How would you go about aesthetically fitting these pickups in this body?

[llmk]

Hey guys,

I finally decided to change the pickups/electronics of my Cort B4RM. This comes with a few challenges. Most noticeably the fact that the original pickups (Bartolini Mk-1) are significantly bigger than the EMG J set I've chosen to give new life to this wonderful bass.

Let's get down to brass tacks: How would you go about making the pickup change less ugly?

I know that fitting a pickguard is quite an obvious solution but I don't really like the idea of putting a pickguard on this bass, let alone the fact that I would like to avoid drilling holes in it altogether.
I am open to any suggestions, though, so please feel free.

Cheers!

 

[Matt Liebenau]

I'm guessing you don't want to fill and reroute the current pickup routes so my suggestion would be pickup rings or surrounds. These are an example and you will want to make sure they fit your pickups and bass. These mount with double stick tape. Others mount with screws. I've seen plastic, metal and other materials. If you Google a bit you should find a number of possibilities. If you know someone with a 3d printer who's handy with the design software they should be able to make you some also.

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[neil|lien]

I'm guessing you don't want to fill and reroute the current pickup routes so my suggestion would be pickup rings or surrounds. These are an example and you will want to make sure they fit your pickups and bass. These mount with double stick tape. Others mount with screws. I've seen plastic, metal and other materials. If you Google a bit you should find a number of possibilities. If you know someone with a 3d printer who's handy with the design software they should be able to make you some also.

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I would have suggested that but made of swamp ash & tinted in black.. even if the wood grain doesn't match the rest of the body, it would look nice. Alsl fitting a ramp made of the same wood, using the same shade of ink would help, maybe?
Dunno if U have the right tools nor if it is easy to find pieces of swamp ash to purchase.. but it might be worth looking into!

 

[llmk]

I'm guessing you don't want to fill and reroute the current pickup routes so my suggestion would be pickup rings or surrounds. These are an example and you will want to make sure they fit your pickups and bass. These mount with double stick tape. Others mount with screws. I've seen plastic, metal and other materials. If you Google a bit you should find a number of possibilities. If you know someone with a 3d printer who's handy with the design software they should be able to make you some also.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Routing isn't really possible but I could cut by hand pieces of wood to fit them in. I'm thinking that with careful sanding I should be able to get a pretty good result. I was thinking that wood or maybe baked polymer clay would be my best options.
The pickup rings are a very nice idea too, the problem that I have is finding them in Europe, that might take some doing. Sadly, I don't know anybody with a 3D printer handy, still worth asking around, though.

I would have suggested that but made of swamp ash & tinted in black.. even if the wood grain doesn't match the rest of the body, it would look nice. Alsl fitting a ramp made of the same wood, using the same shade of ink would help, maybe?
Dunno if U have the right tools nor if it is easy to find pieces of swamp ash to purchase.. but it might be worth looking into!

I like the idea of the ramp but finding swamp ash in Romania is basically impossible (I forgot to say I was living in Romania, quite an important detail). Living out here I rely on local production which is almost exclusively pine as all the most expensive/finest lumber gets exported. I can find pine, beech, and poplar pretty easily, though. I think that a good stain would make it look good anyway, even without the grain. Worth exploring.

Thanks for the ideas, guys!

 

[Turnaround]

I made some pickup covers in two variations for just such a situation. If the pickup is removable from the shell (some aren't), you can make (or have somebody make) a cover like these.

I made them to be a friction fit over the pickup case so once you adjust the pickup height to your liking, you simply slip these over the pickups and into the cavity. Done well they don't fall out or rattle. These were made from Bubinga to match the fretboard on one of my basses. The top surface is veneer thickness only.

If you can remove the pickups from their shell, you can make a set like these ebony ones. I made them when I wanted to install a set of single coils in a bass that had soapbars:

 

[llmk]

Man, that is beautiful work, very nice. Sadly I don't know anybody that could make this. Furthermore, the EMG's don't have a removable cover. I guess I'm stuck with building around rather than over. That's sad because this really is beautiful!

EDIT: I might be able to do something like that out of polymer clay, maybe.

 

[neil|lien]

I made some pickup covers in two variations for just such a situation. If the pickup is removable from the shell (some aren't), you can make (or have somebody make) a cover like these.

View attachment 5183123

I made them to be a friction fit over the pickup case so once you adjust the pickup height to your liking, you simply slip these over the pickups and into the cavity. Done well they don't fall out or rattle. These were made from Bubinga to match the fretboard on one of my basses. The top surface is veneer thickness only.

If you can remove the pickups from their shell, you can make a set like these ebony ones. I made them when I wanted to install a set of single coils in a bass that had soapbars:

View attachment 5183137

Super impressive! Awesome idea & execution!!

 

[SharpCat]

Got a buddy with a 3D printer? Could make 3D printed rings. Won't look fabulous like those from @Turnaround but would do the trick.

 

[BAG]

A pickup ring of some sort could easily be mounted easily enough without screwing it into the face of the bass. You just need to have the mounting holes so they screw into the wood at the corners of the current cavity. They'd only need to go a few threads into the wood to avoid them coming out the back of the bass.
I also like the idea of a thin ramp cover over both the pickups in a similar or contrasting wood. This could also be screwed down into the cavities if you don't trust double sided tape.

 

[neil|lien]

I'm guessing you don't want to fill and reroute the current pickup routes so my suggestion would be pickup rings or surrounds. These are an example and you will want to make sure they fit your pickups and bass. These mount with double stick tape. Others mount with screws. I've seen plastic, metal and other materials. If you Google a bit you should find a number of possibilities. If you know someone with a 3d printer who's handy with the design software they should be able to make you some also.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

How about trying to find those rings somewhere in a neighbouring country (if not available in Romania), and cover them in vinyl wrap paper thingy?
There is Kytary in Czech Republic for instance... thomann might have that too...

