pimp my bass

davefarrell · #1 09-17-2006, 12:25 PM

i have a five string mim jazz bass and it's almost christmas time and i wanna give my bass a new look and sound, im thinkin on a new pickguard(possibly tortoise), new tuning keys because i have those triangle ones and i want the club shaped ones, and new pickups. the only problem is, i dont' know anything about pickups and i don't know anything about tuning machines. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated and most likely taken into great consideration.

hartke20g · #2 09-17-2006, 12:48 PM

IMO i suggest you wait a while to find out exactly what you don't like about your pickups.
pickguard selection all depends on the bass' colour.
you can't have club shaped tuners on a 5 string MIM with triangular tuners- they won't fit. that's the reason they're triangular (smaller).

Nick Ioannucci · #3 09-17-2006, 01:33 PM

as far as tuning machines go, get hipshot ultralites. as above, im not quite sure that they will fit as MIM 5'ers are 5 inline, so they probably wont. if you call or email hipshot, they can give you a definitive answer. pickups, go with nordstrand or lindy fralin pickups, theres a nordstrand thread in this forum with 5 string soundclips, and if you search around im sure that you would be able to find clips of the fralins. for a pickguard, youu decide its up to you. you can get them from a variety of places including warmoth, basspartsresource.com and wdmusic.com good luck.

anonymous278347457 · #4 09-17-2006, 02:11 PM

AFAIK you cant get clover/elephant ear/ club tuners to fit a MIM 5er, but if you want to get new tuners, get a hipshot D-tuner, they are really cool.

I suggest you go to the pickup&electronics forum for help on pickups

Nick Ioannucci · #5 09-17-2006, 05:45 PM

why would you put an D-tuner on a 5er with a low B? unless of course you string EADGC, in which case my bad.

davefarrell · #6 09-17-2006, 09:46 PM

i have a sunburst color bass, and i find the white takes away from the smooth look of the sunburst, i even tried removing the picguard but there was a quarter shaped hole and there was a big space in one of the picup places so it woudlen't have worked out to well

Ninja>Pirate · #7 09-18-2006, 12:20 AM

Nick Ioannucci · #8 09-18-2006, 05:36 AM

for sunburst, go either black or tort for a pickguard, either combo looks great. bootsy aahh jeeze, thats so obnoxious, so shiny.... ahhh

WarriorJoe7 · #9 09-18-2006, 05:38 AM

I have a pimped sunburst jazz here... mirror pickguard, dice knobs and strap pins, and a cheesy one white pickup, one black. I am not done pimping it yet.

Nick Ioannucci · #10 09-18-2006, 05:21 PM

that flame jazz is hot, the sunburst one not so much

keyboardguy · #11 09-18-2006, 06:14 PM

I'm more intrigued by the bass on the right with the masking tape(?) on it....

Elaborate please.

Mike

davefarrell · #12 09-18-2006, 07:10 PM

is it possible or has anyone ever seen a picguard that finishes off the sunburst?

fenderx55 · #13 09-18-2006, 11:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davefarrell

is it possible or has anyone ever seen a picguard that finishes off the sunburst?

Like it blends into the sunburst? i'm sure you could have one custom made, but I don't think that would be a production kind of thing just because most finishes are different.

Nick Ioannucci · #14 09-19-2006, 05:29 AM

not once in my life. the MIM basses arent routed the same way as americans and better quality basses, and you cant remove the pickguard to see the entire burst.

davefarrell · #15 09-19-2006, 09:41 PM

you can remove the pic guard from a mim bass.