G&L M2000 modded - sell or de-fret? Opinions please

[Romeo2]

Fellow Basschatters,

here's my first world problem. I bought this fine M2000 G&L Tribute series from Thomann some time ago, a lovely bass, mahogany core, maple cap, transparent black with binding. Neck is between a P and a J, easy to play, not too skinny.

Sound is fat from those two humbuckers and 18V preamp with added flexibility of tone controls and a blend knob. I felt it was sometimes too fat and in my quest to make it more like a super J I had it modded with two coil switches so the humbucks can become any of the single coils combinations. I also added black knobs with lines so I know where my settings are - with such powerful and plentiful flexibility I wanted to see the settings and not keep guessing where the sweet spot is that I last had it at. Here's a photo of it:

[attachment=219368:IMG_1387.JPG]

Now the thing is I find myself not playing it that much, nothing wrong with it, I just tend to go to the L2000 one just so much more. I also have a Squier PJ which I pick up when I need a passive, classic tone. So I was thinking of perhaps selling the M2000 and I know GAS will not allow me to have a three-guitar stand and two basses... I never had a fretless so I will probably end up buying a fretless.

Do I sell the M2000 and then try to buy a fretless or de-fret the M2000?

The dilemma here is that the G&Ls don't seem to attract a good resale value, even after the mods I have done to this one I don't expect it to go for a lot, even though it has never been gigged and is in superb condition, always had flats on so frets are like new (spent £575 plus £70 for the coil mod, and people sell their G&Ls on here for like £300 or something, crazy!). De-fret at my local workshop is £90 (I will not attempt doing it myself).

Sell and buy a fretless, or keep and de-fret??

[Machines]

Only defret if you never intend to sell as it will be worth even less than it is now otherwise.

Nb I'd pay £400 for that configuration if I was in the market currently.

[RhysP]

Mods of any sort nearly always devalue an instrument, no matter how much better the person that did them thinks they make the instrument. Having it de-fretted Would probably devalue it even further.

If it was my decision I'd just try & sell it & buy a fretless with the money. If I then had absolutely no luck selling it then & only then might I consider having it defretted.

[Romeo2]

Machines, RhysP - thank you. Interesting, useful stuff.

I am quite surprised at the statement that a mod will decrease an instrument's value, regardless whether it improves the instrument or not. I would have thought that modding a vintage Fender would do that but these single coil switches add the flexibility of single coils without taking away the humbucker sound (in middle position of these three-way switches) to a fairly affordable range instrument, surely makes it a [i]better[/i] instrument..?

Any thoughts on whether this bass would make a good fretless?

[neepheid]

[quote name='Romeo2' timestamp='1463342503' post='3050664']
surely makes it a [i]better[/i] instrument..?
[/quote]

That is your opinion, and will not be necessarily shared by your market. Having owned both an L and an M-2000 I can say with some certainty that any M I buy in the future I'd like to be left alone. As a modder myself I doubt I'd be happy with someone else's mods, mainly because they're not my mods - it's such a personal thing.

I won't go as far as to say that no mod ever increases value, but I will say from extensive, painful experience that I have never EVER got the perceived (by me) value out of a mod on resale. Beware of non-reversible mods (says he who keeps on doing them ). I added a battery box to my Yamaha SBV500 when I made it active - there was absolutely no room under the pickguard for the battery and it'd be a faff to change if I had to lift the pickguard to do it. It's now got an EMG-BQC 3 band EQ in it. Does that mean it's worth £100 more that it otherwise would now? Nope, absolutely no way - because all the the majority of people will see is that I've carved a great big dirty hole in it. Yes, I think the mods improved the bass otherwise I wouldn't have done it but it'll be harder to sell now, you bunch of ungrateful philistines!

Edited May 15, 2016 by neepheid

[Delius]

[quote name='Romeo2' timestamp='1463342503' post='3050664']
Any thoughts on whether this bass would make a good fretless?
[/quote]
I have an M2000 fretless and it's absolutely great, so I would think so.
That said, in some respects I did prefer my old L2000 fretless...

[Romeo2]

Neepheid, yes those bloody philistines really don't know what's good for them! By the way, it may be your posts on this very forum about G&Ls that made me buy the M2000 to pair it up with my L2000, yes, I blame you

Delius, here I was getting quite convinced that it is best just to sell it but you are a proud owner of a fretless M2000 which you seem to like, hmmm...

I think I may need to flip a coin at one point since I am so bloody undecided but thank you all for your input.