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I refuse to pay the going rate these days for a custom cut (WD charges like $80+, which is... I won't say on here), so painting the stock guard is a solid option to save some money.
Trust me on this process (I actually ruined a couple heh)...
Trust me on this process (I actually ruined a couple heh)...
- Give the pickguard a light sanding just to scratch it up (take that plastic wrap off first
). Use fine sandpaper, you do not want to gauge visible marks. - One coat of primer (it can be color + primer). Let it dry for a whole day.
- Clear coat. Let dry for full day.
- Glitter spray.
- More glitter.
- MOOAARRR. Let dry to the touch.
- Clear coat x 2-3.
Finished this mod a few days ago. Really like the end result:
Bartolini 'Enhanced Treble' dual coil J pickup for the neck, and the MMC classic for the bridge. I rewired the push/pull tone knob to be a series/parallel for the bridge pickup (instead of series mode for both pickups). The stock duncans were very high output and were very bright. I like the much more subtle and delicate tone of the barts here. The combo is killer! Mod vid coming soon
Bartolini 'Enhanced Treble' dual coil J pickup for the neck, and the MMC classic for the bridge. I rewired the push/pull tone knob to be a series/parallel for the bridge pickup (instead of series mode for both pickups). The stock duncans were very high output and were very bright. I like the much more subtle and delicate tone of the barts here. The combo is killer! Mod vid coming soon
Nice! Will watch.
Confession: I really like the DR Neon green strings I have on my Ray35. I did not expect to. They feel and sound pretty great and their texture is ideal for fast playing with frequent pull-offs. Ordered a set of orange for the FGN. Kill me.
Confession: I really like the DR Neon green strings I have on my Ray35. I did not expect to. They feel and sound pretty great and their texture is ideal for fast playing with frequent pull-offs. Ordered a set of orange for the FGN. Kill me.
Me or Lobster?
Those are passive, so run it through whatever you want.
I converted my Ray35 from active to passive and wired it a lot like Lobster's. I can't stand active. I want to hear my raw pups. Love those Seymour QPs in my FGN, though. So thicc!
Pre-amps I've used, have and can recommend:
Arkham Oracle (tube)
VT Bass DI (Ampeg SVT emulation)
If you want to be able to dial up just about any tone, I can't recommend the VT enough. The Oracle isn't as versatile, but it's the best my rig has ever sounded and I don't even feel like I need to add distortion or any effects for my 5 string in a doom band. Fat and gritty.
Those are passive, so run it through whatever you want.
I converted my Ray35 from active to passive and wired it a lot like Lobster's. I can't stand active. I want to hear my raw pups. Love those Seymour QPs in my FGN, though. So thicc!
Pre-amps I've used, have and can recommend:
Arkham Oracle (tube)
VT Bass DI (Ampeg SVT emulation)
If you want to be able to dial up just about any tone, I can't recommend the VT enough. The Oracle isn't as versatile, but it's the best my rig has ever sounded and I don't even feel like I need to add distortion or any effects for my 5 string in a doom band. Fat and gritty.
I keep hearing reports of those models being discontinued, yet they're still pumping em out. I have a MP here that a viewer just bought. Just saw a pic of a new batch of em in the blue and green finishes
Good to know. That candy green apple looks amaze. Did you find them about the same overall build quality as the MJ? If no, maybe I will get something else. If yes, mines.
Yes. They have the same hardware and are built just as well. Great instruments. I'm always amazed at the attention to detail when I open one of these up. You will not be disappointed.
I love black beauties and they feel more flexible than other brands.Nice! Will watch.
Confession: I really like the DR Neon green strings I have on my Ray35. I did not expect to. They feel and sound pretty great and their texture is ideal for fast playing with frequent pull-offs. Ordered a set of orange for the FGN. Kill me.
I tried the Black Beautys and thought they were far too bright (on a P bass). I don't even know how that's possible being that they're coated. The Neons are very similar, just not quite as bright, but at the same time more bright than a lot of non-coated rounds I've tried. It's magic! I put the Beautys on a bass that was gifted to a friend and he loves them.
I just found out today that the Beautys are coated steel and the Neons are coated silver-plated nickel, so... yeah.
D
First of all I want to say that I absolutely love FGN instruments!
I'm about to pull the trigger on a 4-string Mighty Jazz Expert in Antique White and then this thread showed up...
Have any of you experienced the noise issues LowEndLobster is referring to in his video review? Apparantly the stock pickups in that particular bass had been replaced and then re-installed which may suggest a problem with poor soldering/grounding. I wouldn't expect noise issues from a brand new FGN instrument (apart from the expected level of noise from single coil non-hum cancelling jazz bass pickups).
Are there any noise issues I should be aware of with a brand new Mighty Jazz Expert? I'm perfectly capable of shielding or re-wiring the bass myself (although I would be disappointed to find this necessary in this price range) but if there is an issue with the pickups themselves I think I'll pass.
I believe these specific pickups are only used in the Expert series so experienced with other FGN basses is probably not relevant (and I already know they're GREAT instruments).
I'm about to pull the trigger on a 4-string Mighty Jazz Expert in Antique White and then this thread showed up...
Have any of you experienced the noise issues LowEndLobster is referring to in his video review? Apparantly the stock pickups in that particular bass had been replaced and then re-installed which may suggest a problem with poor soldering/grounding. I wouldn't expect noise issues from a brand new FGN instrument (apart from the expected level of noise from single coil non-hum cancelling jazz bass pickups).
Are there any noise issues I should be aware of with a brand new Mighty Jazz Expert? I'm perfectly capable of shielding or re-wiring the bass myself (although I would be disappointed to find this necessary in this price range) but if there is an issue with the pickups themselves I think I'll pass.
I believe these specific pickups are only used in the Expert series so experienced with other FGN basses is probably not relevant (and I already know they're GREAT instruments).
I only have a Dark Evolution which has active EMGs so I haven’t heard any noise. But I personally take any noise issues with a grain of salt. There can be so much variation that could cause the noise.
My MJ says "J Standard" on the headstock. It has Seymour Duncans and is passive and is literally the nicest bass build I've ever touched out of the box (compared to two US Fenders and even my Reverend Wattplower). It probably has slight noise from the J, but I haven't noticed any significant hiss or hum. This used to be bother me a lot more than it does now, but a noise gate or even some preamp devices will eliminate that for ya. As I type this... I'm curious, so gonna test right now...
A barely perceptible hiss is there with only the J pup turned on, but is very mild compared to other basses I've played.
Also, yes, bad soldering could absolutely 'cause issues with your signal.
A barely perceptible hiss is there with only the J pup turned on, but is very mild compared to other basses I've played.
Also, yes, bad soldering could absolutely 'cause issues with your signal.
I have a MJ Expert (in white), and the only time I've encountered bothersome noise is at a jam buddy's place when standing directly under fluorescent lights.
I was able to deal with it 3 ways: a) even out the pickup volumes so the noise cancels, b) turn down both PU's slightly and turn up the amp (for some reason this helped), and c) step 2 feet over to get away from the light fixture.
At home I have LED lighting, and unless I put the bass very close to my computer, I don't get much noise.
Mr. Lobster did do a followup video where he cleaned up the power supply, and it was better.
BTW, I've had my EMJ for almost 9 month now, and I still love it. Not the colour I would have normally picked, but it's grown on me.
D
Sounds just like typical Jazz Bass single coils then, which is fine my me. I'm really more of a P-bass guy so I only really use J-basses in controlled environments for recording.
