Pimp Yo' Bass

[Stub Mandrel]

Some like ramps, some like straplocks. Some swap scratchplates and some swap knobs, I like adding vintage things like tug bars, the odd ashtray and now I've added these.

 

What little additions or changes have you made to make your basses 'your own'?

 

 

 

[Lozz196]

On my US Fenders I add a Stealth Retainer on the A string (supports a better nut to tuner angle) and a Hipshot Xtender drop-D tuner.

[chris_b]

I just pimped the new Jazz bass I just bought.

 

I put some foam under the strings.

[thisisswanbon]

Changed the tuners on my Harley Benton MB4 BSK, was fairly under the influence though and butchered it... I'll never change a part on a bass again.

[Waddo Soqable]

I tend to remove (rip 'extraneous' stuff off) rather than add things tbh... 

[thisisswanbon]

I did fit these, once.  They were horribly expensive for knobs, and took almost a year to arrive.  I've also gone back to 4 string so this doesn't go out much now.

 

[Baloney Balderdash]

I swapped the neck from my Ibanez GSRM20 Mikro Bass to the body of my GSRM20B Mikro Bass, pulled out the stock pickups, and installed just a single EMG Geezer Butler P pickup, wired directly to the output jack socket, filling out the empty bridge J pickup cavity with a folded piece of black cardboard, removed the barrel type side mounted output jack socket, installing a regular front mounted jack socket in one of the redundant pot holes instead, and added some transparent and black lampshade knobs to the 2 remaining pots for shows, though I later cut out pieces of green electrical tape to size and stuck it to the top of those knobs, the pickup top getting red electrical tape applied, as well as I applied some small Sherman Filterbank 2 stickers to the headstock, and a Jack Skellington skull sticker to the upper left (right I guess from the perspective of the bass) corner of the bass body :

 

I do ponder on swapping out the stock bridge for 4 milled out solid brass mono rail bridge pieces as well, maybe in the same instance narrow in the string spacing slightly, from the current standard 19mm, to perhaps 17.5mm.

 

The name is "Bottomfeeder", by the way, "Dud Bottomfeeder", secret agent 666.

 

 

 

Edited January 17, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[Waddo Soqable]

^ now that's a bass after my own heart, black emulsion and bits of tape.. Top stuff👍

[TheGreek]

Sometimes less is more..

 

 

 

Note how it defies gravity....

Edited January 13, 2023 by TheGreek

[Waddo Soqable]

^ that Salvador Dali's a geezer isn't he..... 

[TheGreek]

When we started the project I said to @Andyjr1515 that I wanted a 22nd Century design in the 21st Century.

 

I think we got close.

[Andyjr1515]

18 minutes ago, TheGreek said:

When we started the project I said to @Andyjr1515 that I wanted a 22nd Century design in the 21st Century.

 

I think we got close.

It was when @TheGreek told me he also wanted the cross-section to be like the cross section of a contact-lens that I thought 'WTfffffff?????'

 

I think we got close on that too.   

 

And it was an inspirational request from @TheGreek  ...

Edited January 13, 2023 by Andyjr1515

[Waddo Soqable]

18 minutes ago, TheGreek said:

When we started the project I said to @Andyjr1515 that I wanted a 22nd Century design in the 21st Century.

 

I think we got close.

Don't be daft, in the 22nd century they'll look like this.... 

 

[Andyjr1515]

1 minute ago, Waddo Soqable said:

Don't be daft, in the 22nd century they'll look like this.... 

 

Hmmm....consider that design stolen  

[TheGreek]

22 Century BC??

 

I think I've seen Fred Flintstone playing one of those...

[Waddo Soqable]

3 minutes ago, TheGreek said:

22 Century BC??

 

I think I've seen Fred Flintstone playing one of those...

Nah he was more the Lionel Hampton of his day.. 

[PaulThePlug]

Don't show @Smanth... she will want a 5 string version...🤣

[Buddster]

Took a standard Squier CV 70s bass, changed the scratch plate to plain black (ie no white middle), changed the control plate to black with black screws all round. Added a black bridge, black strap locks and changed the pickups to Augilia. Finally changed the knobs to more modern ones. 

I've also taken off the gloss finish on the body, plus I sanded back the neck and oiled with burnt linseed oil. 

 

 

 

 

[Waddo Soqable]

3 minutes ago, Buddster said:

... and oiled with burnt linseed oil. 

 

 

 

 

 

I just keep thinking of Jimi Hendrix now... 

 

(seriously the Jazz looks v. cool!) 

[TheGreek]

Just need black machine heads and a set of tapewounds...

 

 

Any excuse to spend money on yourself...

[Waddo Soqable]

^ like the man said, black machine heads.. (and the neck plate on the back) 

[TheGreek]

...black graphite nut??

[Andyjr1515]

But back to @Stub Mandrel's topic. 

 

The first bass I bought myself was this lovely red Ibanez I bought for a song from a guy in Gloucester:

 

 

And my first pimp-yer-bass attempt was on this one and was also my first attempt at veneering.  Admittedly, beginners' luck! 

 

 

And it was this that led to me having a go at all the other stuff 

 

 

As a post-script, I eventually sold this to a Nepalese Buddhist who played in a Heavy Metal band in Luton and who was 'spiritually drawn' to the bass.  A niche market, admittedly 

 

 

 

Edited January 13, 2023 by Andyjr1515

[DGBass]

More a functional pimp rather than anything cosmetic. Changed the original string through only late 90s Fender bridge to a 2010 Fender Deluxe P-Bass version. Same base plate size so no real change to the visual aspect except that I can top load strings which is my preffered way to fit flats.

 

and...purely cosmetic scratchplate change from white to black on my DeeDee project Precision bass.

[Buddster]

33 minutes ago, TheGreek said:

Just need black machine heads and a set of tapewounds...

 

 

Any excuse to spend money on yourself...

Yes, i have a set of black ones on another bitsa, but these are genuine fenders so kinda wanted to keep them on. But you're right, the black ones would look good.