Cheap bass bargains for modding?

[Jamesemt]

I've recently come back to the bass after a long time away. 

In the past there was always some bass bargain which punched well above it's weight - I was into the SX thing and still have a highly moded Jazz. Then I remember the Squier VM line, so is there an equivalent these days? 

I guess I'm talking about a prime modding platform with a decent quality finish on the body. 

Thanks. 

[Mykesbass]

Harley Benton seem to be the popular choice. I know a very good guitarist who only plays HB, modded and un-modded. Even better, you can often get B Stock, or 'decorative' ones ideal for your plans. HB is Thomann's own brand.

[Newfoundfreedom]

Yup. Harley Benton from Thomann all the way. They're unbeatable on quality to price ratio. 

 

Except they're generally so good straight out of the box that they don't need any modding. 😆

[Jamesemt]

Yeah thanks for that - I'm aware of the HB instruments and am tempted to go that route. On a related topic - what happened to the Overwater by Tanglewood basses? They seem to have completely disappeared. 

[TheGreek]

Overwater broke off their relationship because they were unhappy with the quality control with those basses.

Sharp fret ends were not uncommon IIRC. 

[Newfoundfreedom]

15 minutes ago, Jamesemt said:

Yeah thanks for that - I'm aware of the HB instruments and am tempted to go that route. On a related topic - what happened to the Overwater by Tanglewood basses? They seem to have completely disappeared. 

 

They still crop up second hand occasionally. 

 

Vintage are another great brand. If you can find one they punch well above their weight. 

[Geek99]

I have a Vintage and it’s very good 

 

active version of this 

 

Edited August 23, 2023 by Geek99

[Geek99]

@Newfoundfreedom it was tested by a few midlands members at the 2021 bash who seemed happy “good stingray sound” was one comment 

 

partner bought it for me so never going up for sale 

[Jamesemt]

Ah yeah never thought about vintage - I had a v300 acoustic for years. 

Thanks for the replies. 

 

[Dan Dare]

There is fun to be had creating your own Frankenbass, but it's worth bearing in mind that buying a cheap bass that costs, say £100 - £200 and spending hundreds more on modding it can end up costing the same as buying a more expensive instrument. Resale value will not be high and you'll never get back anything like what you spend on it. A HB or similar will always be a HB or similar, regardless of what you do to it, in the eyes of a potential buyer.

[asingardenof]

1 hour ago, Dan Dare said:

There is fun to be had creating your own Frankenbass, but it's worth bearing in mind that buying a cheap bass that costs, say £100 - £200 and spending hundreds more on modding it can end up costing the same as buying a more expensive instrument. Resale value will not be high and you'll never get back anything like what you spend on it. A HB or similar will always be a HB or similar, regardless of what you do to it, in the eyes of a potential buyer.

I haven't gone down this route yet, but I would imagine that modding a bass to your own specifications means resale value isn't high on the prioirites list.

[PaulThePlug]

Faceache 'n Gumtree...

A lot of mods are free it's just time...

Dismantle Clean n lube machine heads... tidy up the nut edges, pencil in the grooves... a quick go around making sure the neck screws are tight, all worth doing!

Edited August 24, 2023 by PaulThePlug