Pickup cover on an MIM Jazz?

Orpheus55 · #1 02-09-2011, 04:56 PM

I like to dress up my J-asses with covers on the bridge and neck pickup; to me, it appears that my MIM fretless would not accept a neck-pickup bridge cover due to the standard routing beneath the pickguard (not an issue on my MIA and Classic 70s J). Anyone out there install the neck pickup cover on an MIM J successfully? If so, were there any weird mods you had to do? Thanks!

SurferJoe46 · #2 02-10-2011, 10:24 PM

You CAN put the p'up cover on - but you need to be a little tricky.

I built a small piece of hardwood, predrilled for both the cover and the mounting hole that it needed, to fit under the PG and give the cover screw something to hold to in the routed area.

Since I was covering a VM-Jazz and ran into that situation, when I hear your question I can only assume that you've got the same routed dimensions and cutaways under the PG as my VM-Jazz had.

FWIW - my 2009 MiM Deluxe Jazz bridge is too tall to accept a cover on it. You may have a different setup though and if you got the bridge cover on - good on ya.

samc2527 · #3 02-10-2011, 10:26 PM

I just put it through the pg and it's held just fine.

SurferJoe46 · #4 02-10-2011, 10:32 PM

If the screws you use to just mount the cover to the PG are shanked at the top where you will need them to hold into the plastic of the PG - they will fail in time and make the holes in the PG larger, if not ruin the PG too.

Shorter screws or screws with threads all the way up to the head of the screw might work somewhat.

Not a very good idea - but one that would work ----------- for a while ----- I guess.

I wouldn't do it to my bass.

GrapeApe · #5 02-10-2011, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by samc2527

I just put it through the pg and it's held just fine.

Mine did too, then it got loose. So I just got a longer screw and it works fine now.

C.Linton · #6 02-10-2011, 10:59 PM

Like SurferJoe, I have a Squier VM Jazz that has a route right where the one screw goes. As I had gotten a headsup from SurferJoe in another thread about this I simply used a smaller bit (1/16") when drilling that hole than when drilling the others (for which I used a 5/64" bit), seeing that the thread on the screw went all the way to the bottom of the head, (no shank) I figured that would be sufficient to hold the screw and I was right. I didn't need to add any pieces of wood and it's in there nice and tight. If at some point it does loosen, I'll likely just mount a piece of dowel or something in there as Joe suggested, but for now, it's solidly mounted.

SurferJoe46 · #7 02-10-2011, 11:15 PM

OK - I took the PG off - I have to wax under it anyway tonight.

Here's the results, and I'm sure it can be figured out by anyone::

C.Linton · #8 02-10-2011, 11:18 PM

Glued and screwed, or just screwed?

SurferJoe46 · #9 02-10-2011, 11:27 PM

I didn't use any glue - I might want to remove it all someday - not!

I just made sure to countersink and predrill all (both) of the holes to keep splitting from happening.

This is some oddball wood that a friend sent as thumb bars/tugs and I cut it off at the length you see.

I think it's walnut - but what do I know about woods?

Yeah - those are Elixirs.

SurferJoe46 · #10 02-10-2011, 11:35 PM

I have a stock pix of the BEFORE SPACER situation here:

blipndub · #11 02-12-2011, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SurferJoe46

Very nice, great idea!