Upgrading a Squire P-Bass

[bassist1111]

Long story short, I found a Squire P-bass with a beautiful (in terms of playability) neck and body. The only thing is that the hardware on this bass is lacking. My question is this: what are some good tuners, a good bridge (I'm gonna convert the bass to a string-thru), and a good passive pickup that I can put in on this bass? I'm thinkin a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound pickup, a Hipshot "A" style bridge, and some grover tuners. Input appreciated.

I hope I'm posting in the right spot. I'm new to this forum.

[HELLonWheels187]

Sounds good to me. The Qp's are quite popular around here. The Squier bass is really just a bass to learn. Thats both in terms of modding and playing. Just have fun with it.

[62bass]

Yes, the Quarter Pounders will make an improvement in sound.

I've got string through and conventional bridge basses. I don't notice any improvement with string through. I once converted a Musicman from conventional to string through. Not a bit of difference in sound that I could hear. But the Grover tuners and Hipshot bridge will be a step up in quality. I'd go with the ultralight tuners to reduce the infamous neck dive.

[Rodent]

for ease of installation, I'd recommend a Hipshot Vintage bent plate bridge ordered with the string-thru option. these are killer bridges in every way. the type A will require you to drill new mounting holes - gotta be good with your alignment

as for the thru-body upgrade ... do you have access to a drill press? if not, I'd recommend you forget the idea of doing this as it simply can't be done correctly without one. IME a thru-body option brings nothing extra to the bass, and definitely not anything worth all the time, effort, and expense. I have all but stopped offering this on basses I build/modify as it's just too much work coupled with too many things that can go wrong for something you'll never be able to hear in a true blind A/B test

all the best,

R

[battery]

Originally Posted by 62bass

Yes, the Quarter Pounders will make an improvement in sound.

I would not make such a final statement, because it can happen the other way around:
If the harmonic content of the wood is low a good pickup may underline that lack.

[bassist1111]

Well I know a guy that would do the string-thru for me. I'm sure he has a drill press, or at least I hope. I guess if it's not worth it, then I won't do it. I will definetly replace the bridge though and the tuners but I'm still not sure what kind to get though. I've made up my mind on the Quarter Pounders.

[62bass]

Originally Posted by battery

I would not make such a final statement, because it can happen the other way around:
If the harmonic content of the wood is low a good pickup may underline that lack.

I forgot about the harmonic content of the wood. How is that measured?

[battery]

I dont think you can really measure it though its a really important factor.

[KeithPas]

I just sold a nice Sqiuer P Bass (black with an aftermarket Red Tort PG) and it was a very nice playing, sounding and looking bass. I liked the stock pickup but others have felt differently. Go to ebay and check in the bass parts section. Everything you need to mod your bass is there for relatively low money. I also have a modded Squire P Bass Special that has a Bart P a Carvin J and a Bart Preamp and it is a great bass. I upgraded that with a Gotoh bridge and stock MIA Fender tuning keys and another Red Tort PG.

[Ampeg SVT]

I hada QP in my old P-bass, i liked it. if i ever get another P-bass i will definantly get QP's again. Bridgewise maybe a Badass II or a Hipshot

[62bass]

Originally Posted by battery

I dont think you can really measure it though its a really important factor.

I didn't think it could be measured. Oh well, I guess the basses that I've put Quarter Pounders in have had sufficient harmonic content. They all sounded good to me.

[pkr2]

Originally Posted by battery

I dont think you can really measure it though its a really important factor.

How do you know when you've got it?

[bassist1111]

I'm not too concerned about the wood because this is just gonna be my "rock" bass. I also want a different sound than my Washburn, more of a punchy sound. So QP's it will be and probably a badass 2 bridge since those seem pretty popular and some Grover tuners once I find out what will fit on the bass.

[PilbaraBass]

Originally Posted by bassist1111

Long story short, I found a Squire P-bass with a beautiful (in terms of playability) neck and body. The only thing is that the hardware on this bass is lacking. My question is this: what are some good tuners, a good bridge (I'm gonna convert the bass to a string-thru), and a good passive pickup that I can put in on this bass? I'm thinkin a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound pickup, a Hipshot "A" style bridge, and some grover tuners. Input appreciated.

I hope I'm posting in the right spot. I'm new to this forum.

I would not bother with string through...IMO, there's nothing to gain and a big risk by drilling holes through the body...

just get yourself a Badass or a Hipshot A

SD QP pups are a great choice...

and grover tuners are a solid choice, too....I have grovers on a bass and on an acoustic guitar...good tuners

[62bass]

Originally Posted by bassist1111

I'm not too concerned about the wood because this is just gonna be my "rock" bass. I also want a different sound than my Washburn, more of a punchy sound. So QP's it will be and probably a badass 2 bridge since those seem pretty popular and some Grover tuners once I find out what will fit on the bass.

Forget about the wood the bass is made from. I've had basses from every wood imaginable and even basswood sounds good. Pickups are important. The Quarter Pounders are an excellent choice. I like the Hipshot bridge myself, but I don't know if it's a drop on replacemntt for the Fender type you have. Ultralight Grovers are good too.

Then spring for a new set of good quality strings and do a decent setup, and you'll have a perfectly respectable bass.

