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Post by JAC on Apr 29, 2015 22:32:10 GMT
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1,481 posts
Disclosures: Everything I don't like I can modify.
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Post by blablas on May 8, 2015 20:36:33 GMT
I just can't get used to the one that only has the P pickup, I really miss the bite a bridge pickup gives me. Time to start on a PJ, or to be more specific - I am going to add a J pickup (dual coil with a parallel/series switch) to my PB-Shorty Put on a set of new strings, the mini P has bite again! Fender short-scale nickel roundwounds are not what they used to be, only a month old and they've already turned dull and flat sounding. No more Fender strings for me, a couple of my long scale basses are also fitted with the same type of strings and are starting to show the same type of degradation in sound! I put a set of Höfner nickel short-scale strings on this one now, let's wait and see how long these will last. The plan for the conversion to PJ is still on, I like the P sound (again) but still want a bridge pickup, the ordered parts are in and I will start working on it very soon.
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Post by JAC on May 8, 2015 21:28:36 GMT
Never tried the Hofner strings, although I am a fan of nickels. Let me know how the stand up to wear (I dont change my strings very often!).
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1,481 posts
Disclosures: Everything I don't like I can modify.
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Post by blablas on May 8, 2015 22:51:19 GMT
Let me know how the stand up to wear (I dont change my strings very often!). Will do! Hope it takes a long time before I can give a certain answer. I put a set of these Höfner strings on my Höfner at the same time I put these Fender strings on this bass and they still sound okay. I don't like to change strings that often with well over 35 basses either. (hide) For my long scale basses most of the time I use Warwick nickel Red Label's or Elixer's, both last long and decay very slowly. The Fender nickel strings used to have a long reliable playing time as well but it seems they have changed something and now they die really fast and sudden (almost like 'the cliff' with the Pirelli tires in Formula 1 ).
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1,481 posts
Disclosures: Everything I don't like I can modify.
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Post by blablas on May 14, 2015 13:54:20 GMT
Routed the cavity for the Jazz pickup, also drilled the hole to move the jack to the side.
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1,481 posts
Disclosures: Everything I don't like I can modify.
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Post by blablas on May 14, 2015 21:22:04 GMT
The Pickup with its housing doesn't fit inside the cavity! When I fit the housing without the pickup in it it did fit, once the pickup was inside it it didn't. Apparently the pickup pushes out the bottom-side of the housing by half a millimeter. Back to the workshop (at work) again tomorrow to mill it out a little bit more.
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1,481 posts
Disclosures: Everything I don't like I can modify.
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Post by blablas on May 15, 2015 12:07:28 GMT
And now it fits! With the right amount of space around it.
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1,481 posts
Disclosures: Everything I don't like I can modify.
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Post by blablas on May 15, 2015 12:44:08 GMT
Applied conducting paint again. I am roughly at the point where I was before I discovered the pickup didn't fit.
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1,481 posts
Disclosures: Everything I don't like I can modify.
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Post by blablas on May 15, 2015 17:29:31 GMT
Built in and wired. going to check it more serious tonight, during quick & dirty testing I noticed the pickups were influencing each others volume, probably need to solder in some resistors, also need to take a better listen to the phase of the Jazz pickup.
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1,481 posts
Disclosures: Everything I don't like I can modify.
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Post by blablas on May 15, 2015 20:30:02 GMT
One resistor for the P pickup was enough to make it behave the way I want it to, phase on the J was okay.
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1,481 posts
Disclosures: Everything I don't like I can modify.
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Post by blablas on May 16, 2015 9:50:06 GMT
Decided to modify the controls a bit more. Normally I'm not a big fan of two volume controls, this was also the case on this little bas, replaced one of the volume controls with a balance pot, this also means the resistor is not needed anymore so I removed it again.
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1,481 posts
Disclosures: Everything I don't like I can modify.
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Post by blablas on May 16, 2015 12:35:51 GMT
Some final finished product photo's.The big picture: And a few detail shots:
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1,481 posts
Disclosures: Everything I don't like I can modify.
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Post by blablas on May 20, 2015 16:27:57 GMT
Another update: The old J humbucker was seriously microphonic which made me decide to replace it. I replaced it with a DiMarzio DP148. Experienced some problems with the wiring while replacing the old pickup, it also took a while to adjust the two pickups to get an even sound from both together. In the end I'm glad I did replace this pickup, the new one sounds better and is dead quiet, no microphonic noise and no hum.
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1,481 posts
Disclosures: Everything I don't like I can modify.
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Post by blablas on May 22, 2015 12:12:20 GMT
And finished the (hopefully) final 'nit pick' session yesterday evening. Straightened the alignment of the bridge. At first I didn't really notice it was mounted crooked but with the placement of the bridge pickup I immediately saw something was out of line, either the pickup or the bridge (of course it was the bridge , not my pickup placement), The more I looked at it the more crooked it seemed! Decided to fill the existing screw holes and after that mounted the bridge on straight.
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1,481 posts
Disclosures: Everything I don't like I can modify.
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Post by blablas on May 24, 2015 21:58:03 GMT
New picture of the Shorty triplets after the full PJ mod.
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