i just finished moding my bronco. took me about 10 months. I stripped the finish. routed a second pickup above the bridge. Finished it in a color shift green-purple. and loaded it up with 2 51 p pickups with stacked knobs. Thing Absolutely RIPS
What a great MOD. My respect to your wife on that amazing freehand work! And thank you for sharing your tips and knowledge on making that bass so much cooler and better!
I've been wanting to get and mod a Bronco for a while. I bought a Squier Mustang bass (which was my intro to short scale basses), and now I want another short scale!
Dog was all, "whatchu guys doing in here with your human nonsense?!" Beautiful result, you two! Put the same exact pickup in a Squier Mustang guitar. Love the sound
I bought a Squier Classic Vibe '60s P bass thinking I might modify it. But it turned out I loved it just the way it was. It's actually become my favorite bass. I like it better than basses I have that cost me five times as much.
Modern P basses (and 50s style P basses too) are hard to beat after a good setup, the overall instrument is so simple that they are hard to screw it up imo, I'm a bass / guitar tech and a friend arrived with a Tagima TW66 and asked for a full setup with flatwounds and now it plays and sounds amazing for the price
I played a Bronco at a music store last week and I am resisting the urge to buy one. It is so much fun and it sounds really good for just having a Stratocaster pickup in it. I don't need another bass. I don't need another bass. I don't need another bass. [Nope, repeating it doesn't do anything....] If it is possible, I will always put a better bridge on a bass. On guitars, I will improve the string trees and/or the tuners. I put a $150 Babicz bridge on my Jack Casady bass and it was worth every penny. It made so many differences in sound, adjustability, and action. It even looks cool.
Just taking a break from my bass practice to sit and peruse a bass video. You video popped...as that Bronco now does~~! I so enjoyed watching and also you and Shea working together on making this bass a right goodie and something you now feel connected with.
I did the same neck treatment to a little Squier Sonic Mustang guitar last yr. Plays and sounds well above its pay grade. Absolutely a valuable skill to have, esp if you are on a budget. But thats probably my last adventure. Now that I've built a few partscasters and upgraded a few cheapies, Ive gotten lazy. It takes time and elbow grease before you even get to upgrading parts. Plus there's always something that nags you in the end, your tuner issue is a great example. Its fine, but it would always bug me that I didnt get the right sized ones and settled. I can spend a little more for higher quality parts and a higher starting point. I can afford it and Ive gotten lazy:) I just picked up a new Player II Tele at GC because it actually needed no work, a miracle! Your wife is very talented. If I was that confident as an artist Id prob do something similar to the little school bus yellow Squier Sonic Mustang. Great job!
my friends got me a harley benton telecaster in a beautiful shell pink for my birthday. i was just looking for something new and i was more than okay with a cheap guitar but holy damn, this thing feels just so good for 150 euros. but right after i got it, i felt like making it more "my own". i love a light tasteful relicing so i chapped to paint at some places and aged to built in pickguard (wich was already more of a minty color to make it look more vintage) for some days in a mixture of coffee, black tea and vinegar. had it on for a couple months, then decided to go with a vintage white pearl pickguard. the sparkle fits perfectly with the shell pink colour. speaking of the color, it reminded me so much of japanese cherry trees so i got a pack of fret inlay stickers of that sort. and it sparkles like the pickguard too! it's my pink little beauty now. looking forward to change the pickups one day!
My biggest goal with my parts-basses was one of a kind. One body hand painted and one airbrushed by my kids. And I painted headstocks to tie them in to the paint schemes. One is a Musicmaster body and one is a Mustang, both are sporting Bronco necks. They're mine and I love 'em. Plus I learned a TON assembling them. This is great!
Very cool project & great result! I'm currently refinishing a Squier Jazzmaster that Fender was selling at big discounts over labor day. It's in pieces now as I'm doing the long process refinish. I filed, sanded, & cleaned the neck the day I got it. Grabbed some bougie pickups. One difference is that I'm going to pay a quality local shop to put it all together for me when it's ready. It's not that I don't know where all the parts go, but I've put in a lot of effort, and I want it done really really well. I'm ready for wallpaper application today, and I'm a bit nervous to get it cut exactly right, but it's that good kind of nervous that comes with making art. This video ramped up my excitement for the rest of the project! Thanks, Philip! I love your new bass. Fabulous artwork!!
Enjoyed this! Love modifying instruments. I've done a lot of upgrades and switching out of parts, mostly for Fender stuff. Highly recommend tinkering! It's a fun way to be creative and develop some new skills.
