Sorry if this was discussed in the other 18 pages of this thread, but where can we get parts like Ashtray covers, and pickguards for as VMJ 5 string?
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Squier "Perfect Fit Replacement Parts" Mega thread
- Thread starter thobbinghotrod
- Start date
I kinda like the way the black knobs make the bass look more retro. Now which way are the arrows supposed to be facing?
Just FYI I recently modded the ever loving heck out of my VM Jaguar bass.
Most of what I did was not drop in replacement parts, but a few were:
Dimarzio Ultra Jazz bridge pickup
Fender Top load Highway One Bridge with threaded Saddles
Hipshot BT1
Most of what I did was not drop in replacement parts, but a few were:
Dimarzio Ultra Jazz bridge pickup
Fender Top load Highway One Bridge with threaded Saddles
Hipshot BT1
I believe the Marcus Miller 5 string neck pickup cover will fit, but I'm not aware of a fender style 5 string bridge cover. I looked for a while, but haven't found one as available a replacement. Rondo might have offered one at one point. As for pick guards, my VMV body is wearing a white one from a 90's MIM standard 5, but I had to re drill most of the holes, including all on the control plate. I used bamboo skewers from the grocery store to fill the original holes. I think I had to file a bit on one side by the neck, but all is well now (although I might just put a MIM plate on at some point for an even better fit). The neck is off the MIM 5 too (the VMV neck is on the MIM 5 body, deets, pix and rationale later).
The neck was salvaged- the previous owner believed it to have a broken truss rod and sold it (well the whole bass) to me more or less as firewood. Turns out this was the problem:
$7 for a new truss rod nut, a bit of creativity getting the busted one out, and I have an excellent neck with a pretty pau ferro fingerboard that not only plays great, but I think looks really sweet on this body. Strung with nickel rotosound 66's, this thing sounds incredible with the stock Duncan designed pickups. Neck / pocket fit is average, and could be a bit tighter, but sustain is fine and as I said, I love the tone. I've gigged it several times and it's a keeper for sure.
Other mods- a switchcraft jack, fender vintage style jazz knobs -cheap ones from bass parts resource to fit the stock alpha split shaft pots. The fender ones are set screw type and fit solid shaft CTS pots. I've got a set of each on hand for when these get scratchy. Oh and planet waves elliptical strap buttons (as on all my basses, I don't do strap locks).
I don't know that it needs anything else. I might at some point sand down the back of the neck, steam out a few small dings, and refinish it in waterlox, but I love it just the way it is.
In my experience, any standard 4 hole Fender bass neck plate should fit. I believe the hole spacing is the same for jazz, precision, Squier, Fender, MIM, whatever. I just checked a Squier one I had in my parts box and it matches the hole spacing on all my basses, including four and five string Fenders, Squiers, and even an SX P. Of course I could be wrong and you could have the one that's wildly different!
jk
Here's some first-hand experience regarding a 2008 Squier Standard Jazz I had a ways back;
I bought a pair of Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounders for it. The neck pickup fit in just fine, but the route was not wide enough for the bridge pickup. Looking back at older posts on this thread, I suppose I could've buzzed the casing sides down little. That or possibly (I didn't actually try this) get a second neck pickup.
When I went to install the black pearl pickguard (Fender-made, not another licensed company), I had to take a Dremel tool to the neck and control plate pockets. Nothing too extreme, just a little reshaping. The screw holes were close enough to work with only a couple going in at a very slight angle. No re-drilling necessary.
To reiterate what one or two people have posted; When buzzing down a pickguard, use some tape (I prefer low-adhesive white artists tape) to hold the new guard to the original while matching the holes as best you can. This will prevent you from sanding too deep into the new guard.
Just before I traded it for a VM Jag Special, I had the original pickup put back in. Guess what…the original pickup casing was too big for the hole, so it was back to the Dremel once again. Close enough for government work.
I checked this entire thread to see if anyone had success putting a different pickguard on a Classic Vibe 60's Jazz. It seems the Fender Standard/MIM guards are a fairly close, if not near-perfect match. Anyone have first-hand experience with it? If so, where did you get your pickguard? Fender-made or some other company/website?
