It is currently Mon Mar 16, 2020 2:10 pm

All times are UTC - 7 hours



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 10 posts ] 
Author Message
Post subject: Project questions....
Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2013 4:43 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Thu Nov 01, 2012 1:58 pm
Posts: 1051
Location: SW Florida
Greetings,

I am mulling two ways to go with a project I have in mind, and I have a couple questions....probably more to follow.

1) The old Pbass single coils required a guard. Is that still the same with today's replacements?

2) On maple fingerboards, especially fretless (but either) why have they never had designs on them, artwork, etc. They get a gloss finish coat, why not something under it? (I know Mark King, etc. have put LEDs and things, but you never see a custom color or artwork, except for inlays.)

_________________
Collector of vintage Fender 4 string basses.


Top
Profile
Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject: Re: Project questions....
Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2013 8:05 pm
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jun 14, 2011 9:54 am
Posts: 327
Location: Tidewater, Virginia
1) What do you mean old style Precision single coil? Do you mean the '51-'56? Because I am sure as you know both style of pickups mount into the body so per say you do not need a pick guard to hold them in place, you could cut a pick guard so it only covers the input and knob section.

2) Probably because inlaying on a thin rosewood or ebony fingerboard detached is a lot less cumbersome than having to do so with a whole neck. And maybe there are people who have inlayed art into a maple neck, we just haven't seen any yet?

_________________
1965 Fender Precision Bass, 1994 Fender '54 Reissue Precision Bass, 2007 Applause Celebrity, 2011 Fender American Special Jazz Bass, 2012 Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster, 2013 Fender American Special Stratocaster, 2013 Gibson LPJ


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Project questions....
Posted: Wed Dec 04, 2013 9:23 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician

Joined: Sat Feb 12, 2011 8:01 am
Posts: 2842
The strings would eat up artwork. Is that what you mean? Inlays would get routed out and chip maybe? Plus anything in the board would mess with the sound and continuity of the board? That's my guess.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Project questions....
Posted: Wed Dec 04, 2013 10:38 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Fri Mar 21, 2008 11:00 am
Posts: 1226
Location: In the pocket north of Washington D.C.
the old style single coil P-bass pickups made today are just as vulnerable to being pulled apart by finger pressure as the original pickups and that is why it is advisable to use the chrome pickup cover over them.

The Sting bass comes with out any cover, but you could put one on the bass if you wish.

I play my Sting bass with out any cover but I don't use the pickup as a finger rest.

Artwork on a fretless finger board would have to be sealed under layers of finish to last against the wear of the strings. This is probably more trouble than its worth, because fretless finger boards should be sanded level as the strings wear into them.

_________________
If thine enemy wrong thee, buy each of his children a drum.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Project questions....
Posted: Wed Dec 04, 2013 12:00 pm
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jun 14, 2011 9:54 am
Posts: 327
Location: Tidewater, Virginia
Ahh, when affprod said "guard" what he actually meant was "chrome pickup cover originally designed as a crude shielding device". I have a '54 RI and I love the cover as I can use it as a finger rest, I took it off and now I just need to get a vintage spec correct pick guard.

_________________
1965 Fender Precision Bass, 1994 Fender '54 Reissue Precision Bass, 2007 Applause Celebrity, 2011 Fender American Special Jazz Bass, 2012 Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster, 2013 Fender American Special Stratocaster, 2013 Gibson LPJ


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Project questions....
Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2013 8:48 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Thu Aug 07, 2008 3:12 pm
Posts: 6355
Location: Albemarle, NC
Yes I think he meant the chrome pickup cover too. If you own a first generation P-Bass the cover actually does more than just shielding from my point of view. The pickups are wide open to being pulled apart as BC Bassman pointed out. That fact is exactly why you shouldn't loan out one with a naked pickup. When the top flatwork is pulled off the instrument is dead till the pickup is replaced. The poles will actually fall out and roll across the stage or floor.