Went to town on my bass with a handful of paint pens, swapped pickups, switched to flats, added a hip shot drop d that doesn't match the other keys, and cut off part of the headstock. Absolutely love the idea of making an instrument like this truly your own
Hey, well done! That turned out beautifully. Your wife’s design work really makes that bass look amazing, and your hardware choices really complement her design aesthetic in a cool way. On paper, your bass modification would have seemed a bit “iffy”, at least to me, but the two of you really pulled off something spectacular...
I recently finish my first project - Defretting and aging my first bass (Marlin Sidewinder). I really enjoyed the process and have just bought a old 5 strings from ebay, that's in several pieces. Got big plans. I love the process and the ethos of your approach is similar to the feeling I get. Thanks for sharing you project.
Very cool! Great choices, and that artwork is fantastic. I modded a Squier Tele with a bigsby, custom shop pickups, new wiring, etc. last year. I love it, and it hangs with stuff I’ve spent a lot more money on. I was going to have a hot rod guy pinstripe it, but I may have to send the body down to you all after seeing this!
Every bass I acquire gets the exact same neck treatment. I own a few MIM and USA Fenders, but when the phone rings, it's the Squiers that go to the party!
This is your best video yet in my opinion! I really enjoyed it and my fiance actually watched a guitar video with me lol 😆 nice work dude and your wife is very talented 👌
I ended up keeping the tuners but I painted mine a color shift blue and purple sparkle, cut a custom pick guard and put a mini humbucker in it with 500K pots, an orange drop cap and went fretless with a CA glue fingerboard & flat wound strings. It's pretty dope now. I got the bass (brand new) in trade for a Bruins jersey that I paid like 12 dollars for on Temu. LOL Score!
Very cool Phillip! Having an artist for a wife helped me out as well. I’ve mentioned my build before. My total budget was around $500 for my bronco. Reshaped and refinished the body and headstock Installed all new electronics like what the g&l fallout has with mfd pickup and 3-way toggle. Modded the pick guard And by far the screwdriver trick is almost a must for a neck with rough fret ends. Followed by the soft sanding wedge and 00 steel wool. I will be swapping my bridge to fix intonation issues with the older two saddle bridge that came with my bass. It’s a player and a keeper. Good vibes.
Your wife absolutely killed it with that illustration. There is absolutely a business model there with just illustrating bodies. Personally, I wouldn't have bothered with the back illustration as that will never be seen unless you flip it over. I also would have woodburned "Liz" on the front of the headstock, especially since you took off the Squier logo. She absolutely killed it.
I've been modifying the basses I own since day 1 basically. Only recently, I've been building my own bass from luthier-grade planks and a plan of course. It's a short scaled bass, and plays like a charm !
The work you put on this bass is fantastic ! I have a very cheap squier 51 PB reissue since 2 years ago, I have changed the pickup and she sound fantastic, the neck was fine , no sharp edges .... one day I will perhaps change the electronics but other then that it's one of my favorite bass ...
the first bass i ever played and learned on i took all of the hardware off to clean it, cleaned the pickup cavity, put new pickups in it, and have beat the crap out of it making it my own over the years. it has evolved with me and i can’t wait for the rest of our journey
I like a 4 sided finger nail polishing block for doing my edges just up through the grits until the block is useless lol makes the fret ends real nice too.
My last build is a Roadworn Mike Dirnt Pbass Body with an early 90s Samick neck. I also routed a MM style cavity in the Bridge position and added a Multi Coil Pickup. Your definitely right, each Instrument I own needs its specific Tuning,Strings and setup to really come to life.
I have done the same thing with the screwdriver method... works pretty good. Pickguard cut out is not easy without a router and template so nice job, just easier to get that 45 angle by hand using the same 'dremmel' with the sanding barrel to perfect the outline to also do the 45 smoothly...I've done quite a few. I've also angled tuners the same way and looks good IMO...and great vid man
Around 20 years ago, I needed a bass to play at church and I went to a music store that I had patronized for a number of years and asked if he had an affordable bass in stock. He said he had just the thing and went in the back and brought out a brand new/old stock bass that had been lost in his stock room for over a dozen years. He had just uncovered it-a 1987 Mexican Squire P-bass. What a gem, but I have since replaced the pickup, pick guard, the bridge and have completely re-wired it. It plays and sounds like a much more expensive instrument.
