Please Help Me Mod My Fotoflame P-Bass

electracoyote · #1 05-24-2009, 11:10 AM

Howdy y'all,

I acquired a Fotoflame (Japan) Fender P which I have grown very fond of. Vintage burst with rosewood/maple. The original owner was not very careful with it, and it has a distinct (natural) relic vibe to it. It plays awesome. However, I have also been leaning toward Jazz basses and their distinctive tone and playability, so I would like to make my Fotoflame P sound a bit more like my Jazzes, and I don't want to use a lot of sound processing, I want it to come from the bass. Basically, the P is not a bright bass. It's great for rock, pop, and country, but I can't get a decent R&B or slap/pop tone from it. I suspect the rosewood fingerboard and Quarter Pounders are to blame. I'd love to replace the neck with a maple/maple aftermarket neck, but I'm clueless on what P-Bass pickups will get me a brighter tone. Not really interested in active electronics, unless that's the only way to go. I'm looking at necks from Warmoth, Allparts, and Mighty Mite ($100.00 all day). Also, if I want to put a Jazz neck on my P-Bass, are the neck pocket-to-heel dimensions the same? Boy, I could use some good advice, so thanks in advance.

73jbass · #2 05-24-2009, 11:22 AM

You're not going to get a P-bass to sound like a jazz.2 completely different animals.You could add 2 Jazz pickups to the P-bass if you really needed to.

seanm · #3 05-24-2009, 11:29 AM

Can't really help. Almost all the classic R&B was played on a P bass with flats, which is the opposite of what you want.

Really, the best suggestion I have is get a jazz bass. I have a fotoflame P bass and the neck is what I love best about it. But a jazz neck should fit. IMHO switching to a maple neck will make almost no difference, but some swear the difference is noticable.

A couple of suggestions; make sure the tone is full off and the volume full on. Try using a really short cable, a pedal cable is good, into a buffered effect such as a Boss (TU-2 would be perfect). Use a battery and just dangle it there. If you notice more highs, you probably want an active setup. I would recommend the Redeemer.

electracoyote · #4 05-24-2009, 11:31 AM

Good point 73jbass. I would be happy with "more like" a Jazz, especially in terms of brightness and growl. I'd like to start with the neck wood and (P-Bass) pickups and take it from there.

electracoyote · #5 05-24-2009, 11:34 AM

Thanks Sean. To clarify, I have a Jazz, and that's what has spoiled me on the tone issue. I also have a (MIM) P-Bass Special Deluxe hybrid, it too has the P-Bass body, Jazz Neck, rosewood, and active on-board EQ. No trouble getting that one to sound bright and spanky.

seanm · #6 05-24-2009, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by electracoyote

Thanks Sean. To clarify, I have a Jazz, and that's what has spoiled me on the tone issue. I also have a (MIM) P-Bass Special Deluxe hybrid, it too has the P-Bass body, Jazz Neck, rosewood, and active on-board EQ. No trouble getting that one to sound bright and spanky.

I would suspect it is the preamp that gives you the bright sound. If you have any experience soldering, moving the preamp from one bass to the other is easy to do. This would be a simple test if that would be a fix.

Pilgrim · #7 05-24-2009, 05:19 PM

My advice is to play the P when you want its sound, and the J when you want its sound. I believe in using basses for the way they are designed to sound.

Instead of trying to turn a P into a J, be glad that you have one of each - and therefore two different tools.

When you own a pickup truck and a sports car, you can't turn one into the other. You should enjoy both.

bassmanrocke · #8 05-29-2009, 08:59 AM

Why not have a jazz pickup installed in the bridge position. This remains the most common mod to bring brightness to p-basses. It still gives you the low mids of the p, but adds the treble bite of the j pickup. Add another pot/knob(second volume or blend your choice) and you're good to go.

stflbn · #9 05-29-2009, 09:10 AM

If you manage to brighten up the P pickup to sound more like a Jazz 'when' you need the jazz sound you'll end up giving up the vibe of what makes the P-bass a P-bass.

And I agree with possibly adding a Jazz pickup at the bridge to add some clarity, but it will never be truely like a Jazz.

MuzzGrooves12 · #10 06-19-2009, 10:54 AM

Try a Dimarzio Split P to widen your tone from a P-bass. Do you want to keep the vintage vibe while making it sound more modern?