Fender JP 90 club?

[larrysb]

That's weird, about the pickups being in the wrong place. Pics!

And, when you post them, you'll be Number 31!

Didn't get a good "before" shot before I started messing with it, but here's the work in progress. I bought an extra-thick, clear pickguard from WD to use as a fixture-tool to reposition the pickups into the right spot and investigate moving and re-doing the controls around.

In this photo, all the original screw holes for pickups and pickguard have been filled, the "J" bridge pickup cutout widened by 1/8" to fit the standard bridge-size J pickup.

These are the covers for the Fender Yosemite P-J pickup set to be installed, new holes drilled and mounted in much better alignment with the strings.

The factory had the pickups mounted so far left and up shifted that the E-string was a little beyond over center the second pole piece of the neck "P" pickup. They filed the heck out of the pickup cutouts in the guard to get it mounted.

Here's a closer shot of the original P pickup, camera angle makes it look better aligned than it was. LOL.

 

[Picton]

Didn't get a good "before" shot before I started messing with it, but here's the work in progress. I bought an extra-thick, clear pickguard from WD to use as a fixture-tool to reposition the pickups into the right spot and investigate moving and re-doing the controls around.

In this photo, all the original screw holes for pickups and pickguard have been filled, the "J" bridge pickup cutout widened by 1/8" to fit the standard bridge-size J pickup.


View attachment 3755234

These are the covers for the Fender Yosemite P-J pickup set to be installed, new holes drilled and mounted in much better alignment with the strings.

The factory had the pickups mounted so far left and up shifted that the E-string was a little beyond over center the second pole piece of the neck "P" pickup. They filed the heck out of the pickup cutouts in the guard to get it mounted.

Here's a closer shot of the original P pickup, camera angle makes it look better aligned than it was. LOL.

View attachment 3755242

Cool! Welcome to the Club!

It's just weird to me that the factory would have screwed things up quite that much. It was 1993; they'd been fitting PJ setups into bass bodies for years, quite apart from the production of JP90s.

Weird.

 

[larrysb]

Cool! Welcome to the Club!

It's just weird to me that the factory would have screwed things up quite that much. It was 1993; they'd been fitting PJ setups into bass bodies for years, quite apart from the production of JP90s.

Weird.

Well, it was stamped 1993 - can't read the day/month, so end of the production run probably. I'd guess it was a Monday morning or a Friday afternoon. LOL.

Usually, drilling is done with jigs to prevent this kind of error, and you'll usually see alignment holes on the body somewhere that the factory tooling fits into place. I've seen random internet pics of JP90 where the pickups/guard are well aligned and I've seen pics of others that were displaced like mine.

The finish is very thick on mine (common in the 1990s), even inside the body route. I wonder if they inadvertently filled the alignment holes with paint, because I couldn't find them, and just winged-it on the production line.

In any case, that's how it was made, as I bought it new and peeled the plastic wrap off it. I guess it doesn't matter that much, as I've played it for nearly 30 years that way.

 

[vvvmmm]

I bought this '90 a few months ago, sounds great but very high action. I ended up shimming the neck and taking off a lot of the setup's relief, and adjusting the stock bridge, pretty good now. Note the Duncan Active J bridge pup.

 

[Picton]

View attachment 3756431 I bought this '90 a few months ago, sounds great but very high action. I ended up shimming the neck and taking off a lot of the setup's relief, and adjusting the stock bridge, pretty good now. Note the Duncan Active J bridge pup.

Woohoo! Club #32!

Read through the thread and you'll get lots of good info on this outstanding bass. Welcome.

 

[wyleeboxer]

Moved my post here, can’t believe there’s a club.. so count me in! Wondering what color PG to go with, tortoise, black, white, gold? :

This popped up and after some disappointing news about my BB2024x I was selling and buying a killer Caprice from a fellow TBer, another bass is the last thing I needed. I’ll say with all my gigs being canceled this next month it’s been a busy quarantine!
This bass had some issues with pots not working and needed a good setup with some TLC, so I got it on the cheap! I replaced the pots with some 500k I had laying around, fixed the cracked PG with some super glue, put some new Pressurewounds on, and gave it a full setup. All I can say is holy smoke this thing has some SPANK! The neck was lightly sanded so it feels like a super smooth satin finish. Action is low but if I wanted to go lower it would probably need a slight fret level, but overall nice neck! Light as a feather, I could play it 5-6 hours or all night. I prefer the middle position with both pups on and just roll the tone knob to fit the song.
Not sure what to do with it now? it could almost be my main bass but too many basses, which is a good problem to have right If I decide to keep it I might order a new Tortoise or black 3 ply PG, heavier mass bridge, maybe a fret level and look for a new band to use it in

 

[larrysb]

Nice!

