Franken P Blues..Oh Man!?

[brianrost]

For the money and time I could have bought a nice factory made Fender.

This is why I have never been interested in doing mods. I don't care if the bass has already been modded when I get it, but it has to be ready to go as is. Everything else is a crap shoot.

That Korean bridge is a total piece of junk. I remember them being common on many imports during the 80s. The huge brass saddles just can't go low enough for low action.

 

[Clark Dark]

That bridge reminds me of bridges used on Memphis and Vantage basses and other basses from that Japanese factory. That's why the heel of the Fender neck makes the action too high.

 

[gregmon79]

Been a project for 5-6 years now, this freakin Franken Precision. Little frustrated after I did the math that it isn’t much more playable. For the money and time I could have bought a nice factory made Fender.

I thought I might work it into a studio passive flatwound player.

Started as a trade, had baseball neck and cheapo pups. I liked the tone of the strung through body with its brass ring bridge. It is heavy, prolly 10 lbs plus.

Fast forward 3 years and a couple of moves later and I take another run at it. Swap out the neck for a Mexi all gloss and new SD SPB1 pups, new wire harness, pots and jack for about $500.

It sounds good but the action is still uncomfortably high, is as heavy as an anchor and although it looks great, IMO, it hasn’t seen stage nor studio EVER.

I guess I’m wondering if throwing more money into it is worthwhile.

Any thoughts/suggestions?
View attachment 3434765
View attachment 3434766String height at 12th fret!!!
View attachment 3434767
View attachment 3434768

This is nuts, I JUST put a Squier together this past weekend with this bridge and an older P body I had laying around. I’m refinishing the body of my main P and got bored. So I took that body lying around and slapped neck of the refinishing body onto the other one. The laying around body has this exact bridge on it as your only it’s all black. I knew the action would be high as hell so I shimmed the hell out of it. I think I used 2 ½ shims. It ended up sitting pretty nice actually. Def playable. Not the more comfy I guess, but it’s pretty nice in the end. But I would suggest shimming the hell outta that neck. Those bridges are really cool, but they just aren’t designed ideally for Fender style specs.

 

[gregmon79]

While you’re waiting for the fancy full contact shim, you can fake it with a guitar pick or a piece of an old credit card between the neck and the pocket, at the end closest to the bridge.

This is totally accurate. There is much conjecture as to whether or not a full contact shim is really superior to traditional ways of doing it (Fender used thin cardboard).

I always just use the pieces of D'addarrio string packaging works like a charm.

 

[redwingxix]

Just to get me up to speed, once you replace the body the only remaining part of the original bass will be the bridge and maybe the knobs?

 

[primusfan1989]

For the money and time I could have bought a nice factory made Fender.

Well yea, you don't really save any cash making a parts bass. Its always more cost effective to just buy an off the the shelf model. However, yours is unique, fender doesn't make anything to the specs of the instrument you have to my knowledge.

It sounds good but the action is still uncomfortably high, is as heavy as an anchor and although it looks great,

To my eyes it looks like it just needs a shim under the neck and that would get the action in a more playable range. If you can DIY, it won't cost you anything.

 

[Max Bogosity]

Just to get me up to speed, once you replace the body the only remaining part of the original bass will be the bridge and maybe the knobs?

It’s like George Washington’s axe.

 

[Clark W]

Shaving the body and recessing the bridge really isn't an option, there's string ferrules under the bridge you would have to contend with as well. Cutting more of a slot into the saddles could be an option. But I agree with those saying shim the neck. That would be the easiest fix, and it would work. You could use a shim as thick as a credit card on that bass and then adjust the saddles accordingly. There's a lot of wiggle room for something like that on that bass / bridge setup to do something like that. Those saddles would then have a ton of vertical adjustment in them. It's apparently a pretty common issue even with an original neck. I just went through this issue with one myself, so I don't think your Fender neck is the issue at all. For that bridge setup I think either the neck pocket on those basses was never really deep enough, or the bridge design just wasn't all that well thought out vertically. I'd say the latter. Definitely the latter. The nut on the original neck had issues too.

