How to Turn a Cheap Glarry Bass into a Killer Bass!
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- Опубліковано 26 сер 2022
- I will show you how to modify/upgrade a cheap Glarry bass guitar into a killer sounding bass using Graph Tech nut, Seymour Duncan Quarterpound Jazz Bass pickups (SJB-3), pre-wired harness by Gunstreet Wiring Shop, and copper tape for shielding. I will do a tone test and give my final thoughts.
Let me know what you think in the comments below!
Tone test 4:25
Final thoughts 6:18
#Glarry #bassguitar #upgrade
Is it just me who feels like he deserves more...likes, subs, and... basically just everything 😂😂
Wow thank you so much! 🙌
True lol
Yeah, totally true!!
It's not just you any longer. I liked and scribed.
It was fun to watch, and even though the money was about even, it's more fun to play a one of a kind instrument that you made.
I really love seeing cheaper basses get upgraded, it's really too bad that the upgrades often times end up making the whole thing more expensive than just getting a higher quality bass. Regardless, this was a really good video.
Thanks for watching and appreciate the comment
Glarry makes a 6 string bass for the same price, which is arguably crazy, and doesn't sound half bad stock especially if you use a pre amp,
This is marketed towards beginners, who would probably wait quite a long time before even hearing the need for upgrades,
I'm getting the 6 string glarry to decide whether I want to play a 2k+ 6 string bass,
I think it's better than getting a mid range that you'll just want to upgrade eventually anyways,
@@selfactualizer2099 I recently made 2 with 20:1 tuners ( and I just found 1:22 on Rondo) high mass bridges knobs pickups strings, potentiometers i.imgur.com/5nEefKL.jpg they have a new 6 string Humbucker Bass and the 6 string is active.
@@selfactualizer2099 This is very true. In the East stringed instruments are an important part of there culture. It is beneath there dignity to make a bad instrument. This is benefitting students. Today they may have an inexpensive instrument but its not cheep crap. With small upgrades they are keepers.
Also for 3-4 bucks you can swap out the upgraded capacitor. And stretch out that tone and make the most difference possible. And I must encourage you to be hands on despite saying you wouldn't do this again. It only gets better and if you persevere you begin to gain skills and empower yourself and become that much more aware of your instrument.
Thanks for this.i think that you expected smooth sailing and got the old rugged pulled out from your expectations. Try expecting the unexpected especially with handy work. I think you are excellent for succeeding.
Thanks Mark Anthony. That’s a great perspective. I definitely did it for the experience and now I’m looking at my Telecaster wondering about upgrading the electronics lol. You must’ve made some mods yourself. Any videos?
Yes he should persevere , I never expect / take for granted a direct drop in fit on anything, one thing I learnt working on bikes is when manufacturers state parts are "UNIVERSAL" Well they are with a lot of messing about to get them to fit.
The upgrades made a huge difference in the punch factor for sure. Thanks for sharing this. I'm planning on getting a cheaper bass to start out and it's nice to know I can fiddle with it a bit to make adjustments as needed!
These days “cheap” basses are getting better and better. You can’t go wrong with a Squire these days but if you can even spend a bit more Sire basses are great value
@@AntshayMusic Thanks for the tip man!!
I got the cousin to that bass but it’s a P bass and I spent a full day dialing in the neck. It came out very nice. I put a bone nut, new high mass bridge, a deluxe pick guard, upgraded the machine heads, put in some active EMG pickups. It’s enjoyable for me at this stage of my life and l couldn’t be happier with the results. Everything turned out great. I wouldn’t do this one again because it still feels kinda cheap. But, that’s all in my head. It sounds as good as Mexican p bass. I just feel a little more comfortable with the real thing and l believe spending the extra money compelled me to get much better and over the last fifty plus years of playing l have an extensive array of gear. Thanks for your video
Whoa that’s quite the project! My main issue with the Glarry is the neck dive because the body is so light. I still play it once in a while and it sounds really good with the upgrades.
