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NBD! Hb Pb-50 for modding

Jared Houseman

Jared Houseman

Jul 5, 2018
738
793
#1
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I got too caught up in excitement to mod this bass that I completely forgot to take pictures and record sound samples. The bass played great out of the box but was harsh on the high end, but that's probably just the stock strings.

But any let's get to the mods:
It's going to get a cream or light blue paint job
Stock turners and nut are staying
I may reshape the headstock to a tele style but I don't mind the current headstock
Two saddle brass bridge
String through body
And of course strap locks

Im probably going to string it with d'addario flats

Electronics
A jess loureiro split 51 pickup
Push/pull pot for series/parallel
A six way varitone with .015, .033, .047, .082, .1 uf tone caps
Switchcraft stereo jack
Black Chicken head knob for the tone

I'll make another post in a few weeks when I have it finished with good pictures and sound clips
 
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#4
Jared Houseman said:
View attachment 3384088 View attachment 3384089
I got too caught up in excitement to mod this bass that I completely forgot to take pictures and record sound samples. The bass played great out of the box but was harsh on the high end, but that's probably just the stock strings.

But any let's get to the mods:
It's going to get a cream or light blue paint job
Stock turners and nut are staying
I may reshape the headstock to a tele style but I don't mind the current headstock
Two saddle brass bridge
String through body
And of course strap locks

Im probably going to string it with d'addario flats

Electronics
A jess loureiro split 51 pickup
Push/pull pot for series/parallel
A six way varitone with .015, .033, .047, .082, .1 uf tone caps
Switchcraft stereo jack
Black Chicken head knob for the tone

I'll make another post in a few weeks when I have it finished with good pictures and sound clips
Click to expand...
Look forward to seeing more…

Any particular reason why those capacitor values?
 
#7
InternetAlias said:
To have "evenly" spaced capacitors, you probably need to follow a logarithmic scale, rather than anything resembling linear progression, if you want to avoid the same issue that occurs with linear taper pots.
Click to expand...

I didn't really put that much into it but I probably should have. I'll probably be using the .047 most of the time anyway. I didn't really need a varitone I just thought it would be cool and different. And more fun to wire as well :)
 
#8
Jared Houseman said:
View attachment 3384088 View attachment 3384089
I got too caught up in excitement to mod this bass that I completely forgot to take pictures and record sound samples. The bass played great out of the box but was harsh on the high end, but that's probably just the stock strings.

But any let's get to the mods:
It's going to get a cream or light blue paint job
Stock turners and nut are staying
I may reshape the headstock to a tele style but I don't mind the current headstock
Two saddle brass bridge
String through body
And of course strap locks

Im probably going to string it with d'addario flats

Electronics
A jess loureiro split 51 pickup
Push/pull pot for series/parallel
A six way varitone with .015, .033, .047, .082, .1 uf tone caps
Switchcraft stereo jack
Black Chicken head knob for the tone

I'll make another post in a few weeks when I have it finished with good pictures and sound clips
Click to expand...


Don't understand non to the "Electronics" part, but will be here to see the results!
 
#9
Jared Houseman said:
The bass played great out of the box but was harsh on the high end, but that's probably just the stock strings.

But any let's get to the mods:
It's going to get a cream or light blue paint job
Stock turners and nut are staying
I may reshape the headstock to a tele style but I don't mind the current headstock
Two saddle brass bridge
String through body
And of course strap locks

Im probably going to string it with d'addario flats

Electronics
A jess loureiro split 51 pickup
Push/pull pot for series/parallel
A six way varitone with .015, .033, .047, .082, .1 uf tone caps
Switchcraft stereo jack
Black Chicken head knob for the tone

I'll make another post in a few weeks when I have it finished with good pictures and sound clips
Click to expand...

Never was a fan of those stock D'Addario roundwound string so I agree with the string change. Headstock reshape takes around 10 minutes and worth doing.

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2 saddle brass bridge and string through are 2 mods I highly recommend.

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Never had any trouble with the strap buttons,even after 5 years and countless hours play. Don't disagree with strap locks.Added security is always a good thing.