I think you have a very early one. The neck has no "skunk stripe" and the truss adjustment is at the body, rather than the peghead side. You also have pretty good pickup/string alignment.

I'd really be curious about the pickups. Any chance you have a picture of the underside of the pickups or the pickguard? Many reports on the internet of the JP90 having, "American standard" pickups, with alnico magnets (where the pole pieces are the only magnets) and covers that easily come off.

Mine was made in 1993, and the truss adjustment is at the peghead, the neck has a skunk stripe on the back, and my pickups are ceramic magnet type, as used on MIM/MIJ import instruments, and the covers are glued in over the coils with epoxy and don't come off.

Moved my post here, can’t believe there’s a club.. so count me in! Wondering what color PG to go with, tortoise, black, white, gold? :

This popped up and after some disappointing news about my BB2024x I was selling and buying a killer Caprice from a fellow TBer, another bass is the last thing I needed. I’ll say with all my gigs being canceled this next month it’s been a busy quarantine!
This bass had some issues with pots not working and needed a good setup with some TLC, so I got it on the cheap! I replaced the pots with some 500k I had laying around, fixed the cracked PG with some super glue, put some new Pressurewounds on, and gave it a full setup. All I can say is holy smoke this thing has some SPANK! The neck was lightly sanded so it feels like a super smooth satin finish. Action is low but if I wanted to go lower it would probably need a slight fret level, but overall nice neck! Light as a feather, I could play it 5-6 hours or all night. I prefer the middle position with both pups on and just roll the tone knob to fit the song.
Not sure what to do with it now? it could almost be my main bass but too many basses, which is a good problem to have right If I decide to keep it I might order a new Tortoise or black 3 ply PG, heavier mass bridge, maybe a fret level and look for a new band to use it in

 

[wyleeboxer]

Nice!

I think you have a very early one. The neck has no "skunk stripe" and the truss adjustment is at the body, rather than the peghead side. You also have pretty good pickup/string alignment.

I'd really be curious about the pickups. Any chance you have a picture of the underside of the pickups or the pickguard? Many reports on the internet of the JP90 having, "American standard" pickups, with alnico magnets (where the pole pieces are the only magnets) and covers that easily come off.

Mine was made in 1993, and the truss adjustment is at the peghead, the neck has a skunk stripe on the back, and my pickups are ceramic magnet type, as used on MIM/MIJ import instruments, and the covers are glued in over the coils with epoxy and don't come off.

When I took the PG off I took a photo of the underneath, looks to be manufactured 3/9/91, at the same time I put new foam under the bridge pup. The cover did not come off at all when trying to pull up (the old foam was really stuck to the body pretty firmly) I’ll probably be putting a new PG on soon so I’ll have another look and take pics. The bridge pup does remind me of a MIJ Jazz pups I have, very hot! I do think I got a good one tho, as the neck is great with plenty of life left on the frets!

 

[Picton]

Welcome, wyleeboxer! You're #33!

Mine's black, and I think the black-on-black looks best there. I might be tempted to go pearloid with yours, and chrome knobs... not sure. Mine, too, has no skunk stripe, and it's a great instrument.

I'm down to three basses now, and the JP90 is the one I keep at home.

 

[wyleeboxer]

Welcome, wyleeboxer! You're #33!

Mine's black, and I think the black-on-black looks best there. I might be tempted to go pearloid with yours, and chrome knobs... not sure. Mine, too, has no skunk stripe, and it's a great instrument.

I'm down to three basses now, and the JP90 is the one I keep at home.

