Sting (or 50' reissues) bass mods!

[bassbengoa]

Hey!

I just got hold of a 2002 Sting bass CIJ. I am thinking of doing a couple of mods, but I would like some enlightment. I searched the forums and apparently the 3 most common mods are:
- Electrosocket jack
- Ashtray covers for pickup and bridge
- Bridge swap

Currently I am thinking of changing the jack as it is loose. Also, I would like to try using covers, but I am not sold on it yet. I like the pickup as it is.

If you have any of those or other modifications, please, I would appreciate suggestions and -specially- pictures! We all love eye candy

My new Sting:

 

[Rallypoint_1]

Me like!! Take the PG off. Sting doesn’t have one. As for the bridge I would leave it. True, intonation is give and and take but that bridge looks like home there. Get the covers and put double sided tape and see how it is. If good, screw them in. Play the crap out it it. Damn...now I want one!!!

 

[bwildt]

My mods. I was going for a kind of retro/country look. I was playing in a country band at the time.

Pickup and Bridge covers, original bridge.

Aged creme pearloid pickguard.

TI flatwound strings.

Output jack changed to one of those football-shaped plates. I got tired of the original coming loose all the time.

 

[bassbengoa]

My mods. I was going for a kind of retro/country look. I was playing in a country band at the time.

Pickup and Bridge covers, original bridge.

Aged creme pearloid pickguard.

Output jack changed to one of those football-shaped plates. I got tired of the original coming loose all the time.
View attachment 3320327

This is freaking awesome. Where did you get the pickguard?

 

[bwildt]

Frankly, I don't remember where I got the pickguard. It was online, probably either WD Music or Pickguardian. I think I sent the original to them as a pattern. They sent the original back with the new one.

 

[bassbengoa]

Did you replace the pickup?

 

[Jim Carr]

Can't resist re-posting a pic or two of my '55. You can see more and read about it here: A (vintage) 1955 Classic P-bass Reborn!

 

[bassbengoa]

Can't resist re-posting a pic or two of my '55. You can see more and read about it here: A (vintage) 1955 Classic P-bass Reborn!

View attachment 3320425 View attachment 3320428

That's what I am going after. Very nice! Do you still use chromes with it? I actually ordered GHS flats to try them, as I haven't used flats before

Does the thumb rest bother you when playing?

 

[Jim Carr]

That's what I am going after. Very nice! Do you still use chromes with it? I actually ordered GHS flats to try them, as I haven't used flats before

Does the thumb rest bother you when playing?

I do still have light chromes on it, but am about to go back to round wounds, probably light gauge 7250 Fenders. The "thumb rest," is actually a finger grip aka "tug bar," and it is useful when playing old thumb/palm-mute style. If I want to slap, it's going to be on a Jazz relic.

 

[jhb138]

I highly recommend the Electrosocket; it's almost a necessity. Anything else is a matter of preference and aesthetics. But *real men* ALWAYS keep the two-saddle bridge. ;-)

 

[tjh]

Me like!! Take the PG off. Sting doesn’t have one. As for the bridge I would leave it....

I don't remember if it is the Sting or the '51 RI, or maybe even both (been over 10 years since I owned any of these), but there is an oval shaped route under the P/G on one (or both) …

.. the bridge that I was swapping out on this and the '51 was the simple bent plate with the threaded saddles off of the '02-'07 American Series basses … very unobtrusive, and gave you all the adjustments you would ever want, and it was a direct swap with the ability to STB or topload …

My personal favorite swap on the Sting Sig's I had, was to put on a '51 RI neck and get rid of the StingLay …

 

[Vinnie Boombatz]

Timely thread, as I just picked up a 2002-2004 CIJ '51 Precision. I got it for $400, so I can justify doing a few mods/improvements.

Mine came with a Basslines/SD SCPB-3 pickup, which frankly, just plain sucked. I replaced it with an SD Antiquity II, and it's a night and day difference, and well worth the $89 price tag for the pickup. Strung with some GHS Precision Flats and you really can't ask for anything more.