There really wasn't much difference in the sound between the stock pickups and the SD's. It's crazy to me that people spend that much money on pickups when cheap pickups are actually really good quality these days. Those Chinese factories pump them out all day and they've really got it down.
I just got the Glarry H-H I figured I would have to upgrade the pickups but they are actually very good, I left them in there.
@@anthonyb5279 Which Glarry HH? Please don't say GMF HH because it's straight up garbage. I sold mine for $50 just to get it out of my sight. Their Strats and Teles are decent, but their offsets are junk.
@@christopheraaron8299 Glarry 44 Inch GIB 4 String H-H Pickup Laurel Wood Finger is what I got. Im a Master Luthier so my perspective on cheep guitars is different. What you call complete garbage is something I can turn it to playable for a student or some one that does not have a big budget. The neck was not even finished ... not a big deal for me. The pots and caps were crap so I replaced those too. Made a few little changes brass nut, Level/Crown/Polish and so on. Honestly I do the same things to $2000 Fenders and Gibsons because they are making complete shit these days. Name brands don't mean a thing to me I they are all wood and a electronics compromised in a way they can mass manufacture, none of it is really any good, many of these cheep guitars made in the Far East are better as far as mass manufactured instruments goes. The old cheap guitars like Hondos and Harmonies form the 80's are the only ones I see as a lost cause.
Your exactly bang on, a lot of people Kidding themselves on with expensive name brands, I thought the same as you on sound comparison (got PC Audio going through my Hi Fi so getting good Audio to compare pickups). I'm from the UK and started using WARMAN pickups , a fraction of SD's (and I do have SD's to compare with). When a set of pickups are more than some instruments my mind starts to wonder.
Nice work on the video! Pure Quality I haven’t found in a while!
Thank you! Really appreciate your comment.
Excellent upgrade, great tones. If the neck and the action is nice, I wouldn't hesitate to gig with it.
That was fun to watch thank you!
Thank you so much. This made me happy
Sounds good thanks man
What a great job you’ve done, I love this sort of stuff!! ✌️😙
Thanks Daniel! Appreciate the feedback.
@@AntshayMusic No problem, I’m planning on getting a 5 string J bass soon. ✌️😙
Sounds good. Definitely a good looking budget bass. I’d be proud to own it. I was hearing some some overtones and I couldn’t figure out what was causing them. Overall Great video.
Amazing content man! Thank you for the great tip! 😍
Very kind of you my friend.
great video. I agree with your final thoughts as well.
Thanks for watching and commenting
What a nice feeling when you find such an excellent UA-cam channel!! So many famous UA-camrs have become very serious and boring throughout the years, it's very nice to find someone with passion and energy, keep it up!! Also very helpful video.
Thanks dude really appreciate your encouragement
After a wile they seem to let things go to there heads and thinking they are the authority on everything "can't you see I got a youtube channel." I like this guys attitude.
I purchased a Klaxton Bass online and received it super quick on Amazon. I had the exact same thoughts, to upgrade it. I now know what to do...Thank You!
Good luck and have fun with it
Great video, antshay! For a guy who doesn’t like tinker that was really impressive!!🤙🏽
Thanks so much for your support Trey!
I have this exact one. Love it!
Yeah, I like how light it is and people automatically discredit it because it’s cheap. With all the upgrades it sounds amazing
@@AntshayMusic I have the burlywood GIB version too. Whenever I can afford going to replace to pickups and maybe bridge. Got some Ernie Ball strings coming or maybe NYXL's.
Looks like it was a cool project. I'm usually not the type to tinker around with my gear either, but your video made me want to try changing a few things.
I'll definitely start with the nut and I'll see if I'm adventurous enough for the pickups haha
That’s cool. The nut takes a bit of patient sanding but made a big difference with the open string notes. There are a few different sizes so check your measurements. Good luck!
I did almost the same thing with my glarry. Bone nut, Fender vintera pickups and pots, and shielding paint. Still a low cost bass in the end and I love it.
That’s awesome dude! I play this bass more than any other so that says something. Plus, it was a great learning experience. Thanks!