The first guitar I ever bought for myself was a $150 Epiphone SG Special. I refinished it in a dark steel blue satin, with gloss stripes going down the center. I threw on grovers, and put on a fine tuning tailpiece. Then I put a Gibson P-94 in the neck, and a Dirty Fingers in the bridge, and wired it up kinda tele style, where the neck pickup went through the tone knob, but the bridge pickup was just straight from the volume to the output. It was an incredibly versatile instrument for only having two pickups, a master volume and tone, and a three way selector. That guitar saw me through many shows with my first band. My main guitar now is a thinline strat that I special ordered the body for (it's hard to find strats with a 69 tele thinline control rout), painted shell pink, and wired with a single P90. Not as versatile, but it's a rock machine
that bass looks plain amazing! my most-modded bass is also named Liz (well, Lizzie) she's a squier jazz that a friend gave me for parts, but eventually I put her back together - I'm not a big fan of the bridge pickup sound, so I cut the foam off the back so it would sit flush with the body & pass only the weakest of signals - I can leave it up for hum canceling or roll it off for basically a little onboard gain boost, but the sound is all neck pickup either way further mods I'm planning include peeling the foam off the back of the neck pickup too & getting springs on the screws (the foams kinda janky and won't expand right so the pickup is stuck a tiny angle off from where I want it), drilling out some string-thru channels, and possibly designing a custom pickguard that hides the recessed bridge pickup (right now it's just covered by some black duct tape lol)
I have three matching hollow body 1960s Japanese basses that I have modded. They were basically unplayable when I got them (separately). I had to replace tuners. I had to replace bridges. I changed the wiring to take the selector switch out and wired them VVT. One is set up for flats. One is just a standard passive bass. I had to replace the pick up on one so now it has an active EMG system with a BT 9v preamp, volume and blend. They are so old. Different colors. Now they are unique in looks and their voices and best applications.
for rolling the fret board edges they make a tool called a burnishing tool .its pointed at the front and sort of flattens out also allowing it to get up next to the frets check it out its what i use
Beautiful bass. Its awesome what we can all get from the little things like modding an instrument. Even more so that it was done with your wife which surely added to the sentiment. It turned out wonderfully. Keep it in the family and pass it down one day!
I have modded all but one of my 9 guitars and basses, some of them multiple subsequent mods. It comes from a vision of how that instrument can better suit me. I have never changed the instrument for aesthetic goals - just functional.
There's nothing like modifying an instrument to make it more personnal et better suiting for you... I started modifying my basses a year ago and I've never liked my instruments more than now (one of my basses became a fretless and another is now my number one 5 strings bass)... Good job to you and Shea!!!
Amazing mod! I'm in the process of updating/modding my Squier HM bass after 30+ years of ownership. It'll be getting a Hipshot A-style bridge, Frank Bello signature EMG pickups, and new frets. I'm also considering adding a custom pickguard to break up the body shape a little. The upgrades cost more than it's worth, but this is a bass I'll never sell so it's worth the investment.
Wow, what an cool looking instrument. I used to play in a band with very limited rehearsal space. The Headstock of my bass regularly hit the cymbals in an odd moment. That's why i don't like all-in-line tuner arrangement on bass but also on guitar. During the pandemic i buildt a diy guitar Kit. It is was supposed to be inspired by Rhett's Pink Sparkle, but after chopping of parts of the headstock, it has become something very very different.
Very cool. Everyone added their talents to the build. I was really impressed with cutting a piokguard by hand. Do you know what Dremel bits were used to cut and shape the guard? (I've tried numerous times using a hand saw and files but...no bueno)
that pick guard tip is really useful! I've been wanting to put a pick guard on my Ibanez bass since I play with a pick pretty often, but nobody makes pick guards for them, especially left handed pick guards. Maybe I'll get around to cutting out my own
Have modded two old Broncos, one red, one black. Fitted one with a huge MM-style humbucker and the other with a red dual-rail HB pickup. Then I ran heat-adhesive white edging tape around the edges of both and fitted both as complementary red / black / white "De Stihl-style" colour schemes. Nothing wrong with those six-pole pickups - they are overwound and will make a very hot replacement Strat pickup. My wife christened them the "Bucking Broncos", without knowing what a humbucker was! I also have one of those Coral Pink Sonic Broncos (now fitted with another dual-rail HB) as a backup to my Capri Orange Squier Mustang. Go for it, they are great value (and I normally play long-scale basses). (PS. Not had any problems with those Sonic tuners btw.)
I built a parts bass last year out of mostly Squier parts. Put the Vintage Modified J neck with the black blocks on a Classic Vibe 70s P in the special edition Sea Foam and one of the VM Duncan Designed pick ups. Greer Amps Super Mass neck plate and Dunlop strap lock strap buttons. Super comfortable to play
I just purchased a Bass VI and have begun ordering replacement items to modify it as well I didn't think about a custom art design, but this may have just been an unexpected inspiration
And now I need a lipstick pickup! My Fenderstien bares all the scars of learning how to mod. Sanding the finish off the neck had the biggest impact on how she feels and plays. (Am due for Linseed Oil) 98 Fender Jazz Body with early 00s Percussion Neck, both MIM. Bartolini Classic Thunderbird in the center position (Watt & Entwistle tribute)wired straight to the jack, Badass II bridge on it’s second set of saddles. I squared off the frets but one day want mandolin wire. Right now it’s Low B to D but am gonna get a new nut and strings. DGDG 2024. Every bass player who’s ever tried her out loves her.
