JPJ

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1358021048' post='1932071'] Ah right, thanks very much! i'm happy with 220 watts, i have no big plans for it really, just using around the house, lessons maybe, a few recordings, no big gigs or anything. [/quote] Then it'll be perfect. These are fairly rare over here and as Walbassist says, fairly heavy. The four eight inch speakers give a really tight defined bass tone (a bit like PJB gear) and if you do want to gig it, you can always slap an 8 ohm 1x15 or similar under it for a bit more power. The aural enhancer is just a excellent bit of kit present on most, if not all, SWR amps. in most instances I find you just need a quick twiddle on this to find 'your tone' and then tweak it using the main tone stack. If the price is right, I'd go for it.

There's one for sale local to me on Facebook [url="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151073998716891&set=o.157319877702238&type=1&theater"]https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151073998716891&set=o.157319877702238&type=1&theater[/url]

[quote name='warwickhunt' timestamp='1355856725' post='1903791'] Just out of interest, is it a fairly easy job to fit the two volumes on one stack and the tone control(s) on the other? I only ask as on occasion I need to fade the volumes (either at the end of a song or as a volume pedal style 'swell' effect) and I dislike basses with two volumes on separate pots (I'm used to a master volume and pan). [/quote] Good question: must confess I hadn't thought of wiring them like that but I'd imagine that as a stack knob pot is just two pots stacked on top of each other then i'd guess it would be possible. KiOgon is the man to ask really.

[quote name='rubis' timestamp='1355855988' post='1903774'] Lovely job, just lovely. For my next project I was intending to do a PJ and was thinking of stack knobs, how do you get on with them? [/quote] Really pleased I went with this option. The tonal variations you can get between the two pickups is just what I was hoping for, Fender obviously knew what they were doing with the old stack knob jazzes and I really cant understand why they don't still do it today based on my experience of this project.

Not so much a build as an assembly job! The idea for this bass began with a chance conversation between me and the guitarist in the band. I happened to mention I owned a fretless bass (old Ibanez with huge sentimental value) and he was mad keen for me to use this on a gig with our R&B band. Now as we normally play in, how shall we put this politely, er 'lively' venues, the thought of taking the old Ibanez along was swiftly ruled out and instead, a plan was hatched in my head to try to recreate something akin to the Fender Tony Franklin Fretless P bass but on a budget. The project consists of: 1) an eBay sourced Vintage (as in the brand, not the age) P bass bass body with its factory relic job (which is surprisingly well done, giving the appearance of a natural bass thats been refinished in white, with the white wearing away around the edges and in the 'picking' area, and their relic'd bridge that came with the body; 2) a WD Music Products fretless neck with set of no name fender'esque tuners sourced from Peter Gales on this very forum; 3) Tonerider Precision Plus and Jazz Plus pickups; 4) a KiOgon stack knob wiring loom; 5) Tort plate, strap buttons and screws from CH Guitars in sunny South Shields; 6) A 70's Fender TV era logo from Northwest Guitars; 7) A set of Rotosound flats. I had to rout the body to take the J pickup and drill through for the pickup wire, but apart from that, it was really an assembly/setup job. First assembly showed that the neck was sitting with a pronounced forward angle in the neck pocket, so I tickled the angle of the neck pocket with the router to level things out and the second assembly was much better. Anyway, enough words, here's a couple of 'phone photos of the finished bass. And finally a gratuitous 'action' shot from her first outing She sounds exactly like she should to me, with a nice growly P pickup and a nasal J honk to blend in via the separate volume controls. KiOgon (John) recommended the choice of capacitors for the tone controls and he got them spot on as the range of tones available are really quite remarkable for a passive bass. Having used active five stringers for the last upteenth years, it was a bit of a challenge going to a passive 4 string but I enjoyed the experience so much that she got the whole gig! Future developments will probably see a bridge upgrade and perhaps a three-way switch like the Franklin bass but other than that, she's pretty much everything I'd hoped for and proof positive that a bass doesn't have to cost thousands to play well and sound great.