Really cool video, thanks for this! And like Mark Anthony mentioned earlier in the comments, I think you shouldn't shrug off the idea of doing something like this again. In my experience even some of the other "better but still affordable" instruments like an Affinity Jazz or some of the affordable Ibanez, LTD, etc. out there really benefit from these kinds of upgrades like you did here. Obviously can't tell from a video how it felt to play that Glarry but you could defnitely hear the benefit of adding those Quarter Pounds and the better pots and wiring, the tone when using the pick was great! Thanks again for your effort and sharing with everyone, cheers.
Thanks for the positive feedback man! After going through all this I’m not intimidated by mods anymore just need to figure out the cost and find the time. Appreciate your comments.
The new pickups are a big improvement 👍
Let's go Antshay! Nice work on that video. I think I am like you in the regard that I maybe would tend towards investing into a nice instrument to beginning with...then again I do love me some tinkering, so the next time the urge comes over me, I might come back to this if I have a bass laying around ^^
Either way. I enjoyed the video.
Thank you so much for watching and your positive feedback. This project is very do-able if you’re in the right mindset. I’m glad I did it for the experience. If you ever do something similar pls let me know.
Love that Mac Miller thundercat run you did there “you can love it, you can leave it, they say you’re nothing without it”
Yeah I love that song 🙌
I’d get the Squier change the pickups and put on quality strings.
I got a Glarry bass too, but I got the set that comes with a strap, cord and amp cab combo. The cord is a major weak link and immediately upgraded. The whole guitar needs a set up out of the box. The bridge ground was upgraded by adding a piece of aluminum tape under it to ground the loose wire from the bridge to the tape, that helps alot. The Pots are pretty trash and make noise, so I shielded the pot cavity. The amp is low volume and I got a suspicion they just rebranded the guitar version to bass. SO I went out and scored a used ampeg 4x10 and a broken Hartke HA5500. Now I got the Amp on my desk like Im some kind of guitar tech amp repair man. AND the Hartke has a hum coming from the bridge non pot. I call them non pots, because they got like a 1/4 of the dial working at best...I just wanted to make cheap bass noises. Big oof.
Now Im in some Hartke amp rabbit hole, where I replaced the toob and the wrong amp fuse and it had a bad Driver AMP Transistor. But its little sister transistor is obv. replaced just up stream with a wrong transistor thats not an equivalent. So waiting for the blown transistor replacement and the upstream equivalents. I'll be testing up stream and down stream to try to isolate whats blown as its "popping fuses dont know whats wrong with it sold as is". But I got a month to sit here and stare at it waiting for these transistors.Not sure if the blown transistors issue was just no thermal paste.
I still think the package deal is a good deal. Because you can give the guitar a setup, replace the guitar to amp cord and ground your strings and make bass noises. Just turn down the bridge pot turn up the other pickup and ground it from the strings with your plucking wrist to "get that tone" which is probably what Bob Marley and the Wailers was doing rather than "hunting tone" ...and now we got foam bass muting, in case your bass doesnt make noises on its own.
Great before/after info - much appreciated. Just bought this bass and am basically looking at it as a fully-assembled kit bass that I may upgrade later. I'm just hoping the playability can be easily tweaked. Changes to PUs and elx are way down the line. I just need something light (vs. my Am. Deluxe Jazz V!!) that motivates me to practice more. If I can get that for (currently) ~$70, I consider that a win.
Yay, happy for your purchase! It's definitely lighter than the 5 string bass and that makes me want to pick it up and play. Give it a proper set up and it'll play pretty well. It's a good bass to practice leveling/polishing frets/ends so there's ways to make it better without spending any money on pickups or electronics. Good luck!
@@AntshayMusic Just arrived an hour ago. Setup is already pretty good - intonation is dead-on and it's certainly playable as-is. Just finished doing frets on a MIM Strat, so I have all the stuff needed for that. Will take care of that when I put some new strings on later, oil the (dry!) fretboard and let 'er fly. The neck fit is perfect - infinitely better than an American Deluxe Tele I had to return to Fender years ago. The body finish is flawless, knobs feel great and tuners are smooth. It's exactly what I need right now. I seriously have no clue how they can possibly sell these for $70. Thanks again for posting your review / howto!