I have a 1985 model that I bought for $65. It has the original maple on maple neck. It took a little work on the nut slots making them just a hair deeper and only had to to do it on the "E" string. Remember I have an original neck, not a Fender, so the nut is probably entirely different. Then a truss rod adjustment, and bridge adjustment to get it done, but it now plays like a dream.

Matter of fact it's now easier to play than my 2000 Cort Signature Series, my 2012 Ibanez SRX2EX2, and my 2018 Ibanez SR400EQM. It definitely has me rethinking the action on those.

I also replaced the electronics with an EMG GZR P set, and put D'Addario Chrome Flats on it. The sound is amazing and it cuts through the mix like nobody's business using just a Keeley Compressor and a GK amp.

I've had several guitarists / professional musicians play it along side my other basses and they all agree, it's the best sounding of the bunch. Now I wouldn't give it up for anything and I have a total of $248 invested in it, and that includes the strap and two sets of strings. I tried a set of DR Black Beauties before going to the D'Addario flats.

If you decide to forego the body(minus electronics), and the bridge, and put them up for sale, I'll buy them, like yesterday. But before you do that, I would shim it, I think you will be very happy once you do.

Here you can see the nut issue I had, even the old worn out E string wouldn't lay down in the nut.

Both of my Ibbys, the strings lay with the top of the string almost flush with the top of the nut, I didn't go that far in making the nut deeper. But it does lay about half way in now. That, along with a truss rod and saddle adjustment is all it took.


String height before

String height after, and I think I should drop the G a hair more, but happy with the action on it now...

During the pup / electronics swap....
Talk about some crapped out crap. Volume was either 0 or 10, no inbetween. The tone pot was a push pull, not sure why, but it didn't work at all. Ground wire wasn't even connected. And the cord would fall out of the output jack.

After, with thumb rest added and DR Black Beauties before Chrome Flats

Custom Truss Rod cover from a guy out in Arizona, I splurged and spent a whopping 22 bucks.

Pre truss rod cover and flats along side my other basses.
Left to right, of course the Epiphone, then my 2018 SR400EQM, 2012 SRX2EX2, and 2000 Cort Signature Series. The 2012 SRX is my 2nd fav playing bass and it now has Chrome Flats as well. That's a whole other story, never owned a set of flats in over 40 years until last month. Will never go back to rounds.

I didn't spend a lot of money on the bass, and I had everything fixed with it in 2 weeks. But I did pull out a lot of hair in the process. That bridge drove me up the wall. But I absolutely love this bass now. The only issue I would complain about is weight. She's the heaviest of all my basses. But then she also has the biggest body out of the four too, so I guess that's to be expected.

I might swap out the tuners, they hold tune really well, but they have just a hair bit of slack when tuning down and then back up before they actually start to turn. It's a psychological thing, but it bothers me. I have a fear of the tuners stripping out. And eventually I'm going to take it to a luthier and get a new graphite nut put on it.

For now though I'm going to enjoy the bass for awhile.

 

[StyleOverShow]

@Clark W thanks for the detail on your path. I noted that the original neck had a shim too.

 

[StyleOverShow]

@redwingxix yes, the knobs and the pg, lol

 

[Clark W]

@Clark W thanks for the detail on your path. I noted that the original neck had a shim too.

I probably should have gone with a shim too, but I was only having issues with the E string so I didn't and went to work on the nut instead. And now that I have it playing the way I want it, I'm not touching it until it gives me reason to.

 

[gregmon79]

Shaving the body and recessing the bridge really isn't an option, there's string ferrules under the bridge you would have to contend with as well. Cutting more of a slot into the saddles could be an option. But I agree with those saying shim the neck. That would be the easiest fix, and it would work. You could use a shim as thick as a credit card on that bass and then adjust the saddles accordingly. There's a lot of wiggle room for something like that on that bass / bridge setup to do something like that. Those saddles would then have a ton of vertical adjustment in them. It's apparently a pretty common issue even with an original neck. I just went through this issue with one myself, so I don't think your Fender neck is the issue at all. For that bridge setup I think either the neck pocket on those basses was never really deep enough, or the bridge design just wasn't all that well thought out vertically. I'd say the latter. Definitely the latter. The nut on the original neck had issues too.

