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Leak? Squier Paranormal Rascal Bass HH

Well it was, and it wasn't... The ferrules I got I got were slightly still too big for the tuner posts. I used them anyway since they're a little bit better compared to what the stock was doing but there was still millimeter or two of play around the posts, the result being that they're slightly tilted. I'm not super happy about that but I'll fix it down the road so long is it doesn't cause any issues. At the moment seems like playability is fine, tuning is fine. Other than the fact that the Hipshot tuners are noticeably more smooth than the stock it really is just a cosmetic change.

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Do these tuners use the stock mounting screw holes? Or did you have to drill new ones? Thanks!
 
Two holes line up but I had to drill the two others for each tuner, but the tuners themselves cover the unused original holes so you can fill them or leave them as you wish. There was no issue fitting them on the headstock other than that.

Well, other than not having the right adapters for the post diameter, which I still haven't got. They work and still look cool so for now I've left them that way.
 
Based on pics of the guitar reissue version posted here: The Wide Range Humbucker and The Genius of Seth Lover — Lawing Musical Products
and my pic of the underside of the Squier bass version, they appear the same with 2 full coils that span all 4 strings. Indeed the polepieces are inverted on the 'covered' sections.

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*sorry for necro quote*

From the images I have seen with others who have done coil splits, am I correct in assuming these pickups are reverse wound?
No one has seemed to need to flip one 180deg so far, and there are different wire wraps on each pickup (grey neck/black bridge).
 
The CAR looked great, but couldn't jive with the pickguard color on it, so replaced it with white pearl and now I'm in love. I also made myself a custom switch top because, yeah, I'm a TTRPG geek. :laugh:

Squier Paranormal Series Rascal Bass - Body Front.jpg
 
*sorry for necro quote*

From the images I have seen with others who have done coil splits, am I correct in assuming these pickups are reverse wound?
No one has seemed to need to flip one 180deg so far, and there are different wire wraps on each pickup (grey neck/black bridge).
I haven't pulled my bass apart to verify that - but there is no weird phase issues or volume dropouts with both pickups on. Just the expected, properly wired, combined sound with some subtle midrange cancellation.
 
I was never satisfied how the E-string on my Rascal sounded and it felt strange too. At first I thought it was the original strings but the new D'addario EXL med scale set "died" pretty quickly too. I know it's a short scale so I can't except the same sustain or brightness that the long scale has but compared acoustically to my Dano Longhorn (which is even a bit shorter in scale) the Dano rang much better.
Well, I had this basic F-style bridge lying around and I noticed that it dropped in without any mods so I replaced the original Mustang -style bridge with it and it works much better. The E doesn't die as fast and other strings sound better too. The intonation is also now easier to adjust and I might try a heavier set plus now the short scale set can be used as the strings don't have to go through the body.

The gap where the old bridge plate was can be covered with a new larger pickguard or maybe a third pickup near the bridge (kidding).

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I am seconds away from pulling the trigger on a shell pink Rascal. By only hesitation is the weight and large body. I have no trouble playing a 34” scale bass as I am over 6’ tall. My main bass is a Rickenbacker 4003 with the bridge cover on so I am used to where my hands and the bass will probably sit when I am standing.

I guess I’m just looking for first hand comparisons? I’ve watched all the reviews and read all the posts (except this entire thread). Thanx for the help
 
I am seconds away from pulling the trigger on a shell pink Rascal. By only hesitation is the weight and large body. I have no trouble playing a 34” scale bass as I am over 6’ tall. My main bass is a Rickenbacker 4003 with the bridge cover on so I am used to where my hands and the bass will probably sit when I am standing.

I guess I’m just looking for first hand comparisons? I’ve watched all the reviews and read all the posts (except this entire thread). Thanx for the help
I'm 6'3" and find mine extremely comfortable to play. Honestly it's not that heavy.
 
I forgot to post this earlier, but I finished the wiring on my Rascal. I cannot stress how much I've preferred swapping through single coil options while playing. I rotated the bridge PU 180 deg, so the outer coils are active when the push/pull is down.
 

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Here’s mine I did replace the pickguard and shielded everything in the process. I also added a Hipshot drop tuner and a tiny thumbrest between the pickups. I lightly sanded the back of the neck to knock off the shine. I started with flats but ended up with pressurewounds in this one, since the neck pickup is a bit dark anyway. View attachment 7136048
Deciding between pink and green. It was pink until I saw your green with the tort. Where did you get the PH and the baby thumb rest in chrome?
 
I just installed some 1/2” Hipshot ultralights and used the 18mm spacers (23/32”) from Hipshot and they fit perfectly. Hipshot sells spacers for both the USA and lic versions of their tuners $4 each. Not a fan of the y keys vs clover but they were cheap and used, no neck dive and so much smoother! Now to find a pearl pickguard for her. View attachment 7075805View attachment 7075813

Interesting, if it's a straightforward swap. I tried a rascal in a store recently. Quite liked the sound but the neck dive was a shock - just too much.
4 new tuners would be around £100? Or $100?

Bit crap they couldn't get the balance right in the first place.

I might have another trial in store with that in mind....
 
Interesting, if it's a straightforward swap. I tried a rascal in a store recently. Quite liked the sound but the neck dive was a shock - just too much.
4 new tuners would be around £100? Or $100?

Bit crap they couldn't get the balance right in the first place.

I might have another trial in store with that in mind....
Did you try it with a strap? In the lap mine has neck dive but in a strap I notice nothing. For context I use a nylon backed cheetah strap. (I don’t like straps with textured backs)
 
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I pulled the trigger on a shell pink Rascal! I’ve had it for about a week now. It was basically new when I got it… original strings and ALL the plastic covers; even in the pickups and tuners.

It has taken a couple sessions of spending time with it to really get it dialed in, both in setup and tone through my rig. The reason for getting it is as a backup and something that is out of the ordinary and just fun to play. The Rascal is both of those things.

At first the output was way too high for my tube head. It was hitting the tube that is before the gain stage too hard and would only distort no matter where the gain was set. String spacing was a little narrow for me and the tone was different than anything I was used to. After some time I figured out how to give some more string spacing, how to eq my head for these pickups and got used to them and most importantly found the perfect balance between too-low-to-drive-at-all and so-high-that-it-only-is-distorted to hit that first tube just right.

Only trouble is I like it so much that I might need a backup for my backup… don’t know if I’d be comfortable taking it to a seedy bar…
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