Davo-London Posted January 22, 2006 Share Posted January 22, 2006 I'm thinking the scratchplate should be in the orange, fire, blood red sort of colour range. There are some outrageous and numerous designs here: http://www.terrapinguitars.com/pg2/Pbass_06.php Davo "We will make you bob your head whether you want to or not". - David Sisk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeronyne Posted January 22, 2006 Author Share Posted January 22, 2006 Wow! A lot of discussion concerning the pickguard! I thank all of you for taking the time to think about it! I'm having trouble envisioning anything but black for the pickguard since I have a maple fretboard. If it was ebony, I think the colored and textured suggestions would have had a better chance of looking focused. as Maury pointed out, it may be too busy. Maybe the chrome mirror w/black core on that Terrapin site. kenfxj, I started to Photoshop something up, but I thought I'd wait to get the body and neck...I have no idea what the finish actually looks like, so I'd be flying blind. I want to again thank everyone for their support and suggestions. I got the pots and input jack yesterday, so I'm making a bit of progress daily. I've also decided to start solder practice...I have a Charvel guitar that has dutifully volunteered for hazardous duty. Tom, I thought of adding a J pickup, but as you say, the routing on the finish would be tricky for someone who has never done it before. With the purchase of the pots, I've officially gone over the cost of some very decent basses. I sure am commited now! "For instance" is not proof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeronyne Posted January 22, 2006 Author Share Posted January 22, 2006 OK, can someone give me the short version of why one would want a series/parallel switch on a P pickup? And how about a primer on coil tapping just for my general knowledge? Or you could just point me to a resource. "For instance" is not proof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcr Posted January 22, 2006 Share Posted January 22, 2006 I have two basses with series/parallel switching. One is a Sterling; it's useful, but subtle, not what I'd call a profound difference. The other is a Jazz Bass with DiMarzio Ultra Jazz pickups. This is probably a more relevant comparison, since those pickups are split-coil humbuckers (unlike the MM pickup). On that bass, the series/parallel switching makes a BIG difference. I still don't understand the ins & outs of the circuitry...but my ears tell me that "series" sounds like a big, full humbucker, and "parallel" sounds more like an old-school single-coil. It's another question, though, how important the switching would end up being to you. My J is almost never off the series setting. But I could imagine someone going 50/50 with it. So it can make a real difference, but how much you'd use that difference, no one can tell but you, & it might be hard to tell in advance. Still, if you get a push/pull volume pot, it's just a matter of wiring, & you'll have the option there for not much fuss. How could you regret having the option? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getz out Posted January 22, 2006 Share Posted January 22, 2006 Nice option, but nothing I would consider any serious cash for... I am more interest in coil-tapping with non-split coil type humbuckers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcbn Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 All these pickguards are making me want to change mine.... so buy a bunch and use what you like. If you get the same screw pattern for a USA P bass you might be able to offload one to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeronyne Posted January 23, 2006 Author Share Posted January 23, 2006 Originally posted by NUTT: All these pickguards are making me want to change mine.... so buy a bunch and use what you like. If you get the same screw pattern for a USA P bass you might be able to offload one to me. Haha, will do if possible, Nutt! "For instance" is not proof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lug Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 Originally posted by zeronyne: OK, can someone give me the short version of why one would want a series/parallel switch on a P pickup? And how about a primer on coil tapping just for my general knowledge? Or you could just point me to a resource. A Pbass humbucker is really 2 single coils with the windings wrapped in opposite directions. This causes the noise picked up by both to cancelled but no the signal from the string because it's only sensed by 1 of the pups. When they are put in series, you loose the noise cancelling aspect but the output will be little hotter/fuller sounding. The difference isn't tremendous. I typically use series live and parallel when recording. Coil tapping is essentially a tap into the winding of a coil that bypasses half (or it can be any ratio) of the coils in the pickup, resulting in a different sound. You can stop now -jeremyc STOP QUOTING EVERY THING I SAY!!! -Bass_god_offspring lug, you should add that statement to you signature.-Tenstrum I'm not sure any argument can top lug's. - Sweet Willie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g. Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 OK, seeing a lot of misconceptions here. A P bass pickup is simply a shortened side-by-side humbucker with the two coils shifted away from each other longitudinally. Then (self evident), each coil covers a different 2 of 4 strings, unlike standard side-by-side where all strings are sensed by each coil. Coil tapping is used sometimes on true single coil pickups - where part or all of the entire winding can be used - one being lower in output but having less resistance and therefore more treble. This is also the approach to tapping a transformer. Tapping is NOT practical on humbuckers because that would require each coil having its own partial winding intervention, and an extra wire coming out of each coil, and the switching to handle it. Turning one coil off in a humbucker IS practical. That mistakenly gets called coil tapping but it is actually coil CUTTING. This basically turns the humbucker into a single coil pickup - with one coil effectively out of the circuit by grounding it or not connecting its leads. Then only one coil provides output. You should see that this would ALSO NOT be viable on a P bass - as if it were used, only TWO of four strings would have output. Series/parallel: SERIES is the standard humbucker wiring, and because the resistance is double that of each coil (and also the inductance is doubled), it has higher output but passes less treble. Switching to parallel lowers the output considerably but still retains the humbucking qualities, but because the output is lower, the signal-to-noise ratio for parallel is less than it is for series. Because parallel has less resistance it passes more high frequencies. Again though, that trades off output - the difference between series output levels and parallel output levels often makes gain compensation (through compression or knob-twiddling) neccessary. