Fender Jazz mods (Active MIM 4 string)

[motionkid]

I started playing my Fender Jazz again through my amp the other day. Right away I noticed a few things:

1. The action sucked
2. The pickups would pop/crack, pickup certain notes and kill others out

3. It sounds like sh!t

I was looking at Chris Mccarvills site today and noticed that all of his basses started off stock and he modded them all from a range of just the look to just the wood being the only thing stock on it.

It sparked an idea in my head.. "I love my jazz, I barely play it because its not right for anything I do anymore. What can I do to completely exponge the cons about it and make it fit my criteria for a bass again?"

So... heres what I want to do:

1. Give it a new look (new and better looking paintjob)
2. New hardware (new tuning keys, bridge ect)
3. New and hot pickups (EMGs, Seymour Duncan, ect...)

Im not so much looking for any suggestions on paintjobs but more ideas on what can I do to modify the body like pickup routing and preamp settings and other stuff like that.

I will post pictures in another forum once this project begins as soon as I have an EXACT plan of what Im going to do and when I have the cash to do it.

So has anybody ever modded there jazz and could give me some tips on what you did or what you know I could do? Ive never done something like this so any advice you could give me would help me a great deal...