Dead Spots Revisited - Hipshot Ultralites

As I said in an earlier post, I ordered up a set of Ultralite
heads for my USACustom jazz bass neck to see if it would
do more than the Fatfinger.

So here are the results:

Inconclusive

With the original Schaller BML heads it had a wicked deadspot
at C# on G string and the 12th fret harmonic (NOT the fretted note) of the D string. The Fatfinger reduced but not eliminated both.

With the Hipshots the deadspot moved up to D#(Eb if you prefer) and reduced it by about 50%, the harmonic over the
D string was also improved but not totally.

Adding the Fatfinger to the Hipshots moved the deadspot
back down to C# and left the harmonic over the D the same.

They DO make the neck noticably lighter.
But leave all the holes from the bigger heads exposed

All in all the results are not worth $100 in my book but
I hadda try - So - lighter heads will definitely effect your
deadspot issue - unpredictably

Next I will swap necks betweek my PJ and the Jazz to see
if the problems follow to the other body!

 

Rodent, thanks for the idea - My Kubicki X Factor is
built that way. I will consider it if the neck swap does
not yield results.

Actually -I just did a pretty cool thing with inserts -
tiny 4-40 ones in brass - to replace all the pickguard
screws on my Guild B-301 with 4-40 machine screws!
I have modded the bass with a passive dummy coil
under the guard and a two input FET preamp to
setup the original pickup as a noise cancelling single
coil
I wanted to keep the "look and sound" but HAD to get rid
of the single coil hum. I looked for a humbucking pickup
I could drop in without cutting up the guard but I found
none (looks TOO dorky to stick in a Fender Jazz style
sorry) The project was a smashing success but I found
that due to the soft mahogany body, the pickguard screws
were almost falling out from taking the guard on and off
(took it on and off a LOT as I experimented with circuits for the preamp
I built and I wanted to NOT cut a battery box
into the back in case I ever sold it ).
The 4-40 inserts worked like a dream for the guard and
I found a place in NJ that you can get them CHEAP!

 

Rodent, I will find the packing slip and post the place - they
sell online, super fast shipping and great prices.

As to the mass thing(Pickles) - Nooooo
There is a "tuning" factor here - too much mass can create
more trouble than too little

I tried using small 1 OZ brass weights that were held on by
the screws that hold the post into the Schaller BML heads.
As I added weight (past a point)the dead spots became
worse and moved down the neck to the A string!

It also seems to matter where you add weight to the
headstock as well as how much. Could be cause the
headstock is vibrating/swinging forward and back so
you get a leverage effect depending on the spot you
add the mass.


Yes - the B-301 sounds FAB

As to the dummycoil/preamp system
I will gladly supply the info on request, it should work
equally well with any single coil single pickup bass
The raw materials will set you back not even $100
(more like $50) Would be much more complicated
BUT still do-able on a B-302

 

This is the place -

http://www.microfasteners.com/catalog/index.cfm

The 4-40 brass inserts are 20 for $4
compared to 4 for $4 at most hobby shops!