Greetings and Salutations, Y'all!
Malak the Mad here submitting yet another parts-bass projekts for review and discussion. This time, I've concocted something quite a bit different than my previous works. Rather than assembling another Jazz-centric instrument, I wanted to try something with a Fender Dimension bass at it's core. A week after it's completion and shakedown trials, I give you my "2-Dimension Projekt". (…or just "2D" or short)
First, a whole bunch o' pictures!
Now, on to the "nuts & bolts"…
Most of my projekts come with their own fresh set of challenges and learning experiences and this one was no exception. Fortunately, what I thought was going to be the biggest hurdle turned out to be only a minor one.
Fender Dimension necks have 21-frets, not the more commonplace 20-frets. Luckily, the neck pocket had the same size and shape as most standard Fenders, so the Squier neck I installed was a perfect fit. Plus, the factory-installed pilot holes for the bridge weren't too far out of tolerance when combined with the slightly shorter neck, so the only "adaptational adjustment" I had to make was to push the bridge saddles back a little bit further to get proper intonation. So far, it seems to be working fine, but if push ever comes to shove, I can always move the bridge back a half an inch or so.
The second challenge was to find a pickup that would fit the Dimension's unique routing. Since finding one of it's pickups for sale on it's own is next to impossible, I had to find something that would fit a 39mm x 90mm space. After some research, I settled upon a Bartolini BB-style soapbar pickup. Specifically, I liked the sound samples I found of the "Classic Bass" version. It, too, fits just fine, even if there's a small amount of empty space around it…so-not a big deal!
Choosing a preamp was the next hurdle. On one hand, I'm not very well-versed in active basses. On the other, finding a preamp for a single-pickup bass that isn't prohibitively expensive is a bit of a challenge in of itself. But, since I wasn't in a huge rush, I was able to take my time and thoroughly research my options. Ultimately, I discovered an eBay seller who had a whole bunch of early-90s-era Jackson JE-2000 preamps.
(Think "Nick Menza/Marty Friedman-era Megadeth"…their best lineup, in my opinion.
Also, fun fact if you're thinking of grabbing one; there is no center detent on the EQ pots. That's why I chose knobs with a visible, white dot. 
)
Armed with my findings, I went to discuss my options with Mike, my local GC guitar tech. After some discussion, we both agreed the pickup and preamp would work well together and that the inclusion of a Series/Parallel switch was possible, so as to take full advantage of the Bart's capabilities. We also agreed to only wire it up to a single 9-volt battery. We didn't know if 18-volts would burn out the electronics, so better to play it safe. (The Dimension body is routed for a dual-battery box. Fortunately, the Gotoh box could be wired-up to run with only one battery.)
Once I did all the shopping, assembling and installing I could do on my own, I handed it over to Mike to perform the electronics work I'm not comfortable doing…and violá! She is finished and ready to play…all 8lb. 11oz. of her!
Overall, I am very happy with the results. The BB "Classic" Bartolini sounds super-sweet, especially in Series mode. It's has a nice and thick sound to it, but the FlexSteels preserve a good bit o' growl, especially when I really dig into them. Despite my lack of familiarity with active basses, the simplicity of the single-pickup, Treble/Bass config is not difficult for me to wrap my brain around. Considering how much I'm used to passive, two-pickup, V/V/T systems, that's saying something.
Lastly, there's the name I chose for this projekt, "2D". Over the course of assembling this beastie, I noticed all the "twos" contained within and without…two pickup modes, two EQ adjustments, two finish tones, Fender (Dimension) & Squier (Jazz) parts from two distinct product lines…so, the name seemed quite proper and fitting.
Thanks for checking out the newest results of my never-ending tinkering, doubly-so if you actually managed to read all this. Please feel free to comment and critique. All I ask is to keep it constructive.