I have a 1985 model that I bought for $65. It has the original maple on maple neck. It took a little work on the nut slots making them just a hair deeper and only had to to do it on the "E" string. Remember I have an original neck, not a Fender, so the nut is probably entirely different. Then a truss rod adjustment, and bridge adjustment to get it done, but it now plays like a dream.

Matter of fact it's now easier to play than my 2000 Cort Signature Series, my 2012 Ibanez SRX2EX2, and my 2018 Ibanez SR400EQM. It definitely has me rethinking the action on those.

I also replaced the electronics with an EMG GZR P set, and put D'Addario Chrome Flats on it. The sound is amazing and it cuts through the mix like nobody's business using just a Keeley Compressor and a GK amp.

I've had several guitarists / professional musicians play it along side my other basses and they all agree, it's the best sounding of the bunch. Now I wouldn't give it up for anything and I have a total of $248 invested in it, and that includes the strap and two sets of strings. I tried a set of DR Black Beauties before going to the D'Addario flats.

If you decide to forego the body(minus electronics), and the bridge, and put them up for sale, I'll buy them, like yesterday. But before you do that, I would shim it, I think you will be very happy once you do.

Here you can see the nut issue I had, even the old worn out E string wouldn't lay down in the nut.
View attachment 3435357
Both of my Ibbys, the strings lay with the top of the string almost flush with the top of the nut, I didn't go that far in making the nut deeper. But it does lay about half way in now. That, along with a truss rod and saddle adjustment is all it took.


String height beforeView attachment 3435371


String height after, and I think I should drop the G a hair more, but happy with the action on it now...
View attachment 3435373


During the pup / electronics swap....
Talk about some crapped out crap. Volume was either 0 or 10, no inbetween. The tone pot was a push pull, not sure why, but it didn't work at all. Ground wire wasn't even connected. And the cord would fall out of the output jack.
View attachment 3435374


After, with thumb rest added and DR Black Beauties before Chrome Flats
View attachment 3435376


Custom Truss Rod cover from a guy out in Arizona, I splurged and spent a whopping 22 bucks.
View attachment 3435383


Pre truss rod cover and flats along side my other basses.
Left to right, of course the Epiphone, then my 2018 SR400EQM, 2012 SRX2EX2, and 2000 Cort Signature Series. The 2012 SRX is my 2nd fav playing bass and it now has Chrome Flats as well. That's a whole other story, never owned a set of flats in over 40 years until last month. Will never go back to rounds.
View attachment 3435381


I didn't spend a lot of money on the bass, and I had everything fixed with it in 2 weeks. But I did pull out a lot of hair in the process. That bridge drove me up the wall. But I absolutely love this bass now. The only issue I would complain about is weight. She's the heaviest of all my basses. But then she also has the biggest body out of the four too, so I guess that's to be expected.

I might swap out the tuners, they hold tune really well, but they have just a hair bit of slack when tuning down and then back up before they actually start to turn. It's a psychological thing, but it bothers me. I have a fear of the tuners stripping out. And eventually I'm going to take it to a luthier and get a new graphite nut put on it.

For now though I'm going to enjoy the bass for awhile.

I love the GZR pups!! They just sound right. And I know for me, with that crazy brass ring bridge, I happen to think it looks really cool. So for me, I wanted to make it work. Shimming worked good for me. I have my GZR's in another bass but I think I'm going to transfer them over to the bass I just built with the ring bridge on it. It's a PJ body too and I have the PJ GZRs.

 

[fjbass78]

Been a project for 5-6 years now, this freakin Franken Precision. Little frustrated after I did the math that it isn’t much more playable. For the money and time I could have bought a nice factory made Fender.

I thought I might work it into a studio passive flatwound player.

Started as a trade, had baseball neck and cheapo pups. I liked the tone of the strung through body with its brass ring bridge. It is heavy, prolly 10 lbs plus.