I liked the original pick ups because they have that little extra brightness on top but the Quarter Pounders have that umph on the low end. I have a set of Quarter Pounders on my Classic Vibe 70s jazz 👍
Had you not done it, you never would have known.
Fun project.
Exactly! It was good practice and I learned a bunch.
That is a pretty good list of alteration which should get the bass working pretty well. There are a few more things that I would recommend you do. The first thing is to oil the fretboard. Even through the video the fretboard is looking quite dry. A touch of linn seed oil or lemon oil on a piece of kitchen paper is good for that. If you were feeling fancy you could even use something to give it a bit of a darker stain. Otherwise I always advise people to get strap-locks. They can be had pretty cheap and they are a lot easier than repairs. A decent set of tuners from a quality manufacturer (Wilkinson, Gotoh, etc) would be a decent thing to consider as the cheapo ones you get on these kinds of instrument don't tend to last long. The only other thing is a high mass bridge. This is mostly a visual thing but it can make things easier where it comes to setting up intonation.
I do this every now and then for a side project. The Glarry guitars are great platforms to start with the light bodies and more than adequate necks at the price points. Personally I have found it to be a trial and error process while hunting for "that" tone when it comes to upgrades.
Can you make a cheap guitar sound great? Yes. Is it going to be more costly than a mass manufactured guitar? Yes.
I do like how the video showed the effort and cost put forth for minimal tone difference you got that would likely go unnoticed to most of the population.
IMO it is a great side hobby that will teach you a good bit of maintenance practices and help identify what you do and do not like about the tone of certain basses. Besides, it is always fun to have a unique bass.
Appreciate your comments and well said!
I did the same to my Glarry jazz bass. Ran into the same issues with plate and knobs. The only thing I did different that made mine a killer bass was the addition of a hip shot bass bridge, Guyker tunig machines and D'Addaro strings. Did the same pickups and a similar electronics package.
Yes it was expensive vs purchasing a Squire or similar price point bass. But Glarry's and a great platform to do upgrades and learn a good deal about setting a up a bass.
Strong work! I would have liked to replace the bridge but I wasn’t sure the screw holes line up and would have to drill. I’m glad it worked out well for yours. Cheers.
@@AntshayMusic
They do, matches up to the original with
ease
Im a Master Luthier, I just got the Glarry H-H Bass. The neck was not fine sanded, the frets were a mess, setup was playable but not done to my standards. Everything else was all right. The humbuckers were very good. The bridge was just fine. So I level/crown/polished the frets, finished the neck, made a brass nut from scrap brass. I had some better pots and stuff around so upgraded those too. Spent no money, its better than any Fender at any price. When the nickel frets ware out I'll put stainless one on it.
Must be nice to be a master luthier lol!
@@AntshayMusic Well it does not suck. All my friends want to "loan" me there guitars because they always get it back in better condition than I got it. Had fun playing that bass all afternoon.
I love Duncan Qtr. Pound Precision pickups, but not their single coils. Beefy for sure but lacking that Fender squawk. Great video.
Well done! I've upgraded a few Glarry bases and the outcomes, except for one, have been very good - just like yours! Only the 30" Glarry short scale bass was a problem. The word "cheap" describes it best. I've already replaced the guitar pickup (yes, guitar pickup) with an actual jazz bass bass pickup (GFS) and am waiting for a replacement neck to arrive. Although you ran into a few bumps along the way, you ended up with a comfortable bass with excellent sound and good looks. I would suggest that you try upgrading another bass in a while now that you've done it the first time. 😊
Thanks for watching and commenting! Yeah, I still likelhow the Glarry sounds and feels. The only downside is the neck dive because the body is too light. Other than that, it's a good bass and one I don't mind it if it gets a little banged up.
@@AntshayMusic Maybe the next mod could be high mass bridge and light weight tuners? For the neck dive..