 

[llmk]

Hey guys,

After sleeping on it, I remembered that I had some pine lying around. The great news is that it doesn't look too bad and the piece I have is almost exactly the same thickness as the holes in the body of the bass are deep. The bad news is that it will probably take me a couple of years to cut the thing with a coping saw.

I think I will start with that, if it goes well, great! If not, it will give me more time to find a better solution.

I like that it is figured kind of like the swamp ash. Stained and tru oiled I think it could be alright.

How about trying to find those rings somewhere in a neighbouring country (if not available in Romania), and cover them in vinyl wrap paper thingy?
There is Kytary in Czech Republic for instance... thomann might have that too...

I checked Thomann, Kytary and Muziker, nobody seems to have jazz bass pickup rings. Seems like whatever I do, I'll have to do it myself.



EDIT: First problem, after outlining the bridge pickup in the outline of the MK-1, I realize there is almost no wood between the screw supports of the jazz pickup and the outline of the mk-1. If I go this route, I'll most certainly have to make the cover in pieces... Damn!

 

[SharpCat]

Do you have the measurements (length, width, depth, corner radius) for the holes routed in the body? Is it BC sized?

 

[llmk]

Do you have the measurements (length, width, depth, corner radius) for the holes routed in the body? Is it BC sized?

According to my (cheap) caliper:

Hole: L: 108.25mm
W: 34.7mm
D: 18.5mm

MK-1: L: 107.8mm
W: 33.7mm
D: 21mm

My caliper is cheap so it might vary a few 0.X mm. I don't know about the corner radius, though, I don't think I have the means to measure it.
Also, I don't know anybody with a 3D printer, I will ask around to see if I can find someone, it could be a good solution.

So, apparently, I should be able to do a decent job with just a coping saw and sandpaper. It's a workout.
I'm still not happy about how thin the wood would be around the screw holders, though. I'm not looking forward to getting to it.
This is just a first try and my heart is not set on it. We'll see.

 

[Zooberwerx]

This is starting to look like work and I won't have any part of that. Would any of the EMG soapbars fit this platform?

Riis

 

[Matt Liebenau]

If you're going to try to make the covers by hand wouldn't it be easier to get some plastic or thin (6mm or so) wood and make rings?

 

[llmk]

This is starting to look like work and I won't have any part of that. Would any of the EMG soapbars fit this platform?

Riis

Yes, it does feel like work, that's for sure. But I have no doubt it will be worth it in the end. I don't think EMG makes soap bars that exactly fit these wholes, I searched a while back and couldn't find anything that would be a good fit.

If you're going to try to make the covers by hand wouldn't it be easier to get some plastic or thin (6mm or so) wood and make rings?

At this point, I am just experimenting. I have some black polycarbonate handy that could be useful, staked and glued to fill the hole, and then put something like wood or leatherette on top for looks.
I am toying with the idea of using foam. EMG's come in this nice extruded polystyrene (I think that's what it is) and it just so happens that I have a foam cutter (hot wire) coming my way. I'm thinking that I could cut the foam and dress it with some black leatherette (that I also have handy). It would be easy to fit, probably wouldn't require any screws or mods to the body, and might even look good if done right (that is clearly the hardest part).
I've even thought about buying a couple of incense holders to use as tops or to carve into rings as they come in just the right width and are made of pretty good-looking wood.
I am not married to any idea, yet.

 

[claudel]

If you want to spend a little instead of trying to make them yourself, this guy made me a great set of oversized rings

Pickup Rings

They fit perfectly and the transaction was completely drama free.

 

[llmk]

If you want to spend a little instead of trying to make them yourself, this guy made me a great set of oversized rings

Pickup Rings

They fit perfectly and the transaction was completely drama free.

Had I been in the US, that's almost certainly what I would have done. I'm in Romania and, the transport alone, if I want to make sure that the package actually reaches me, would at least double the price and then there is VAT on top and the wait time. It's just not worth it, sadly.

 

[Zooberwerx]

Yes, it does feel like work, that's for sure. But I have no doubt it will be worth it in the end. I don't think EMG makes soap bars that exactly fit these wholes, I searched a while back and couldn't find anything that would be a good fit.



At this point, I am just experimenting. I have some black polycarbonate handy that could be useful, staked and glued to fill the hole, and then put something like wood or leatherette on top for looks.
I am toying with the idea of using foam. EMG's come in this nice extruded polystyrene (I think that's what it is) and it just so happens that I have a foam cutter (hot wire) coming my way. I'm thinking that I could cut the foam and dress it with some black leatherette (that I also have handy). It would be easy to fit, probably wouldn't require any screws or mods to the body, and might even look good if done right (that is clearly the hardest part).
I've even thought about buying a couple of incense holders to use as tops or to carve into rings as they come in just the right width and are made of pretty good-looking wood.
I am not married to any idea, yet.

Yep…everything I saw measures 102 mm across & 38 mm wide.

BTW, my parents used to live in Oradea / Transylvania!

Riis

 

[dax21]

Honestly, I would just sell those EMGs and buy proper non-MK1 Bartolinis that are drop-in replacements. That bass has quite a nice grain and color and no matter what kind of hack solution you pull off, you will never be completely satisfied. I'm sure there is a set of Barts that would match the sound you like.

Or if you are dead-set on the EMG J sound, you could sell the ones you have and get the J that's in the DC housing instead (those exist) and do the minimal routing necessary to the fit the pickup. You might need to go up in size and get DC40s instead of 35s to match the vertical gap, I'm unsure of the exact dimensions.