I bought a pair of Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounders for it. The neck pickup fit in just fine, but the route was not wide enough for the bridge pickup. Looking back at older posts on this thread, I suppose I could've buzzed the casing sides down little. That or possibly (I didn't actually try this) get a second neck pickup.
When I went to install the black pearl pickguard (Fender-made, not another licensed company), I had to take a Dremel tool to the neck and control plate pockets. Nothing too extreme, just a little reshaping. The screw holes were close enough to work with only a couple going in at a very slight angle. No re-drilling necessary.
To reiterate what one or two people have posted; When buzzing down a pickguard, use some tape (I prefer low-adhesive white artists tape) to hold the new guard to the original while matching the holes as best you can. This will prevent you from sanding too deep into the new guard.
Just before I traded it for a VM Jag Special, I had the original pickup put back in. Guess what…the original pickup casing was too big for the hole, so it was back to the Dremel once again. Close enough for government work.
I checked this entire thread to see if anyone had success putting a different pickguard on a Classic Vibe 60's Jazz. It seems the Fender Standard/MIM guards are a fairly close, if not near-perfect match. Anyone have first-hand experience with it? If so, where did you get your pickguard? Fender-made or some other company/website?
I'll bump this thread asking for any references on the upgrades I want to make to this gorgeous Jazz I scored a while ago.
It's a Squier Standard Jazz Bass in Walnut satin
I'm thinking about the following changes:
Of course, going EMG here also means going active and I'm thinking about putting a battery box since I don't like the idea of having to take the pickguard or control plate often. Do you know what would be the best place for the battery box? I've seen most of basses put it in the middle-upper side of the bass but I was thinking of putting it in the lower right part of the back in order to have it near the control cavity to make the cable canals as short as possible but I don't really know if it has any other implications. Can anyone share some insight about this?
I'm really fond of this bass but it's deserving some serious upgrades and these seem the ones that will make the most out of it.
It's a Squier Standard Jazz Bass in Walnut satin
I'm thinking about the following changes:
- Hipshot A style bridge.
- EMG MJ set pickups.
Of course, going EMG here also means going active and I'm thinking about putting a battery box since I don't like the idea of having to take the pickguard or control plate often. Do you know what would be the best place for the battery box? I've seen most of basses put it in the middle-upper side of the bass but I was thinking of putting it in the lower right part of the back in order to have it near the control cavity to make the cable canals as short as possible but I don't really know if it has any other implications. Can anyone share some insight about this?
I'm really fond of this bass but it's deserving some serious upgrades and these seem the ones that will make the most out of it.
I'll bump this thread asking for any references on the upgrades I want to make to this gorgeous Jazz I scored a while ago.
It's a Squier Standard Jazz Bass in Walnut satin
I'm thinking about the following changes:
I'm more inclined to go for aluminium rather than brass for the weight. This bass has the 5 screw fender bridge layout so I believe it will be a drop-in replacement. Can anyone confirm this?
- Hipshot A style bridge.
This bass has the bridge pickup of the same width as the neck one and I've also found that the bridge pickup route was made a bit off center towards the left (does this happen in other units/models? or was just mine? it can be seen in the picture) so trying to file the route in order to put a regular bridge pickup there may result in the strings even more misaligned with the polepieces than it is now. Here's hoping that the EMG pickups will handle this and make it sound and look better.
- EMG MJ set pickups.
Of course, going EMG here also means going active and I'm thinking about putting a battery box since I don't like the idea of having to take the pickguard or control plate often. Do you know what would be the best place for the battery box? I've seen most of basses put it in the middle-upper side of the bass but I was thinking of putting it in the lower right part of the back in order to have it near the control cavity to make the cable canals as short as possible but I don't really know if it has any other implications. Can anyone share some insight about this?
I'm really fond of this bass but it's deserving some serious upgrades and these seem the ones that will make the most out of it.
Great looking Bass!