[battery]

http://www.klangfarbe.com/shop/bilder/G0024964_3.jpg

here is a pic of a squire jazz bass.
take a look at the texture. The different pieces put together randomly, which reduces the overtones. No overtones - no good sound - no matter what PU you use.
This is the real difference between cheap and expensive basses where the manufacturer care how the different wood parts interact.
What is important is the quality of the wood and not its kind

Originally Posted by pkr2

How do you know when you've got it?

one option might be to use the same (new) strings on a cheap and an expensive bass and compare the sound without any amplification. The expensive bass will give a much brighter sound


I once made a scientific work about pickups for my school and had to deal with the way the pickup works and therefore had to inform myself about overtones and i also got to know about the difference between PUs.

[pkr2]

Originally Posted by battery

http://www.klangfarbe.com/shop/bilder/G0024964_3.jpg

here is a pic of a squire jazz bass.
take a look at the texture. The different pieces put together randomly, which reduces the overtones. No overtones - no good sound - no matter what PU you use.
This is the real difference between cheap and expensive basses where the manufacturer care how the different wood parts interact.
What is important is the quality of the wood and not its kind


one option might be to use the same (new) strings on a cheap and an expensive bass and compare the sound without any amplification. The expensive bass will give a much brighter sound


I once made a scientific work about pickups for my school and had to deal with the way the pickup works and therefore had to inform myself about overtones and i also got to know about the difference between PUs.

A lot of people agree with you. I'm not attacking your opinion, but there is more than one school of thought about the effects of different materials for building electric basses.

The rules that that apply to sounding board instruments, such as tap tests of individual components, do not apply to a standard solid body bass. A tap test yields a thump instead of a musical note. The actual truth of the matter is that the core of even most boutique basses is pretty much the same as an Essex. It all starts out as trees.

Has anyone ever heard of an EBG being unusable because the body material screwed up the sound?

The top and back lams are always chosen for aesthetics, and are made from every expensive wood imaginable. They don't do anything to the sound.

When you buy a boutique bass, you are spending a lot more for labor than you are for wood. Not to mention the cost of top of the line hardware and pups.

IMHO

[battery]

Originally Posted by pkr2

The top and back lams are always chosen for aesthetics, and are made from every expensive wood imaginable. They don't do anything to the sound.

Sorry but they certainly do! On top of that they are not only lams but solid wood "bricks". You may know the body is usually made of 3 different pieces of wood and vibrates when you play a tone. And the vibration has to pass from one piece to the next. Having an irregular texture (which is 3D = through the whole body) disturbs this passing.


The thing about PU replacement is, that they are "just" a coil and 4-8 magnets. Would you spend 150€ for a coil and some magnets in a DIY-superstore? No! Because it is simply ridiculous - even the wiring does not justify such price.

Originally Posted by pkr2

When you buy a boutique bass, you are spending a lot more for labor than you are for wood. Not to mention the cost of top of the line hardware and pups.
IMHO

Sure you do. But a Johnson Jazz bass can never sound like a Fender '66 - whatever hardware you use.
In earlier days the wood was stored for 15-20 years and the process of drying was a natural one resulting in higher qualities (think of the sound of an '58 preci). Nowadays the cheap basses have oven-dried wood - thats why they are so cheap and thats why they sound like a piece of sh-it.

The better labor work usually results in a better fretboard and therefore in a better playability - which has nearly nothing to do with the sound.

Originally Posted by GlennW

IMHO the only thing that playing an unamplified electric bass will tell you is what it sounds like unamplified.

Sorry - but this is not correct. If the unamplified sound is bad, spending 150 €for a PU is a pure waste of money.
It is like putting some highspeed formula one tires on a 15hp car from 1950.

[pkr2]

Well, if you're sure....... LOL

[62bass]

Sorry - but this is not correct. If the unamplified sound is bad, spending 150 €for a PU is a pure waste of money.
It is like putting some highspeed formula one tires on a 15hp car from 1950.[/quote]

I have a P bass (3 piece body) that sounds terrible unamplified. It sounded okay amplified with the stock Fender pickup. I replaced it with the Quarter Pounder. It sounds wonderful now and records beautifully. One of the nicest P basses I've had. I eventually replaced the neck with a Godin after market neck. Slight improvement in sound in that it got rid of a dead spot. I've also noticed that thicker necks can slightly improve the sound. A bit richer bass to my ears.

Sorry, I just don't go along with your argument. It's sort of like the difference between nitrocellulose lacquer finishes and poly finishes on a solid body. If you took the guys who claim they can hear a difference, blindfolded them and then had someone else play a bunch of the same basses with different finishes and one with no finish, I bet none of them could accurately pick out which one was being played, beyond being right once in a while by sheer luck. I bet they'd also fail when trying to tell the difference between their favourite pickups and many other equally good pickups.

A lot of this nonsense has been passed on and embellished in bass magazines and people buy into it. The whole myth helps sell instruments, pickups, effects pedals and strings.

I agree with you that pickups in many cases are way overpriced. Certainly it costs a certain amount to pay for overhead and labour and a profit has to be made. But some of these J and P after market replacements seem to be stretching things a bit. I can see it when using unusual materials like neodymium magnets. Not so much the extra cost of materials, but a certain amount added for R and D.

Acoustic guitars, mandolins, cellos, violins, etc. Yes, you can for sure hear differences. But with electric bass we're basically dealing with a plank of wood with strings.

What you're saying is romantic, but I haven't found it to be true based on over 45 years of playing professionally.