I've upgraded the pickups on my Yamaha bass. I also changed the chrome hardware to anodized black. Not sure about graphics but I like the look of that Bronco.
Sorry for the multiple comments. But I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed this video. I didn't expect to find it as interesting as I did. I really enjoyed seeing your interactions with your wife, and how you communicated your thoughts and ideas to each other. I think being able to work on something like this with your partner is awesome. And most importantly, the end result looks great. I imagine Shea will get a lot of work out of this video.
My first and only bass is an old Ibanez that I found at a goodwill for $10. It was in terrible shape and looked like someone tried to modify it and just did a bad job. Me and my friend totally refinished it and I bought all new hardware for it and it’s the bass I’ve played ever since
What kind of marker is Shay using? Is that some kind of oil or water based paint marker? A permanent marker like a Sharpie? Does it require a clear coat over the top? Would have liked to know a little bit more about the products she was using and what type of marker/paint she recommends using on a guitar top with a poly, satin, open pore, or nitro finish. Please follow up with more details so we can try adding some art too! I’d also be interested in learning some ways to apply/glue a piece of material (like the infamous paisley Fenders) or other small objects onto a guitar top with different finishes. What’s the best type of adhesives depending on the object/material and guitar finishes?! Thanks!
I bought a bullet strat with a GC gift card. Bought a baritone conversion neck from warmoth and have plans for more upgrades. My bass is a warmoth parts bass also. Love tinkering around with instrumenta
I had a affinity series bronco that I installed 2 lipsticks in...definitely a 60s vibe with flats...went a different route with the sonic series tho...a single lace sensor and rounds, for a musicmaster feel
hello well done great job, I just bought the exact same bass and I love it, What do you recommend for pulling strings for this bass? the original one seems a little "soft" to me THANKS Jerome
The first instrument I ever modified was a Squier Bullet Strat, when I was a teenager. Repainted the body, did a matching headstock, and swapped in an HSS pre-wired pickguard. Now I can't leave any of my guitars or basses stock... Whoops. Love what you did with the Bronco!
Squiers are great instruments, some of them are great platforms for hotrodding while some of them as the CV Series are perfectly fine as they are. This is amazingly painstaking work! I thought she’d do this with the help of computers. After getting one done anyone would feel guilty unloading it because it is a one of a kind work of art.
If you want your own custom artwork on your instrument, you can reach out to Shea here: www.designedbyshea.com/contact
Amazing ❤
i just finished moding my bronco. took me about 10 months. I stripped the finish. routed a second pickup above the bridge. Finished it in a color shift green-purple. and loaded it up with 2 51 p pickups with stacked knobs. Thing Absolutely RIPS
I'm thinking of doing a similar thing, how did you get the color shift effect? Spray paint or something else?
Popped a red lace sensor in mine, keeps the single coil vibe but much quieter
please make a video on how that sounds PLEASE
I would love to see and hear your two pickup modded bronco
Painting the headstock would really bring the design together really well. Maybe even black nylon tape wound strings could be cool too.
Maybe an update is in order…
I LOVE Shea’s artwork on that.
What a great MOD. My respect to your wife on that amazing freehand work! And thank you for sharing your tips and knowledge on making that bass so much cooler and better!
I've been wanting to get and mod a Bronco for a while. I bought a Squier Mustang bass (which was my intro to short scale basses), and now I want another short scale!
Dude! That’s inspiring!! Love the result and the coworking space. The dog! It’s so joyful. I hope to see you live one day!
Thank you 🙏🏻
Dog was all, "whatchu guys doing in here with your human nonsense?!" Beautiful result, you two! Put the same exact pickup in a Squier Mustang guitar. Love the sound
Great job guys!
Thank you!
I bought a Squier Classic Vibe '60s P bass thinking I might modify it. But it turned out I loved it just the way it was. It's actually become my favorite bass. I like it better than basses I have that cost me five times as much.
“Well built cheap p-style bass” is my favorite bass. And I’ve played all sorts of basses.
Modern P basses (and 50s style P basses too) are hard to beat after a good setup, the overall instrument is so simple that they are hard to screw it up imo, I'm a bass / guitar tech and a friend arrived with a Tagima TW66 and asked for a full setup with flatwounds and now it plays and sounds amazing for the price
Wow, that bass looks fantastic. Was never a fan of the original color but now it really pops against all that black. Great job Shea.
Agreed. Thanks for watching!
I played a Bronco at a music store last week and I am resisting the urge to buy one. It is so much fun and it sounds really good for just having a Stratocaster pickup in it. I don't need another bass. I don't need another bass. I don't need another bass. [Nope, repeating it doesn't do anything....]
