squeennyzim Posted June 17, 2003 Share Posted June 17, 2003 Ok, I'm nowhere near doing this yet, but a friend brought it up as a possible idea. He mentioned his guitar teacher who bought a really cheap guitar (with a nice neck) and then gutted it and replaced the electronics with something nicer. All told, around 300 for a nice guitar. I was wondering about this with the bass. Buy a cheap used one and then fix it up into something quite nice. So I turn to you, my elders and wisers, to ask if you have done such a thing and if so, what you did it with. Essentially, right now I'd love some tips as to what plusses to look for in a used bass so I don't have to replace the most expensive bits. And also, what are some good used basses in, say, under $400 price range? Also, what parts should I seek to replace the stock parts? Though I'd like advice about any bass you may have done this with (or dream projects), my hope is to find a good fretless, preferably with a jazz-sized neck (I've got small hands) if you'd rather not ramble on for pages. Thanks! As I was going up the stairs I met a man who wasn't there He wasn't there again today I wish, I wish he'd go away Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wraub Posted June 17, 2003 Share Posted June 17, 2003 Hey, Squeeny', if you check ebay you will probably find quite a few "fixer-uppers" to work on. When I last looked there, I found a Carvin fretless, a couple of Ibanez' and a Fender body and neck or two. In those cases, a Fender or Carvin catalog would be quite helpful in sourcing the needed parts. Do a search for bass, and scroll the results. Great time waster! Carvin, Warmoth, Allparts, and Stewart MacDonald all make kits and parts that you can build yourself. Good luck and have fun! Peace, wraub I'm a lot more like I am now than I was when I got here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aspiration Posted June 17, 2003 Share Posted June 17, 2003 I would actually love to do the same thing. I need to get a bass project going this summer I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to pick up a fixer bass. "It takes a big man to cry, it takes an even bigger man to laugh at him." -Jack Handey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fonz Posted June 17, 2003 Share Posted June 17, 2003 the most important thing to look for is a tight neck joint. once you have that than any reclamation project will be successful. number two on my list would be a good, solid bridge that is placed in the proper position to allow for a proper set up. after that everything else is cake. stew mac sells gotoh tuners pretty cheap, and for electronics look to the fat dawg. finding stuff with him can be hunt and peck but he has decent stuff and it's super cheap. besides if you get bombed out name brand instrument there's a good chance he'll have original replacement parts for not a lot of money. go for it! Eeeeeehhhhhhhhh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squeennyzim Posted June 18, 2003 Author Share Posted June 18, 2003 Cool, that bridge stuff is something I hadn't found before. Is it hard to replace a bridge if it's crap, though? Also, I was looking through fat dawg, and I was wondering if there are any places where you can just buy completely trashed basses that you could salvage parts of or replace bits of, whether online or otherwise. I live in the Boston area, if that helps with physical locations. Thanks again As I was going up the stairs I met a man who wasn't there He wasn't there again today I wish, I wish he'd go away Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fonz Posted June 18, 2003 Share Posted June 18, 2003 replacing a crappy bridge is relatively easy: all you have to do is screw the right one on in the right spot. you'd be amazed at the difference a bridge can make. i actually got a TOTAL p.o.s. playable by taking off the old p.o.s. bridge (with pieces missing) and slapping on a bad ass II i happened to have lying around. the big drawback is that brigdes, good ones anyway, can get spendy, thus my opinion that if you have a few choices with great neck joints pick the one with the best bridge in the closest to the proper position relative to scale length thereby saving you from buying what is reasonably going to be the most expensive replacement part you need dear lord this sentence is long try saying it all in one breath what was i saying? as for where to look, the cheapest bombed out instruments are going to be in pawn shops and small music stores that sell used instruments. stay out of the big, shiny retail stores as they are going to be offering new stuff and what's the point of rebuilding a new bass? besides, if you're going to build a hot rod why not try to find a totalled shelby cobra on a local scrap heap rather than supe up a brand new kia spectra? who knows, maybe some weird ass divey pawn shop will have a used and abused '56 p bass just lying around for $80. Eeeeeehhhhhhhhh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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