I’ve never been so indecisive about what color pickguard to put on a bass! I think it’s so important on this instruments PG design to get something that doesn’t pop out to much but looks cool at the same time.. I’m leaning towards the Brush Gold from WD, perhaps giving it that 60’s vintage science fiction look?

 

[larrysb]

I’ve never been so indecisive about what color pickguard to put on a bass! I think it’s so important on this instruments PG design to get something that doesn’t pop out to much but looks cool at the same time.. I’m leaning towards the Brush Gold from WD, perhaps giving it that 60’s vintage science fiction look?

That gold would be cool.

I think parchment/black/parchment would also look great on that white body. The parchment will tie in better with the aged white, while a thin border of black on the bevel would give it shape and a little definition.

Blue might be pretty groovin if you want it to stand out.

 

[amoodymule]

Lovin' mine, 90'

...last rehearsal this past Sunday,

...with everything that's been going on in this crazy ole world, rehearsal is still awesome in my mind

 

[wyleeboxer]

That gold would be cool.

I think parchment/black/parchment would also look great on that white body. The parchment will tie in better with the aged white, while a thin border of black on the bevel would give it shape and a little definition.

Blue might be pretty groovin if you want it to stand out.

My second choice is the parchment, maybe toning it down a bit instead of the gold?

 

[larrysb]

Anyone recommend a case for the JP-90? Mine didn't come with a case, been in a series of gig bags all these years. Tried a couple of used cases, but the thinned body of the JP90 didn't fit too securely.

Anyone make a case that can be user-fitted to size?

 

[Picton]

I’ve never been so indecisive about what color pickguard to put on a bass! I think it’s so important on this instruments PG design to get something that doesn’t pop out to much but looks cool at the same time.. I’m leaning towards the Brush Gold from WD, perhaps giving it that 60’s vintage science fiction look?

Let me run something by you that I was thinking about when I ordered my PG.

I wanted to keep it black-on-black, but I wanted a thicker PG because of this model's tendency to crack. When I was ordering, I noticed they sold a 3-ply PG with red as the middle layer.

I didn't go for it, but I often wish I had. Just a subtle little red line to highlight the unique PG shape might have been a nice, classy bit of flair. I think, if you could find a PG that came close to matching your finish, a colored center layer might give you a little bit of zing without being overpowering.

 

[wyleeboxer]

Let me run something by you that I was thinking about when I ordered my PG.

I wanted to keep it black-on-black, but I wanted a thicker PG because of this model's tendency to crack. When I was ordering, I noticed they sold a 3-ply PG with red as the middle layer.

I didn't go for it, but I often wish I had. Just a subtle little red line to highlight the unique PG shape might have been a nice, classy bit of flair. I think, if you could find a PG that came close to matching your finish, a colored center layer might give you a little bit of zing without being overpowering.

Not a bad idea, but the more I look at this bass the more I appreciate its style.. So in keeping with the OE look I’m leaning towards Simulated Black anodized and .090 thickness should be sturdy enough?

 

[Malak the Mad]

Just a subtle little red line to highlight the unique PG shape might have been a nice, classy bit of flair. I think, if you could find a PG that came close to matching your finish, a colored center layer might give you a little bit of zing without being overpowering.

Oh, yeah! A hint of red on a black body rocks something fierce! And the black pickguard screws help tremendously, too! I say go for it!

 

[larrysb]

Not a bad idea, but the more I look at this bass the more I appreciate its style.. So in keeping with the OE look I’m leaning towards Simulated Black anodized and .090 thickness should be sturdy enough?

The .090 is decent and strong enough if you're not too rough on things. I bought a black 0.90 with copper foil shielding which will be my final install. The clear one I got is 0.125" (1/8"), which I got to use as a tool/template to reposition stuff and see where things line up in the body route. The 0.125 is quite strong, if you really think you need more.

I never broke my original, 0.060 flimsy one and it was my gigging bass back in the day.

 

[Picton]

Oh, yeah! A hint of red on a black body rocks something fierce! And the black pickguard screws help tremendously, too! I say go for it!

View attachment 3759931

Yeah. That’s sexy.

I just might pull the trigger on that...

 

[vvvmmm]

I bought a black 0.90 with copper foil shielding which will be my final install ...

Plus, it's bullet-proof.