That was all Planned to do with the bass, but the bass apparently had other plans. Despite attempting to clean the volume and tone pots with contact cleaner several times, they still have a lot of static, and the tone pot is intermittent.

Given it's a CIJ it has a very small control cavity, so I ordered some CTS mini pots, which fit into the cavity just fine, but the 1/4" shafts on the pots are apparently bigger than the cheap pots that were originally used, so the CTS pot shafts wont fit through the holes in the control plate. Instead of drilling out the holes in the control pate I found a new control plate that's used on the American-made '51's and MIM made Dirnt Precisions. This plate has 1/4" holes for the CTS pots, just hope it fits/lines up with the existing mounting holes in my CIJ. If not, I'll just drill out the holes in the stock plate.

While I'm replacing the pots I'm going to rewire the cavity. the stock wire is pretty darn thin, which seems to be par for the course for any CIJ/MIJ fender guitar or bass Iv'e owned. So I have some vintage-style cloth wire and a new 0.47 cap I'll drop in and a new Switchcraft jack. I've already shielded the pickup cavity, control cavity and small route that's under the pickguard (after I installed the new pickup I covered the route with an additional piece of copper foil tape). Bass is much quieter now.

I'm keeping the bridge stock as I've dialed in the intonation to where it's acceptable and sounds fine to me.

I also ordered some chrome covers, and while I like the look and use these and have them both on my Classic 50's Lacquer Precision, the pickup cover on the CIJ '51 gets in the way of my playing, so I'm just going with the bridge cover.

I also plan on taking apart the tuners and hitting them with some Tr-Flow because they're a bit stiff.

I also ordered all the different screws needed to convert them all to flathead screws, just to give it a more "authentic" look...tuner mounting screws, bridge screws, pickguard screws, neck plate screws.

Finally, the last thing I'll be doing is lightly aging the covers, new knobs and new control plate simply because my bass was apparently used quite a bit by it's previous owner, and has it's fair share of bumps, bruises and dings, and the shiny new covers and control plate look a bit out of place. I've done this before with a set of Jazz bass covers I put on a Road Worn Jazz. I put the mounting screws and covers in a Tupperware container with some tiny stones and dirt from the yard and just shook the container for a few minutes anti took that new shine off of everything and looked great.

 

[bwildt]

Did you replace the pickup?

I'm still running the stock pickup. It works for me.

 

[JW56789]

I always wonder about those 'thumb rests' on the high side: Are there some mutants in Cali ( . . . .well, that's a dumb question . . . . .) with a thumb where most people have their little finger ? ? ? ?

 

[Dynacord]

I highly recommend the Electrosocket; it's almost a necessity. Anything else is a matter of preference and aesthetics. But *real men* ALWAYS keep the two-saddle bridge. ;-)

Electrosocket is a nice improvement. Worth knowing that Switchcraft makes a longer necked jack which, when used with the Electrosocket, allows use of either straight or right angle tipped cables (edit: if using the more common size, some angled tips don't fit). *IF* changing the bridge, the Fender American Deluxe (at least was) a direct replacement using the same holes and allowing either top load or string through.

 

[steeq]

I installed a Wilkinson two-saddles swivel bridge on mine, to improve intonation while retaining vintage style, and upgraded pickup to Seymour Duncan SCPB-1 with a slight improvement over the stock Fender pickup, mounted GHS Precision Flats 45-105 for old style warm sound and thump, tried Rotosound 77 that were too harsh for me.

 

[bassbengoa]

Electrosocket is a nice improvement. Worth knowing that Switchcraft makes a longer necked jack which, when used with the Electrosocket, allows use of either straight or right angle tipped cables (if using the more common size, you're generally limited to straight tips). *IF* changing the bridge, the Fender American Deluxe (at least was) a direct replacement using the same holes and allowing either top load or string through.

