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Hatchet job? (Ending edited and inching toward a postitive)

#24
upload_2017-11-4_22-28-43.png
 
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#25
onlyclave said:
Take a number and go wait on the bench with the other people who are unhappy with a contractors' work. Some day their compensation will come in.

He still hasn't said how it sounds. It's probably a Guitar Stand Queen instrument and just sits in the corner of the bedroom.
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Yes he did
Get over yourself. After you read the entire thread of course
 
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#29
Fletz said:
went to a reputable local guitar repairman to see if he could install a j pickup on my American design Experience precision bass. He said he could and he showed me other guitars he’d repaired, built etc. No jazz pup installations but he assured me he could do it. I bought a p/j set and brought it to him. A week and a half later it was done so I picked it up. In the moment, I plugged it in and it sounded good. No ground hum or buzz. Wasn’t thrilled with the rout but it wasn’t enough for me to gasp in horror. I finally got home and took it out. I played for a few minutes then took a closer look only to realize he did a god-awful job lining up the pickup. First I noticed the poles didn’t line up to the strings but thought maybe it was a slight bridge adjustment. Then I noticed that the jazz pickup is dramatically higher than up on the body than the precision pickups. (Not pickup height up and down but position wise into the body). See the pictures below. The blue bass is the one that I am talking about. I put the pencils on there for alignment. The black one was done by another guy when I was working elsewhere and was much closer.

What course of action would you take? It wasn’t cheap and it’s essentially ruined this bass. What do you think? Am I wrong?
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You can fix the bass ... add a stingray pickup or a t-bird pickup.

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Or get a pickup surround like this

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#31
onlyclave said:
See? This guy gets it. These instruments look terrible but I don't think he cares. He puts extra strings on a Rickenbacker and extra MM pickups on a P bass.
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You haven't lived until you play a 5 string p-bass with a preamp and a stingray pickup added

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And no 5 string bass growls like a 5 string Rickenbacker

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#32
My final remark is that I agree with OPs position . I agree sound is paramount to looks. If I paid for this job I would be disappointed with the results . My OCD would kick in at the placement of that j pick and bug me no matter the sound . If I had hacked it up myself maybe I could live with it . He chose to let a pro do it and has a right to expect a better job. Out.
 
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#35
Nev375 said:
That has me on the verge of tears and it's not even my bass.

Forget whether it sounds good or not. It offends my OCD enough that I would not be able to put it out of my mind and just play.
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Yes, and like another poster pointed out, we'll never know how much different (better?) the bass would sound had the pole pieces been more properly aligned.

All these suggestions for an alternate pickup and surrounds are well-meaning I'm sure, but what if OP really wanted a single standard jazz rail at the bridge? He's SOL.
 
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#36
twinjet said:
And so was the repairman. Might sound better if the magnets were aligned properly. Who knows, now.
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Well, on the upside as long as the string passes over the pickup somewhere, the misalignment shouldn't affect the sound. Where the pole pieces "land" doesn't really matter...it's one big magnet all the way across. If you have some crazy multi-coil pickup with a coil under each string, then the alignment counts more and you need to have the strings positioned right over each bobbin/coil. Having said that, holy hell is that thing way out of alignment.

My personal vote for the repair would be to fill it, re-route and re-paint (maybe not from the same technician though...but I'd ask him to cover the cost). Curious to see what OP decides to do...what a bummer on such a nice bass.
 
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#37
Maybe a Sadowsky Bridge pickup would do the trick?? They are just a bit wider then a neck pickup. Won't be perfect but could make a big improvement. Cut the route just a little lower to center the pole pieces.
 
#38
electracoyote said:
Yes, and like another poster pointed out, we'll never know how much different (better?) the bass would sound had the pole pieces been more properly aligned.

All these suggestions for an alternate pickup and surrounds are well-meaning I'm sure, but what if OP really wanted a single standard jazz rail at the bridge? He's SOL.
Click to expand...

I don't know the dimensions of a MM pickup offhand, but it seems like jamming one in there is pretty much hoping the error/offset of the "high" side of that route is enough to compensate for the extra length (is there even any on an MM compared to a J bridge pickup?) on the other side such that it can be "centered." Not sure that it is a realistic solution unless the measurements line up just right with the existing hole.

If it does fit I suppose it could be cool, though. A MM pickup in that position sounds a lot like a single coil in the same spot to me...except with the added benefit of having a humbucker.
 

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