Fast forward 3 years and a couple of moves later and I take another run at it. Swap out the neck for a Mexi all gloss and new SD SPB1 pups, new wire harness, pots and jack for about $500.

It sounds good but the action is still uncomfortably high, is as heavy as an anchor and although it looks great, IMO, it hasn’t seen stage nor studio EVER.

I guess I’m wondering if throwing more money into it is worthwhile.

Any thoughts/suggestions?

If you have already adjusted the truss rod but still have high action, the shim should work or try useing a set of low tension strings. As far as the weight goes, have you seen the post regarding drilling holes in your bass

 

[Clark W]

I love the GZR pups!! They just sound right. And I know for me, with that crazy brass ring bridge, I happen to think it looks really cool. So for me, I wanted to make it work. Shimming worked good for me. I have my GZR's in another bass but I think I'm going to transfer them over to the bass I just built with the ring bridge on it. It's a PJ body too and I have the PJ GZRs.

I struggled between keep the bridge, replace the bridge. I wanted the string thru, and I wanted to keep the "look" of those huge brass saddles. But if I couldn't get them to function they were going to have to go. As far as the EMG GZRs. Holy cow. I need another P style bass that needs pup replacement!

 

[gregmon79]

I struggled between keep the bridge, replace the bridge. I wanted the string thru, and I wanted to keep the "look" of those huge brass saddles. But if I couldn't get them to function they were going to have to go. As far as the EMG GZRs. Holy cow. I need another P style bass that needs pup replacement!

My thoughts mirrored yours. If the shims didn't work, I would've used my BAII bridge instead. I love those GZR's. I'm debating whether or not to include the J pup with the P in this bass. I like the P a lot. The two mixed, it sounds ok, just not much booty. We'll see.

 

[robd]

 

[Clark W]

My thoughts mirrored yours. If the shims didn't work, I would've used my BAII bridge instead. I love those GZR's. I'm debating whether or not to include the J pup with the P in this bass. I like the P a lot. The two mixed, it sounds ok, just not much booty. We'll see.

Yeah I've read that about the PJ set. Which has me wondering. If you buy the P/J set, it of course comes with all the pots and wiring harness you need, so...

What if you bought a separate EMG JV52 as well?

You could still use the solderless connection going to the pots, would only have to cut the plug from the pup end and solder it. It would give you a better Jazz pup. I just don't know how it would play with the GZR P. A lot of people have complained that with the GZR PJ set that when dialing up the J pup it takes away from the P pup. I don't know if that's the J pup not playing nice with others, or the P pup not playing nice with others. If it's the P pup not playing nice with others, then there may not be a fix. But by itself in a P only set up that P pup is one of the best passive pups I've heard in a long time.

 

[Clark W]

Bookmarked! Thanks for sharing. Not as intimidating to me now.

 

[gregmon79]

Yeah I've read that about the PJ set. Which has me wondering. If you buy the P/J set, it of course comes with all the pots and wiring harness you need, so...

What if you bought a separate EMG JV52 as well?

You could still use the solderless connection going to the pots, would only have to cut the plug from the pup end and solder it. It would give you a better Jazz pup. I just don't know how it would play with the GZR P. A lot of people have complained that with the GZR PJ set that when dialing up the J pup it takes away from the P pup. I don't know if that's the J pup not playing nice with others, or the P pup not playing nice with others. If it's the P pup not playing nice with others, then there may not be a fix. But by itself in a P only set up that P pup is one of the best passive pups I've heard in a long time.

It's not a bad idea. I honestly think it's all about the J position. It's too close to the bridge on Fender/Squier's. I think if I could scoot it up like a quarter to half an inch, it would sound a lot better. Maybe I'll try that one. Totally fill in the J route, route out a new cavity and plop the GZR J in there. That would be a cool experiment.

 

[diegom]

I certainly know that is an Epiphone body. Not sure if it's an Accu Bass or some other model.

How can you tell that's an Epiphone body? To me it looked like a Fender and I "Won't Get Fooled Again!!!"