Mike Dirnt Refinish Project

[John S]

question for yous Dirnt owners. Is the truss rod Allen key or the cross head?? The Fender site is saying it's the allen key but mines the cross head at the body end . Odd ball? or have they changed it

My 2003 has the cross head.

 

[rkingly]

John, That color looks great! Tort guard for that beauty?

My vintage wht has the same paint chunking issue & I'm hoping to do something similar soon. The Black is sporting a sticker.
Both of mine have the screw truss adjustment.

 

[John S]

John, That color looks great! Tort guard for that beauty?

My vintage wht has the same paint chunking issue & I'm hoping to do something similar soon. The Black is sporting a sticker.
Both of mine have the screw truss adjustment.

I really like Tort, but I'm going to stick with the white PG for now. I want to keep this project in budget.

Your chunk-outs look like natural wear in the photo.

Is the graphic on top of the pick guard on the black bass?

 

[DTF]

where can you find a tort guard for these ?

 

[John S]

where can you find a tort guard for these ?

ebay has a seller ($67 with shipping - ouch - )

If you are crafty, you can buy a blank and cut your own from stewmac.com

 

[DTF]

67 bucks ? i paid 400 for the bass, they can keep it

 

[rkingly]

Your chunk-outs look like natural wear in the photo.

I sanded some of the areas down a bit, It's pretty bad & I could probably scrape most of the paint off in chunks. A shame as I like the Vin wht.

Another pic of the Black Dirnt, guard is in the parts drawer.

 

[Johnston]

Cheers on the info on the truss rod, Fender must have changed them.

I wonder now that the 60th anny shares a likeness will we see more Dirnts about as people go for the cheaper version??

 

[John S]

I started wet sanding and the first round of rubbing compound last night.
If I could just get rid of that pesky day job...

Now I have to decide if I use the rusty pick guard screws and BadA bridge or clean them up to match the new paint finish. hmm

 

[bh2]

If you're not going to relic the finish then use new screws.

 

[EricF]

Imho the dirnt has to be the sickest sounding passive (non CS) pbass fender has ever made

Hmmm...perosnally, I find the '58 CS pup to sound a little anemic. The Fralin in mine, however, is pure vintage P magic. (IMO, YMMV)

I love my dirnt , I need a pickguard for it though Its black and Id rather have bwb or tort than the single ply white

Black, like this?...
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I got the pg from Jeannie's Pickguards.

Dirnt owners:

While we are waiting for the lacquer to dry out....

what strings do you like on the Dirnt?

I've been thinking about Chromes (flats), I do mostly finger style, Rock beat.

Thanks for your input!

LaBella 760FM!!! Big, smooth, and thumpy...yum.

Nice choice of color

 

[John S]

Hmmm...perosnally, I find the '58 CS pup to sound a little anemic. The Fralin in mine, however, is pure vintage P magic. (IMO, YMMV)

Tell me about the Fralin, is it the standard 10K winding?
What other pups have you tried that weren't as good as the Fralin?

Thanks

 

[MasterBass!]

I bought a black 2005 Dirnt body from my Bro, A-Step-Towards 2 months ago...added a 2009 Jazz Bass neck, refinished it in Riverside white nitro c/c including the matching headstock. I'm loving it!

 

[Tommygunn]

I'm a Dirnt owner (a squier one though) and I dig the D'Addario nickle wounds, A LOT!

 

[EricF]

Tell me about the Fralin, is it the standard 10K winding?
What other pups have you tried that weren't as good as the Fralin?

Thanks

I find the Fralin (standard) to be beatuifully clear and detailed with a very vintage character - Fender, but a touch better.

The original pup in my 68 P is a bit more mid-focused and gives a nice punch.

I also have an MIJ 57RI P. The stock pup is pretty decent. (A Darkstar has since taken its place in that bass.)

I prefer all of these to the 58CS pup found in the Dirnt.

(IMO, YMMV)

 

[Tommygunn]

I completely disagree. But I prolly have a hell of a lot less basses to try out than you. But above all of EVERY pbass I've ever tried, this had been the sickest passive one, tone wise. I loved the thickness on the neck too, but high gloss finish is what I love.

 

[dlegault]

Tell me about the Fralin, is it the standard 10K winding?
What other pups have you tried that weren't as good as the Fralin?

Thanks

I've got the Fralin in a Warmoth build I did last winter, and I agree with EricF, it's very vintage sounding but seems to be a little more articulate to my ear. I have the standard 10K.

I have a Fralin '51 split in my '51 reissue as well. I can say both of them are superb pickups and I'd have no problem recommending Fralin as a replacement.

A less expensive option as well is Fender's Original '62, which I also like quite a bit. Has a good growl and a nice mid punch IMO.

I still stick with my earlier statement though, I think the CS pickup in the Dirnt is definitely one of the better sounding stock pickups Fender's had in awhile.

 

[dlegault]

Black, like this?...
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That is one beautiful bass...

 

[EricF]

That is one beautiful bass...

Thanks! I played her at band practice last night and enjoyed every minute of it. I've built parts basses before, and all have been pretty good. This one turned out to be exceptional.

As for the '58CS P pup in the Dirnt...There's lots of flavors out there. It's all a matter of personal preference.

 

[Johnston]

Eric, is that normal Ashtray over the badass??

Just wondering as I was thinking of putting one on mine but everything I've read has said you can't get an ashtray to fit the BA2.