Budda Long

I just wanted to say hello, I'm new here, but an old bass and keyboard player. I was originally a cellist, but the reality of so many symphonies shutting down is that that seemed like a poor choice of instrument, and it seems to have proven out. There are a lot more gigs in all styles for bassists and keyboardists. I play jazz,(when I want to have fun but starve) rock, blues, funk, classical and anything someone is willing to pay me to do. I sometimes design instruments and am a hopeless upgrader of every instrument I buy, to the point they often don't resemble the original. I often even modify the bodies to suit my needs, resale value be damned.

I see this is an old topic, but I assume it's one that will come up over and again and answers will be helpful to those finding this through a search so... If you have a cheap bass that plays well, is comfortable to you, it is worth spending whatever you can afford to spend. I have known several pro bassists who have completely pimped their sub 100 quid basses with the best tuners, bridges, pots, pickups and strings - spending quite a lot, hundreds upon hundreds in some cases, and come out with basses they like more than any boutique bass for far less money. I have done it myself although never with that cheap of a bass, but I'm about to start a project with a cheap p-bass that plays like a dream. I will spend well into the hundreds to fit it with the very finest of everything because it plays well enough to deserve it. It is a one in a thousand happenstance where exactly the right pieces of wood combined all in one super-cheap factory bass - it happens. I was looking around to see what hardware others had used when I came across this thread. You may or may not ever recoup your investment - If someone else plays it and realizes it's value, you will probably do alright, but you will never be able to sell it online.