Modding the Cheapest Bass from Reverb.com [Glarry GP upgrades]

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

It looks great! That's my favorite thing about super cheap instruments, you don't feel bad making whatever modifications you want. Thanks for sharing 😊

[@musicalmiscellany]

So true! Modding is so much fun but you can feel guilty cutting into a nice instrument. Inexpensive instruments have a "no guilt" factor to them.

[@PSXBOX-lz1zq]

thats exactly the main reason why I like cheap basses, because i love my bass to be modded according to my liking which i cant do to an expensive bass.

[@Farbocaster]

I have the same Glarry P Bass with their "Burlywood" finish. The finish, by the way, is flawless. Interestingly, I did mods similar to the ones you did. I swapped out the stock pickups and electronics for a hot GFS pickup and GFS electronics. I took lots of wood off of the back of the neck by filing and sanding it and finished it off with Tung oil. Using 3000 grit sandpaper to apply the oil, I now have a very smooth neck that feels great. The neck pocket was slightly wider than the neck, itself, so I added a thin shim. Lastly, I replaced the plastic nut with bone. Amazingly, I found a pre-cut nut on Amazon that hat slots filed to the correct depth! All I had to do was file down the ends a bit. The Glarry is a very good instrument on which to do mods. I am very happy with the finished product.

[@musicalmiscellany]

Thanks for checking out the video. It is really an impressive instrument for the price. It sounds like you've got a winner there.

[@khumello]

I want to change the nut on my 5 string Glarry also. Can you tell me what size you used?

[@rex8958]

Tempted to do the same mods you did, that color combo is sick

[@musicalmiscellany]

Thanks for checking it out. I have to say it was a huge improvement.

[@mybusiness7663]

I like the new look and it sounds good too!

[@musicalmiscellany]

Thanks. It really is an impressive bass for $90 but the mods really step it up a notch.

[@billkaroly]

I like what you've done. I ordered one of these today and will be changing out the pickups and adding an orange drop cap (if it needs it) and I'm also changing out the tuning machines.

[@musicalmiscellany]

Thanks for watching. I originally had plans to upgrade the tuners, but once I got them off of there, I was surprised. They are heavy though. A lightweight tuner might prevent some neck dive. Good luck!

[@johngeddes7894]

Bill Karoly - You may find that putting on a machined aircraft grade aluminum bridge with bell bronze saddles will wake that bass right up; from a dull slig to a lively musical bass with sustain that enhances the tone, unlike brass. Albridge is one that does just that, and something I might do. Or not. Either way.

[@deeplyable]

The drips on the headstock go good with the cheapo logo i think

[@musicalmiscellany]

LOL. That's a good point.

[@grantkoeller8911]

Even though it's a Glarry, it's not that bad once you fix it up. Glarrys are great modding platforms. like the painted headstock, and the black pickguard, looks great. " Did you have any razor sharp fret ends sticking out? The danish oil was perfect for the finger board.

[@musicalmiscellany]

Thanks for checking it out. Luckily, this particular bass did not have any sharp frets. I've heard some of them do but I got lucky.

[@khumello]

Mine had razor sharp edges.... chopped up my hand a bit. Filed them down and now they're super smooth. 🎸

[@jamesobrien8529]

Im putting a set of emg les claypool pick ups

[@musicalmiscellany]

Thanks for checking out the vid.

[@Spider_Rico]

I know someone who would love to own that "Cheapo".

[@musicalmiscellany]

Ironically, I sold it a while back so somebody does own it now. LOL. Thanks for checking it out.

[@ethanlocke3604]

Great video!

[@musicalmiscellany]

Thanks for checking it out.

[@tonycampbell9626]

Does the danish oil last longer for the neck between applications?

[@musicalmiscellany]

I don’t understand this question. Can you rephrase it?

[@gerioux]

Both of my glarrys came with a very good set up. My 5 string was still in tune.

[@musicalmiscellany]

Thanks for checking out the video. With these entry-level instruments I've found they tend to vary a bit from unit to unit. Some have decent setups right out of the box. Others need some tweaking. It sounds like you've had good luck.

[@stevesstrings5243]

Looks like some fun mods!

[@musicalmiscellany]

Thanks Steve. Minor stuff but it makes a world of difference.

[@larryn2682]

When removed, you can see right away if a Fender type pickup has a ceramic magnet or authentic Alnico polepiece/magnets. I would prefer Alnico in most cases.

[@musicalmiscellany]

Thanks for checking out the video.

[@MariaCalfaDePaul]

Kale!!! This was so interesting. Wow you legit made the bass over. I mean seriously. It's like night and day. I love the color scheme it was a great idea painting the pick guard and the headstock. The neck looks awesome and the pickups sound so good. I thought it sounded good when you just did the set up in the other video but it sounded sooo much better now. Wow great job. Enjoy you "cheapo". You could make basses from scratch I bet !!

[@musicalmiscellany]

I'm glad you enjoyed the video. This would actually be a perfect bass for a kid to learn on. If I knew a youngster who was looking to take up bass... I'd gladly donate it. Honestly, these are pretty impressive basses for $90 but they really do need a setup to play well (this one did anyway).

[@MariaCalfaDePaul]

@@musicalmiscellany that's awesome. Well I know that it sounded good because of all you did ! Also there is a program called Instruments of Joy. I donated a guitar and they eventually got it into the hands of a 10 year old boy. Only problem is that it costs soo much to ship. They are located in Tennessee. So I guess if you ever take a road trip cause it would cost you as much to ship as the bass costs lol. . Enjoy it while you have it and I get who ever gets it will be very happy with it !! I love that you can do all that. My late dad was like you. He could make anything !

