Common Bass Guitar Modifications - Upgrade Your Axe

[@Chattosaurus]

One thing I've put on all my basses that I highly recommend is to put on a thumb rest. If you usually post your thumb on top of the pickup, it'll give you a way more solid base for your plucking. Might take a bit of trial and error to find a the most comfortable spot, but they're super cheap, easy to install and make playing fingerstyle way more comfortable.

[@qddk9545]

From another sustain discussion, a luthier - it could have been Driftwood Guitars: People think that high mass means better sustain, but in reality it means higher attenuation = lower sustain. If we look at for instance a Les Paul guitar, the old ones had zinc and aluminum parts, which has a very low mass, and witch gave them higher sustain.

[@chrisneuner]

Best thing to get a more P like tone out of a J is to pick between the pickups. This makes a hughe difference. EQ-wise you can raise the bass a little bit an push mids at around 2k. I've swapped the tuners for hipshots on my Fender Player P, too. I removed the D-Tuner after a while. You always have to tune the E-string a little bit flat, then use the D-Tuner once or twice and the string will be in tune and stay there. I now prefer to really tune down to D, when necessary. I've changed the pickup to Aguilar 60s. I really like this bass now. I play it as much as my USA Jazz Ultra...

[@michaelanthony9068]

Thank you Dan. I’ve been disliking the way my USA Fender Jazz volume knobs work. If the bridge pup is at 100% and I want to fade the neck pup in, I don’t hear the neck at all until it’s at 85-90%, then it’s totally on. Love your lessons. Subscriber here.

[@OnlineBassCourses]

Thanks - I appreciate your support!

[@slewiscurious]

I love this. Im actually in the middle of upgrading a MIM jazz bass. Just ordered pickups, will do pick guard, nut, tuners. Eventually bridge. Funny you say a decent bass. Seems pretty amazing to me.

[@OnlineBassCourses]

Have fun, Steve! I’m sure it’s going to come out great.

[@foff4strings]

Totally agree re Hipshots: I have a Yamaha BB615 (It's a 5 string) and with its original machine heads it was so neck heavy, but a set of Ultralites sorted that out. I also have a bitsa P-bass with a J neck and that is fitted with Gotoh Res-O-Lite machine heads, which are a direct drop in replacement for the diamond plate Klusons fitted to pre-CBS Fenders (or lookalikes) and the bass balances perfectly. I've also got a Tokai EB-3 copy (it's actually 32" scale for some reason, but I prefer that to the 'correct' length) and I replaced the original Gibson designed bridge with the Hipshot 3 Point replacement, which is a vast improvement (the A string always sounded dead before even with fresh strings).

[@OnlineBassCourses]

Some great basses there Charles! 👍

[@foff4strings]

@@OnlineBassCourses some, but not all :-) well, you know how it is...

[@benediktopulus]

I got a 140€ bass for my birthday 2 years ago to start playing and i've made it my goal from day one to slowly upgrade absolutely everything on it till it plays and sounds like a 1000€ axe

[@OnlineBassCourses]

If the body and neck are good you can do it. Good luck!

[@benediktopulus]

@@OnlineBassCourses yeah its got a great slim neck which i love since i have very small hands. Thank you man!

[@Livemusic1800]

Modding those basses is like modding hondas. You can do alot of good stuff to them.

[@OnlineBassCourses]

Need to get me a Honda next...

[@jaywells5283]

Good job on explaining the mods you made in a quick and easy fashion! That bass sounds really good too! I have been playin 28 years, and of corse, have been modding guitars and basses since I think year three, hahaha, so I know where your comming from with mods for all sorts of uses! Thanks for making this vid.

[@OnlineBassCourses]

Thanks very much for the comment!

[@MikeBarnesDrums]

It’s an extender! Cracking video man 👏🏻

[@OnlineBassCourses]

Thanks mate! Love an extender.

[@sqwirlio7794]

Great video, as always! I just ordered Kloppmann pickups today for my Yamaha BBP34 bass. Very expensive pickups but far cheaper than buying a new bass, and I don’t really want a different bass. Can’t wait to get them! I would recommend any new bass player to try flatwound strings as the first upgrade, as most basses come with rounds.

