Building a bass with interchangeable pick-ups

[lz4005]

Hey sourpuss, put a cork in it. A lot of inventions have been happy accidents, stemming from attempts to solve related problems, or even unrelated problems.

The only thing he's inventing is a problem that doesn't exist. There have been many failed attempts at making basses with moving and/or hot-swappable pickups. He hasn't don't adequate research before starting his design project.

 

[JustForSport]

Everyone's entitled to an opinion-
fortunately, they're not all the same.
OP- good luck on your path, and great idea looking for feedback/ideas from others, as varied as they may be.
Who knows where that path or branch from it may lead...

 

[JustForSport]

Oh, Yeah- Wood!...
If it were me, I'd choose a locally avail semi-soft wood (maybe in the ash-to-alder range) for a more neutral tonality,
and try not to start with a really hard or really soft wood until there is a specific reason for it.
I don't know what's avail in your area that has been cured well and is economically feasible.

 

[groooooove]

Leo Fender used a mule bass, which was a fender bass neck attached to a body which allowed him to plug in different pickups and more importantly their placement.
It's not just swapping out coil designs which matter here. Where they are placed along the body is important too. There are certain harmonic sweet spots, J / P / MM pickups are placed on these points.

i've seen things like this before- many luthiers throw together an instrument like that to test electronic ideas

 

[edpal]

This is a very short short quick explanation to my idea, i had not heard of any BASS guitar that had interchangeable pick-ups the whole concept is instead of having 30 basses you have 1 where you can easily change out a part, including position etc. This would make the bass more versatile in sound, Jazz bass, and P bass in one. I have explored a need for the market it is limited but there is still a market, this message did not aim to ask whether this bass is viable this post aimed at asking a question about WOOD

Thank you people that have showed me existing ideas no matter how old they are, those ideas all just change the pick-ups
I want to change the whole electronics of the bass, being able to change everything about the electronics, except for the jack port, which i will figure our some kind of connection to an electronics base

Ok, I'll make a stab at this. Find a bass that has a one piece pickguard (plastic piece that goes around pickups and possible controls). IF it only goes around the pickups you will need to get a piece of pickguard material and cut it to also accomdate the electronics controls. Mount everything to the pickguard with no wires going through holes - make routes so the wires, controls and pickups can be lifted off in one piece. Now make another pickguard of same dimensions, cut holes for controls and [different]pickups, mount all to pickguard. Repeat as you wish. I now have a system for using the same body with different pickups and controls. YMMV. Pine is cheap, but alder is to and much sturdier and consistent.

 

[PazzoBasso]

A few things...

The market for such a thing is smaller than you imagine... at least that's what I imagine...

Here is another approach:
http://gamechanger.music-man.com/home.eb

There was this:
http://line6.com/legacy/variaxbass700

And how about this:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

I also recall a few basses with changeable pick-up positions
Gibson - Grabber
Fodera - Mike Pope Signature Viceroy
Westone - Rail Bass

I think the vast majority of bass players would want to find the pups/electronics they like & never change them out again... & it's vastly more enjoyable to have 30 basses than one Frankenstein (IMHO)

BUT YOU ASKED ABOUT WOOD...

In a nutshell - Ash or Alder... both pretty common & popular for bass bodies. Some folks have a strong preference for one or the other.
Here comes more trouble...
What if someone loved Alder P basses & Ash J basses? Changing the pick-ups might not be enough
Maybe Mahogany is best for Thunderbirds & Maple for the Rickenbacker crowd...

 

[vaskrishnan]

Thanks for the help everyone, I understand what people have said and i am taking in everything everyone is saying, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Thanks everyone thats voiced their opinion's.

 

[vaskrishnan]

The only thing he's inventing is a problem that doesn't exist. There have been many failed attempts at making basses with moving and/or hot-swappable pickups. He hasn't don't adequate research before starting his design project.

I have gone to see a custom bass guitar maker and he had given me enough reason to go on with this project as it was 1 of many possible ideas. I had done research to look into ideas like mine, there were similar but nothing the SAME as i wanted to do all the things i had seen were only changing the pick-ups not changing all the electronics. And there is a problem.. the problem is i dont have the money to go out and buy multiple bass guitars so i am making a bass guitar that is a little more diverse so that i can have a range that i want, and i am sure im not the only one who doesn't have the money for multiple guitars.

 

[BlueTalon]

I wish you the best of luck, but I fear the small budget is going to be a killer, both for yourself and for future potential customers. With the money you invest in another two or three sets of pickups (assuming they are good pickups), you could be into a second bass.

I am not trying to talk you out of your project. I really hope you can successfully design something new, even if it never becomes economically viable.