do have an external pre-amp/fx in the shape of a Boss GT10B which has so many options on it that I tend to gravitate to only a small set. This'll make you laugh, I used to have a Trace Elliot AH200 GP12 amp head, but I sold that after getting it serviced (netting about £10!!!), spent a fortune on the GT10B, bought a Hartke amp head, then ended up always using the "British Trace Elliot" setting on the GT10B. I don;t think there is a more expense way I could have "ended up sounding the same".

Agree about the strings. For most of my playing/gigging I use medium gauge and mainly the Scorpio bass, but sometimes go for a light gauge. To be honest I tend to use my Status for the thunder-thumbs stuff (with a light gauge).

What I am interested to find out is just how much a bass can be changed by putting on new pickups etc, since I've never been bold enough to try it for myself.

[krispn]

I've pimped a couple of basses and got them to my spec - usually a bridge change and pick up change but for a bass which you essentially like then as suggested maybe an outboard preamp would give you the tonal variation you seek. I'm using a Basswitch which is pretty versatile with its EQ options and fx routing. They have a series of single pedal which include classic boosts. Link below and all look for Ed Friedland reviews on you tube. I've no affiliation and there are other great preamps out there. I'm just digging these guys and what they do!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHdikC4jgqo

http://www.rmi.lu/products

[Chrisward]

Watched the [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Basswitch video. Very nice. Thanks for pointing these guys out. Particularly useful showing the comparison of active/passive.[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Thanks again,[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Chris[/font][/color]

[Cosmo Valdemar]

There's no reason why the Scorpio shouldn't make an excellent slapper - so, when slapping, what is it about the sound of the Status that you prefer to the Peavey?

Edited March 31, 2015 by Cosmo Valdemar

[fretmeister]

I like pimping my basses - but there has to be enough right with it in the first place.

For me the neck profile and the balance of the instrument is vital. No amount of reasonably priced pimping will sort out a neck that isn't comfy.

Balance can sometimes be pimped - If an otherwise comfortable bass is a bit neck heavy but has old fashioned tuners on it then a set of Hipshot Ultra-lites can cure the problem. On a 5 string bass with trad tuners (Fender, Sandberg, Musicman etc) a change to Ultra-lites can save 1/2 pound. And that 1/2 pound is all saved from the headstock. The difference can be amazing.

I'm about to do a pickup swap in my Stingray5. I love the feel of the bass and the neck profile, but I find the sound a bit too aggressive for my current needs.

But I'm not afraid to get the router out if it will make an already brilliant bass perfect!

[ubit]

I think everyone else has covered every thing, but one point I'd like to make is, any bass can be used for slapping. New strings obviously help, but you shouldn't have to buy a particular " slapping" bass .

Not wanting to sound condescending

[Grangur]

I've pimped a bass or 2. It's good fun. The real benefits of doing this, in my experience at least, are limited.

Economically:

Take a Ford Fiesta, change the engine for a sports model, add chrome wheels and fluffy dice and what do you have?

Answer: a Ford Fiesta that's very personal to you, but limited to being anything to anyone else.

[Chrisward]

[quote name='Cosmo Valdemar' timestamp='1427816267' post='2734586']
There's no reason why the Scorpio shouldn't make an excellent slapper - so, when slapping, what is it about the sound of the Status that you prefer to the Peavey?
[/quote]

It's not that the Scorpio doesn't sound good for slapping, and I certainly do play some slap on it, but the (Washburn) Status is active and I have it fixed in my head that the best "slappers" need to be active. This may well not be the case. I recently tried out number of quite expensive (£800 - £15000) basses and some of the most responsive ones turned out to be passive.

I had convinced myself I needed an (active) MusicMan Stingray, then discovered I liked a (passive) Fender Jazz. Didn't buy anything at that time though.

This could be a long-held misconception on my part, since starting playing in the 1990s, that active is essential for a good slap sound.


This is why I wondered if sticking active gear on a previously passive bass would be a reasonable thing to do. It sure sounds like a lot of work.

[Chrisward]

[quote name='ubit' timestamp='1427820242' post='2734675']
I think everyone else has covered every thing, but one point I'd like to make is, any bass can be used for slapping. New strings obviously help, but you shouldn't have to buy a particular " slapping" bass .

Not wanting to sound condescending
[/quote]

It's a very valuable point.

It does tell me that my "needs to be active" mindset is probably just something that formed years ago and I've just not questioned/reviewed it.

Thanks.

[MrWalker]

So called active basses are usually passive pickups with a preamp in them. Basically it doesn't change much except give you more tonal control. This can be achieved by an external preamp/eq.

A few are also featuring active pickups, such as EMG. those pickups are wound in a different way and require an internal preamp to get up to normal output level. Usually they are quiet and they also have different frequency range. This cannot be achieved without rewiring your bass. I think usually active pickups like EMG color the sound more and are less dependent on the wood and bass itself (but I may be wrong)... That's my perception at least.