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Not much going on here, but new pickup covers and flat barrel knobs.
here's a few pictures of my Squier Bronco Bass that I converted to fretless.
may not be as tricked out as some of the other ones in this thread, but it's the first mod I've ever attempted and it actually plays about a million times better.
https://static.talkbass.com/data/at.../1497949_84fb4d8a126ee0bd8e9cf4ded2175f8f.jpg
https://static.talkbass.com/data/at.../1497950_cd38fe905278d42558be213637382700.jpg
may not be as tricked out as some of the other ones in this thread, but it's the first mod I've ever attempted and it actually plays about a million times better.
https://static.talkbass.com/data/at.../1497949_84fb4d8a126ee0bd8e9cf4ded2175f8f.jpg
https://static.talkbass.com/data/at.../1497950_cd38fe905278d42558be213637382700.jpg
Here's another one, my VM fretless, with a tort Warmoth pickguard and strat knobs.
I tweaked my Squier parts bass a bit. It's a Squier VM Jazz neck, MIM Fender body with a matte black pickguard. Still has the QPs in it. I was going to go vintage with the pickups but I figured her little black number matched with the QPs better.
Just put a Santellan Sounds Elek-Trix harness in my modded fretless Squier Jazz. My word, does that thing sound amazing. Even though I had standard American electronics in it, the Santellan Sounds Elek-Trix harness sounds so much better. I settled on the variable capacitor at .022uF, and I get a really great tone out of it. The bonus is parallel-to-series push pull pot on the bridge pickup. The bass is VERY fat in series mode. I'm not affiliated with them in any way, but for $80, this thing really is a great upgrade for jazz basses, and they make a version for Pbasses, too.
One caveat. The Bournes pots they use are ever so slightly too big for stock Squier jazz plates, so you may need to bore yours out a tiny bit, as I did.
Link Removed
One caveat. The Bournes pots they use are ever so slightly too big for stock Squier jazz plates, so you may need to bore yours out a tiny bit, as I did.
Link Removed
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,612
- 222,129
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
What type of strings do you use? And how can you more describe "so much better" - as in, what are the main differences/improvements between a standard set-up and this unit. I've seen these and was curious myself if they are worth the money and trouble. I like my standard J w/La Bella flats and yet wonder if this unit could make it even better sounding. Is it more articulate?, louder/more present?, better range of tone options?
When the switch is in the "Up" position, your pickups are combined in series to create a new humbucker tone with your Neck volume control being active while the bridge volume control is disabled. This removes the additional resistance load and keeps the combined series signal pure and clean.
So does this mean (when pot pulled up) the neck volume knob controls both pu's simultaneously? And if so, how would you describe the tone/output.
thanks -
When you installed this unit in your Squier Jazz.. did you have to moddify the body cavity to fit..
Body cavity? No. Jack plate? Yes. If you're switching this out for a Fender plate, it will fit fine. You just have to deal with the fact that the Fender plate profile won't match your Squier Jazz pickguard. Le sigh. LOL.
I use a well-worn-in set of D'Addario Chromes, as I found the Tapewounds on this bass to be too zingy for my liking (the tapes moved over to my bass viol where they sound great acoustically and amplified). The sound is a bit more articulate in that it seems that I hear MORE of what is happening. It's a bit like watching a movie in standard definition, and then watching it in high definition.
Video still coming. Taking a bit to put this together, and I ended up falling asleep on the couch after farm chores last night, and didn't wake up until 7:30 this morning.
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,612
- 222,129
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- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
Super cool! Thanks so much for your well presented breakdown of the harness - I will listen to it again but in general it seems to give a more layered tone (with overtones etc) and sounds good even with the tone rolled off. Some (most) passive J's fall into non-definition when the tone is rolled off. This one has a nice presence and roundness but still tone-full. Definitely a consideration now, and what I would do is set up it up on another plate so I could swap back to the one that's on it if I chose.
That's the nice part about it, is that you have, literally, a plug and play platform for your bass guitar. At the same time, a lot of what you hear is the ability to better match a capacitor selection to what you are playing and how your bass is set up. The .022 worked for me, but there are 9 different settings from .010uF to .1uF. The pots are very nice and taper off in a more even manner, IMO, but the beauty is in the fact that you can spend 70-80 bucks and get the treble bleed mod, a blender or a series parallel switch, plus the selectable capacitor.
If gives me a lot of room to really dial in, and coupled with my other fretless, which has a Stellartone Tonestyler 10 in it with passive SD Quarter Pounder split coils, I have a pretty nice arsenal of tones and sounds on which to draw when working. And that's rarely a bad thing.
If gives me a lot of room to really dial in, and coupled with my other fretless, which has a Stellartone Tonestyler 10 in it with passive SD Quarter Pounder split coils, I have a pretty nice arsenal of tones and sounds on which to draw when working. And that's rarely a bad thing.
Would also be very interested in knowing this, I'm pretty sure I read hipshots drop in, but I can't remember which model.
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,612
- 222,129
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
That's the nice part about it, is that you have, literally, a plug and play platform for your bass guitar. At the same time, a lot of what you hear is the ability to better match a capacitor selection to what you are playing and how your bass is set up. The .022 worked for me, but there are 9 different settings from .010uF to .1uF. The pots are very nice and taper off in a more even manner, IMO, but the beauty is in the fact that you can spend 70-80 bucks and get the treble bleed mod, a blender or a series parallel switch, plus the selectable capacitor.
If gives me a lot of room to really dial in, and coupled with my other fretless, which has a Stellartone Tonestyler 10 in it with passive SD Quarter Pounder split coils, I have a pretty nice arsenal of tones and sounds on which to draw when working. And that's rarely a bad thing.
I have the Stellartone Tone-styler 10 pot in a fretless I made years ago and it sounds great with all the notched settings. For the bass I'm thinking of installing the Santellan in - I wrote to Larry describing the bass and asked his opinion for the best option out of the different versions he sells. I'm considering the one you used as default but after seeing there's a few versions I figured I'd see what he thought.
I think it mostly depends on how you use the bass and what your overall sound goals are. But regardless, I hardly think you can go wrong. It's a great product, IMO.
I have Wilkinson's on my fretless Squier VM jazz, which were on it when I got it. Not sure they were a terribly high-dollar upgrade, but they work, and they fit. Hipshot extenders that fit MIM jazzes are supposed to be a direct drop in on a Squier, so you might try those.
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,612
- 222,129
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- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
I got word back from Larry yesterday and he echoed your choice - I just ordered one! Thanks for your review of this mod - I'm looking forward to hearing my already cool J sound even better! It's all about tone.
