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Interesting Wiring Idea

G

Groovin_Joe

May 12, 2002
250
4
Kanata, Ontario. Canada
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#1
Hey All,

I have a MIM that I am going to change the pickup wiring in(again). I have currently a series/parallel switch in it.

My idea is that I want to purchase a new single pup for the neck spot, and route a new hole in the bridge beside the existing pup, and install the original neck pickup as so it creates a humbucker(a la warwick dolphin) in the bridge position. I havn't decided how i would want it wired yet though. ANY SUGGESTIONS? currently it is VOL/VOL/TONE and when the tone pot is IN it is MAIN VOL/BYPASSED/TONE

hope this makes sense.

Adam

Or should I just bite the bullet and buy a Musicman pup and install it in the bridge?
 
#2
What doesn't your bass do now that you want it to?

By installing another pickup as you describe, you're going to ruin its resale value.

I suspect that you could get a splitable humbucker in the same package as your existing bridge pickup. I'm not so sure that putting two single coils side by side creates a humbucker.

Or, if you really want a big pickup back there, have a MM professionally installed.
 
#5
The Dave said:
I honestly don't mean to be rude but... It's MIM. I mean, seriously.
Click to expand...

I understand what you're saying, but I find that a lot of MIM Fenders are every bit as viable as MIA instruments...

Plus, if one has limited funds, it might be better to buy a different instrument while being able to apply more $$ from the sale of the stock MIM than much less from the sale of a radically modified one.

Example... Let's say you want a bass that costs $700. If you sell your pre-mod MIM for $300 you have to come up with $400. If you take your $300 MIM and spend $100 on radical modifications (I consider routing for pickups radical) it might end up having a resale value of only $200 afterwards. Subtract the $100 that you just put in and you only have $100 toward your new bass, requiring you to come up with $600 (rather than $400).

Big difference for someone on a tight budget.
 
#6
BillyB_from_LZ said:
...if one has limited funds, it might be better to buy a different instrument while being able to apply more $$ from the sale of the stock MIM than much less from the sale of a radically modified one.QUOTE]
I agree with your logic. I love messing around with instruments, but I only do no-return mods to instruments that have already lost their resale value.
When I found a great thru-neck 80's Ibanez with damaged body going real cheap, I took a jigsaw to the body and headstock, making a trimmed down 'Warwick' style bass out of it, then used it as a test bed for refinishing and rewiring experiments. When I eventually sold it I doubled what I'd paid, but I'd never do that to an instrument that still had potential resale (maybe even collectible) value.
Click to expand...
 
#7
If you add a second pickup next the bridge pup, it would need to be wound like the neck pup in order to buck hum with the existing bridge pup. Meaning you would probably use a neck pup (different length maybe). The down side is when you run all three of your pickups wide open, you will not get the hum cancelling effect you expect with a typical neck and bridge jazz pickup pair because now you have two sources of noise from the neck winding and one source from the bridge winding.

Dave
 

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