You rock buddy
Thanks dude!
I think the SD quarter pounders sound more articulated and robust. I modified a generic J bass similarly with Aguilar humbuckers, high mass bridge, Audere pre-amp and Hipshot lightweight tuners. I'm in it about $600 and it sounds every it as good as my 2012 Jazz Deluxe Active bass. Thanks for the vid! Cheers from Utah
Nice! Those are premium parts and I’m sure that bass kicks lol. Happy holidays to you!
The SDs are clearer and punchier for sure, but the stock p/us are pretty decent if that's all you can afford. Good bass.
Been playing Bass for 40 + years the only thing is we are listening to this project most likely through some sort of tiny blog /vlog microphone I personally heard very little difference between the before and after ,but great project and video good job !
Thanks for the feedback! Recorded direct with a DI straight into computer running an Ampeg plugin so not via a mic. The pickups were only slightly better but the electronics made a bigger difference.
Interesting Mod (great effort) ! As you mention the 'lite-weight' of the Glarry is Nice and might be an important consideration for the younger (older) player. Everybody agrees Out of the Box, the basses are setup pretty well, sound okay. and the frets ends probably won't cut your hand.
And you are right, that playing the Glarry, reminds up any money spent on a Fender, is money well spent .
PS Does anybody know what color stain would match that yellowish Glarry finish - want to stain the headstock ?
I had a Mexican made Fender Precision and a Squier Precision (and a Squier Jazz bass, too).
The Squier P-bass and J-bass weighed a proverbial ton! On the other hand, the Mexican made Fender Precision was so light I couldn't believe it - the Aria STB Pro-II Precision copy I also owned was the perfect weight, not too light and not too heavy. The thing is, nearly ALL new guitars need a comprehensive setup of the sort a pro Bass tech would do for any big name touring bassist like Flea or Marcus Miller - fret levelling, crowning, new Nut and some nut files etc (which can be expensive and the average dude doing repairs in a guitar shop isn't really able to do). So, a lightweight bass like a Glarry is probably a good investment for someone with expensive gear he/she doesn't want stolen or trashed. The new electrics and Seymour Duncan pickups will make you sound like you're playing a $10,00 vintage instrument!
Thanks for your comments and I totally agree! I’ve been playing this modded Glarry way more than the Sire bass and loving it.
I have to do a couple upgrades
Awesome!
Me, I'd also replace the bridge and probably the tuning machines. .....and hydro dip the body.
Lol that’s too much for me. One thing I’ve realized lately is that the body is too light and there’s a neck dive when playing standing up. It’s not a problem sitting down. Anyway I don’t think I will add any more to the bass but it was a good learning experience
@@AntshayMusic All good!
If yr one who starts cheap. Play it till you are happy with your experience and accuracy. Give it away then buy a fender or yamaha. Then you'll feel much happier and possibly satisfied with that model. Do not, repeat don't buy expensive if you can't play, or a beginner. If you can't get experience or feel it's not the instrument for you, you haven't burnt a hole in yr pocket. Above all enjoy and love music. 🎵🎵🎵🌈❤
I knew you weren't too serious about this when I saw you weren't changing the strings at the beginning of the video. Guyker has a good set of blade pickups that get great tone, especially when paired with cobalt strings, that are a much less expensive.
Props for attempting Thundercat!
Thanks! Honestly it’s was hard to properly nail that groove
@@AntshayMusic It's a tough one!
Just came from the Short to see the full video. I put SD Quarter Pounds on my old 1979 Kimbara jazz copy a couple of years back and I love their tone.
Although I kept the original controls my update was way more difficult than yours because the Kimbara pickups weren't Fender design or fitting. What's more the "tech" tasked with fitting them botched the routing of the body on the bridge pickup so I had to make a unique pick guard to cover both pickup locations. The store offered to help but my reaction was "Are you kidding? Do you think I'd risk more damage?" 🙄
Oh Mick thanks for sharing your story 😂 These mods don’t always go as smoothly as we anticipate. Hope you’re still playing your Kimbara
@@AntshayMusic yes, the Kimbara gets lots of love since the upgrade!
great job!! I have the Glary GW101, Do you bass share the same pick ups and plastic nut?