Do you have a link for that? Sounds interesting

 

[bassbengoa]

I installed a Wilkinson two-saddles swivel bridge on mine, to improve intonation while retaining vintage style, and upgraded pickup to Seymour Duncan SCPB-1 with a slight improvement over the stock Fender pickup, mounted GHS Precision Flats 45-105 for old style warm sound and thump, tried Rotosound 77 that were too harsh for me.
View attachment 3320772

And how's that bridge holding up? Better intonation? Also, where did you get it? I haven't been able to find it online

 

[Rabidhamster]

Timely thread, as I just picked up a 2002-2004 CIJ '51 Precision. I got it for $400, so I can justify doing a few mods/improvements.

Mine came with a Basslines/SD SCPB-3 pickup, which frankly, just plain sucked. I replaced it with an SD Antiquity II, and it's a night and day difference, and well worth the $89 price tag for the pickup. Strung with some GHS Precision Flats and you really can't ask for anything more.

That was all Planned to do with the bass, but the bass apparently had other plans. Despite attempting to clean the volume and tone pots with contact cleaner several times, they still have a lot of static, and the tone pot is intermittent.

Given it's a CIJ it has a very small control cavity, so I ordered some CTS mini pots, which fit into the cavity just fine, but the 1/4" shafts on the pots are apparently bigger than the cheap pots that were originally used, so the CTS pot shafts wont fit through the holes in the control plate. Instead of drilling out the holes in the control pate I found a new control plate that's used on the American-made '51's and MIM made Dirnt Precisions. This plate has 1/4" holes for the CTS pots, just hope it fits/lines up with the existing mounting holes in my CIJ. If not, I'll just drill out the holes in the stock plate.

While I'm replacing the pots I'm going to rewire the cavity. the stock wire is pretty darn thin, which seems to be par for the course for any CIJ/MIJ fender guitar or bass Iv'e owned. So I have some vintage-style cloth wire and a new 0.47 cap I'll drop in and a new Switchcraft jack. I've already shielded the pickup cavity, control cavity and small route that's under the pickguard (after I installed the new pickup I covered the route with an additional piece of copper foil tape). Bass is much quieter now.

I'm keeping the bridge stock as I've dialed in the intonation to where it's acceptable and sounds fine to me.

I also ordered some chrome covers, and while I like the look and use these and have them both on my Classic 50's Lacquer Precision, the pickup cover on the CIJ '51 gets in the way of my playing, so I'm just going with the bridge cover.

I also plan on taking apart the tuners and hitting them with some Tr-Flow because they're a bit stiff.

I also ordered all the different screws needed to convert them all to flathead screws, just to give it a more "authentic" look...tuner mounting screws, bridge screws, pickguard screws, neck plate screws.

Finally, the last thing I'll be doing is lightly aging the covers, new knobs and new control plate simply because my bass was apparently used quite a bit by it's previous owner, and has it's fair share of bumps, bruises and dings, and the shiny new covers and control plate look a bit out of place. I've done this before with a set of Jazz bass covers I put on a Road Worn Jazz. I put the mounting screws and covers in a Tupperware container with some tiny stones and dirt from the yard and just shook the container for a few minutes anti took that new shine off of everything and looked great.

View attachment 3320521

View attachment 3320522

It’ll probably be way easier to ream the holes in the control plate - you can get a reamer from harbor freight for under $5 most days.

 

[Dynacord]

Do you have a link for that? Sounds interesting

The jack or the bridge? If the jack, just a "long thread" version of the regular Switchcraft jack. Like this: Switchcraft LONG THREAD L11 Mono (T/S) 1/4" Input/Output Jack w/ Nut & Washer 645208007064 | eBay

With a regular jack, it is inset with the Electrosocket and most angled tips won't connect.

Bridge is like this: Invalid Link Removed
but seeing that Wilkinson, I might switch tho that.