Looks great! Glad you like the guard. Got a few more of these in the shop recently and must say the original guard I made the template from was a little off. My latest template should be spot on if anyone else is looking for a guard.I swapped the original parchment (Steve's favourite) PG to a twneagle black one last night. My, did the change improve the looks of the bass! Now I just need some weird pot knobs...
E: All the screw holes didn't quite line up, but who cares. The wood is so soft that the screws dig into it anyway.
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Squier Vintage Modified Precision V: who's got one?
- Thread starter Chef
- Start date
Looks nice Man. Glad the guard worked well for you.Hey, here is my bass back from the local repairman. New pickguard with reverse P-config, and the Wyldepickups Bill Lawrence P-46 in a symmentrical split. Also a bandmate wraps and decorates surfaces for a living and offered to coat the bass in a graphite looking vinyl. Looks pretty cool I think. Now looking forward to hearing it with the band in two days. Oh, and Fender stringtrees.
Edit, bought the pickguard on ebay from a seller named twneagle and specified no routing, which the local repairman did for me.
- Jul 30, 2006
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- Endorsing artist:Regenerate Guitar Works Carvin, Micheal Kelly Guitars
I'm considering playing mine at The Austin Reggae Festival on Sunday. Should be about 20,000+ people there. That oughta test her out pretty good. I will try to get some pictures taken.
Doug Parent
Supporting Member
Careful, we don't want those boutique owner's to come here and start hating
I'm an ex-boteek owner and for a grand less than an American Fender I'm not missing much.
FWIW, the neck pocket is unfinished, so it'll dry out over time. At least mine was (was also full of sawdust, which I've since brushed out...
There's no magic about CTS pots, or cloth-covered wire for that matter. What good pots give you, is better longevity, and in some cases, smoother operation.
You can certainly some shift the tonal range of the bass by changing the tone cap. Even when the tone control is wide open, it bleeds off some highs.
A larger value cap (i.e.: 0.1) will darken things up, and a smaller one (0.22) will steal less of the mids when you roll the tone knob back.
Another trick is to install an SPST switch in the wire between the tone cap and the volume control. When it's closed, the tone control works normally. When it's open, the tone control (including the pot) is out of the circuit, reducing the load on the pickup, and brightening the overall tone.
You can also use the switch for a preset tone shift- dial the tone control back to a given value for your darker sound, then use the switch to toggle between that sound, and wide open.
You can certainly some shift the tonal range of the bass by changing the tone cap. Even when the tone control is wide open, it bleeds off some highs.
A larger value cap (i.e.: 0.1) will darken things up, and a smaller one (0.22) will steal less of the mids when you roll the tone knob back.
Another trick is to install an SPST switch in the wire between the tone cap and the volume control. When it's closed, the tone control works normally. When it's open, the tone control (including the pot) is out of the circuit, reducing the load on the pickup, and brightening the overall tone.
You can also use the switch for a preset tone shift- dial the tone control back to a given value for your darker sound, then use the switch to toggle between that sound, and wide open.
Great Steve, thanks for the answer... I was thinking about an orange drop 0.1u... but have heard about the paper in oil russian cap; is there a great tonal difference?
Some capacitor types sound bad for audio. Tantalum, for instance.
Amongst suitable types, I've heard minor differences, but I've never been truly sure if it was construction or values being off spec- it's rare for PIO caps to be offered in really tight tolerances.
Also, I tend to notice more of a difference in tube amps, where the signal strength and DC voltages are much higher.
Sojo mustard caps are nice to work with, because of their relatively small size. There are tons of look-alike "orange drops" out there, and many are from low-end Chinese manufacturers. It's difficult to be sure that you've got consistent quality and values, unless you're sourcing actual Mallory caps.
To tell the truth, I don't hear anything really wrong with the green poly caps that are OEM on most guitars and basses. However as a technician, I can't afford to ignore public opinion. I always buy Mallory orange or Sojo mustard as replacements, simply because customers are familiar with them and they have a good reputation.