The pickups should be the same, but the plastic nut I am not so sure. You will have to check the measurements with a ruler. Good luck!
Hah. yea as you were modding I was saying to myself that .. this is the point where i would look for better hardware already on the bass I want to get.,. hehe.. The bass does sound really improved tho and now has a great story
sometimes the difference its not too far considered to the upgrade price..especially on pickups. stock pickup more open/treble than the new one. But this is really good video to person like me who had cheapo bass.
Maybe one day the bass will pass down to your children, who can then cherish the thought that you put time and energy into the upgrades, as opposed to buying something 'off the shelves,' so to speak. They will be proud that dad envisioned and assembled it.
That would be awesome
It was an entertaining video, but to me the bass sounded just fine for the price, and it seems like the upgrades only real value would be for a fun project, and or bragging rights (which is cool also), so if I want to upgraded my Glarry, I will just sell it and put the $ towards a name brand bass. Thanks for the video and your insights!
Absolutely. After I made this video I bought a Squire P bass 40th anniversary for pretty cheap. I was so impressed by it I also bought the J bass version. Now I have too many basses lol. I still like the upgraded Glarry because it’s super light and I don’t mind if it gets banged around. Good luck!
Great video. Appreciate the share. Not really hearing much difference between new and old pickups. Sounds like there is some compression on the bass signal which definitely eats tone. Could also be youtube video compression I suppose.
The stock pickup are pretty good to start with. If you listen on studio monitors or good headphones you can hear a more balanced and clear tones from the SD pickups. The electronics made the biggest difference when you roll off the highs.
Any kind of file that tapers can be used to enlarge a hole in a scratchplate. Stick it in and twirl it around 😊
Thanks and good suggestion
IMA buy a Glarry!
You killed it. Try changing the strings to a premium brand.
Just did! (Currently trying Stringjoy for the first time). But for the sake of a fair comparison I kept the same strings.
What are your thoughts on sanding off the glarry name, or reshaping the head stock in to a Fender shape?
Lol it depends on your situation and what’s important for you. Personally I would love to play kick ass bass and for people to come up to me afterwards and be surprised it’s a Glarry
Great video for a cheap bass well worth the price for a beginner without all the setups , 90% of beginners quit any intrustment ! For an intermediate player buy a low end Fender Squier $199.99 Ibanez bass $199.99 they hold the tune better ... Thumbs up for the video well done ...
Thanks John! Yeah I recently got a squire P bass (40 anniversary). It was beautiful and the tone was amazing. Check out the YT short i made about it.
The way I see it is upgrading a cheap Bass is:- Your trying to get it to a higher standard but your going to end up like Aunt Shea says If you not used to tinkering then you could run into problems and end up costing you more money in the long run which you won't get back if you sell,(all though a good place to start and or learn is on a cheap instrument) BUT then the other way is " CUSTOMISING" you find an Instrument you really like and you're determined to get it the way you want it and hopefully keep it.
@AntshayMusic While I understand your upgrades, there is one question that I like to ask you. Why didn't you upgrade the entire neck? The main issue with "all" Glarry Bass guitars, is high frets and warp fret boards (at the body area as in a high tongue). Also many have an incorrectly cut neck pocket. A new neck and maybe some custom neck shims, would be the best upgrade.
The neck on mine is pretty good. No warping or high frets. That’s why I went ahead with it. I would say the only issue I have is the neck dive. The body is just too light.
Did the gunstreet pots fit in without any routing? Which version of three versions available?
I got the modern wiring for jazz bass. The pots are pre-wired so there is no issues with routing. I mentioned in the video that I had to drill the metal plate holes bigger and this is a pain if you don’t have the drill attachment. It would be easier to buy the Gunstreet pots and metal plate assembly if you don’t mind the cost.
