nomis Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Ok i am quite new to modifying upgrading basses etc... Im looking to give my MIM 50's fiesta red p-Bass a bit of an upgrade. I am thinking about installing a badass bridge as i hear it will give you a bit more sustain? (thoughts?) I also would quite like to stick some new pickups in it. I have been looking at some of the seymour duncan and bare knuckle pickups. Im looking for something thats punchy with nice mids and fat low end (but not too expensive!) is there anything that i should be looking at or has anyone had experience with the other brands i have mentioned? Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 I'd spend my money on an outboard preamp, such as a Sadowsky. That will give you a whole world of additional tones without having to mess around with the bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JapanAxe Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 (edited) Can definitely recommend Bare Knuckles for guitars but never tried on bass. Fwiw my CIT '62 RI P-bass has the usual wimpy Fender bridge but has bags of sustain - probably more to for with the timber used? Edited October 4, 2012 by JapanAxe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nomis Posted October 4, 2012 Author Share Posted October 4, 2012 I already have a small collection (and Growing) of Pre amp/DI Boxes. They have a great range of tones i just wouldnt mind improving the bass itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hatori Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Dont bother badassing ive done it and not noticed an appreciable difference. Dimarzio split humbucker..passive and kicks ass big style. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machines Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Does your bass have any shortcomings ? If not, upgrading is likely an expensive and fruitless task. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Low End Bee Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Wizard Thumpers are really good pickups in a P and are not stupid money. [url="http://www.wizardpickups.co.uk/moreinfo.asp?id=41"]http://www.wizardpickups.co.uk/moreinfo.asp?id=41[/url] I have a Badass II on my backup. I did swap it with the BBOT on my main P and back to compare once. It made zero difference to my ears. They do look nice though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 I'd stick with it how it is...personally those BA bridges look awful! Keep it classic. Again, a pre-amp pedal might be nice. If you want more mids, the Aguilar Tonehammer will help. The Sadowsky pre-amp is nice but to my knowledge it has no mid control, same with the Sansamp BDDI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 A pickup upgrade wouldn't be a bad idea...depends what you are after. I think most P bass pups sound VERY similar once you get to a certain level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 I'm a fan of Wizards - I've put a Thumper in a few basses now, I like the sound. As far as bridges go, my favourite is the Schaller 3D, which allows side-to-side string adjustment to line up with pole pieces, etc, but the main reason I like it is it's comfier for my hand to rest on. As far as sustain goes, never noticed any real difference, and I've replaced a lot of BBOT bridges. I'd say the Badass is currently very expensive for what it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 (edited) The time and money you're going to spend on, as Machines says "is likely an expensive and fruitless task", why not think about selling what you've got and putting that and the money you would have spent on a new bass??? New gear always inspires me and gives me a kick up the RRRRs to play... Edited October 4, 2012 by TheGreek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bremen Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 I'd spend the cash on strings, that's the biggest change in tone. D'addario Chromes if you like it big, deep and dark, GHS Boomers if you like it to bark and clang. And a setup from a good tech. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nomis Posted October 4, 2012 Author Share Posted October 4, 2012 [quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1349344363' post='1824908'] The time and money you're going to spend on, as Machines says "is likely an expensive and fruitless task", why not think about selling what you've got and putting that and the money you would have spent on a new bass??? New gear always inspires me and gives me a kick up the RRRRs to play... [/quote] I appreciate that, Im not tired of playing that particular bass, i love it! I have a MM stingray which i have had for years but i aquired this one last year and it feels great plays really nicely! Infact im using it as my main bass! I just sometimes find it could use a little more low end and mid range. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nomis Posted October 4, 2012 Author Share Posted October 4, 2012 Forgive my ignorance but what does BBOT mean? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 [quote name='nomis' timestamp='1349345420' post='1824934'] Forgive my ignorance but what does BBOT mean? [/quote] Bent Bit Of Tin - a rather unflattering description of Fender's original/classic bridges Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jezzaboy Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Re the baddass. I put one on a 60`s reissue jazz and I noticed no differance whatsoever. They can look cool but unless it was standard on the bass I wouldn`t bother. I would be more inclined to spend the money on a decent pickup although I have read nothing but glowing reports of these P basses. But if you fancy a change, go for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Valdemar Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 I'm a big fan of the BBOT bridge. It does everything it needs to do without any shortcomings that I have ever noticed. If your 50s P has the