If it is possible, I will always put a better bridge on a bass. On guitars, I will improve the string trees and/or the tuners. I put a $150 Babicz bridge on my Jack Casady bass and it was worth every penny. It made so many differences in sound, adjustability, and action. It even looks cool.
Just taking a break from my bass practice to sit and peruse a bass video. You video popped...as that Bronco now does~~! I so enjoyed watching and also you and Shea working together on making this bass a right goodie and something you now feel connected with.
Shea’s artwork is perfection!! Digging this mod project for sure!!
Yes, her artwork is amazing!
I did the same neck treatment to a little Squier Sonic Mustang guitar last yr. Plays and sounds well above its pay grade. Absolutely a valuable skill to have, esp if you are on a budget. But thats probably my last adventure. Now that I've built a few partscasters and upgraded a few cheapies, Ive gotten lazy. It takes time and elbow grease before you even get to upgrading parts. Plus there's always something that nags you in the end, your tuner issue is a great example. Its fine, but it would always bug me that I didnt get the right sized ones and settled.
I can spend a little more for higher quality parts and a higher starting point. I can afford it and Ive gotten lazy:) I just picked up a new Player II Tele at GC because it actually needed no work, a miracle!
Your wife is very talented. If I was that confident as an artist Id prob do something similar to the little school bus yellow Squier Sonic Mustang. Great job!
my friends got me a harley benton telecaster in a beautiful shell pink for my birthday. i was just looking for something new and i was more than okay with a cheap guitar but holy damn, this thing feels just so good for 150 euros. but right after i got it, i felt like making it more "my own". i love a light tasteful relicing so i chapped to paint at some places and aged to built in pickguard (wich was already more of a minty color to make it look more vintage) for some days in a mixture of coffee, black tea and vinegar. had it on for a couple months, then decided to go with a vintage white pearl pickguard. the sparkle fits perfectly with the shell pink colour. speaking of the color, it reminded me so much of japanese cherry trees so i got a pack of fret inlay stickers of that sort. and it sparkles like the pickguard too!
it's my pink little beauty now. looking forward to change the pickups one day!
Such a cool looking and sounding bass. The chance to work with your extremely talented wife makes it all the more special. Great job!
My biggest goal with my parts-basses was one of a kind. One body hand painted and one airbrushed by my kids. And I painted headstocks to tie them in to the paint schemes. One is a Musicmaster body and one is a Mustang, both are sporting Bronco necks. They're mine and I love 'em. Plus I learned a TON assembling them. This is great!
What a beautiful bass. One of a kind. Truly wonderful. All the best.
Very cool project & great result! I'm currently refinishing a Squier Jazzmaster that Fender was selling at big discounts over labor day. It's in pieces now as I'm doing the long process refinish. I filed, sanded, & cleaned the neck the day I got it. Grabbed some bougie pickups.
One difference is that I'm going to pay a quality local shop to put it all together for me when it's ready. It's not that I don't know where all the parts go, but I've put in a lot of effort, and I want it done really really well.
I'm ready for wallpaper application today, and I'm a bit nervous to get it cut exactly right, but it's that good kind of nervous that comes with making art.
This video ramped up my excitement for the rest of the project! Thanks, Philip! I love your new bass. Fabulous artwork!!
Enjoyed this! Love modifying instruments. I've done a lot of upgrades and switching out of parts, mostly for Fender stuff. Highly recommend tinkering! It's a fun way to be creative and develop some new skills.
Beautiful work and really cool artwork! Sounds great! looks phenomenal!
Love this video! I’ve been debating buying the squire bronco for a while. Very cool mod!
Went to town on my bass with a handful of paint pens, swapped pickups, switched to flats, added a hip shot drop d that doesn't match the other keys, and cut off part of the headstock. Absolutely love the idea of making an instrument like this truly your own
Beautiful Artwork !!!
Hey, well done! That turned out beautifully. Your wife’s design work really makes that bass look amazing, and your hardware choices really complement her design aesthetic in a cool way. On paper, your bass modification would have seemed a bit “iffy”, at least to me, but the two of you really pulled off something spectacular...
I absolutely love this!! Awesome work!! I think for me, I'd put a Seymour Duncan Hot Rails pickup in it.
This was a joy to watch; well done !
Thanks for watching!
I recently finish my first project - Defretting and aging my first bass (Marlin Sidewinder). I really enjoyed the process and have just bought a old 5 strings from ebay, that's in several pieces. Got big plans. I love the process and the ethos of your approach is similar to the feeling I get. Thanks for sharing you project.
Very cool! Great choices, and that artwork is fantastic.
I modded a Squier Tele with a bigsby, custom shop pickups, new wiring, etc. last year. I love it, and it hangs with stuff I’ve spent a lot more money on.