The upgrade pathway can be spread out over time if you don't have the funds to buy a really good instrument at the outset. You can start with a cheap bass like a Glarry and then after a month or so upgrade the strings, then a few months later upgrade the pickups, then sometime later maybe upgrade the pots and so forth. Rather than take a cheap bass home and do that much work all at once, I would lean towards buying a better instrument from the start, but if I didn't have enough money for that I would spread out the cost over months by upgrading a cheap bass.
This is true. Appreciate your comment.
Delano pups and pre for me and any bass upgrade
Sometimes a magnet swap is all that's needed
Love the video :) it’s a shame the routing for the neck pickup is like that as with how pretty the wood is it would’ve been so nice looking without a pickguard
Yeah it’s a nice looking bass. I was surprised by how well the neck plays and no sharp fret ends. The tones are great after all the mods. Very happy with it.
Is the image you put up the same nut you ordered? Was trying to figure out which version to get for mine.
Hi Paul, yes this is the one. PQ-1200-00. You will have to sand it down to fit. I initially bought a different tusq that would drop in but it was a bit too small for the nut slot for the bass so I went with this one instead.
@Antshay Music cool thank you. I've got the p bass version but don't think they do different necks on the jazz version.
@@fat_ninja_status definitely take measurements to be sure. The nut sizes are all displayed on the Graph Tech website
@Antshay Music yeah I had taken measurements but everything seemed to have one measurement off.
@@fat_ninja_status i hear you. Thats why i ordered from Amazon. It was easy to return when the first one i bought was too small
If you did buy the Squier it wouldn't have those Seymore Duncan pickups, you would have to add that to the cost total of your Squier bass. If you would have added Wilkinson pickups it would have dropped the cost overall by a considerable amount and possibly sounded the same as the SD pickups.
i heard boogie W! nice!
I was learning a few EWF song at the time so I played it for the video haha
In that slot under the pick guard you could probably fit a humbucker
So you recommend those quarter pound pickups?
I love mine but I would caution you to listen to a bunch of demos to avoid getting fooled by the strings or the player. I spent several weeks researching and deciding what kind of sound I wanted. I chose the Quarter Pounds to have a classic but full sound so my Kimbara would have a different tone to my bright and punchy Aria.
I have that same bass
Let me know how it goes for you if you try this
Here i am. Overall good, but shielding the pickups is not necessary at all and the knob type isn't the best for the potentiometer type - splined pots need plastic caps, while solid shaft pots (like here) need screw-on caps. Also would be interesting to compare both setups with fresh strings - there is an audible difference here already, just curious how much better it can sound.
Yeah agree. I don’t think shielding made much difference. I kept the strings the same for a fair comparison but fresh strings will make a difference. The stock pickups sounded pretty good already but the electronics on the original was crap
Anybody else notice the stock pickup pole pieces didn't line up with the strings?
What was the song you played at 5:54?
Mac Miller “What’s the use?” featuring Thundercat on bass
Much better.but by how much? A lot better.
I think the differences are minimal.
What does a pu do? It converts mechanical vibrations into electricity. SD does nothing else.
Stock pickups are not bad but of course sd is awesome
Exactly!
Upgrading a cheap bass to the extent of what you did defeats the joy of it being a cheap bass. The only thing I would have done differently was raise the action if there was fret fuzz, and maybe change the strings if I felt the quality was too low.
No bridge upgrade?
Had to stop somewhere 😂
There was negligible difference in sound. I was not impressed with the SD's. I have a Squier Jazz bass I want to do the same thing - nut, pickups and solderless new harness. I have a few Squier guitars (Strats and 2 teles) that have been fully gutted and redone with USA pots/pickups/switches, and they sound killer. I don't like the headstock either and would have paid $50 more for a used Squier J bass as the foundation. But still, it's cool you did it.
In the future I’m going to take the SD’s off the Glarry and put them on my Squier 40th anniversary Jbass. Will do a comparison at that time too.
it would be good of we can see your wiring diagram better but thank you
How do you remove the knobs💀
to remove the knobs, just pull
Sounds slightly different but not necessarily better. The knobs will feel better but that's about it.