[@musicalmiscellany]

@@MariaCalfaDePaul It sounds like he was quite the handyman. It's clear you miss him a lot.

[@MariaCalfaDePaul]

@@musicalmiscellany oh yes both of my parents. They were so talented in different ways. ❤️😊

[@musicalmiscellany]

@@MariaCalfaDePaul Fortunately, I haven't had to go through that yet, but I can't imagine it will be easy when it happens. It's difficult for our brains to process that a child should attend their parents' funerals because nobody would wish the inverse on anyone. Provided they lived a long happy life... there should be more celebrating than grieving... but I know that's never how it works.

[@gilpi552]

I love what you did with the bass, I wish you would have spent another minute or two playing it at different settings, sounded a bit over-driven. Great video, Im inspired to get one.

[@musicalmiscellany]

Thanks for watching. I wish I would've done a clean clip as well. I dailed in that overdriven tone and it just sounded so great with the pickup but - as you point out - it makes it harder to compare the two.

[@gabblem.777]

The wilkinsons pick ups sound distorted. Did you use an overdrive?

[@musicalmiscellany]

Yes. The final clip was made with overdrive. In retrospect, I probably should've used the same amp setup for the before and after clips but I was really digging that thick grungy tone. Thanks for watching.

[@jfrankcarr]

How is the nut on it? One thing I've found on cheap guitars is they often have poorly cut nuts made from lower quality plastic.

[@musicalmiscellany]

It does appear to be a plastic nut but it's actually cut pretty well. I took a good look at it while I had the strings off and decided not to modify it. If I was really doing an overhaul... I'd replace it with a bone nut but honestly... it's not bad. Of course, with inexpensive basses like this it tends to be a little different on each instrument so I may have just gotten lucky.

[@user-mt4vo4ey5n]

I came to this because I'm thinking of doing the same thing. It does seem to me that removing the shim from where the neck bolts on puts an angle on the neck that doesn't run parallel to the guitar body. A long strait edge placed on the neck that extends to the saddles would show the straightness of the neck to the body. I'm not saying this is true, I'm no Luthier, but...that shim was in there for a reason. Mind you I could be wrong about this, but I may not be either. And the other possibility is none of what I just said really matters if its not off by much.. Anyways , thanks for the vid.

[@musicalmiscellany]

Thanks for watching the video. Shims like that are common when trying to lower the action. Bringing the neck upwards a bit at the heel tends to bring the strings closer the frets (especially on an instrument with a high bridge). When I received this bass, the truss rod was really tight and so the neck had little relief (thus all the rattling). After putting some relief back in the neck, I didn't really think it needed the shim. Needless to say, the bridge and pickup heights needed to be adjusted once the shim was removed. In any case, there's a long running 'argument' amongst guitarists over straight neck (e.g. Fender) vs neck w/back angle (e.g. Gibson). In the end, neither is right or wrong, it's just about geometry. The shim is the same idea but to a lesser degree. From my years of playing, I've found I tend to prefer a lower bridge without neck shim, but it really is just a personal preference. I hope that all made sense. Thanks again for the comment.

[@llengford]

Dude you screwed up when you painted the pick guard

[@musicalmiscellany]

To tell you the truth, I wasn't sure how it was going to come out. I've never done that before, but it actually looks pretty good.

[@llengford]

@@musicalmiscellany did you put any new tuners on one of mine's got a little bit of shaking movement in it I think it's causing it to have a little vibration.... plus I put a little extra shim and under the neck because my action was so distant

[@musicalmiscellany]

@@llengford I didn't replace the tuners but it would probably be a decent upgrade. They're not terrible but they're not great either. Mine had a neck shim which I ended up removing. LOL.

[@moldorm99]

If you're gonna upgrade it then just buy a better guitar lol

[@musicalmiscellany]

A lot of folks would certainly agree with you. Many people would rather spend more money for a "better" model than modify something "cheaper". But this opinion completely ignores the spirit of modding culture. Modders mod because they want to have something different, something unique, something that is one-of-a-kind... not just the next model up in the line (of which there are thousands more just like it). It's difficult for some folks to understand the drive to mod instruments but those who get it never question it. That said, I think upgrading the pickup, setting up the action, and oiling the neck dramatically improved the playability of this bass (aesthetic mods aside). I think I paid around $20 for the pickup and I already had the wood oil on hand so realistically... this mod costs me $20 and some elbow grease.

[@moldorm99]

@@musicalmiscellany You can always mod better guitars. 🤷‍♂

[@musicalmiscellany]

@@moldorm99 You certainly can and many folks do. Even high-end guitars get modded. At some point, the buyer needs to decide on a budget. If you have $400 to spend, you can buy a $400 instrument or buy a $300 instrument and spend $100 on mods or some other combination. No option is right or wrong, it's just preference. The point of this video was that I bought the cheapest bass on Reverb.com, spent about $20 on an upgraded pickup and used other things I had on hand (wood oil, spray paint, etc) to make it a more playable instrument. I realize that doesn't appeal to everyone but it certainly does to some.

[@ericdpeerik3928]

Don't forget that Glarry is very popular with people learning modding and luthier skills. Honestly, you don't want to learn fretwork on a $3000 bass, or learn to solder, or paint, and other things that can go very very wrong 😂 Also, it's a bit of fun. I own a Stagg ses-30 which I bought 2nd hand for pocket change. There's not much left of the stock parts. Was it worth it in money? No, but I enjoyed it. 😂