I was going to have a hot rod guy pinstripe it, but I may have to send the body down to you all after seeing this!
Every bass I acquire gets the exact same neck treatment. I own a few MIM and USA Fenders, but when the phone rings, it's the Squiers that go to the party!
This is your best video yet in my opinion! I really enjoyed it and my fiance actually watched a guitar video with me lol 😆 nice work dude and your wife is very talented 👌
I ended up keeping the tuners but I painted mine a color shift blue and purple sparkle, cut a custom pick guard and put a mini humbucker in it with 500K pots, an orange drop cap and went fretless with a CA glue fingerboard & flat wound strings. It's pretty dope now. I got the bass (brand new) in trade for a Bruins jersey that I paid like 12 dollars for on Temu. LOL Score!
Very cool Phillip! Having an artist for a wife helped me out as well.
I’ve mentioned my build before.
My total budget was around $500 for my bronco.
Reshaped and refinished the body and headstock
Installed all new electronics like what the g&l fallout has with mfd pickup and 3-way toggle.
Modded the pick guard
And by far the screwdriver trick is almost a must for a neck with rough fret ends. Followed by the soft sanding wedge and 00 steel wool.
I will be swapping my bridge to fix intonation issues with the older two saddle bridge that came with my bass. It’s a player and a keeper.
Good vibes.
Needs some headstock art to complement it! By the way, actually loved the tilted tuners, its a vibe! Great video and great execution!
i think ,only if you change the pickup position to the sweet spot near the bridge, then only the bass will be heard in a mix ! ❤ great job...
Sounds great - and your wife's design and execution is stunning!
Your wife absolutely killed it with that illustration. There is absolutely a business model there with just illustrating bodies. Personally, I wouldn't have bothered with the back illustration as that will never be seen unless you flip it over. I also would have woodburned "Liz" on the front of the headstock, especially since you took off the Squier logo. She absolutely killed it.
oh wow. This inspires me to start something on an old guitar project! thank you
Love how that turned out! This will be a project soon!
Sooo cool. Just looking at it makes me feel refreshed. Congrats, guys
I've been modifying the basses I own since day 1 basically. Only recently, I've been building my own bass from luthier-grade planks and a plan of course. It's a short scaled bass, and plays like a charm !
Nice mod! Creating several partscastors and mods for last few years. Learning how to build and set up makes all my guitars sound great 😊
Thanks for watching!
The work you put on this bass is fantastic !
I have a very cheap squier 51 PB reissue since 2 years ago, I have changed the pickup and she sound fantastic, the neck was fine , no sharp edges .... one day I will perhaps change the electronics but other then that it's one of my favorite bass ...
Awesome! Thanks for sharing!
the first bass i ever played and learned on i took all of the hardware off to clean it, cleaned the pickup cavity, put new pickups in it, and have beat the crap out of it making it my own over the years. it has evolved with me and i can’t wait for the rest of our journey
I like a 4 sided finger nail polishing block for doing my edges just up through the grits until the block is useless lol makes the fret ends real nice too.
Love the angled tunner.
Man, such a fun video. It turned out amazing!
Thanks Conor!!
Really cool, Phillip and Shea!
Nice mods! I’m definitely digging the artwork. It has a minimalist Sarah Ryan vibe.
My last build is a Roadworn Mike Dirnt Pbass Body with an early 90s Samick neck. I also routed a MM style cavity in the Bridge position and added a Multi Coil Pickup.
Your definitely right, each Instrument I own needs its specific Tuning,Strings and setup to really come to life.
Thanks for sharing!
I have done the same thing with the screwdriver method... works pretty good. Pickguard cut out is not easy without a router and template so nice job, just easier to get that 45 angle by hand using the same 'dremmel' with the sanding barrel to perfect the outline to also do the 45 smoothly...I've done quite a few. I've also angled tuners the same way and looks good IMO...and great vid man
Man, I need to send a guitar out for Shea to do her magic on!
Around 20 years ago, I needed a bass to play at church and I went to a music store that I had patronized for a number of years and asked if he had an affordable bass in stock. He said he had just the thing and went in the back and brought out a brand new/old stock bass that had been lost in his stock room for over a dozen years. He had just uncovered it-a 1987 Mexican Squire P-bass. What a gem, but I have since replaced the pickup, pick guard, the bridge and have completely re-wired it. It plays and sounds like a much more expensive instrument.
that is the coolest instrument ive seen all week. awesome video
The first guitar I ever bought for myself was a $150 Epiphone SG Special. I refinished it in a dark steel blue satin, with gloss stripes going down the center. I threw on grovers, and put on a fine tuning tailpiece. Then I put a Gibson P-94 in the neck, and a Dirty Fingers in the bridge, and wired it up kinda tele style, where the neck pickup went through the tone knob, but the bridge pickup was just straight from the volume to the output. It was an incredibly versatile instrument for only having two pickups, a master volume and tone, and a three way selector. That guitar saw me through many shows with my first band.