If the sustain is fine I wouldn't bother changing the bridge, but an "F" ashtray/bridge cover would look killer on that (IMHO).
The battery boxes on my Fenders are on the back near the control plat as you describe.
Working on a medium scale e-series P-bass from Japan. I learned that 1/2 inch tuning pegs are too large. The baseplate on the Fender 62RI pup was a little too long and had to use some pliars to turn back the edges. I'm interested in a HM bridge now. Would one of you mind measuring a CV p bridge with brass saddles? From distance from the far edge of external holes is 2 30/32 inches or 7.5 cm on mine. Thanks.
I have a VM Jazz Bass - really impressed with the bang for the buck. I can see the point of replacing the flimsy bridge, the not-100%-accurate tuners, the plastic nut and (maybe) the pots and cap, but it is possible to go a bit far: if you start replacing necks, pickups and everything, then surely you end up maybe having paid a bit too much for just a body? A bit like the old story of "my grandfather's axe"!
Personally, I bought this bass as something to play while away from my "real" basses, and because it has a really nice neck. I'm impressed enough to possibly want to keep it, I have an old Ibanez Accu-Cast B bridge lying around and some other bits and pieces with which I may upgrade it, but I wouldn't want to spend big bucks on it...
Personally, I bought this bass as something to play while away from my "real" basses, and because it has a really nice neck. I'm impressed enough to possibly want to keep it, I have an old Ibanez Accu-Cast B bridge lying around and some other bits and pieces with which I may upgrade it, but I wouldn't want to spend big bucks on it...
I have a VM Jazz, MIJ Fender Jaguar, MIM Fender Jazz and a Tradition B100 that all use the same identical steel bridge, where do you get "flimsy"?
Indeed, I really don't see how you can a describe a bridge made of steel plate as "flimsy".
OK, I didn't mean flimsy as in "will break easily". However, the saddles can be shifted from side to side under full string tension - a good thing in my case, as the strings weren't aligned properly with the polepieces and neck. I was pondering having to remove the bridge, fill the mounting holes and redrill them about 3mm across (towards the E-string side) when I discovered I could just pull 'em across to sort the problem (at least for now). If I mod it one day with a new bridge, I'll fix the problem permanently - the Accu-cast B is a lot more solid (saddles won't move in the above way), as are most Badass bridges.
Easy fix for the shifting saddles without getting a whole new bridge. Get Fender threaded saddles.
+1, but I found I had to ream the screw holes slightly on two MIM bridges to get the new screws in for the threaded saddles, as they're slightly larger diameter. No big deal, took a few minutes. Looks and works great, like you said. They run about 16$ for a set at bass parts resource. The Fender bent plate bridges also weigh substantially less than any of the hipshot bridges too, including the aluminum ones. I do like the quick change feature of all of the hotshots though.
Edit: I believe you can get chrome threaded saddles which might be a direct fit for the Squier and MIM bridges, it may just be the nickel ones that require slightly larger saddle screw holes.
Hey all. Has anyone tried dropping some Fender or Nordstrand P5 pickups into a VM Precision 5 yet? I just ordered a set of 08 US Std P5's for my VM.
I just installed an American Std P5 '08 pickup in my VMP5. Perfect fit. I recommend using the Squier screws because they allow more height adjustment. One thing to note: the American P5 pickup came in two pieces, meaning the two sides had to be soldered together (the wire was already hooked up to one side). Don't know why they ship them like that, but it seems all the USP5 pups come like that as a part...kind of lame as there is a very real danger of disconnecting the coil wire from the solder joint or demagnetizing the pickup. But it all went well.
Very punchy and a bit less harsh in the top end than the stock pup. Much more balanced string to string. Where the Squier seems to accentuate hi-mids, this pickup has a low-mid focus. I'll run it in a band setting tomorrow night. Pleased with the outcome so far.
Very punchy and a bit less harsh in the top end than the stock pup. Much more balanced string to string. Where the Squier seems to accentuate hi-mids, this pickup has a low-mid focus. I'll run it in a band setting tomorrow night. Pleased with the outcome so far.
