Converting p/j to just precision?

[dr doofie]

Hello
I have an Ibanez TMB 100 I’m refinishing. Since everything is out of it I thought it would be a good time to rewire it so as to lose the stacked knob thing and have only a volume and tone

knob.

Is there a way to rewire to bypass the jazz configuration and go right to the jack? The jazz pickup is already removed from the bass
Hope these pics are enough
Thanks in advance for your time

 

[40Hz]

Are you converting to passive operation as well? If so, any PB wiring diagram will work. (You’ll also need two pots and a capacitor.)

 

[dr doofie]

Thanks
Would I be able to use the existing output jack and just wire new pots to it and to the pickup? It’s passive now, I intended to keep it passive.
I don’t know much of this stuff at all...

 

[CallMeAl]

The jazz pickup is already removed from the bass

Curious- did you fill the hole in the body and refinish?

It’s passive now, I intended to keep it passive

So there’s an active EQ in there, right? that you are bypassing? Either way I see no reason you can’t use the existing Jack.

Looking forward to see the results! I did this to a Squier PJ; but I didn’t fill the J hole, nor did I have EQ or concentric pots to deal with.

 

[dr doofie]

In the process...

Funny you should mention the jazz pickup gap
I used to have the outer casing without the pickup in it
I was going to attempt to fill and seal it
Bass is going to stay natural with only Tru Oil on it (hopefully)...

 

[dr doofie]

So I just need two 500 pots, one for tone, one for volume? I am flying blind in this for sure

 

[CallMeAl]

I just left the Jazz pickup in it, wired like a P bass. A tiny detail, only the keenest observer would notice.

Consider my interest piqued. watching.....

 

[dr doofie]

That is exactly what I wanted to do, until when I pulled the pickup out I realized the wiring was conjoined with volume tone and blending... all these wires and I’m like...ugh!
I hate these stacked knobs!

 

[CallMeAl]

So I just need two 500 pots, one for tone, one for volume? I am flying blind in this for sure

I do believe the standard is
A (audio) for tone
B (linear) for volume
So one 500KA and one 500KB

But I’ve never been too fussy about the difference

 

[CallMeAl]

View attachment 3551298That is exactly what I wanted to do, until when I pulled the pickup out I realized the wiring was conjoined with volume tone and blending... all these wires and I’m like...ugh!
I hate these stacked knobs!

So what happened to the J pickup? Just never liked it/never used it?

From what I’ve read, it seems difficult to fill successfully, and near impossible to do with a clear/natural finish. Just a heads up/FWIW. IMO a dummy pickup would be way easier.

But I’m with you on the wiring. Simple passive J and P wiring is about all I have the patience for!

 

[dr doofie]

So what happened to the J pickup? Just never liked it/never used it?

From what I’ve read, it seems difficult to fill successfully, and near impossible to do with a clear/natural finish. Just a heads up/FWIW. IMO a dummy pickup would be way easier.

But I’m with you on the wiring. Simple passive J and P wiring is about all I have the patience for!

The jazz pickup is right where I pluck and strike and stuff, and it always seemed in the way. And I’m not much into the thin bridge tone. I don’t know why it couldn’t be enough for me to just keep the faders to the P and lower the J all the way down...
I’m glad I kept the casing for it.
Thank you so much for all your help, I’ll keep you posted how it goes

 

[Gianni "Orlandez" Orlati]

The P pickup is already provided with its tone control ... I don’t believe that your mod will yield tangible effects on the instrument’s tone after all ..

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

View attachment 3551298That is exactly what I wanted to do, until when I pulled the pickup out I realized the wiring was conjoined with volume tone and blending... all these wires and I’m like...ugh!
I hate these stacked knobs!

I am totally with you on the stacked pots bill. I have a 600, and I never use it in active mode. I so wish I had three standard knobs instead of those stupid stacked ones. I broke the top knobs off both of them, and had to replace them. Pain in the butt. But, kudos man.

 

[MtManiac]

You’ll probably want new knobs too. Why 500k pots? P basses usually use 250k.

I would never buy this bass, I really don’t like that wiring at all. V-T, V-V-T, or VT-VT for stack-knobs, anything else would just P me off. Just say no to active preamps!

 

[MtManiac]

The jazz pickup is right where I pluck and strike and stuff, and it always seemed in the way. And I’m not much into the thin bridge tone. I don’t know why it couldn’t be enough for me to just keep the faders to the P and lower the J all the way down...
I’m glad I kept the casing for it.
Thank you so much for all your help, I’ll keep you posted how it goes

You could also lower the J pickup all the way down so it’s flush.

 

[JRA]

maybe consider a ramp in the J area where you play...easily takes care of the 'cosmetic' with something useful. good luck with your conversion!

 

[CallMeAl]

The jazz pickup is right where I pluck and strike and stuff, and it always seemed in the way. And I’m not much into the thin bridge tone. I don’t know why it couldn’t be enough for me to just keep the faders to the P and lower the J all the way down...
I’m glad I kept the casing for it.
Thank you so much for all your help, I’ll keep you posted how it goes

I never liked Bridge pickup-only tone. On my PJ, I didn’t think the bridge pickup added much at all to the P sound, and found myself rolling it off after a song or 2 anyways....

But I pluck either over the P pickup or close to the neck. If you have a problem with playability due to the bridge pickup, that’s a pretty good reason to address it!

You could also lower the J pickup all the way down so it’s flush.

This was my first thought

maybe consider a ramp in the J area where you play...easily takes care of the 'cosmetic' with something useful. good luck with your conversion!

Also a great idea!

 

[Deleted member 271037]

You’ll probably want new knobs too. Why 500k pots? P basses usually use 250k.

I would never buy this bass, I really don’t like that wiring at all. V-T, V-V-T, or VT-VT for stack-knobs, anything else would just P me off. Just say no to active preamps!

Yes definitely 250k pots for P-bass. Cap to taste. I prefer 68nF for P-basses but I guess the modern standard for Ps is the slightly brighter 47nF. And vintage spec would be 100nF but that gets too dark and muddy too fast for me in a P. It depends on how much you like to roll of the tone I suppose. That's when the differences in cap values come into effect.

 

[dr doofie]

You’ll probably want new knobs too. Why 500k pots? P basses usually use 250k.

I would never buy this bass, I really don’t like that wiring at all. V-T, V-V-T, or VT-VT for stack-knobs, anything else would just P me off. Just say no to active preamps!

500? 250? I don’t know. That’s why I’m posting
I’ve never had a bass with stacked knobs before, or a jazz pickup before. The price was right, and being left handed my options are limited. The pickup would never go flush to the bass, even when I took it out and took out the foam and springs and screwed it back in.
I just want the precision pickups that it came with and not the jazz pickup, and two pots that aren’t stacked.

 

[dr doofie]

Yes definitely 250k pots for P-bass. Cap to taste. I prefer 68nF for P-basses but I guess the modern standard for Ps is the slightly brighter 47nF. And vintage spec would be 100nF but that gets too dark and muddy too fast for me in a P. It depends on how much you like to roll of the tone I suppose. That's when the differences in cap values come into effect.

Thanks.
I’m content with the pickups it came with, plus I have no idea what cap values are, but thanks for clarifying the 250 thing...