Covering an ugly pickup route

[AndyPanda]

I recently picked up a bass that started life as a very good bass (a 1979 Yamaha BB1200 -Sir Paul played one) and it still is a great playing bass but someone in the past tried to route for a bridge pickup with a chisel. Now, I'm all for rat basses - and I bought this knowing it was a rat project and didn't pay a lot. It had a nice Jazz pickup in there but I already have two BB2000 (same bass but designed as a PJ) so I really just want this as a P only the way it was originally.

Since I never plan to use the bridge pickup, I want to cover the ugly hole.

I know I could fill it and paint or stain it ... but I'm wondering about just simply painting a design over the patch. Or putting a sticker there (yeah - there was a recent thread about stickers and lots of hate for them).

Here's the ugly route done, apparently, with a chisel:

For fun, I made a couple of stickers to see what they would look like. I grew up in the 50's-60's so I've got some Pink Floyd and Robert Crumb themes showing my age.

BigAss Comics:

Freak comics:

Dark Side of the Moon:

Or I could leave the gaping hole
Or I could fill it with similar woods
Put the J pickup back in and just play the thing

 

[Gilmourisgod]

When I got a horrific ding in my old Ric 4001, I put a trophy name plate over it engraved with the word "Yow", which is what the drummer who made said ding with a lost drumstick claims I shrieked when the stick hit the bass. It was polished aluminum, about the size of your puphole. Other bass players always thought it was a third pickup. Go nuts, have fun with it.

 

[two fingers]

Double down. Route it some more and put a MM pickup there. You'll have the only P/MM Yamaha on the planet. Mwa ah ah ah ah!!!!!!

See if it fits a pack of gum. I can't play without gum.

Put a fake bloody finger in there, just so people will ask. When they do, act scared as crap. "Oh my GAWD! How'd that get there?????? Somebody call the police!!!! Dude! There's a FINGER in my BASS!!!! What thuh?"

I like dry humor as well. So I would probably have a plate engraved that reads "I put this plate here to cover up an ugly hole in this bass so that you wouldn't notice it so much. Is it working?"

 

[grinx]

cut the hole all-of-the-way through and fill it with clear epoxy encasing a whatever-you-call-it of lipstick

or route it MORE to accept a harmonica that is magneted (sic?) in to the route

 

[ThudThudThud]

Seems like a ramp would fit the bill. Nice piece of rosewood.

 

[AndyPanda]

Put a fake bloody finger in there, just so people will ask. When they do, act scared as crap. "Oh my GAWD! How'd that get there?????? Somebody call the police!!!! Dude! There's a FINGER in my BASS!!!! What thuh?"

ROTFLMAO - I like the bloody finger idea a lot!

 

[hondo4life]

I agree with two fingers. Route it out for a bigger pickup, like a MM or some big soapbar - whatever you can scrounge up from the TB classifieds that will fill the hole. But don't use a chisel! If you wire in a pup selector switch, you can play it as a P-bass, or switch it up to meet your daily GAS needs.

 

[tubedude]

Finish the rout and inlay a piece of wood that looks like a wide band-aid.

 

[TrustRod]

Wow so many great suggestions, I was going to say make a plate of 3 ply to match the one around the P pickup but every other idea is better.

I just realized if you buy a P pickguard you can remake the current surround that will already be cut for the pickup and make a plate for the hole out of the scrap and it will match perfectly and cost very little.

 

[AndyPanda]

Finish the rout and inlay a piece of wood that looks like a wide band-aid.

 

[AndyPanda]

I agree with two fingers. Route it out for a bigger pickup, like a MM ...

 

[hondo4life]

Yeah, just check the string spacing, and make sure it's a 4-string pickup!

 

[Watchootognbout]

Way back when I first opened my TalkBass account,I answered a post that asked the same thing.
I said to try to patch the hole with a matching wood inlay.
Now I change my mind.

Patch the hole with a contrasting wood inlay.
Matching the wood would be too difficult.

Personally,I wouldn't have bought a bass with a large empty pickup hole.
But that's just me.

 

[AndyPanda]

Yeah, just check the string spacing, and make sure it's a 4-string pickup!

There are two schools of thought on that - the "Old Smoothie" has 10 poles for a four string - so the poles are not under the strings - sounds different than with 8 poles directly under the string. The route is pretty wide I think the 5 string pickup might be required to fill the hole.

 

[hondo4life]

There are two schools of thought on that - the "Old Smoothie" has 10 poles for a four string - so the poles are not under the strings - sounds different than with 8 poles directly under the string. The route is pretty wide I think the 5 string pickup might be required to fill the hole.

I see this Old Smoothie now. The P pickup does the same thing, so why not? I wonder how that affects the sound. I'll have to watch some youtube vidoes.

 

[Arizona Jones]

Try a Yamaha emblem, or some other emblem that suites your fancy.

yamaha emblem - Google Search

 

[AndyPanda]

I see this Old Smoothie now. The P pickup does the same thing, so why not? I wonder how that affects the sound. I'll have to watch some youtube vidoes.

They report the the sound is "smoother"
Adding the MM pickup would make more sense to put it in the right location though - but the ugly route is too close to the bridge.

 

[Jazz Ad]

I'd give it a full veneer top from the nice wood of your choice.
Doing that I'd also properly reroute the P and get rid of the ugly plastic border.

 

[AndyPanda]

Try a Yamaha emblem, or some other emblem that suites your fancy.

yamaha emblem - Google Search

I used to ride a Yamaha Midnight Special XS1100 motorcycle (master of space and time) and they had that gold and black thing going on. I think I still have a pair of tank badges but they are curved to fit the contour of the tank. I'm not sure this would be an improvement over the empty route

 

[AndyPanda]

I'd give it a full veneer top from the nice wood of your choice.
Doing that I'd also properly reroute the P and get rid of the ugly plastic border.

It's a neck through. Wouldn't that be pretty difficult to cut down the top and add a thin top when you can't remove the neck?