My main guitar now is a thinline strat that I special ordered the body for (it's hard to find strats with a 69 tele thinline control rout), painted shell pink, and wired with a single P90. Not as versatile, but it's a rock machine
Wonderful family project! Great job.
Thank you!
that bass looks plain amazing! my most-modded bass is also named Liz (well, Lizzie) she's a squier jazz that a friend gave me for parts, but eventually I put her back together - I'm not a big fan of the bridge pickup sound, so I cut the foam off the back so it would sit flush with the body & pass only the weakest of signals - I can leave it up for hum canceling or roll it off for basically a little onboard gain boost, but the sound is all neck pickup either way
further mods I'm planning include peeling the foam off the back of the neck pickup too & getting springs on the screws (the foams kinda janky and won't expand right so the pickup is stuck a tiny angle off from where I want it), drilling out some string-thru channels, and possibly designing a custom pickguard that hides the recessed bridge pickup (right now it's just covered by some black duct tape lol)
This is dope as hell, and that bass looks and sounds incredible!
Thanks so much!
You are all so talented. Gratifying to watch and inspiring.
Thank you for watching and being here ⚡️
I have three matching hollow body 1960s Japanese basses that I have modded. They were basically unplayable when I got them (separately). I had to replace tuners. I had to replace bridges. I changed the wiring to take the selector switch out and wired them VVT. One is set up for flats. One is just a standard passive bass. I had to replace the pick up on one so now it has an active EMG system with a BT 9v preamp, volume and blend.
They are so old. Different colors. Now they are unique in looks and their voices and best applications.
for rolling the fret board edges they make a tool called a burnishing tool .its pointed at the front and sort of flattens out also allowing it to get up next to the frets check it out its what i use
Beautiful bass. Its awesome what we can all get from the little things like modding an instrument. Even more so that it was done with your wife which surely added to the sentiment. It turned out wonderfully. Keep it in the family and pass it down one day!
I have modded all but one of my 9 guitars and basses, some of them multiple subsequent mods. It comes from a vision of how that instrument can better suit me. I have never changed the instrument for aesthetic goals - just functional.
great job! it turned out much better than i could have imagined it!
Such an amazing project! She really shows the love and effort you put in. 🤗
Thank you 🙏🏻
There's nothing like modifying an instrument to make it more personnal et better suiting for you... I started modifying my basses a year ago and I've never liked my instruments more than now (one of my basses became a fretless and another is now my number one 5 strings bass)... Good job to you and Shea!!!
Well said! And thanks!
Amazing mod! I'm in the process of updating/modding my Squier HM bass after 30+ years of ownership. It'll be getting a Hipshot A-style bridge, Frank Bello signature EMG pickups, and new frets. I'm also considering adding a custom pickguard to break up the body shape a little. The upgrades cost more than it's worth, but this is a bass I'll never sell so it's worth the investment.
Good video! That bass sounds awesome, and looks quite unique. Shay's work is really impressive.
Agreed! Thanks for watching ⚡️
I picked up a spector legend and swapped out the pups and preamp with an emg set of each. Damn did it make a difference!
Wow, what an cool looking instrument.
I used to play in a band with very limited rehearsal space. The Headstock of my bass regularly hit the cymbals in an odd moment. That's why i don't like all-in-line tuner arrangement on bass but also on guitar. During the pandemic i buildt a diy guitar Kit. It is was supposed to be inspired by Rhett's Pink Sparkle, but after chopping of parts of the headstock, it has become something very very different.
Philip is the coolest bassist on UA-cam
Aww shucks. Thanks for watching!
Very cool. Everyone added their talents to the build. I was really impressed with cutting a piokguard by hand. Do you know what Dremel bits were used to cut and shape the guard? (I've tried numerous times using a hand saw and files but...no bueno)
Diy and music. When worlds collide! Thanks!
that pick guard tip is really useful! I've been wanting to put a pick guard on my Ibanez bass since I play with a pick pretty often, but nobody makes pick guards for them, especially left handed pick guards. Maybe I'll get around to cutting out my own
Have modded two old Broncos, one red, one black. Fitted one with a huge MM-style humbucker and the other with a red dual-rail HB pickup. Then I ran heat-adhesive white edging tape around the edges of both and fitted both as complementary red / black / white "De Stihl-style" colour schemes. Nothing wrong with those six-pole pickups - they are overwound and will make a very hot replacement Strat pickup.
My wife christened them the "Bucking Broncos", without knowing what a humbucker was!
