Franken Bass Build

[jmhughes9]

Awesome guitars.

 

[murphy]

I think he was asking me, but yes…I'm also interested in your progress and would love to see more pics as it evolves.

In the meantime, I suspect murphy wants me to post some of these pics. Mind you, some of my Projekts use Aerodyne necks, not their bodies.

However, there is one Projekt that I, recently, got a chance to drag outside for a photo-shoot. After years of hungering for one I, finally, got my hands on a used, non-export 'Dyne in U.S. Gunmetal Blue (UGB finish code) that I made that much more "mine", especially since I already have a couple of P/J's.

Right after purchase…

…and after re-routing and revamping the pickups, electronics and hardware.

Now I only play Precision basses....but love my Jazz basses at home.
Maybe a Jazz body with Precision pickup..( Mark Hoppus style and all the latest Sadowsky basses seem to be,)
with a Precision bass neck might scratch my itch for Jazz bass live again, but with my preferred P bass neck and pickups.

I would love to hear your opinion on a Precision pickup in a Jazz body and how it sounds?

Thank you sir

 

[Malak the Mad]

Now I only play Precision basses....but love my Jazz basses at home.
Maybe a Jazz body with Precision pickup..( Mark Hoppus style and all the latest Sadowsky basses seem to be,)
with a Precision bass neck might scratch my itch for Jazz bass live again, but with my preferred P bass neck and pickups.

I would love to hear your opinion on a Precision pickup in a Jazz body and how it sounds?

Thank you sir

You are always welcome!

When it comes to converting a J/J Jazz into a P/J, the biggest piece of advice I fall back upon is the "Reggie factor". (Please forgive me if you've heard this already.)

The first time I had that Transparent Blueburst body re-routed, I used a Fender Blacktop Jazz pickguard as a template, which places the split-coil a bit closer to the neck.

It sounded fine and I had no complaints. However, after reading an interview with Reggie Hamilton regarding the testing and engineering that went into his Fender signature Jazz, I was so intrigued that I had a bit more routing done using a Reggie-sig pickguard for a template. My guitar tech was worried it might remove too much wood and damage it's resonance, but when he saw how little had to go, he was cool with it.

That new spot worked out even better than the Blacktop positioning, giving the split-coil pickup a considerable kick in the pants! Why? I can only speculate. Whatever it is, the results were immediately apparent and quite delightful, what with all that low-mid gut-punchiness!

Hypothetically speaking, let's say I lost all my instruments and could only assemble one, new Projekt bass. The various bits of hardware would include a Fender Reggie-sig pickguard from WD Music to use as a routing template, followed by all the necessary electronics.

"What kind of electronics", you might ask? I've been having very nice results with a DiMarzio Sixties P/J set pumped through an Audere JZ3. I haven't wired them up passively, but if the preamp is as transparent as people say it is, then I have a pretty good idea of what it would sound like. One thing for sure, I dig it!