[@OnlineBassCourses]

Flats sound great!

[@WALTERTLHB]

Cheerio Dan. I am thinking about building a fretless bass. If I could find a fret list for like around $200 I think something good may happen. If not I will save some money and buy a decent fretless. But I am definitely thinking about building one and I don't think you can go wrong as long as it sounds and the playability is perfect. It's worth it. Thank you so much for what you did you had the perfect situation. Cuz it was your brothers. But then again you modified your Ibanez wow man whoa that's deep. Okay sincerely Walter the left-handed bloke.

[@OnlineBassCourses]

Go for it, Walter! I recommend finding a local luthier who can advise you and help you with the trickier jobs.

[@Zemi.Andersen]

I have a sq jaguar, and a mim jazz - Really considering upgrading the bridges on both, and the Jaguar even more. Thanks for the vid!

[@OnlineBassCourses]

You’re welcome!

[@cdburgess75]

You should consider upgrade the body to Daphne blue with white pickguard. It would really look great with that neck

[@OnlineBassCourses]

I had to part company with this bass due to a big move. Daphne blue is a great colour! Similar ish to my JMJ Mustang.

[@slewiscurious]

Dan, what is the name of your control plate upgrade? I ended up doing all the upgrades, but that. The MIM jazz pots seem fine, but I know I will end up wanting to clean that up as well. Thanks.

[@OnlineBassCourses]

I used a J retro preamp by John East. His gear has a very good reputation.

[@sSamscwantch]

Bareknuckles. Awesome, got a pair of Ps and they are all vintage all real. Great stuff.

[@OnlineBassCourses]

Thanks Andrew. Great pickups!

[@amrsalahmahmoud3034]

Very nice video, where I can find or buy a same neck maple 70’s like the one you have & the pickups are which Brand I couldn’t understand the brand you said in the video ?

[@OnlineBassCourses]

The pickups are Bareknuckle and the neck was sourced for me by a guy with access to loads of Fender necks. Got lucky! Sometimes they turn up on eBay or Reverb.

[@amrsalahmahmoud3034]

@@OnlineBassCourses thank you so much, are you giving private lessons on zoom, how can I contact you directly ?

[@OnlineBassCourses]

@@amrsalahmahmoud3034 You're welcome. Unfortunately, I'm not giving private lessons but I do have a few premium courses on my website that may be of interest (onlinebasscourses.com/bass-guitar-books-courses-backing-tracks/). 🙏

[@thierrylemetayer3371]

thank you Dan

[@OnlineBassCourses]

🙏🙏

[@hardcore302]

Excellent video

[@OnlineBassCourses]

Thank you very much!

[@aarondavis4341]

Forgot to mention some tuners the clover piece likes to come loose from the shaft and rattle when you play it,SO annoying,lol. Anyway what kind of adhesive did you use on the aluminum nuts? I have an old Suzuki pbass that has a slab rosewood fretboard,I have a brass nut that I slapped in it,but it's not glued because I don't know what to use,it falls out Everytime I change strings

[@OnlineBassCourses]

+Aaron Davis have to admit that I got a pro to install it - don’t trust myself with those jobs!!

[@tonycampbell9626]

Comprehensive review.

[@TaxPayingContributor]

GREAT suggestions all! How about the difficulty or benefit of adding a fifth string?

[@OnlineBassCourses]

Thanks! Not sure how you'd do that...

[@minceraftfornite4334]

Prolly by changing pick ups neck and bridge

[@M4789-f8i]

this might sound kind of odd to you but i wanna buy a cheap bass its a Jackson but i dont like that metal type neck head or the tuning pegs do u think it would be do able to put a fender or ibanez neck on it as long as its the same size?

[@OnlineBassCourses]

Interesting… theoretically, yes but I’d get in touch with a local luthier and get their advice. It’s the kind of project that could go wrong and end up being expensive! Good luck.

[@M4789-f8i]

@@OnlineBassCourses ok thanks 👍🏻🤘🏻👍🏻

[@ravelitschimo]

Thank you. So you did a custom which would cost 2000€ till 3000€?

