Which bass should I get to modify?

M

MateoG78

Feb 3, 2019
103
31
4,531
Chicago
#1
Dean Edge 1 PJ Vintage Natural

Dean Edge 2 Vintage Natural

I am looking for a cheap bass to mod and have settled on either one of the basses above
I have tried out both of these out and equally like them. I like the mm style humbuckers and the pj style. The necks feel good and it feels like a decent bass overall. Which one would be better to mod though?

The only modifications I would do would be a pickup change (drop in some EMGs ), string change, and maybe a bridge or tuner change.
 
#4
Forced to choose, I'd go with the P/J and a set of EMG Geezers. Smashing set of pickups.

Out of curiosity, what do you not like about the existing pickups and hardware on these basses? I usually suggest folks live with a bass for a while before modding it.
 
#5
Eilif said:
Forced to choose, I'd go with the P/J and a set of EMG Geezers. Smashing set of pickups.

Out of curiosity, what do you not like about the existing pickups and hardware on these basses? I usually suggest folks live with a bass for a while before modding it.
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The hardwares not that big of a deal. I might change it in the future but probably not.

The pickups were kinda eh to me. I played both of these a lot at GC. Im not too big a fan of stock Dean pickups, they seem kinda lacking. Love how the bass feels though.
 
#6
Between those two, personally I would go with the P/J set up. But only because I've never been a big fan of the MM humbuckers. They sound good, but seem kinda big and bulky., not as visually pleasing to my eye.

With so many PU manufacturers that make a variety of drop in replacements for those three style pick ups, you have tons of great options either way. Depending on the # of options you want available, the MM might be the way to go. There are a bunch of switching options depending on if you use dual coil in line, quad coil etc.

Are you going to install a preamp, or go passive? Can always install a pre with active/passive switch.

Good luck, let us know what you decide.
 
#9
MateoG78 said:
The hardwares not that big of a deal. I might change it in the future but probably not.

The pickups were kinda eh to me. I played both of these a lot at GC. Im not too big a fan of stock Dean pickups, they seem kinda lacking. Love how the bass feels though.
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If you like the way it feels that's a good start. I'd definitely go with the P/J then. There are lots of good MM pickups, but there are alot of matched P/J sets and if you don't have alot of experience with swapping pickups I'd definitely purchase a set of pups that are deliberately designed to work together.
 
#10
funkinbottom said:
Between those two, personally I would go with the P/J set up. But only because I've never been a big fan of the MM humbuckers. They sound good, but seem kinda big and bulky., not as visually pleasing to my eye.

With so many PU manufacturers that make a variety of drop in replacements for those three style pick ups, you have tons of great options either way. Depending on the # of options you want available, the MM might be the way to go. There are a bunch of switching options depending on if you use dual coil in line, quad coil etc.

Are you going to install a preamp, or go passive? Can always install a pre with active/passive switch.

Good luck, let us know what you decide.
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I’m probably not gonna add a preamp if I go for the mm option but maybe have a preamp for the pj option
 
#12
Eilif said:
If you like the way it feels that's a good start. I'd definitely go with the P/J then. There are lots of good MM pickups, but there are alot of matched P/J sets and if you don't have alot of experience with swapping pickups I'd definitely purchase a set of pups that are deliberately designed to work together.
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For EMG is the Frank Bello sig. set any good?
 
#14
MateoG78 said:
For EMG is the Frank Bello sig. set any good?
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I'm not sure, but EMG makes a good pickups sets and if you want something active and more aggressive it'd be a good set.

Killed_by_Death said:
it's kind of a waste to buy it new if you're just going to modify it.
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This is godadvice. If you're going to mod it right off the bat, you can probably find one for around half price (possibly a different color though) used. Dean Edge basses have been made for quite a few years so there's probably alot of P/J Edges on the used market.
 
#17
@MateoG78; Do you have any opinion on Bartolini pickups? I ask because recently I had my first-ever experience with thoroughly researching their lineup and grabbing one. What impressed me, apart from the great sound I got from my pick, was all the different configurations they make for the same pickup. Since the poles and coils aren't exposed, they don't have to worry about making the guts aesthetically pleasing. I suspect this allows them to have a whole lot going on "under the hood" without having to make it pleasing to the eye.

If you were to grab the Dean Edge 2 you could get a quad-coil pickup for the neck position and either another quad or a dual-coil pup for the bridge. Replace one or more of the pots with push-pulls or maybe a rotary switch and you could switch between H/H and P/J configurations, not to mention many other possibilities, with ease.

Long story short, if I were choosing between the two with the intent on modding away, I'd go with the Edge 2. There are a lot more possibilities available with that pickup suite.
 
#18
Malak the Mad said:
@MateoG78; Do you have any opinion on Bartolini pickups? I ask because recently I had my first-ever experience with thoroughly researching their lineup and grabbing one. What impressed me, apart from the great sound I got from my pick, was all the different configurations they make for the same pickup. Since the poles and coils aren't exposed, they don't have to worry about making the guts aesthetically pleasing. I suspect this allows them to have a whole lot going on "under the hood" without having to make it pleasing to the eye.

If you were to grab the Dean Edge 2 you could get a quad-coil pickup for the neck position and either another quad or a dual-coil pup for the bridge. Replace one or more of the pots with push-pulls or maybe a rotary switch and you could switch between H/H and P/J configurations, not to mention many other possibilities, with ease.

Long story short, if I were choosing between the two with the intent on modding away, I'd go with the Edge 2. There are a lot more possibilities available with that pickup suite.
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I tried many basses, new and used, that had Bartolini pickups. They never really did it for me.
 
#20
MateoG78 said:
I tried many basses, new and used, that had Bartolini pickups. They never really did it for me.
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Do you know which specific model? Not to be contrary, but when doing the aforementioned research, I heard a considerable difference between their "Classic" and "Original" designs. Based upon what I heard, the Classic pickup had a considerably richer and bolder sound. (…especially when it's in Series mode! Holy crap, it's sweet! :drool:) However, if neither is the sound you like, that's cool.

All that being said, and in light of all the other brands that offer dual/quad-coil humbuckers, I'll still stand by my suggestion to go for the Edge 2. ;)
 
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