The Jess Loureiro 51 split coil gets my vote 100%. Fine pickup from one of the good guys :thumbsup:

Varitone . This is a thing I hope we can compare notes on :) I've yet to solder mine up.
 
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#10
I used 015, .033, .047, .082, .1 caps like i said. The .033 and .083 were hard differentiate from the .015 and .047 respectful.

The .015 had a very large resonate peak and the .1 was a bit dark for my taste (and has a large volume drop).

I may try using a resistor or trim pot to brighten up the bass overall by emulating the tone being at 75% instead of 100%.

If I were to make another I would try using something around
.0005, .005, .033, .047, .1 uf caps

One again I have no clue about this stuff and I'm guessing, but that's what I would try if I did it again.
 
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#11
Jared Houseman said:
I used 015, .033, .047, .082, .1 caps like i said. The .033 and .083 were hard differentiate from the .015 and .047 respectful.

The .015 had a very large resonate peak and the .1 was a bit dark for my taste (and has a large volume drop).

I may try using a resistor or trim pot to brighten up the bass overall by emulating the tone being at 75% instead of 100%.

If I were to make another I would try using something around
.0005, .005, .033, .047, .1 uf caps

One again I have no clue about this stuff and I'm guessing, but that's what I would try if I did it again.
Click to expand...
I'll eventually get around to posting sound clips when I get the bass fully done.

It's playable now but still needs some work
 
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#12
#14
well, where that finished product at? i'm interested to know what the pickup changeout did for you - was thinking of swapping the stock one with a seymour duncan quarter pound for more punch, but i've not heard of the kind you mentioned
 
#16
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These pictures are from a while ago but most things have stayed the same. The body have undergone some wear in that time but I don't mind The headstock clear coat didn't hold up at all. I didn't give it enough time to cure before using a clip-on tuner and I just didn't do a good job in general.

I went with a jerry sentell split 51p pickup. I had a serious parallel switch for a while but recently went to all series after having some wiring problems. The Vari-tone has stayed the same. I'm using the adario medium lite flat wound strings

Overall I really like this bass. It does that old school sound well and is very non intrusive sounding. It works great in my bluegrass band.

I'm happy with it for now. The only change I could see in the future is maybe adding a raw brass pickguard and a new brass nut. I really love the aged look that the saddles got naturally

The paint could use a touch up but I think the dingy look works in it's favor and it's a workhorse bass, not a beauty queen
 
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#19
LeesGotitSimple said:
was thinking of swapping the stock one with a seymour duncan quarter pound for more punch,
Click to expand...

Don't expect miracles.

The Duncan SCPB-3 may have a higher DCR but that doesn't mean too much. Both and Roswell use the same alnico 5 slugs. Same slugs in the same position mean they respond to the strings in the same manner i.e. both have a strong initial attack.

Back DCR. The higher reading can boost output but it's no guarantee. I've a single coil wound to 29.9k (twice the SCPB-3), it's not that much louder than the 9.5k Loureiro @Jared Houseman originally planned for his bass.

I went a bit nuts trying different single coils. After 12 pickups it finally got through my thick skull, the position it's placed in is more important than magnet type, coil winds or the name on the bobbin :thumbsup:
 
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#20
kodiakblair said:
Don't expect miracles.

The Duncan SCPB-3 may have a higher DCR but that doesn't mean too much. Both and Roswell use the same alnico 5 slugs. Same slugs in the same position mean they respond to the strings in the same manner i.e. both have a strong initial attack.

Back DCR. The higher reading can boost output but it's no guarantee. I've a single coil wound to 29.9k (twice the SCPB-3), it's not that much louder than the 9.5k Loureiro @Jared Houseman originally planned for his bass.

I went a bit nuts trying different single coils. After 12 pickups it finally got through my thick skull, the position it's placed in is more important than magnet type, coil winds or the name on the bobbin :thumbsup:
Click to expand...
Really interesting and helpful stuff! Everyone on here seems to be mod-crazy with these basses so i felit like i would naturally follow and get on board with some mods to improve sound, but i have also heard that the stock pups are quite good. maybe just a sexy new pickguard and put money into amp/effects pedals rather than pickups. cheers!
 

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