Greetings, All!
I had a recent brainstorm regarding my next parts-bass project. I'm casting out to the "collective-y'all" for input and ideas (both general and specific), especially since I'm thinking of traveling into waters quite unknown to me.
I recently picked up an Arctic White Mighty Mite Jazz body. My first thought was to make a straight-up J/J out of it. I already have a set of Fender Super 55's ready to go and they'd most-likely sound great with Link Removed. But a curious though struck me the other day…what if I were to do an H/H Music Man-style configuration, along with a 5-way switch and preamp? How cool could that be?!
I did some searches for something similar, but the search parameters are too common and yield a bazillion results. I saw some references to "JazzRays", but they were mostly passing references with little hard data. However, I rather like the nickname, so that's kinda stuck with me.
Like I said before, this is unknown territory for me. I've never owned any kind of Music Man instrument, let alone delved into the finer points of it's pickups and electronics suite. That, and the only active bass I've ever owned didn't last long for me. (It wasn't the EQ's fault…it was a five-stringer, which didn't work out for me) So, I'm turning my brainstorm over to the good people on this forum to get whatever input I can. So armed, I'll ultimately decide if it's worth pursuing or if it should remain as "just a thought".
If I were to pursue this idea, here's a few things I definitely want or are amenable to;
One last thing, the "sordid topic of coin"…cost. I have no intention of going "bat-poop crazy" on electronics. I want something that will achieve something close to, if not spot-on, the classic Music Man sound, but without breaking the bank. If that means having to plunder the guts of a S.U.B. Ray and shoe-horn a second pickup into it or something like that, so be it. Obviously, I'll be keeping an eye on the TB Classifieds for bits and pieces, but if someone has first-hand, or even second-hand, knowledge of something that'll get the job done and not cost more than the neck, body and hardware combined, that would be awesome.
So now that I've established some parameters, I leave the rest to the "collective-y'all" for discussion and suggestions. If there's something I haven't considered, an omission/error, or a thread I missed that could help, feel free to hit me up with as many questions and references as necessary. I hope to learn a great deal during this project, much like I did during my previous one.
Many thanks in advance!
-Malak the Mad
I had a recent brainstorm regarding my next parts-bass project. I'm casting out to the "collective-y'all" for input and ideas (both general and specific), especially since I'm thinking of traveling into waters quite unknown to me.
I recently picked up an Arctic White Mighty Mite Jazz body. My first thought was to make a straight-up J/J out of it. I already have a set of Fender Super 55's ready to go and they'd most-likely sound great with Link Removed. But a curious though struck me the other day…what if I were to do an H/H Music Man-style configuration, along with a 5-way switch and preamp? How cool could that be?!
I did some searches for something similar, but the search parameters are too common and yield a bazillion results. I saw some references to "JazzRays", but they were mostly passing references with little hard data. However, I rather like the nickname, so that's kinda stuck with me.
Like I said before, this is unknown territory for me. I've never owned any kind of Music Man instrument, let alone delved into the finer points of it's pickups and electronics suite. That, and the only active bass I've ever owned didn't last long for me. (It wasn't the EQ's fault…it was a five-stringer, which didn't work out for me) So, I'm turning my brainstorm over to the good people on this forum to get whatever input I can. So armed, I'll ultimately decide if it's worth pursuing or if it should remain as "just a thought".
If I were to pursue this idea, here's a few things I definitely want or are amenable to;
- Pickups & Electronics: Two pickups are a "must-have". I've grown rather fond of having that extra flexibility/versatility. I've also been looking at a rotary-style, 5-way switch in one Jazz control plate's pre-existing holes. (Volume/Rotary/2-band EQ perhaps?) Since I'm mostly accustomed to the simplicity of passive controls, I'm leaning towards a 2-band EQ…something nice and simple, but effective, to try out first.
- Neck: Whatever direction I go with the electronics, I'm definitely going with some sort of Jazz neck. I'm seriously considering something from USACG…probably a 7.25" to 9.5" compound radius.
- Hardware: I already have a Fender American Standard bridge, so no discussion is needed on that front. However, I doubt I'll be drilling out the body to make it string-through. I'll probably have to hit up Terrapin, or someone similar, for a custom pickguard. (For the record, no tort. It'll be gloss black to contrast the white body.)
- Routing: Obviously some extra routing would be necessary. If I have to have a side-mounted jack installed, or a little more taken out under the guard for a preamp/battery/additional knobs or switches, that would be fine.
One last thing, the "sordid topic of coin"…cost. I have no intention of going "bat-poop crazy" on electronics. I want something that will achieve something close to, if not spot-on, the classic Music Man sound, but without breaking the bank. If that means having to plunder the guts of a S.U.B. Ray and shoe-horn a second pickup into it or something like that, so be it. Obviously, I'll be keeping an eye on the TB Classifieds for bits and pieces, but if someone has first-hand, or even second-hand, knowledge of something that'll get the job done and not cost more than the neck, body and hardware combined, that would be awesome.
So now that I've established some parameters, I leave the rest to the "collective-y'all" for discussion and suggestions. If there's something I haven't considered, an omission/error, or a thread I missed that could help, feel free to hit me up with as many questions and references as necessary. I hope to learn a great deal during this project, much like I did during my previous one.
Many thanks in advance!
-Malak the Mad
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