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Post subject: Re: Reuild a Fender JP 90
Posted: Mon May 12, 2014 11:12 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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I can't recommend modding a somewhat hard to find U.S./Mexico Fender to that extent, especially since it's so easy to get a good tone with it. That thing's gotta sound just awesome with that BA bridge installed.

Seriously, painting that bass would be a mistake. Just my opinion.


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Post subject: Re: Reuild a Fender JP 90
Posted: Tue May 13, 2014 5:50 am
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It definitely has more sustain than my old Squier P-Bass. You're right about the tone.

The main reason I wanted to paint it was to cover the dings on the bottom, looks like the strap may have come loose at least once.


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Post subject: Re: Reuild a Fender JP 90
Posted: Tue May 13, 2014 10:16 pm
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Location: Albemarle, NC
bdwgml@gMail.com wrote:
I hope I don't get chastised too much for reviving this old thread. I just bought a JP-90, white. I'm thinking of changing the color and possibly even modify the knobs, add one for a mix between pups vs. the 3-way switch.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Image


If it ain't broke I would not fix it. Refinishing is expensive. Do it yourself refinishing seldom works out like you planned. Sometimes it does but usually not. In general I never refinish anything.

I could see changing up the controls if you think it would better suit your needs. This model, even though 24 years old, will take many more decades to see any appreciable value increases, so keeping it all stock isn't really a big deal. I love these instruments. I had a good one that was the most versatile passive P/J I ever had. The beauty of the switch design is to remove the loading of the other pickup when one pickup is soloed. This makes the P pickup sound more like a Precision Bass and the J pickup sound more like a Jazz Bass when soloed. With a pan pot you are going to introduce loading issues from the other pickup and will not have the distinct J tone or distinct P tone. There should be a way to do the pan pot with the switch too so that the pan pot only works in the center position. I might try that to keep the switch in play. I don't have or know of a diagram for doing it that way though.


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Post subject: Re: Reuild a Fender JP 90
Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 5:56 am
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The more I play it, the more I think I will leave it as is. Loving that BadAss II bridge, but there's a slight problem with the E string alignment, it doesn't go right between the pickup poles like it should. I wish my bridge was slotted like this one so I could reposition the E string.

Image

I'm not about to pay $100 for another bridge though.


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Post subject: Re: Reuild a Fender JP 90
Posted: Thu May 15, 2014 12:00 pm
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Location: Albemarle, NC
Just because it doesn't line up perfectly between the poles doesn't matter. Bill Lawrence told me that himself. "In the ballpark" is fine and moving the string to the exact middle of the poles will make no difference at all. Don't worry about it. Just play it!


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Post subject: Re: Reuild a Fender JP 90
Posted: Thu May 15, 2014 12:18 pm
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brotherdave wrote:

Bill Lawrence told me that himself.



Wasn't he like the German Les Paul?

That's a load off my mind. I will stop screwing with the lift pins on the saddle now.

I was just playing it, and getting some fret buzz, but that's more about my finger placement.
Love love the sustain that BA bridge gives.
I couldn't hold a note nearly as long on my Squier.


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Post subject: Re: Reuild a Fender JP 90
Posted: Thu May 15, 2014 3:21 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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brotherdave wrote:
Just because it doesn't line up perfectly between the poles doesn't matter. Bill Lawrence told me that himself. "In the ballpark" is fine and moving the string to the exact middle of the poles will make no difference at all. Don't worry about it. Just play it!


I appreciated this info. Such subjects are hard to get a straight answer on most of the time.


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Post subject: Re: Reuild a Fender JP 90
Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2014 3:12 pm
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bdwgml@gMail.com wrote:
brotherdave wrote:

Bill Lawrence told me that himself.



Wasn't he like the German Les Paul?



Kinda sorta.

He was one of the brightest pickup and guitar electronics designers ever having designed pickups for Gibson, Peavey, Framus and Fender including the Fender NOISELESS line. I had that same alignment issue on one string and emailed him a long time ago. He replied that it mattered not one bit and it didn't have to be centered. Yes he was German born but his shop in Corona, CA (which of course is also where Fender's USA plant is located) and they are still make his final designs called "WILDE" pickups. The pickups being sold under the "Bill Lawrence Pickups" brand are good pickups but they are 30 year old designs he sold off to a former partner who bought him out and are not his final designs.