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g. Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 A Pbass humbucker {...} When they are put in series, you loose the noise cancelling aspectWrong. Series is in fact the standard humbucking procedure, and has the BEST signal-to-noise ratio. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davo-London Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 One of GB's suggested sites has a virtual guitar that you can layer on components. Unfortunately it's g*****rs only, but nevertheless it's useful for checking pickguard colours. Check it out: http://www.usacustomguitars.com/usacg/kisekae/usacgstrat650/base.asp I have to agree that either cream/pearlised or black seems good. Davo "We will make you bob your head whether you want to or not". - David Sisk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeronyne Posted January 23, 2006 Author Share Posted January 23, 2006 Thanks for the primer, GB. "For instance" is not proof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeronyne Posted January 24, 2006 Author Share Posted January 24, 2006 OK, the neck has arrived. Despite it sitting outside for a while, it seems ruler-straight and undrilled. It looks like it came straight off of a Ben Loy sig bass. It even has the truss rod access at the bottom of the neck...I may have to employ the LizzyD solution and notch the pickguard and rout a little path in the body (Yikes). The "Fender Jazz Bass" decal was not covered with enough clearcoat...it still has a few coats to go before it's completely flat... but from 10" away, it looks just fine. So nice, in fact, that I am loathe to sand it off to paint the headstock. I guess I'll address that last. The nut width and tuner holes were as guessed: 1 & 3/8" and 9/16" respectively. The construction work is looming, and it seems palpable. I'm terrified. "For instance" is not proof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g. Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Most/all of the hard stuff was already done - what could go wrong? : } ... Wait 'til you build a body from scratch and try to get the pickup routing and neck pocket correct ... And finishes are kinda tough to do well at first unless using gaffer tape ; } . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeronyne Posted January 24, 2006 Author Share Posted January 24, 2006 Heh. I'm afraid I'm going to misalign the bridge. I can cut and file nut after nut...they're cheap. But I'd be very sad to put screw holes very close to but not quite in the right places for the bridge. But apart from that, it should be a piece of cake. I need my blankee now. "For instance" is not proof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bottomgottem Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Originally posted by zeronyne: It even has the truss rod access at the bottom of the neck...I may have to employ the LizzyD solution and notch the pickguard and rout a little path in the body (Yikes).You may be more comfortable notching a slick little tapered path to the truss rod with a gouge as opposed to using a router. It is much easier to take out little bits of material at a time by hand than to risk the amount of damage that a router could cause. Plus, the router could get all caught up in your blankee, causing both physical and emotional damage. My whole trick is to keep the tune well out in front. If I play Tchaikovsky, I play his melodies and skip his spiritual struggle. ~Liberace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saxofunk Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Originally posted by zeronyne: Heh. I'm afraid I'm going to misalign the bridge... But I'd be very sad to put screw holes very close to but not quite in the right places for the bridge. A) Take it to a local luthier/guitar shop whom you trust. B) Get some 2" wide masking tape, cover the top sode pf the body (or just the middle part in question) and pencil on some layout lines. - Matt W. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saxofunk Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 And, yah, don't get that blankee caught in your router. 30,000 rpm does bad things to fabric and flesh. - Matt W. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Capasso Posted January 27, 2006 Share Posted January 27, 2006 Bridge installation: I've never done this, but if I was doing it, here's what my uneducated self would do. You want to get the bridge the proper distance from nut, and other threads have addressed that. But what about side-to-side? You could put some gentle masking tape in the bridge area and use a straight edge (be careful - use a non-metal tool so you don't scratch the body) and draw two lines as if the neck edges continued all the way down. That will give you a "center". GB - nice coil wiring description. Tom www.stoneflyrocks.com Acoustic Color Be practical as well as generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars and keep your feet on the ground. - Theodore Roosevelt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeronyne Posted January 27, 2006 Author Share Posted January 27, 2006 Originally posted by Tom Capasso: But what about side-to-side? You could put some gentle masking tape in the bridge area and use a straight edge (be careful - use a non-metal tool so you don't scratch the body) and draw two lines as if the neck edges continued all the way down. That will give you a "center".Tom, that's a fabulous idea! I don't know if that's standard practice or not, but it sounds good to me. as I mentioned, the bridge is really where my concern lies, expecially with a finished body. I bought a Gotoh bridge, and nicely traditional Schaller BML tuners. But I have to say that parts suppliers in the musical instrument industry are really lagging behind those in other industries. I couldn't find a single supplier that had all or even most of the items I wanted. I