I also have one of those Coral Pink Sonic Broncos (now fitted with another dual-rail HB) as a backup to my Capri Orange Squier Mustang. Go for it, they are great value (and I normally play long-scale basses).
(PS. Not had any problems with those Sonic tuners btw.)
I built a parts bass last year out of mostly Squier parts. Put the Vintage Modified J neck with the black blocks on a Classic Vibe 70s P in the special edition Sea Foam and one of the VM Duncan Designed pick ups. Greer Amps Super Mass neck plate and Dunlop strap lock strap buttons. Super comfortable to play
Oh, the tuners!!! I'm SO stealing your build, bruv!!
I just purchased a Bass VI and have begun ordering replacement items to modify it as well
I didn't think about a custom art design, but this may have just been an unexpected inspiration
Boy, that soundtrack is great!
Thanks so much!
And now I need a lipstick pickup! My Fenderstien bares all the scars of learning how to mod. Sanding the finish off the neck had the biggest impact on how she feels and plays. (Am due for Linseed Oil) 98 Fender Jazz Body with early 00s Percussion Neck, both MIM. Bartolini Classic Thunderbird in the center position (Watt & Entwistle tribute)wired straight to the jack, Badass II bridge on it’s second set of saddles. I squared off the frets but one day want mandolin wire. Right now it’s Low B to D but am gonna get a new nut and strings. DGDG 2024. Every bass player who’s ever tried her out loves her.
the pick guard choice is amazing
Shea’s choice. Thanks for watching!
I learned so much b about guitar/bass work from my MIM Mustang bass. That poor thing has gone through so many transformations!
A great platform. Thanks for watching!
I've upgraded the pickups on my Yamaha bass. I also changed the chrome hardware to anodized black. Not sure about graphics but I like the look of that Bronco.
Great video, I like it!
Sorry for the multiple comments. But I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed this video. I didn't expect to find it as interesting as I did. I really enjoyed seeing your interactions with your wife, and how you communicated your thoughts and ideas to each other. I think being able to work on something like this with your partner is awesome. And most importantly, the end result looks great. I imagine Shea will get a lot of work out of this video.
Thank you so much! I loved the process by her side. Glad to have you here!
That bass is amazing in every aspect
My first and only bass is an old Ibanez that I found at a goodwill for $10. It was in terrible shape and looked like someone tried to modify it and just did a bad job. Me and my friend totally refinished it and I bought all new hardware for it and it’s the bass I’ve played ever since
What kind of marker is Shay using? Is that some kind of oil or water based paint marker? A permanent marker like a Sharpie? Does it require a clear coat over the top? Would have liked to know a little bit more about the products she was using and what type of marker/paint she recommends using on a guitar top with a poly, satin, open pore, or nitro finish. Please follow up with more details so we can try adding some art too!
I’d also be interested in learning some ways to apply/glue a piece of material (like the infamous paisley Fenders) or other small objects onto a guitar top with different finishes. What’s the best type of adhesives depending on the object/material and guitar finishes?!
Thanks!
Great questions! Shea was using Posca paint pens. We used an acrylic clear coat spray to seal it.
I bought a bullet strat with a GC gift card. Bought a baritone conversion neck from warmoth and have plans for more upgrades.
My bass is a warmoth parts bass also. Love tinkering around with instrumenta
Wicked. My first was a Squier bronco!
A great first!
Wow, Shea did a great job on the body, Liz definitely looks the part 😍 She sounds great too 🙂
Thanks Nancy!
I had a affinity series bronco that I installed 2 lipsticks in...definitely a 60s vibe with flats...went a different route with the sonic series tho...a single lace sensor and rounds, for a musicmaster feel
I literally bought that exact bass as my first bass like 2 weeks ago so I guess this is a sign to maybe start modding it
Do it!
You guys did a great job. I love true oil on guitar necks. It has a nice smooth feel.
hello well done great job,
I just bought the exact same bass and I love it,
What do you recommend for pulling strings for this bass?
the original one seems a little "soft" to me
THANKS
Jerome
The first instrument I ever modified was a Squier Bullet Strat, when I was a teenager. Repainted the body, did a matching headstock, and swapped in an HSS pre-wired pickguard. Now I can't leave any of my guitars or basses stock... Whoops. Love what you did with the Bronco!
Looks outstanding!
My man! Super fun project and it turned out KILLER! Lucky man, what a lovely talented special lady friend you have !
Thanks dude! I am a lucky guy.
Squiers are great instruments, some of them are great platforms for hotrodding while some of them as the CV Series are perfectly fine as they are.
This is amazingly painstaking work! I thought she’d do this with the help of computers. After getting one done anyone would feel guilty unloading it because it is a one of a kind work of art.
Thanks for watching!
Super nice sound after mod🫡