[@OnlineBassCourses]

You're welcome Emma! I'm not sure I understand your question, sorry. Are you referring to this bass? It was fairly cheap!

[@ravelitschimo]

@@OnlineBassCourses I mean your Bass sounds more expensive then a squier. I wish you had plans from the circuit.

[@OnlineBassCourses]

@@ravelitschimo I understand. There are loads of amazing options these days!

[@jaxonvictoria4345]

Great, insightful video- however we must not mod just for the sake of modding. We must identify weaknesses in our instruments then go from there. Saves you time, energy, money, and frustration. But if you’re truly a tinkerer with a deep pocket then by all means go ham.

[@OnlineBassCourses]

Well said.

[@mattiadevecchi5366]

hi the pickups are the fender custom shop 64?tnx

[@OnlineBassCourses]

Bareknuckle.

[@anagonz4887]

Do you have a wiring diagram 4knobs to your jazz bass

[@OnlineBassCourses]

Sorry, I don’t…

[@haha-px5xp]

Very cool, I just bought a 80's moon pj style bass, care to give it a look and maybe give some upgrade ideas?

[@OnlineBassCourses]

I think it’s all about personal preference and feel. That’s a good bass. Does it need anything changed? Maybe not. I took my old ibanez to a luthier and they refined a few things (I did our new pickups in as the old ones were defective). Just depends on the bass and what YOU want.

[@haha-px5xp]

@@OnlineBassCourses Thank you so very much sir

[@GregTuckerKellogg]

Somehow I'm reminded of the juggling comedian Michael Davis describing the axe he juggled: "This is the same axe that George Washington used to chop down the cherry tree. Replaced the head. Replaced the handle. But it occupies the same space"

[@lobog9739]

Can you upgrade the neck of a micro bass guitar?

[@OnlineBassCourses]

What's a micro bass guitar? If you can find a neck then yes!

[@lobog9739]

@@OnlineBassCourses ok like the ibanez gsr m20... I like the body but like to upgrade the neck from 28.6 to 30. I hope I'm explaining myself

[@OnlineBassCourses]

Ah, yes; I see. My best advice is to email Ibanez or ask a local expert luthier.

[@jakejones8158]

Real question here, just out of curiosity why did you just not build a bass from scratch, like order a body, then all the parts you wanted to add to it? I think the only thing original on that bass is the body. Only ask because that seams cheaper then doing all the replacement parts.

[@OnlineBassCourses]

Great question. Because I did that with another bass (very useful and informative it was too).

[@mikechecka292]

You've replaced almost the entire bass. I understand the desire to have all the bells and whistles but you can get to a point where all of the money spent upgrading should have been added to your initial budget when you were shopping for a bass. Its a hell of a lot easier (and a little cheaper?) if you get all that money together up frront and get a bass that is closer to what you REALLY want. I bought a Spector and it was neck thru,has a brass nut,brass bridge...sounded good. I put the preamp and pickups I wanted in it and for the first time I had a bass that was "done". I love that bass. I have a few more though and a couple are what you would call "budget" basses. I resisted the urge to dump money into all of them. I kept the ones that play and sound good as they are and sold the ones I felt I couldnt live with "as is". I had a Yamaha 5 string active bass that I loved except for the travesty of a bridge that Yamaha installed at the factory. Its a horrible bridge and there is no aftermarket bridge that will fit without doing some drilling. I sold it today. So,after selling all the basees that needed upgrades I am going to buy another bass that I can live with from day one. Everyone should have a bass that they are completely happy with. After that I would suggest not trying to buy $200 basses with the goal of making it a $1000 bass. Dont buy a Glarry. Or a Squire. If you want a Fender save and buy the one you want instead of buying a Squire and dumping 300 or 400 dollars in it to get what you want. Take that 400 and add it to the 250 and buy a Fender. I have a Laguna bass i paid 75 dollars for and I play it all the time. Great bass. Sterling S.U.B. Ray-- I wanted to change the electronics and the bridge and all that but the bass sounds good and I only paid 175 for it.

