Modding my Fender P bass...Adding a jazz pickup.

[PauBass]

Hello guys, I've used the search on the forum but can't seem to find many info...let's see if you can help me out here:

I have an '08 American Fender Precision and it sounds awesome, I'm in love with this baby but now and then I wish I had a jazz pickup on bridge position installed to make the bass a bit more versatile and get that jazzy growl.

As alwalys I've got my doubts and I wanted to ask you:

- Is it going to affect the overall sound? I mean, when adding the jazz pickup, the soloed P pickup will sound the same or it will change the tone?

- I've heard about problems when balancing the two pickups, one being more powerfull than the other, how do you guys go around this problem?

- If possible I'd like to keep the actual P pickup, because I love the tone it has, and just add a jazz one, which one would you recommend me?

- Another possibility I'm thinking is a set of Sadowskys PJ but not sure if the overall sound will change too much from the original Fender... what do you think?
I assume Sadowsky will have the pickup balance sorted so:

https://secure.sadowsky.com/store/pr...4d7e0f36076056

Any other recommendations?

Thanks!

[Pilgrim]

Link doesn't work.

What you're doing is creating a P-special. There are tons of those already on the market - and wiring designs for them on Fender's website. If you go ahead, just put individual tone and volume controls in for each pickup - then output isn't a problem.

That's how my fretless P-special is set up - I used stack-knobs to avoid making extra holes.

[rollcall]

one bartolini is what you want to have in the bridge spot other whise there is a bunch of 60 cycle hum. good luck and post pics...

[gerryjazzman]

I've done this with an old Univox (sort-of) P bass. The original pickups were a P configuration but were some odd wide size, not the standard P shape. I ditched them and the old oddball pickguard and routed a J pickup cavity based on the standard distance from the bridge for a normal J-bass and dropped a PJ EMG Select set (I know, but it was cheap and it actually sounds pretty good to me). I made my own router template but you may want to get a proper one from a place like http://www.stewmac.com/ . I then had to drill a long horizontal hole from the J pickup cavity to the control cavity to run the wires. Came out pretty nice, actually. You want to be REALLY careful routing the pickup cavity or you could ruin the body. I didn't care if that happened since it was a cheap bass but it came out great anyway.

I did the pickup/ controls wiring like a standard J-bass. With the J-pickup rolled off it should sound just like it always did with just the P-pickup.

EDIT: Oh, one other thing if you care. Since the P pickup is humbucking, if you add a J-pickup it could pick up some noise if it is a single coil type. You might consider adding a stacked J (like a Dimarzio Model J bridge pickup) or something similar.

[PauBass]

Link now sorted.

Thanks for your advice guys.

Yes, basically what I'm trying to create is a P-Special. I'd like to keep the original P bass tone I have and add and extra jazz pickup on the bridge. P bass tone is my main sound but for certain songs, I'd like to use a more jazzy/growly tone.

I was just wondering which pickup would be a good match to my actual Fender one.

[Webtroll]

I like the P/MM combination better than the P/J. I've owned a couple of P/J rigs and both pickups sound different from just the neck pickup which is nice, but I've never been a fan of just the J in the bridge position (personal preference, I'm sure some folks love it). The P/MM gives 2 different and usable tones that can be blended. For growly the P alone is planty, for jazzy... I don't know if you're going to get that without 2 J pickups.