would have paid over $100 in shipping if I had purchased exactly what I wanted. Imagine ordering from 7 auto parts stores to get 9 pieces...and not because of bargain-hunting. Anyway, everything but the strings have been ordered. Now I wait... "For instance" is not proof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlrush Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 I heard an idea once that sounded pretty good. With neck and tuners installed, tape an old nut in place. Or use a blank nut. Attatch string (cotton) to the outer string holes on the bridge. Place bridge in approximate position on body and pull "strings" up and wrap around outer tuners. (E and G for 4 string). Bring the bridge saddles down to a pre-measured point (34") on the body. Keep the outer "strings" equidistant from the neck edges to find alignment of the bridge. Mark your bridge holes and the blank nut with a pencil. You can also use this later to mark your pup position. Got anything to add to this Greenboy? Anyone else have any ideas about this? Visit my band's new web site. www.themojoroots.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeronyne Posted January 30, 2006 Author Share Posted January 30, 2006 I think jlrush's method is identical to Tom's, except that an additional two measurements need to take place. I think I need to default to what has already been done to the parts at hand. The only holes drilled into any of the components are the four in the neck pocket of the body and the four in the neck for the tuners. The neck is fairly snug, so I'm going to mount the neck first. This will give me my baseline in terms of angles and distances. The rest will be derived from that. Think of how valuable my terrible mistakes will be as long as I document it in both text and photos. "For instance" is not proof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeronyne Posted January 30, 2006 Author Share Posted January 30, 2006 OK, the neck plate and screws have arrived. Time to put up or shut up. I will take pics. http://www.colburncomics.com/IMAGES/new%20graphics/sg%20castingcall/Cary-Hiroyuki_Tagawa.jpg BEGIN! "For instance" is not proof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeronyne Posted January 31, 2006 Author Share Posted January 31, 2006 This is the body: http://midiasylum.com/pbass/images/body1.jpg As you can see, there's no pocket route or even a center screwhole for a bridge ground wire. How would you guys go about either drilling through and up from the control cavity place or straight down from the pickup cavity? I wouldn't be so worried abouthow but I'd hate to mess up this finish. "For instance" is not proof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rumpelstiltskin. Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 considering that it will be underneath the bridge, i don't think you have to worry too much about the finish. the only real concern is that you don't chip it. masking tape will solve that. you'll be masking it off for bridge alignment, anyway, so make a small dot where you want to drill and make sure the drill bit doesn't skip on you. go slowly if you need to. robb. because i like people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlrush Posted February 1, 2006 Share Posted February 1, 2006 09, You could try drilling 2 small holes side by side just deep enough so you can set the bit and work it at a shallow angle. Aim the two holes toward the jack area. Also might have to clean up the space between the 2 holes before drilling the angle. Like robb. said, go slow. Visit my band's new web site. www.themojoroots.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeronyne Posted February 1, 2006 Author Share Posted February 1, 2006 Originally posted by jlrush: 09, You could try drilling 2 small holes side by side just deep enough so you can set the bit and work it at a shallow angle. Aim the two holes toward the jack area. Also might have to clean up the space between the 2 holes before drilling the angle. Like robb. said, go slow. That's a great idea. I've been mulling it over and over...that may be the only way to go at this point. Thanks JL and Robb! Well, I attached the neck and shielded the cavity today. What little details there were (and more pics) are available at the blog listed in my sig. http://midiasylum.com/pbass/images/neckjoint_screwed.jpg http://midiasylum.com/pbass/images/shield4.jpg "For instance" is not proof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WCunha Posted February 1, 2006 Share Posted February 1, 2006 Looking good Sam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeronyne Posted February 1, 2006 Author Share Posted February 1, 2006 Thanks Wade! I have now hit another little snag. I just sort of casually took the Graphtech pre-slotted Jazz Bass nut out of its packaging to lay against the nut slot...it's over 1/8" too big!! The slot is a hair under 1-3/8". I was hoping to avoid massive amounts of filing (and the subsequent screaming and gnashing of teeth), but it is not to be. On a related note, if anyone would like a very nice, unused Graphtech trem nut, pre-slotted for Jazz Bass, let me know. "For instance" is not proof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Capasso Posted February 2, 2006 Share Posted February 2, 2006 Nice sheilding job. The neck/body looks tight. Was it a snug fit? I had an idea about the bridge placement before I posted earlier. I think my previously posted idea is a way to go, but I also considered tieing bakery string to the outside most tuners and running it down to the bridge saddles so you could see where the strings will sit on the neck. Every once in a while I play a bass where I think the G string is too close to the edge. Not sure if all that is necessary though. I can't help much with the drilling for the ground. The only thing I do when drilling is to measure the depth I want, then measure that same amount on the drill bit. I put tape on the drill bit so I know how far I should go. With a drill press, there are usually various ways to handle this, with either "stops" or measuring guides. 1/8" too big? that surprises me - I don't have a bass in front of me but I'm guessing my nuts are only 1/4", so you're talking 50% bigger. Hmmmm. Tom www.stoneflyrocks.com Acoustic Color Be practical as well as generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars and keep your feet on the ground. - Theodore Roosevelt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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