LeftyBassist.com

Hello all!

I recently had a conversation with Addison, really nice guy by the way for those who do not already know this. Anyway, he said something to me that opened a flood gate of memories. The statement was " If only we could have known" and "What were we thinking of?".
On that note, did you ever modify an instrument years ago...or even yesterday for that matter and now ask yourself, "What was I thinking of!?" I can say that I have had a number of these occasions, and now look back and say," What the hell did I do!!"
How about it? do you have a good story to tell?!
Thanks!
Bill

I apologize if this subject may have been covered in a past posting.

Oh totally. My 87 MIJ Jazz, this was my first real bass and work horse for a long time. My baby. Without thinking, after I got a new 5 string, I defretted it. Did it myself, horrible job, was just in some odd 'I don't give a shit' mood and it was done. Never became any type of fretless player, and the bass was no longer played. indeed, what the hell did I do..

There was a happy ending though, I found another identical MIJ Jazz in like new condition right here on this site. I swapped the necks since this photo, so I can play my baby again, but here they are together:

I don't usually mess much with my basses other than change pickups and maybe install Hipshot Ultralite. I did defret my first bass, a Yamaha RBX 350 (although professionally) and installed Dimarzios, oh, and it has about 50 stickers on it. . . but it is an awesome bass that I play regularly.



I do have lots of regret for selling certain basses (or guitars). I sold my first two guitars, which I wish I had back. I had three Sadowsky. . . I wish I still had at least one. I sold a Smith BSR-5 for a stupidly low price. . . I wish I had that, too. What was I thinking!

I once almost destroyed an EB/MM SR5: I love those basses, the body shape and the neck shape fit me like a glove, but them things always weigh around 10 lb. . . I once found one used in pretty rough shape for a good price and had the plan to get me a Dremel and try to shave as much wood from under the pickguard as possible to try to take a pound or two off, but I came to my senses and never did it. . . I even had my local tech look at it, and he gave me the look, "What were you thinking!"

Although the idea still is my head. If I ever find another SR5 for under $900, I might still do it.

I just started playing a year and a half ago, so I don't have too many memories of bass playing days gone by. I don't have any decisions that I regret yet, but others have made me feel like I should regret them.

For example, after getting my American Deluxe Jazz, I decided to upgrade my Squier P-bass special (as recommended by PJ). I put in a 62 P pick up and changed the strings to TI Flats. My wife told me that the mods were akin to putting 24 inch rims on a Hyudai accent, or putting lipstick on a pick. Ironically enough, I got the same comments from a music store in Chicago, one in Kansas City, and one in the DC area. Made me think I should regret it...I don't. Only wish I had it in Olympic White.

Hahaha!

You're a great guy too, Bill... and great thread idea!!

I kind of feel like I'm Stingray5's doppelganger here... I have an almost identical story to his with my late 80's MIJ jazz bass.

Before I had the Fender, I had a Cort, and a Martin "Stinger" bass... so the Fender was my first "immediately recognizable" branded bass.

Bill will be happy to know that the very first mod that I did to it was a Hipshot D-Tuner... I meant to tell this story when we talked, but got distracted... Anyway, I saw an ad for them in Bass Player and saved for weeks to get one. I think it might have been '89 or '90 when I got one...? I still use them to this day... I have one on my CS Jazz Bass.

Then the pickguard came off...

Those mods, I don't regret... but here's where it starts to get interesting.

Next, I made a Christmas wish-list from StewMac and ordered a Schaller Roller-Bridge and two Fender Lace Sensor bridge pickups.

Since they were both bridge pickups, the local hack music store routed out the neck pickup hole a little to get it to fit. It wasn't abysmal, but it wasn't exactly pretty. And, since the Schaller bridge didn't have the "standard" 5-hole matchup, a couple of bridge holes were drilled to get it to fit.

After that, came the downward spiral into the abyss of complete regret...

I am a product of the 80's... with the 80's came the shredders... with the shredders came Billy Sheehan... and with Billy Sheehan came scalloped fingerboards.

So I got my dad's Dremel and proceded to take it to the fingerboard... making a nice fat channel underneath the D and G strings from the 17th to the 20th fret.

Yeah... I know.

Then, years later, thinking I would somehow find a beautifully figured wood grain hidden on my bass, I sanded all the finish off the FRONT ONLY and exposed the AMAZING basswood underneath.

Yeah... I know.

THEN...

I did a HORRIBLE job pulling the frets filling the slots with wood putty...

Yes...

I said PUTTY...

By the time all that had happened, I bought an Ibanez ATK and had completely moved on from the one bass where I basically learned everything I know.

Here's an old pic of me in my half-mullet with my parents at my first "big gig"... a benefit show for MS, down at a park by the St. Lawrence river.





I tried replacing the bass a few years ago with a '96 MIJ... but eventually sold it to a fellow board member because I wasn't able to recapture the love for it that I once had.

So... there's my embarrassing story... hope you noobs learn from it!!!

haha very nice (well not so nice but you know what I mean!) Addison, I don't feel so alone now! I had the pickguard off myself for a long time, I remember when I first bought the bass that it looked like I should be playing country music

Also I'll confess, I too used wood putty on the fret markers

I should send props to AzWhoFan who sold me the 'unabused' one

Like you guys I too have a few "what was I thinking moments". I confess destroying a MIJ Jazz Bass, installing a music man pickup in it then getting rid of the body (where is it now?) then improvising myself bass maker, making an Ash body that was way too heavy and not even good sounding... long story short spending way too much money/time instead of just selling a bass I did not like. I also de-fretted the neck and used wood putty (as Jaco did, but it is a mistake as it requires too much truss rod tension).
I must say that before internet, the lefty status made it often difficult to buy and sell instruments. I guess that's why we all have those kind of stories.
Here is what I learn though: Don't waste your money buying knock-off versions of what you really want. Save your dough until you can really afford the the real thing, buy the gear of your dreams even if it takes a long time before you can do so. Don't buy all kind of junk in the meantime, control your GAS. I have never regretted investing into in a good instrument.
If you are patient as I am, you can find some awesome deals out there. (I just snatched on CL a Larrivee OM-3R Guitar in new condition for $400 when the new ones retail for $1150, from the same guy I also bought a cool lefty banjo for $100 - When it's a good deal, you got to move fast sometimes, I was at his place 3 hrs after his ad popped up on CL)