Malak the Mad here submitting yet another parts-bass projekts for review and discussion. This time, I've concocted something quite a bit different than my previous works. Rather than assembling another Jazz-centric instrument, I wanted to try something with a Fender Dimension bass at it's core. A week after it's completion and shakedown trials, I give you my "2-Dimension Projekt". (…or just "2D" or short)
First, a whole bunch o' pictures!
Now, on to the "nuts & bolts"…
- Fender Deluxe Dimension Body (Cherryburst Finish)
- Squier Vintage Modified '70s Jazz Neck
- High-Mass Bridge w/. Threaded Saddles
- Jackson JE-2000 Low Impedence Active Preamp
- Invalid Link Removed
- Large Ultra Toggle Switch (DPDT, 2-WAY, ON-ON)
- Proline Knobs
- Gotoh Dual-Battery Box
- D'Addario FlexSteels (.100-.045)
Most of my projekts come with their own fresh set of challenges and learning experiences and this one was no exception. Fortunately, what I thought was going to be the biggest hurdle turned out to be only a minor one.
Fender Dimension necks have 21-frets, not the more commonplace 20-frets. Luckily, the neck pocket had the same size and shape as most standard Fenders, so the Squier neck I installed was a perfect fit. Plus, the factory-installed pilot holes for the bridge weren't too far out of tolerance when combined with the slightly shorter neck, so the only "adaptational adjustment" I had to make was to push the bridge saddles back a little bit further to get proper intonation. So far, it seems to be working fine, but if push ever comes to shove, I can always move the bridge back a half an inch or so.
The second challenge was to find a pickup that would fit the Dimension's unique routing. Since finding one of it's pickups for sale on it's own is next to impossible, I had to find something that would fit a 39mm x 90mm space. After some research, I settled upon a Bartolini BB-style soapbar pickup. Specifically, I liked the sound samples I found of the "Classic Bass" version. It, too, fits just fine, even if there's a small amount of empty space around it…so-not a big deal!
Choosing a preamp was the next hurdle. On one hand, I'm not very well-versed in active basses. On the other, finding a preamp for a single-pickup bass that isn't prohibitively expensive is a bit of a challenge in of itself. But, since I wasn't in a huge rush, I was able to take my time and thoroughly research my options. Ultimately, I discovered an eBay seller who had a whole bunch of early-90s-era Jackson JE-2000 preamps.
(Think "Nick Menza/Marty Friedman-era Megadeth"…their best lineup, in my opinion.
)Armed with my findings, I went to discuss my options with Mike, my local GC guitar tech. After some discussion, we both agreed the pickup and preamp would work well together and that the inclusion of a Series/Parallel switch was possible, so as to take full advantage of the Bart's capabilities. We also agreed to only wire it up to a single 9-volt battery. We didn't know if 18-volts would burn out the electronics, so better to play it safe. (The Dimension body is routed for a dual-battery box. Fortunately, the Gotoh box could be wired-up to run with only one battery.)
Once I did all the shopping, assembling and installing I could do on my own, I handed it over to Mike to perform the electronics work I'm not comfortable doing…and violá! She is finished and ready to play…all 8lb. 11oz. of her!
Overall, I am very happy with the results. The BB "Classic" Bartolini sounds super-sweet, especially in Series mode. It's has a nice and thick sound to it, but the FlexSteels preserve a good bit o' growl, especially when I really dig into them. Despite my lack of familiarity with active basses, the simplicity of the single-pickup, Treble/Bass config is not difficult for me to wrap my brain around. Considering how much I'm used to passive, two-pickup, V/V/T systems, that's saying something.
Lastly, there's the name I chose for this projekt, "2D". Over the course of assembling this beastie, I noticed all the "twos" contained within and without…two pickup modes, two EQ adjustments, two finish tones, Fender (Dimension) & Squier (Jazz) parts from two distinct product lines…so, the name seemed quite proper and fitting.
Thanks for checking out the newest results of my never-ending tinkering, doubly-so if you actually managed to read all this. Please feel free to comment and critique. All I ask is to keep it constructive.
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And that's not counting the various necks nor the few Precision basses/bodies I've owned!