[font="helvetica, arial, sans-serif"][color="#282828"]I've been assembling a bitsa P bass fretless (with additional J pickup) I wanted a Jazz style stack knob arrangement as I hoped to maintain the two-knob look of a precision but with full control of both pickups. Having heard of John's reputation on here I got in contact and he made various recommendations which I eventually went with. John's recommended cap choices are spot on as the variation of tones on offer are almost active like in their range. Lovely aggressive P bass tone with the tone on about 50% and a nice nasal J bass to blend in. Combined with the fretless neck the finished bass really sings. The supplied loom is really high quality with pukka pots and really neat soldering throughout. [/color][/font] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Thanks again from one very happy customer![/font][/color]

I've been lucky enough to have this happen twice (and both are still in my possession!) The first is my trusty old fretless Ibanez although when I bought it as a fresh young eighteen year old I didn't realise what a peach I had just secured. Moving from a Satellite J bass to this was like moving from a Fiat 500 to an Aston Martin so it felt good at the time but I had neither the skill or the references to know just how good until many years and many basses later. The second is my current main gigging weapon of choice, my Overwater J5. Secured second-hand, it was like the original owner had specified it for me. Tulipwood body, rosewood board, 3 colour sunburst, DiMarzio Ultra's, J-Retro would have been my wish list if I had the funds for a trip to Carlisle, so to find one identical to this and to pay less than half the original purchase price for a year and a half old bass in perfect condition at a time when I had just received a completely unexpected bonus from work was one of those rare moments when all the planets align.

[quote name='owen' timestamp='1355775452' post='1902659'] Not entirely sure what the bunny bass next to it is. But I'm sure it will be very fine [/quote] Is that an early development sketch for the MM Bongo?

I'm pleased the missus has gone to bed......

[quote name='mckendrick' timestamp='1353717002' post='1877887'] If only everybody had your sense of asthetics, JPJ. An excellent idea. [/quote] Why thank you kind Sir!

[quote name='Ghost_Bass' timestamp='1353710438' post='1877842'] why dont you add a JJ (humbucker)? Ive done this to a P and used a62 wiring scheme with .100 cap on the P and a .022 on the J, pure heaven! if i was to do a similar thing again i would definetly do exactly the same thing. sorry for mistakes texting from mobile :-) [/quote] No problem, but this 'project' started off with Fender's Tony Franklin fretless bass. I got to try one of these at our very own WaterofTyne's abode some whiles ago, and fell in love with the feel/balance/sound of a fretless precision with the added J. I was going to just build a clone but I can't help but fiddle about based on my last thirty odd years of low-end endeavours, so with this one its going to be P + J into a passive stack knob jazz style controls to maintain the stock Fender P two knobs and an output jack look.

[quote name='The Bass Doc' timestamp='1353703098' post='1877749'] I've fitted a fair few over the years and have settled on a placement where the J is 60mm back from the 'treble' half of the P pickup - that's pole to pole centres. The precise distance for a 60s Jazz bridge pickup has the effect of it 'bumping' into the scratchplate so spoils the look. And if you go any further back you the response becomes a bit too thin. Others may have different opinions of course [/quote] [quote name='lettsguitars' timestamp='1353704530' post='1877769'] What he said. Just get it to look right. [/quote] Thank you gentlemen, wish me luck, the router is coming out to play in the morning

Hi all, I'm currently assembling a bitsa fretless 'workhorse' bass and will be adding a J pickup to a stock P shaped bass. Anybody know where the sweet spot position is for maximum J bass style growl i.e. where in the space between the P pickup and the bridge? I'd hate to just attack the thing with my router and find that I was just a few mil away from the optimum spot! Cheers, Kev

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1352325655' post='1861839'] £20 for a brocolli sandwich..? Does it have an OHSC..? What year is it..? Trade for a Mars bar, little used..? [/quote] My thoughts exactly! But the new layout does look good mind

Horses for courses. Behringer gear is pretty good for what it is (a clone of something else) at a very attractive price point. I bought a pair of their PA tops (clones of a Mackie SRM450 from what I can tell) and they performed brilliantly considering that the pair cost less than one of the Mackies. Some of their stuff is a little to 'noisy' to use to record with, but other than that, I'd say they are pretty good value for money.

If I was using IEM's, especially a decent set that feature sound reduction, then I'd want a 'band mix' coming through the earpieces and not just my bass signal.