I have modded several Glarry basses. If you notice it the pickups put in one this video do not line up correctly with the string spacing and they will not... Glarry has out and out refused to give me their specs on string spacing. Good luck trying to find a bridge replacement. Even if you want to get brass saddles they will not fit either because the saddles on the Glarry bridge have such short string spacing. You will have to take each brass saddle and grind them down to fit. If you try and put a standard bridge on these basses your strings will be off the fretboard. Glarry has done themselves a hug disservice to themselves and people who would buy these basses by not having standard specs., You will not find a replacement pickguard either. I have changed the color of these pickguards by buying auto wrap. That works well.
.You will most likely have to keep the pickup covers off the old pickups if you want the new pickups to fit the route which is not standard either. Best idea for replacement pickups are rail type pickups. Otherwise your pole pieces will just be off. On the GIB series their pole pieces don't line up to start with. Glarry is pretty much a hot mess to mod. Just telling you like it is!
So true! The pole pieces don’t line up with string spacing and all sorts of stuff are out of spec. You should make a video about your experiences lol
It would be more of a horror story! LOL!
Sounds same?
The stock pickups were not bad but after the mod the sound is more clear and the tone knobs actually work.
As you stated it was not financially viable to do all the upgrades, but a couple [ the ones that you feel are most needed] probably are.. Personally I think its difficult to find a really bad instrument these days, and at a low budget I'm far more concerned about the playability of a bass than its weight, finish and tone. . The Glarry bass is primarily aimed at the beginner market. .SET UP is all important . How many students have given up learning because of trying to play a guitar or bass that is almost unplayable because of say a ridiculously high action ? Or untunable because the intonation is out ? In- factory set up has to be done by skilled workers and this is where things can be lacking at a low budget. Rather than spend out on components, paying for a professional set up would be money better spent initially
Well said!
I respect the effort and honesty, but this was kind of an endorsement for Glarry because those mods (while better) were not better *enough* to justify the cost/effort. That cheap bass sounded ok as was.
Plus you can get a new Sire bass for $399 where everything is better for the same price.
What’s the point?
He reminds me of a guy who plays on a cop show ..
Nice video but I don't hear a big difference in sound
The stock pickups weren’t bad. Main improvement was in the electronics
I like the video, but I think you put a little too much into the pickups. That was where most of the money went. For a third the price, you could have gotten much better pickups than the original while keeping the total with upgrade much less than the cheap Squire. I'll probably make these changes on my Glarry... but without the SD pickups. 🙂
Update - going to try these: GFS HOT Pro-Series Jazz Bass-Pickups
These are their hot wound pro series; the neck is 9k, and the bridge 10k. The few reviews I've seen are people using these to replace the standard pickups in their Fender Squire Jazz Bass. Best of all, they're on sale right now - $33 bucks each for any of their bass pickups! $78.78 shipped priority with insurance - about half the price of the SD instead of one third, but I certainly won't be able to tell one from the other. No magic ears, here. 🙂
Now I just need to put together the rest of the stuff - new nut, wiring, shield tape, etc.
Actually more like 350$ in Parts and special tools needed to do the job.
A cheap bass is kinda like a project car, you buy it cheap then slowly upgrade it
Exactly!
Wait til you see that the 6 string version is also, 100$
👀👀👀
Get a Donner bass.
Took a cheap 100$ bass added about 250$ in upgraded parts: NOW question? Does this sound or feel as good as just buying a Bass for $350. For that price you can get a really nice Ibanez. Forget the work Just buy a better bass (same money).
It would have been nice to listen to the bass with its original components. so, we could had compare the old version and the new one. This video tells nothing... does it sound better now... does it not? Who knows...
all the bass comparison sounds had the original components lol
cant tell to much of a difference
Just buy a Sire.
I have one haha. 5 string V7. It’s a beast. This is my unboxing video ua-cam.com/video/P_BSBsRLTxc/v-deo.html
Squier Affinity isn’t quality