I actually find pot tapers more interesting than capacitor types, since they can have such a big effect on how predictable the tone or volume control feels. Ironically, construction has changed over the decades, and many pots use stepped elements these days, rather than smooth tapers. Current production Ernie Ball pedals don't sweep nearly as smoothly as NOS ones, and it's the pot that's at fault.
This leaves technicians without a lot of control over the situation. If I'm replacing pots in some instruments (like a USA model PRS guitar or a Dingwall bass), I will make an extra effort to get my hands on OEM parts, because the pots they use have such nice tapers and bushings. When it comes to pots, if it feels great, then it IS great.
Amongst suitable types, I've heard minor differences, but I've never been truly sure if it was construction or values being off spec- it's rare for PIO caps to be offered in really tight tolerances.
Also, I tend to notice more of a difference in tube amps, where the signal strength and DC voltages are much higher.
Sojo mustard caps are nice to work with, because of their relatively small size. There are tons of look-alike "orange drops" out there, and many are from low-end Chinese manufacturers. It's difficult to be sure that you've got consistent quality and values, unless you're sourcing actual Mallory caps.
To tell the truth, I don't hear anything really wrong with the green poly caps that are OEM on most guitars and basses. However as a technician, I can't afford to ignore public opinion. I always buy Mallory orange or Sojo mustard as replacements, simply because customers are familiar with them and they have a good reputation.
I actually find pot tapers more interesting than capacitor types, since they can have such a big effect on how predictable the tone or volume control feels. Ironically, construction has changed over the decades, and many pots use stepped elements these days, rather than smooth tapers. Current production Ernie Ball pedals don't sweep nearly as smoothly as NOS ones, and it's the pot that's at fault.
This leaves technicians without a lot of control over the situation. If I'm replacing pots in some instruments (like a USA model PRS guitar or a Dingwall bass), I will make an extra effort to get my hands on OEM parts, because the pots they use have such nice tapers and bushings. When it comes to pots, if it feels great, then it IS great.
I thought it was a more noticeable difference. To tell you the truth I find nothing wrong with the electronics on the VMP5. It sounds nice and clear, really quiet, no noise when plugged. Now it's a bit trebby for my taste, but it's a precision with maple fretboard and I'm used to the jazz with rosewood sound... And strings are new and have a lot of zing... So I'll leave it just as it is for now, give strings a week or two to break, and if they are still to zingy I'll change them for a more mellow set. Later will change the pots and the cap.
Thanks for your time!!!
Thanks for your time!!!
Just switched the strings on my VM P5 from nickel Lowriders, which have been fantastic for a class B string, to Fatbeams.
Boom! There it is. This bass is loving the steels.
I was a little wary that their tension might be too low due to the round cores, but I haven't even had to tweak the trussrod at all. Nice taught B string still but with even greater definition. There's more bottom to the overall tone too.
They are definitely more pliable and easier to play than the Lowriders, amazing really.
I'm very happy, recommended!
Boom! There it is. This bass is loving the steels.
I was a little wary that their tension might be too low due to the round cores, but I haven't even had to tweak the trussrod at all. Nice taught B string still but with even greater definition. There's more bottom to the overall tone too.
They are definitely more pliable and easier to play than the Lowriders, amazing really.
I'm very happy, recommended!
I recommended Sunbeams to a client that had this bass and he was ecstatic with the results. It tamed the harshness and got him that classic pbass tone he was after.
I love Sunbeams on 4-string P-basses. Lovely warm sound, and they last well. Couldn't get a good B out of them on my 5-string basses, regardless of type.
NicJimBass
Flossin'? I thought your name was Munson!
I threw Chromes on as soon as I got my VMP5. Does the P with flats thing effortlessly. My tastes have changed somewhat, and I currently have the bass wearing Kalium strings, but the Chromes are still awesome.
The chromes sounded great, I had them on for a good 9 months or so.
I wanted a little more mids so now I have TI Flats on mine.
I wanted a little more mids so now I have TI Flats on mine.
- Jul 11, 2005
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- Gecko Leatherworks
