Can a 9V battery fit in a standard J control cavity? (along with the pots)

**mikeddd** · #1 01-07-2011, 03:01 PM

I have a DIY Jazz (Allparts body/neck). It has the standard sized control cavity...it takes a standard CP. I'm thinking about putting a set of EMG JVXs in there but am worried the battery won't fit. I do have a Dremel and am not afraid to use it...but there's "needed to trim a little bit" and "needed to bust out the router and take off 1/2" all around." Know what I mean?

I'm also concerned with the battery banging around in there.

I would prefer a battery box, of course. But I don't have a router ATM and really don't want to muck up the finish. Has anyone converted a standard J to active? How'd the battery fit for you? Did it move around too much? If so, how did you secure it? Thanks.

Mike D

bassbenj · #2 01-08-2011, 01:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikeddd

I have a DIY Jazz (Allparts body/neck). It has the standard sized control cavity...it takes a standard CP. I'm thinking about putting a set of EMG JVXs in there but am worried the battery won't fit. I do have a Dremel and am not afraid to use it...but there's "needed to trim a little bit" and "needed to bust out the router and take off 1/2" all around." Know what I mean?

I'm also concerned with the battery banging around in there.

I would prefer a battery box, of course. But I don't have a router ATM and really don't want to muck up the finish. Has anyone converted a standard J to active? How'd the battery fit for you? Did it move around too much? If so, how did you secure it? Thanks.

Mike D

People have done this so I know it fits (perhaps with a bit of "adjusting" of the cavity. However, I would STRONGLY urge you to install a battery box. I put EMG pickups in my old Aria Pro II and had the local luther install dual battery boxes for 18v. It cost some money but the job was well worth it. Finish wasn't harmed and when I looked at the installation, let me tell you it was a VERY close fit. If I'd have done it I'm sure I'd have probably routed right out the back of the bass! But it MADE that bass. The LAST thing you want is to be screwing and unscrewing the control cavity to change batteries. It strips out the screws holding it on. It breaks the wires to the parts. And is a general pain. So much better to get a battery box. Especially the new ones that don't have the contact problems some of the early ones did. Even just a routed battery CAVITY with threaded screw inserts for the cover would be MUCH better than a battery in the control cavity.

**mikeddd** · #3 01-08-2011, 03:42 AM

Thank you, bassbenj; you make some very good points and I know you're right. If the bass in question was a real Fender American I'd be hesitant to devalue it by routing out a battery box cavity. But since this parts bass was worth 50% of what I paid for it the second I took delivery, I guess it won't matter. Thanks for explaining things in-depth.

Showdown · #4 01-08-2011, 01:38 PM

I agree that a battery box is the best answer. But to answer your question, Audere makes a preamp mounted on a standard J control plate. The battery fits in the cavity under the preamp/plate with no modifications (with the battery laying flat, not on its side). This is with pots and a preamp circuit board on the plate. So, as long as the pots are not too deep it should work.

It can be a pain to change the battery though, especially on a gig (don't ask me how I know this...). I have one in a Lakland Joe Osborne (which is a J copy) and the battery fits fine. The one I have is the standard one for Fender Js.

**bassybill** · #5 01-08-2011, 01:47 PM

I have an MIM Jazz with EMG pickups and the battery is in the control cavity. It's a tight fit, but it works. I agree that taking off the bell plate is an inconvenience when a battery change is due, but I've found that this is so infrequent that it's only a very minor issue. There isn't really any risk to the screwhole threads or the wiring if this is done with a bit of care. So, I chose to leave it like this rather than routing out a battery compartment. But if somebody would do a nice neat installation of a battery box for me free of charge I'd probably take them up on it.

**mikeddd** · #6 01-08-2011, 02:36 PM

Thanks bassybill and Showdown. I was originally looking at an Audere, and putting the battery in the control cavity just like the Audere was designed for. But after thinking on it for awhile and really examining the question "What is it that I don't like about this bass?" I realized that essentially, it was the pickups/electronics. A decent set of pickups is 2/3rds or more the cost of a set of active EMGs anyway, so I decided to go all the way with it. I'm going to go the battery box route with a set of EMG JVX pups.

A parts bass, unless exquisitely custom, is worth half the cost of the parts if you resell it. If this was an American Jazz or other bass with guaranteed high resale value I wouldn't be doing this. To aid me with the battery box install I started this thread: Which battery holder/compartment am I supposed to use? Which one fits?

When the time comes in a couple of weeks I'll make an actual "Here's how I installed a battery box and EMGs" thread. I'll be doing it with a Dremel and hand tools so it should be interesting.

Thanks again for the advice.

**RaginRog** · #7 01-10-2011, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikeddd

Thanks bassybill and Showdown. I was originally looking at an Audere, and putting the battery in the control cavity just like the Audere was designed for. But after thinking on it for awhile and really examining the question "What is it that I don't like about this bass?" I realized that essentially, it was the pickups/electronics. A decent set of pickups is 2/3rds or more the cost of a set of active EMGs anyway, so I decided to go all the way with it. I'm going to go the battery box route with a set of EMG JVX pups.

A parts bass, unless exquisitely custom, is worth half the cost of the parts if you resell it. If this was an American Jazz or other bass with guaranteed high resale value I wouldn't be doing this. To aid me with the battery box install I started this thread: Which battery holder/compartment am I supposed to use? Which one fits?

When the time comes in a couple of weeks I'll make an actual "Here's how I installed a battery box and EMGs" thread. I'll be doing it with a Dremel and hand tools so it should be interesting.

Thanks again for the advice.

I just installed a set of the JV-set pickups, and everything was a tight fit, and you'll need to get some deep knobs. The reason is because they have very tall shafts...but, if you go with a battery box, you'll be fine. emg states that you get 3000 hours of play from one 9volt, so you'd probably be lucky if you changed your battery every 6-12 months.

Great sounding pickups though.

Hopkins · #8 01-10-2011, 06:18 PM

I routed a cavity under the pick guard, because I didn't want to rout a big hole in the back of my bass.
With the added wiring of the OBP-2 in my Squier VM jazz it was still a pretty tight fit in the cavity. Mostly because I used a concentric volume pot for both pickups so I could keep the input jack in the stock location. Those two stacked pots take up alot of room.