original bridge it should have the old-style grooved saddles so you can alter the string spacing to some extent if you need to. I too have been down the badass route and ended up disappointed so I went back to the 'inferior' BBOT. The Badass didn't offer any noticably improved tone and I couldn't set the action low enough. As for replacement pickups, if you do want to upgrade I like DiMarzios - not sure of the model name but it has the adjustable hex shaped pole pieces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pst62 Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 +1 For the Badass comments. Save your money! I had one, IMO I paid the best part of £70 for a name, I sold it earlier this year and replaced it with an unbranded Hi mass Gotoh 201 wannabe, which for the princely sum of £15 was an absolute bargain. Still got a BBOT on my VM Precision and I'm not in any hurry to replace it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 OK, so no preamp. If I was upgrading the pickups in a Precision I'd look at dropping in a Nordstrand NP4 or NP4v. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dingus Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 (edited) It's worth considering if the money your planning on spending to upgrade your MIM P bass might be better spent on a better quality U.S.A Fender instead. If you consider what you could get for your bass as it is now if you sold it and put the upgrade money to that sum, think about what you could buy for that . It's always a questionable course of action to spend a lot of money on upgrading a relatively inexpensive instrument ; if you're not careful you can end up with what is in actuallity still a cheap bass with lots of expensive parts on it which don't in themselves remedy your initial dissatisfaction with it. If you are determined to go the upgrade route on this bass , then my advice is keep it simple and relatively inexpensive. I actually do think a Baddass is a worthwhile upgrade on a Fender bass. It's not just a question of sustain; I find a Badass adds definition to the overall sound of the bass and clarity to the notes on the D and G strings, particulaly as you move higher up the fretboard. The problem with the Badass is it's a fiddly job to get it filed , installed and adjusted properly and really needs to be done by someone who really knows what they are doing ( i.e a luthier familiar with this bridge) to get it to perform at an optimum level. One of the other cheaper and more straightforward aftermarket bridges is probably a much better option on your bass and will sound just as good. The problem with the bbot bridge is the saddles can tend to move around on the baseplate, which messes with the intonation. As for pickups, the Duncan and Dimarzio ones already mentioned are favorites of mine, along with the Lakland/Hanson Neo Punch. When it come to Precision pickups , I would always tend to favour brute power over subtlty. Edited October 4, 2012 by Dingus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevB Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 I used to have a P copy, very playable but very heavy so in the end I passed it on to a family member who was learning bass at the time. It originally had the typical Fender type bridge and I replaced it with a badass II. On a completely passive bass I can't say i heard a deal of difference in tone or sustain. I currently have a US P deluxe that is active and I have no plans to change the bridge on that. I do have a passive US jazz and when i swapped that bridge out for a badass III I think it maybe improved the tone/susteain a little. In short for the money I wouldn't bother unless the bridge on your MIM P bass is really causing concern in terms of adjustability or wear. In the limited amount of upgrading I've done my conclusions are that the biggest difference in overrall tone is by changing th epickups and that shouldn't come as much of a surprise to anyone. My first ever bass was a cheap Columbus jazz copy. The neck wasn't great so I swapped it for a Mighty Might neck and I ended up with a bass that was very playable but sounded thin and weedy. Swapped the pickups to standard US Fender ones and it was a different bass entirely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nomis Posted October 4, 2012 Author Share Posted October 4, 2012 thanks for the advice chaps. Dont think i will upgrade the bridge. Still considering a new pickup maybe as i do love this bass. But like it has been said, it is a cheap bass so maybe buying the most expensive stuff isnt a great idea! Afterall, you can't polish a turd! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bremen Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 [quote name='KevB' timestamp='1349368002' post='1825398'] The neck wasn't great so I swapped it for a Mighty Might neck and I ended up with a bass that was very playable but sounded thin and weedy. Swapped the pickups to standard US Fender ones and it was a different bass entirely. [/quote] A Trigger's Broom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bremen Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 [quote name='nomis' timestamp='1349368288' post='1825404'] thanks for the advice chaps. Dont think i will upgrade the bridge. Still considering a new pickup maybe as i do love this bass. But like it has been said, it is a cheap bass so maybe buying the most expensive stuff isnt a great idea! Afterall, you can't polish a turd! [/quote] A MIM Precision is hardly a turd though! Worth the polish of a nice set of strings and a set-up. And maybe try a Wizard Thumper or SD if a bargain comes your way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jezzaboy Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Can`t polish a turd ???? You calling my Mex 50`s P a turd ?????? Right, ootside!!!!! I think you wil find a lot of people will disagree with that statement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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