Non-export Jp aerodyne jazz mods

[MonkeyG0D]

I have this bass



and have been considering replacing the bridge and jazz pickup with a gotoh 201 and a seymour duncan stk-j1 respectively.

Has anyone here done either of these mods to said bass before? my main worry is that the bridge on my bass appears to be slightly recessed into the body where as all other fender basses i've seen including the export edition of the above bass lie flat on the surface of the body.

Would I need some sort of shim to fit the desired bridge? and if so what would be the best material to make a shim out of which wouldn't alter the tone too significantly?

Cheers

[Steveaux]

If you shim the bridge, especially with a 201, you'll never get a playable action.

I have one of these bodies on the bench right now. If you want to install a larger-footprint bridge, you will have to remove some wood.

[MonkeyG0D]

Originally Posted by Steveaux

If you shim the bridge, especially with a 201, you'll never get a playable action.

I have one of these bodies on the bench right now. If you want to install a larger-footprint bridge, you will have to remove some wood.

hrm not what i wanted to hear really as I've already ordered the bridge sadly, only noticed the recess last night. Any less drastic measures I could take to fitting this bridge? wouldn't it completly wreck the finish on my bass if i removed any wood from there?