Can you point me to the parallel wiring mod schematic please and thanks?
QUOTE="Christcr, post: 17344633, member: 274436"]Here is a success story with a sad beginning and middle, but a happy ending (for me anyway):
Several years ago, when the Pawn Shop Mustang Bass came out, I was immediately in love. I HAD to have one. The Mustang in Oly White with the blue stripe and that massive humbucker honestly is probably the best looking bass (to me) that Fender has ever made. So, I jumped on it quickly. When I got it, I was absolutely thrilled nearly to tears with everything... until I plugged it in.
Zero high end. Undefined sound. Way too bottom-heavy for me. Maybe it isn't too much bass frequency per se, but more like the degree of bass-heaviness and the way-overboard spike at the lower midrange--just the frequency I often kill with my amp EQ when playing my other basses. And now, here my favorite bass (in appearance) puts out pretty much only that frequency that I least like in my sound. I thought about changing the pickup, but I didn't want to destroy that awesome look. I thought about having the pickup rewound or custom made. No guarantee of better sound there, either. I did rewire it to parallel. It was better. But... not quite.
What would have happened is I'd hang the thing on the wall as artwork, but would never have been happy with the sound. So, with tear-filled eyes and a heavy heart, I returned it before the trial period was over (after I switched it back to series, of course).
Cut to several weeks ago--over these ensuing years, I've constantly been lusting for that oly white pawn shop... knowing that the sound wasn't right for me and not wanting to mess with it and ruin the look. So, I tried to forget about it. But then, not long ago, I noticed that Fender made the asinine, bone-headed choice to discontinue it.
So, I HAD to have one before they were gone, even if I hung it on the wall just to look at. I ordered one of the last new ones I saw on Ebay from a retailer back east. It was candy apple red; I couldn't find the white one ANYWHERE (new). They quickly refunded me because they said there was an inventory error and they didn't really have the bass. So, I tried the only other retailer on Ebay that said they had one in stock (again, candy apple red). Paid them, and guess what? The next day I got an email stating that they had an inventory error and they did not actually have one either. I assume both of these retailers were drop shippers and didn't know they'd been discontinued.
Finally, my luck picked up, though. Later that day, I got an email from the store stating (again) that they were very, very sorry... but, they found a new one in Oly White in one of their brick and mortar stores (NYC), if I wanted that one. I told him to get it on the truck because that's what I really wanted anyway.
Now, when I got it this time, I knew what to expect on the sound. I knew I would not like it. But I was determined to get something at least half-way acceptable to me SOMEHOW! Worst case, I'd change the guard and put a Seymour Duncan custom shop Mustang split coil in it. I definitely prefer that stock Mustang split single-coil sound because to my ears it's somewhere between a P-bass sound and a J-bass sound. I love that top end bite. Great for my style of playing. All my Mustangs except the Mikey Way has the split single coil. BUT... I didn't really want to do that with the Pawn Shop.
I was determined to get a decent sound (to my ears) out of that mudbucker!!! Somehow. So here is what I did to get a sound that I now REALLY like (I'm hoping it might help some of you out there who like the look of the bass but not the sound and would prefer not to butcher it to fix the sound):
* put the brightest stainless steel strings I know of (which are way too bright for me, even though I use stainless steel strings almost always).
* switched the wiring to parallel. There are instructions and diagrams of how to do that here on TB.
* pulled the pickup out, flipped it over and backed the threaded polepieces on the bottom of the pickup (yes, there are polepieces under there that are the same as the ones on top--just reversed) out as far as I could while staying in the pickup and not hitting the wood at the bottom of the route.
* tightened the polepieces on top of the pickup down until they were below the level of the metal cover. I then adjusted them for even string response up or down slightly. But, they are way lower than they were.
* lowered the entire pickup as far down as I could with the springs still keeping it stable. There is just enough of a lip to still use as a thumbrest if I'm careful.
* also, oddly enough, unlike with most basses where if you turn the volume knob down you tend to loose a little high end, it seems to be just the opposite with the pawn shop mustang: you turn the volume down slightly and it actually opens the sound up a little, giving a slight boost to the highs and cutting the lows.
So what did I get? Because, it was all just experimentation. I just wanted to see if I could come up with something that worked for me before I contacted a custom pickup winder or something. Well... good things!
The level is much improved. Originally, even without considering the sound, the pickup was WAY too hot and loud for my tastes--overdrive my amp every time when set up for my other basses. Now, it's still louder than my other Mustangs, but only a little bit. It's hot, but reasonably hot rather than animalistically hot. For my tastes, the best thing is that the tone changed for the better PROFOUNDLY. There is considerably more top end. I'm not sure if the level of the top end is higher or the overpowering lows of the original is just not burying them as much. Either way, I perceive a lot more bite on the top end. It's definitely more glassy, but not horribly trebley either. It sounds quite a bit like the top end on a Stingray bass (I know Stingrays, besides my Mustangs, Stingrays are the only other thing I play right now). In fact, I won't say the entire sound of the mudbucker sounds like a stingray humbucker, but I will say it has definitely gone in that direction. Which I absolutely love. The formerly overpowering low mids are not gone completely, but they are way, way reduced. Not nearly as "woofy" as before. It has a sweeter low end now. I guess I'd put the overall tone somewhere between a P-bass sound and a Stingray sound, while retained a little bit of it's original "mudbucker" sound. I've yet to use it live, but if what I'm hearing while practicing with it and playing along with CDs and band practice are any indication, I have a happy ending to the story indeed! I will be ecstatic.
So for those of you who love the look of the Pawn Shop Mustang Bass, but do not like the sound so much, try these mods. For those of you who love the look and sound... well look at all the work you saved!
Oh look, I've written another book. But it's a classic Shakespearean tragedy with a warm and fuzzy ending.
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