What has happened beforebis that someone asks to borrow the naked pickup first generation P-bass for a gig or even just play it for "just a minute" and it is returned to you with the pickup destroyed. Your buddy says, "I don't know how that happened, it just fell apart while I was playing." What most likely happened is that since 1957 P-Bass players have safely used the plastic pickup cover itself as a thumb or finger rest on second generation P-Basses. For some players doing that has become an engraved muscle memory and muscle memory habits engraved for years are hard to break. One should never do the "pickup as a finger/thumb rest" thing with a first generation P-Bass even momentarily. Also with a naked pickup during crazy aggressive play using modern lower tension strings it is easy to catch either the E or G string under the edge of the pickup's top flatwork which can pull it apart like it was an Oreo without your fingers or thumb even touching the pickup.

Installing a chrome pickup cover on any first generation P-Bass reissue is a little more complicated than just drilling two holes and screwing it down. That's because all of the Japanese RI pickguards (Sting, 51 RI, Blue Flower, etc) have a pickguard that is not shaped or sized exactly like a vintage one. They are just enough wider toward the G string than the vintage ones so that you have to reshape the guard a tad in the area where the pickup cover seats if you want the cover centered over the pickup. Centered over the pickup is of course is the vintage correct cover location. Often you will see the pickup cover on the Japan RI's installed off center because of the expanded pickguard area, which to me looks very weird.

Instead of doing either of those things a compromise on the Fender Japan Reissues is to position the cover closer toward the bridge by about 3/4 of an inch so that appears centered over the strings but isn't centered over the pickup. When put closer to the bridge this way you can get one almost centered over the strings, but then the superior edge of the pickup (the pickup edge closest to the neck) is going to be closer to the superior edge of the pickup cover and in fact REAL close to the edge of the cover. This is the position I favor as it requires no pickguard reshaping and lets me play a tad closer to the pickup while still reducing the possibility of trashing the pickup by accident. This location may not be as effective so far as shielding is concerned and certainly it is not vintage correct, but it does afford some protection from damage while you also avoid touching up the pickguard shape or come out with it looking askew.

Owners who know about how easy it is to break one of these pickups can safely play a naked one forever, but I sure wouldn't let anyone else play it even for a few minutes. The covers are pretty affordable. The screws should be small flathead ones, not Phillips head pickguard screws. Some parts sellers include the correct small flathead screws with the covers and some don't, so if buying them be sure to ask before buying if the flathead mounting screws are included.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Project questions....
Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2013 9:24 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician

Joined: Sat Feb 12, 2011 8:01 am
Posts: 2842
If you aren't worried about resale or any of that with a Sting-- you could make an inch wide metal rectangle with rounded ends- drill holes in the proper place in the rounded off ends-- put 4 bends in it so it clears the strings properly and fits over the pickup. It would be like a small pickup cover that doubles as a thumb rest and keeps you from ruining the pick up. It would be a lot smaller than a vintage pickup cover and would give you more playing room lengthwise on each side of the string. That would be better for someone who doesn't like the way those big covers take up so much space in the area between the neck and bridge. You would get at least an inch more string exposure on each side of the smaller cover than with the vintage cover. Maybe I should make one. :?:


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Project questions....
Posted: Fri Dec 06, 2013 11:07 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Thu Nov 01, 2012 1:58 pm
Posts: 1051
Location: SW Florida
Thanks for the replies. I was hoping the new replacement pups were a bit tougher sothey could be left exposed, allowing for more body surface exposed.

Going to Plan B

_________________
Collector of vintage Fender 4 string basses.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Project questions....
Posted: Fri Dec 06, 2013 7:49 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Thu Aug 07, 2008 3:12 pm
Posts: 6355
Location: Albemarle, NC
affprod wrote:
Thanks for the replies. I was hoping the new replacement pups were a bit tougher sothey could be left exposed, allowing for more body surface exposed.

Going to Plan B


I think as long as you play it yourself and keep whippersnappers away from it then you'll be ok with no cover.

What pickup you getting?


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Project questions....
Posted: Sun Dec 08, 2013 11:51 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Thu Nov 01, 2012 1:58 pm
Posts: 1051
Location: SW Florida
I'm leaning towards a Curtis Novak Tele pup, but a long way from making a decision.

_________________
Collector of vintage Fender 4 string basses.


Top
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 10 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 7 hours

Fender Play Winter Sale 2020

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: