Pbass-with only a MM pickup

[Chaser1]

Hey everyone,

I have a Squier Pbass that I am thinking of making into a project bass. I have always loved the Music Man tone so I thought that I could try something that would be unique and different. I am planning on stripping the Poly finish off using a heatgun and scraper and repainting it myself (I have done some research and will prob go with Paint from RE Ranch), from what I have seen the finishes turn out pretty good, however if you have some experience with it let me know. I am thinking after painting I will route a MM pickup in the sweet spot, which from my measurement winds up about half on and half off of the bottom of the pickguard. Has anyone else out there done a similar project? I searched for other examples but couldnt find any so I did did a mock up in paint of what I am after (its not that great but gets the idea across). I am thinking I will most likely go with a Nordstrand MM Pickup and their matching 2 band MM pre.

[1bassleft]

I'm not much help, but here's a few thoughts. I spent many an hour looking at Reranch many years back and it's an excellent site but I'm confused why you're going to rout after you've painted. Especially since the pup is outside of the scratchplate area. If there's an error or something splinters off and you glue it/fill it at least the paint job covers it. And another thought; have you considered making up a scratchplate more like the Stingray 5? Try it on your Paint mockup and see if you like it.

[Chaser1]

Ya, I kinda made that sound out of order. I am in the process of ordering the parts now and my router template for the Pickup and battery bay. I will strip and sand within the next month or so. I have about a 6-8 week wait from for the pickup and preamp. I kinda got to wait on the weather to do the painting as I live in rainy Vancouver. Once its all ordered I will strip and sand, and then route the body and pickguard, then I will paint.

[thebassbuilder]

No personal experience with the Re-ranch but it is just Nitro Lacq in a can. I have used Nitro lacquir a lot and it is easy to work with but like you mentioned you need to wait for the weather to break. Moisture is a killer with nitro paint. You will spray it and all of a sudden the paint looks milky white. It will come out sometimes if you let it sit and dry slowly. That paint requires a lot of coats to build it up enough to sand and buff. So be patient and once you have sprayed it let it sit for 2-4 weeks before sanding and buffing. That paint stays soft for a long time. That is why I want to start using car automotive paint. Sprays good and builds fast and in a day, it is ready to sand and buff the next day. So if you like the color of the bass the way it is, just route the pickup make a new pick guard and go. When routing painted guitar, just cover the area with that Blue painters tape. this will help from the current finish chipping.

[Chaser1]

I have since learned after trying to buy some of the Re Ranch stuff that they wont ship to Canada, so my next thought was automotive paint. I did little searching and I think this is actually my best option. Its currently in Squire Vintage white, but I am not a huge fan of the vintage white colour. Depending on the light it can look like vintage white but most often it has an odd yellow tone to it. I will have to do a little more research on the best automotive paint and try to find it in a colour similar to the Lake Placid Blue, which I am kind of set on.

Thanks

[1bassleft]

I quite like how the white yellows. I used to have a 1990 Fenix (they simultaneously made the Korean Squiers) and it was still Olympic White under the plate but yellowed on exposure over the years - nicely, but YMMV of course.

I remember now; Reranch was a for me because of my location - but great info. If my build ideas get moved on further, I'm considering the option of Wudtone finish:
http://www.wudtone.com/

I don't know if export to Canada is a problem but it's nice to see an option here in Britain for once. They have a Yootoob demo of applying the coats and (rainy NW England) it's indoors. In most cases, the wood grain comes through which might not be a good thing with some bodies.