Just though I would post this with a few pictures . Built this P bass a few years ago and was originally an experiment (successful) to see if I got on with a headless . And then after that , it became a fretless . And again it was the base for an experiment with changing the cap on the EMG solderless tone pot to one of 100nF . There is a thread on here somewhere about it . And then the poor thing was used as a test bed for BEAD tuning which is how it still is , strung with Labella DTFs . A great bass but you know how things go . It was time for another experiment with it . I have , and love the tone of , a Burns Bison . Despite all the array of switching options , I always come back to the neck pickup , sometimes with the middle pickup as well . So the hunt started for a pickup to add to the neck of the trusty P bass . To cut a long story short , I bought a Bartolini BB4CBC-B from the wonderful chaps at Bass direct . A weekend in the shed making sawdust and Its done . It is switched using a Les Paul toggle switch for neck , neck and P bass pickup , and P bass pickup only . Having had a play with the pickup before fitting , it turns out it would have been out of phase with the EMG GZR P bass pickup so some wires were swapped round on the Bart .
Very happy with the outcome . EMG on its own sounds the same as it ever was . Bartolini is an absolute beast on its own , and with both pickups on it seems to combine the best of both .
And just for information , this little bastardised P bass is no lightweight . Not measured it after latest additions , but it was the heavy side of 12lbs before . A solid piece of baseball bat ash for the body , with no contours at all . With an 8mm fretless board from some unknown hardwood that was given to me , the neck is not for those with small hands . Its not for everybody , but I love it .
This the bass originally
New Pickup
Body marked up and template made
Test fitting to lump of 4x2
Template mounted and pickup routed
Phase reversed on Bartolini
PIckups and controls fitted . Pickguard painted
All finished for now .
Very happy with the outcome . EMG on its own sounds the same as it ever was . Bartolini is an absolute beast on its own , and with both pickups on it seems to combine the best of both .
And just for information , this little bastardised P bass is no lightweight . Not measured it after latest additions , but it was the heavy side of 12lbs before . A solid piece of baseball bat ash for the body , with no contours at all . With an 8mm fretless board from some unknown hardwood that was given to me , the neck is not for those with small hands . Its not for everybody , but I love it .
This the bass originally
New Pickup
Body marked up and template made
Test fitting to lump of 4x2
Template mounted and pickup routed
Phase reversed on Bartolini
PIckups and controls fitted . Pickguard painted
All finished for now .