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Post subject: Re: Re-Paint a Fender JP 90
Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2014 3:29 pm
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I never did anything with the bass except change the strings. I even thought about that long & hard first, because I didn't want to put new strings on it & then tear them off soon after to repaint it.
I am terrified that I wouldn't get the same mirror gloss finish like the factory does.


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Post subject: Re: Reuild a Fender JP 90
Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2014 3:34 pm
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White with Black, and Red with Black, were both really neat colors on the JP-90. I didn't get the Black and Black as it spoiled the coolest part of the look, the pickguard. I wouldn't change the color. Great bass.

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Collector of vintage Fender 4 string basses.


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Post subject: Re: Reuild a Fender JP 90
Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2014 1:10 pm
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Hi, I just finished upgrading my JP-90 (my very first bass).
The new items are:

- Fender Precision Bass Pickups - Original Vintage Design
- Single Super 55 Split Coils Jazz Bass Bridge Pickup
- Leo Quan Badass II bass bridge (with grooved saddles)
- New pickguard

I'm very happy with the results, sounds and looks amazing.

Some pictures,

Image

Image

Image

Greetings from Chile.


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Post subject: Re: Reuild a Fender JP 90
Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2014 3:03 pm
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Looks great. I've got the BA bridge too, but mine has the original pups.


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Post subject: Re: Reuild a Fender JP 90
Posted: Fri Oct 24, 2014 11:57 pm
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Jbass73, Good job! I too like that Fender Original Precision Bass pickup. It was used in the 62 AVRI and other high end models. Maybe the best P-Bass pickup I ever used. It is my favorite mass produced Split coil P-Bass pickup! I like it better than the custom makers high end stuff. It is a killer diller.


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Post subject: Re: Reuild a Fender JP 90
Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2015 9:28 am
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Hi, new to the forum and hope I'm not hijacking the thread, but help would be appreciated.

I used to play my step-fathers JP-90. (Red) SN: N000866 He passed away a few years ago and I
inherited it along with the Pee-Vee Scorpion Equipped amp. Both are in great shape.

I recently took it to a local music shop to have it re-stringed and the setup checked. When I picked it
up they told me that they could not adjust the neck.

Since YouTube is such a wealth of information I checked there on bass setup and the string height is too
high above the neck. The adjuster is already turned fully clockwise. I can loosen it up all the way and nothing
changes. I gave it several hours with the adjuster loose just to see if anything changed. Nothing did.

My questions are first, can this be fixed? Second, is there anything that I can do myself to correct this, and finally
is this particular bass worth spending the money to have repaired if I can't do it myself.

And just venting on this one. The music shop seemed to crack the finish a bit trying to adjust the neck. Adjuster
is on front side at lower end of the neck and is slotted for a phillips screwdriver it would appear. A bit ticked off
the finish is a bit damaged there, but then again I did ask them to check the setup. Bummer.

Thanks for any input you experts can offer. Very much appreciated.


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Post subject: Re: Reuild a Fender JP 90
Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2015 10:47 am
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Location: In the pocket north of Washington D.C.
Quote:
Since YouTube is such a wealth of information I checked there on bass setup and the string height is too
high above the neck. The adjuster is already turned fully clockwise. I can loosen it up all the way and nothing
changes. I gave it several hours with the adjuster loose just to see if anything changed. Nothing did.

My questions are first, can this be fixed? Second, is there anything that I can do myself to correct this, and finally
is this particular bass worth spending the money to have repaired if I can't do it myself.

And just venting on this one. The music shop seemed to crack the finish a bit trying to adjust the neck. Adjuster
is on front side at lower end of the neck and is slotted for a phillips screwdriver it would appear. A bit ticked off
the finish is a bit damaged there, but then again I did ask them to check the setup. Bummer.


You need to find a reliable shop to determine what is wrong with your bass. The first shop may have broken the truss rod or it may have been broken before you received the bass.
You have to be careful about accusing anyone in this instance.
The truss rod may just need to be extremely adjusted. A neck should be clamped in the direction that you want it to go before an extreme adjustment.

A JP-90 should have its truss rod adjustment at the top of the neck not the body-side as you describe.
Is there a possibility that you are talking about an older Fender Bass. Those did have truss rods with cross style adjusters - Not Phillips but I could see how you would mistake it for that .

There are some truss rods that can be shimmed or repaired if broken, but you need to get that bass in the hands of an expert to see what it needs. Who is the best repair person in your area?

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