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Put all the upgrades on one bass!


la bam

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OK, so just for a bit of fun, but also an attempt to see what hardware mods / upgrades are out there at the moment..... 

 

What hardware mods are available to create or modify a bass guitar into the most versatile it could be? 

 

I'm thinking pre Amps including parametric eqs (for bass, mid, high) s1 switches, pick up switches, knobs etc, different pick ups and configurations. Anything goes. 

 

Ie to make the 'Homer Simpson mobile' of bass guitars. 

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Also D Tuners for each string (which can be set to just do half steps as well).

 

Black Ice passive overdrive/distortion module.

 

Lusithand double filter preamp: https://lusithanddevices.com/product/double-nfp/

 

And having a tremolo system installed as well, Kahler does one for bass (and comes in a 5 string version as well): https://www.thomann.de/gb/kahler_2410r_w4_bass_tremolo_blk.htm

 

 

 

Edited by Baloney Balderdash
https://www.thomann.de/gb/kahler_2410r_w4_bass_tremolo_blk.htm
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Brilliant so far! 

 

A few of mine:

Built in tuner

On board fx

Full selectable parametric eq cut and boost for bass, lo mid, hi mid, treble. 

Luminlay or led fret markers

 

It'd be good for a laugh if when compiled someone could mock up what the basschat homer Simpson mobile bass would look like! :)

 

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1 hour ago, la bam said:

Brilliant so far! 

 

A few of mine:

Built in tuner

On board fx

Full selectable parametric eq cut and boost for bass, lo mid, hi mid, treble. 

Luminlay or led fret markers

 

It'd be good for a laugh if when compiled someone could mock up what the basschat homer Simpson mobile bass would look like! :)

 

It's not a fully parametric EQ unless you can also dial in frequency and Q/Bandwidth for each band, for tonal versatility you would be better off with a filter preamp, like the one I suggested.

 

Edited by Baloney Balderdash
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The FX from this: 

Quote

Hurricane (pitch controlled hurricane/tornado sounds),volume (normal volume pedal), wah (funky 70s "growl-y" wah sounds!), surf (like "hurricane" but volume controlled). and the last choice is a switch called 'siren' which is a sine wave rising and falling.

Maybe they could be hooked up to something like a b-bender mechanism attached to the neck, which instead of tensioning one of the strings could be attached to a pot so pulling the neck down controlled the wah effect?

 

A switch to turn it all off and just go passive (with a complete set of passive treble and bass controls ala G&L L2000).

Edited by bloke_zero
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Built-in wireless - preferably modular so it can be upgraded when quantum digital wireless comes along.

 

Fretted/fretless operation by moving a lever:

 

 

I'm sure there was a better video than this but I can't find it.

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A bridge with Kubicki style wheels around which you spool fresh string. Instead of removing strings to change them, you just spool more out of the bridge and clamp the fresh section behind the nut, then snip off the excess of old string.

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Can't remember who makes them but midi sensitive/triggering frets/fretboard.

 

Build in metronome/drum machine, and looper.

 

A digital watch with build in alarm and stop watch functionality.

 

A build in Nintendo Gameboy, so you can play video games on your bass when not playing bass.

 

 

Edited by Baloney Balderdash
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1 hour ago, Baloney Balderdash said:

It's not a fully parametric EQ unless you can also dial in frequency and Q/Bandwidth for each band, for tonal versatility you would be better off with a filter preamp, like the one I suggested.

 

 

For a while I've wanted a 3 band preamp with dual concentric pots on each band - a HPF on the bass, a mid sweep (going quite low, like 100hz) and a treble rolloff so I can add highs I like and just nip off the nasty, ice pick in your ears stuff. Volume pot should be an optional plug in module as I never use 'em.

 

Dunno if one like that exists but it should!

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1 hour ago, tauzero said:

Built-in wireless - preferably modular so it can be upgraded when quantum digital wireless comes along.

 

Fretted/fretless operation by moving a lever:

 

 

I'm sure there was a better video than this but I can't find it.

Great idea, but it kinda works backwards - the fingerboard should come up rather than the frets going down, otherwise the action is going to be too high for the fretless mode. 

 

The Novatone swappable magnetic fingerboards that were a thing back in the early 90s were cool though.

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I built rhis fella from scratch. Raw wood.

 

I decided to use all the pickups!

 

Has a 12 step varitone and the MM can be split by the switch

 

20230412_140041.thumb.jpg.ca33d1bc9d61a56bb3868568d6b267f9.jpg

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Just now, lidl e said:

I built rhis fella from scratch. Raw wood.

 

I decided to use all the pickups!

 

Has a 12 step varitone and the MM can be split by the switch

 

20230412_140041.thumb.jpg.ca33d1bc9d61a56bb3868568d6b267f9.jpg

Mike Watt wants to know your location. 

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6 minutes ago, LeftyJ said:

Mike Watt wants to know your location. 

seeing as he sits down when he lays now, i think it might be too heavy for him. It's almost 10lbs

 

the neck is gorgeous. I had a buddy make it for me. 

 

20230412_141309.jpg.db1acea140a4e68769ea

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