PJ Bass - Control Layout - now accidentally turned into a build thread!

Bridgehouse

Had to make a decision. Ordered the Dimarzio 126 set. Firstly it's cheap. Secondly it's a split J. Thirdly it's in stock

If I don't like them I will swap them out. I need a more vintage voiced set for the relic PJ anyway. 

Been a quick build but that was the idea - quick, easy (ish) and a gigging bass. It will (with the other PJ) replace the MiM Classic Lacquer - maple board and don't like it as much. Think I will let it go - I need a semi-acc bass to round off the collection

Bridgehouse

Bridge arrived. Stuck it on. 

Fitted strings to check position, spacing etc. Looking ok I think..

Funkfingers

Where did you get those Jewson bridge screws?

Bridgehouse

Funkfingers said:

Where did you get those Jewson bridge screws?

Screw fix.

They are, of course, temporary until I get a full set of 5 Fender ones as opposed to just 4......

ICBM

Put some wood glue and a toothpick in each hole before you put the proper screws in - the threads will be different and the thread in the wood will have been substantially weakened. Put the proper screws in with the glue wet and it will compress the toothpick fibres around the wrong thread.

Bridgehouse

ICBM said:

Put some wood glue and a toothpick in each hole before you put the proper screws in - the threads will be different and the thread in the wood will have been substantially weakened. Put the proper screws in with the glue wet and it will compress the toothpick fibres around the wrong thread.

I might leave the screwfix specials in - I quite like the industrial look, and they are doing their job of holding it  

guitarfishbay

Looks fine, you won't really see it when playing anyway.  I'd leave it.

You should see the bodge job I had to do this weekend to rescue a snapped tuner screw.  Had to make my own drillbit to rescue it out of a repurposed 6mm tile drill bit (as couldn't find the correct bit anywhere on a Sunday) and then the dowel I bought wasn't quite the right size so I had to wrap that in paper and superglue it then sand it down to fit the hole.

I'm very much not a professional at this, but I don't really care, it's the first parts neck I've put together and fret dressed on my own, stuff was bound to go wrong.  The tuner almost completely covers it anyway and I'm kind of proud I managed to fix it at all really.

ICBM

Bridgehouse said:

I might leave the screwfix specials in - I quite like the industrial look, and they are doing their job of holding it  

If you can live with the look then it's actually a better idea.

Bridgehouse

ICBM said:

Bridgehouse said:

I might leave the screwfix specials in - I quite like the industrial look, and they are doing their job of holding it  

If you can live with the look then it's actually a better idea.

It's a gigging bass - and let's face it, nobody ever looks at the bass player

GSPBASSES

Funkfingers said:

Your J Bass pickup rout looks awfully close to the edge of the pickguard. i.e. As far "off" towards the neck as a CBS-era pickup is "off" towards the bridge. 

If you cut a second rout in the traditional position, the combined cavities might accommodate a Dual J pickup or a Stingray type.

To clarify the position of the J pickup on my PJ - bass bodies. I position my J pickup in exactly the same place as if it was on a Jazz bass body, that is 205mm from the 20th fret to the centre of the bridge pickup. It should be remembered that its 135mm to the centre of the P bass pickup from the 20th fret, a Jazz bass neck pickup is only 115mm to the centre of the pickup from the 20th fret. As a consequence, the J pickup always looks too close to the pick guard on a P bass.  (All measurements are approximate)

The Jazz bass pickup measurements were taken from mid sixties Jazz bass about 30 years ago, some of these measurements are not the same as current production basses. You only have to look on the Fender website to see their bridge pickup position varies according to the model. I as all my bodies are made from jigs, I don't actually take these measurements every time I make a bass or guitar.   When making vintage Jazz basses that are going have all the covers on the pickups, the bridge pickup should only just be visible under the cover. See photos below.

Regarding the P bass routs I use, you should easily be able to fit three pots on a standard P bass pick guard, with just drilling the extra hole. There is also sufficient room to fit most active control systems under a standard pick guard on my P- basses, see photos below. This particular P bass is loaded with a Seymour Duncan quarter pounder, connected to a EMG active system, volume, bass and treble cut and boost.

Bridgehouse

Thanks for clarifying @GSPBASSES - trial fit suggests you are absolutely right..


Tho I am now back in indecision mode and am thinking 3 way selector instead of blend. I used to be indecisive, but I'm not so sure now

GSPBASSES

I would not recommend a three-way switch or a passive blend, this is a personal choice. I have found that using a three-way switch you don't get the same kind of mix between the pickups, as with two volumes interacting with each other. Although theoretically a pan pot should give you the same interaction between the pickups I'm not too sure that it does. 

Funkfingers

GSPBASSES said:

Although theoretically a pan pot should give you the same interaction between the pickups I'm not too sure that it does. 

A panpot is two volume pots, operating in opposition to each other. Therefore, except at either extreme pan setting, some part of the signals from each pickup is constantly being diverted to ground. 

GSPBASSES

I may not explain my thoughts on the pan- pot very well, I do know that I pan-pot is two volume controls working in opposite directions. What I'm saying is that when you move the pan-pot off the centre there seems to be a different type of mix sound wise. This may be because pan-pots are of a different construction than a standard CTS pot. I believe that the differences is also caused by the fact that when the pot is centred both pickups are turned on fully, but when you turn off centre one pickup stays on full while the other pickup is being turned down, this may create a different sound to conventional two-volume set up. As a said this is a personal observation. I just prefer to separate volumes pots with a two pickup bass, I'm quite sure somebody on the forum will tell us why there is a difference in the way the pickups react with each other from two separate volumes as oppose to a pan. There again it is totally different on an active bass where there appears to be a buffer between the two pickups via the pan- pot, so this gives a completely different mix to passive pan where there is no buffer. 

ICBM

Funkfingers said:

A panpot is two volume pots, operating in opposition to each other. Therefore, except at either extreme pan setting, some part of the signals from each pickup is constantly being diverted to ground. 

A proper blend pot (or balance pot, for hi-fi) isn't like that - it has two half tracks, so each pickup is at full volume when the knob is in the middle and then stays at that volume as the other one gets quieter.

You can also do a series blend using a single linear pot, which maintains equal volume throughout the travel - assuming the pickups are equal output - but does sound different from a parallel mix.

Bridgehouse

Alright. You can all point and laugh.


Anyone, please feel free to snigger, tell me that you told me so etc etc. Bring it on, I can take it.


Decided to screw all the messing with blend this and switches that and went straight to stack knobs.

Just waiting on the knobs themselves, then, well, it's done.

guitarfishbay

Have you had a go yet? How are you finding the pickups?

Bridgehouse

guitarfishbay said:

Have you had a go yet? How are you finding the pickups?

Very brief - just mostly tuning, setting intonation and pickup height. I'll have a go later, and really I should wait till I have some knobs on it

First impression tho - they are high output..! P is solid thumpy P, more modern voice than vintage - J is pretty well balanced with it. 

I think I will like...

TTony

Looking good Mr B.

Are you sure about that colour scheme though?

guitarfishbay

Bridgehouse said:

guitarfishbay said:

Have you had a go yet? How are you finding the pickups?

Very brief - just mostly tuning, setting intonation and pickup height. I'll have a go later, and really I should wait till I have some knobs on it

First impression tho - they are high output..! P is solid thumpy P, more modern voice than vintage - J is pretty well balanced with it. 

I think I will like...

Ok that’s good, I was worried the J wouldn’t keep up, I’ve not tried the J but the P is properly loud compared to a vintage style pickup.

I do think they look really cool with the Allen pole pieces