[@OnlineBassCourses]

Excellent advice. 👍 I paid nothing for this bass as it was my brother's. I don't regret one upgrade I made. I liked having a 'parts' bass as it was quite fun. I've done the same with my '82 Ibanez and it could be my favourite bass now!

[@karenstjohn6759]

I love the process of modding the bass (or guitar)! But if you don’t enjoy the mods process, yes, definitely, start with guitar/bass that has what you want in the first place.

[@cperch37]

Awesome!!

[@OnlineBassCourses]

Thanks Cliff!

[@victorlinge92]

Great tips! Where did you buy the Jazz bass neck from?

[@OnlineBassCourses]

Thanks! I got very lucky and found it locally here in London. I looked on eBay and there were a couple there but went this way.

[@victorlinge92]

@@OnlineBassCourses That's great! I'm looking for a neck exactly like yours, but the only thing close enough these days seem to be the Geddy Lee neck

[@jonw8694]

So much has been replaced on this bass that at some point you have to ask....Why did you buy that bass in the first place?

[@OnlineBassCourses]

I was lucky enough to borrow (steal) this bass for free from my brother so was very happy to get experimental with it. I was very happy with the results.

[@martinrooth4644]

Triggers Broom…

[@joannalewis5279]

No more government subsidies for active bases

[@HonkerinoXD]

The way he's holding the bass in the thumbnail 💀💀

[@OnlineBassCourses]

How am I holding the bass?? 🤣

[@nocaster5120]

Lost me at alumin-eyum

[@OnlineBassCourses]

🤣 bloody Brits!

[@m5chk1]

changing vintage tuners?? are you crazy??

[@OnlineBassCourses]

How so?

[@m5chk1]

@@OnlineBassCourses you could try using sanding paper and some grease if the pegs are turning roughly

[@OnlineBassCourses]

Thanks for tip.

[@aryabanerjee1179]

Thanks so much, no clue why this has such less views

[@OnlineBassCourses]

+Arya Banerjee thank you for watching! Share and spread the word as I could do with more views...

[@zdrett]

Because it's *bass*

[@OnlineBassCourses]

@@zdrett Very cruel...but possibly some shred of truth.

[@easyabc1404]

Why on earth would you modify a bass worthing 1,500 dollars? They don't build them good at those prices?? And modifying a Fender or a Rickenbacker is a profanation of the instrument!!! Maybe changing the strings for better ones... At least it's invisible... OK. But we upgrade cheap basses from less than 100 to 300 dollars. Not a beauty like that Fender Jazz. You don't update a beautiful blue eyes blonde 36-24-36 125 pounds and 24 years old! It is like modifyng a 1971 Cadillac Fleetwood with a 2022 sound system, adding back up cameras, 19 inches tires, etc. You don't TOUCH those iconic items...

[@easyabc1404]

He should have bought a naked bridge and a naked neck and build the all thing himself! This is not a Fender Jazz anymore...

[@OnlineBassCourses]

You’d be surprised at how many things don’t work or need fixing on an old bass! If you buy it to play it and something doesn’t work, you need to change it. If not, then, I agree, don’t fix it. Or if you’re buying as an investment, don’t change anything. Thanks for the comment.

[@easyabc1404]

@@OnlineBassCourses It's like a vintage car, if you need to replace a shock absorber, replace it with a brand new one and maybe a better one, it's invisible. Like the strings for a bass or a guitar. But if you need to change the carburator, change it with a similar one. If you need to change the tuners on a Fender, replace them with Fender tuners... If you want to replace everything, buy a body and a neck and build yourself a bass at your own taste. No big deal. But don't undress a super Fender Jazz worthing 1 dollar more everyday! No harm done.

[@danmcc7461]

Gee....you bought a bass body?? May as well build from parts...so, really, you aren't "modifying" anything, are you? :->(

[@OnlineBassCourses]

You are correct but the point of my video is to try and give advice to others on what they could modify (if they want). Thanks for the comment!

[@isaifelix4765]

Good video but you take so long to get to the point

[@OnlineBassCourses]

Thanks. Sorry, I’m not the best at this KZbin game!