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Bass Project

fullmoon97

fullmoon97

Nov 28, 2010
60
0
#1
So I mistakingly placed this on the hardware section and thought I would move it over here.

so about a year ago i bought a new bass. i had been itching to get a new one so i started the search. looking the normal places, Rondo, Guitar centers used section, and as a last ditch effort to find the right one i came to Amazon of all places and found a Stingray knockoff for 100 bucks. i figured 100 bucks for a look alike of one of my dream basses? im in! so i am at the point where i am gathering parts to put on the bass and i would like your input.

but first i would just like you to meet her :)

here is how she came sitting next to my current bass

my2basses_zpsf1e24e80.jpg


here is her all polished up and the same sticker added for a bit of personalization

ruby_zpsc69f6262.jpg


now for starters the pickup is done for and i would like to replace it with this

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002D0NNE/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3ADWMNXT7FS32

ive looked around for other music man replacements and this has been the best sounding from what ive heard especially for the price. i know there is an SMB-4A out there

http://www.amazon.com/Seymour-Duncan-SMB-4A-String-Alnico/dp/B0002D0B6S/ref=pd_sim_sbs_MI_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0J0JMTBE6SD6F4AE1WFG

but the problem is i dont know the difference. right now i like the way it is wired. it is simple and i can do it myself its also passive. i just dont know which is a better pickup and if i can wire the 4A as easily as i can wire the 4D. i have a few pictures of how the pickup is wired if you guys need them.

next the bass nut needs to be replaced its already chipped and im pretty sure its made of a really bad plastic. so i thought i would go with this. now keep in mind i know absoloutly nothing about bass nuts and which ones to get. i know my friend has said he would help me install it and i know there are a bunch of instruction videos on youtube. but this is the nut i was going to get

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000ZLRL6A/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A21CGAH8QMULH9

lastly as far as replacements go the volume pot needs to be replaced. the one that i put in there (because i tried to figure out what was wrong with the pickup) is garbage. so i thought about this one since i know fender is a good brand

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002KZEAE/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

the pot that came with it originally was a 250K and i replaced it with a 500K and had issues. so i thought i would go with what came in it. if there is a better pot out there please let me know and if im wrong and there needs to be a 500k in there also please let me know.

now as far as strings i will be going with the Cobalt Slinky strings. i have them on my Ibanez and really really like them.

so the TLDR im building a bass, i would like your guys input on the parts (prices, better ones, better places) keep in mind my budget for this build is around 125ish and all these parts from amazon keep me under that budget so i can get the strings as well.

so comments, questions stuff like that is welcome :) so what do you guys think?
 
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#2
Regarding the nut, you can't go wrong with tusq. But if i were you, i'd find one that isn't slotted yet, that way you can put it side by side with the old nut, mark the lines for each string and slot each of them (very gently cause nut material is very fragile and if you mess it up, you have to start a new blank). For pickups, i'm no expert but i'd go for ceramic because of it's tonal abilities. Best of luck dude.
 
#3
Thanks! I hadn't thought of a blank nut. I'll look into that. And yea that pickup is ceramic. Also I forgot to add this to the post but what is the best way to fill a hole in the body. The parts are mainly b stock and the body has a hole right behind the pickup a about the size of a half dollar
 
#4
fullmoon97 said:
Thanks! I hadn't thought of a blank nut. I'll look into that. And yea that pickup is ceramic. Also I forgot to add this to the post but what is the best way to fill a hole in the body. The parts are mainly b stock and the body has a hole right behind the pickup a about the size of a half dollar
Click to expand...

Two ways i use: dowels and wood filler. If the hole goes through, i'd sugest getting a dowel that is the same size (or just a tad bigger) as the hole. Glue it in, let it dry (wait at least 24h that's what i do) and then cut the excess off. If you want it to be really flush with the body, apply some wood filler to obvi fill the gaps.

And a blank nut would be a better way to go xD. best of luck.
 
#11
actually yes. i was able to get the files today and toutch up the Frets a bit on the bottom of the neck. they were comfortable enough to play but they did stick out more than i like. i just need to order the parts which should be sometime this week just been alittle busy over the weekend.
 
#12
Just to show you guys the hole I was talking about. Its an awkward hole but it only goes through a small amount.

WP_000509_zps0503ae84.jpg


What makes it so bad is it is right where the pickup should screw into the body. So I need something to fill it that I can screw into. I've actually been thinking about clearing some of that loose stuff out and fill it with the dowls like you said.
 
#13
fullmoon97 said:
So I need something to fill it that I can screw into. I've actually been thinking about clearing some of that loose stuff out and fill it with the dowls like you said.
Click to expand...

That seems like a good way to go. afterwards, the rest of the opening/crack, you can fill with wood filler and sand them down so it's flush with the cavity.

So steps would be as follow:

Cut the dowels to specific length (push them in and mark them with marker)
Glue them in & let it dry overnight.
Add wood filler to the remaining cracks and ontop of the dowels (let it all dry overnight again)
sand it all flush with the cavity. And it'll be sturdy enough to hold the screws.

Recommendation: you should drill a hole, slightly smaller than the screws diameter so that you don't chip away or make the holes slightly bigger. (the smaller the holes diameter, the tighter the screw will be and the stiffer the pickup will be too.
 
#14
Yea. I think I have some dowls around. Might try to do that some time this week. Sorry about delays I am finishing up the last class in my music and sound production degree so things aren't fitting in my schedule like i would like.
 
#15
fullmoon97 said:
Yea. I think I have some dowls around. Might try to do that some time this week. Sorry about delays I am finishing up the last class in my music and sound production degree so things aren't fitting in my schedule like i would like.
Click to expand...

Take your time :) this bass is a working progress just like all my other projects at home (re-painting a whole guitar, fixing up a few basses here and there, modding my guitarists epiphone sg) it's a matter of time until everything is done. But time is always a factor and we make do with how we mage. So don't sweat it, finish your studies, this bass can wait xD

As always, we're here to help if you have any questions.
 
#18
so after some payment issues i got the order to go through on the Nut. for some reason it was rejecting one of my payments. now im just waiting to see the Pickup ship because i just changed it to the same payment type.
 

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