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The capacitor determines, in conjunction with the pickup coil, what the hinge or rolloff frequency will be. Generally, the higher the value of the cap, the lower the rolloff frequency, and vice versa. The volume potentiometer, since the third leg is usually grounded, determines the loading to ground, which can affect the resonant peak of the circuit. Generally, the higher the value of the potentiometer, the higher in frequency and amplitude of the resonant peak frequency of the pickup. But this is usually only subtly audible at best, especially on a bass. Because a typical tone cap circuit brings the capacitor off the wiper lug and grounds without the use of the 3rd lug, using a 500 kohm pot turned down to 250 kohms (with an audio or log taper pot, that means turning the knob down from 10 to about 7 or 8), has an identical effect on the circuit.as using a 250 kohm pot. The difference is only which number on the knob, or degree of rotation of the pot shaft, gives the same tone. Using the 500 kohm tone pot will decrease loading to ground when dimed, and may result in the bass being subtly brighter. I don't think anybody has run frequency analyzer traces on the same instrument with the same pickup but with the different value pots and caps, although a few have run them on just the caps. Since historically dual coil humbuckers have greater inductance than single coil pickups, and/or more intra-coil capacitance as well, it has been traditional to use 500kohm pots in order to raise the resonant frequency as high as possible to get more presence when desired out of a humbucking pickup. The main exception to this is the traditional split Precision pickup - the factory continues to use 250 kohm pots as standard for this pickup. The point being is that you would probably use the same value capacitor irrespective of the volume and tone pots used. Standard is .047 microfarads. .033 will keep more mids in the mix as it is rolled off. .022 is for those who want guitar-like brightness. .068 will be darker, and the darkest commonly used for dub tone, and which was the original value used in the '51 - '56 P-basses, is .1, giving huge thump when rolled off completely. With the tone pot dimed out, the 500 kohm volume pot will give the pickup the slightest bit more presence, but that goes away as soon as you start rolling off the tone knob. So after all is said and done, most folks still come back to the traditional 250 kohm audio taper pots and .047 capacitor for a conventional bass pickup circuit. I do like a little more mids when rolled off, so like the original J-bass stack knob bridge pickup circuit, I use a .033 for my tone control cap. Hope this helps.

Just about any bass that does not have an overwound pickup at the neck position, but does have a moderately wound pickup in the mid position, will growl with a set of Rotosound Swing Bass strings and a good setup, including an amp with a enough pre-gain that it can get to the edge of clipping for some natural compression and sustain.

If you want to stay passive, and you mentioned EMG, their "Geezer" P/J set has good reviews. But seriously: put on a set of Rotosound Swingbass 40's, crank both pickups, set your amp to a bit of scoop, and go for it. Even if you do go with EMG actives that, as as been stated, don't need a separate preamp, you will still need space for a battery and have to change out the jack for a tip-ring-sleeve jack for the battery (-) terminal. If everybody says it sounds good, then on this side of the pond we say, "If it ain't broke...don't fix it!" Save your money for another bass, whether a model to play or a mule to experiment with instead of risking losing the mojo on your gig bass.

What has been said above: don't change the strings, because the relationship of the bass bar and sound post to everything else is critical to get a good tone and structural stability out of the bass. I have had the best experience using a Fishman Full Circle with a buffer preamp for the jazz/dance bands I play with.

Is the bass active or passive? If it is passive, and you are removing the blend pot, why not consider wiring the bass in the conventional V-V-T?

The original P-bass/J-neck model was when Duck Dunn put his own together. Fender issued it as a signature model some years ago. As listed above, there should be some Squier models available. The Fender/Squier web site has the specs on everything so you can surf to see what you want.

I gig with an Ibanez SRA 305. The SR series have the two pickups, a Jazz-style neck on the 4-string instrument, well balanced, good tone and playability, and are great value-for-money.

I gig with an old Ibanez SRA305. The SR series are some of the best value-for-money 5-string basses out there for feel, tone and playability.

If I had my P/J to do over, I would reverse the headstock and make a two-piece pickguard for the reasons above. Reverse the headstock so the E string doesn't bind over the nut or around the tuner, and the two-piece pickguard for maintenance. Why didn't Fender ever update the P pickguard? Tooling is expensive. Once they put it on, they weren't the ones to take it off, or only rarely if ever. So there was no incentive to change.

At a 30-inch scale, in the few short scale basses I have played over the years, but not owned any, but including a Fender Mustang, I didn't notice any playability issues. Playability is more a function of how well the bass is set up and the nut, fingerboard and frets all being straight (well, with the relief set properly), level and true. When those are optimized, a slight difference is string tension is not really noticeable.

Some DI boxes have a level buffer switch, so that if the input to the box is too hot, it can be attenuated. I suggest a model that has the input buffer. If the fx out has a level control, start at the lowest level and work with your sound man to find the combination of output level on the fx and the input buffer setting on the DI for the clearest signal, lowest noise, and best headroom.

Decades ago, before "balanced set" was a marketing term, I started ordering custom singles GHS Progressives in 45-60-80-105 for my Rickenbacker 4002 (yes, "2," not "1" or "3") bass. They have served me for over twenty years. Yes, as the band I am currently in plays repertoire that requires a 5-string, I am experimenting with other strings on it, but by the end of 2016 I will probably be back to this set, with one exception: a 44 Pressurewound for the G string, as it is the same alloy, but being compressed, has less twang and fuller tone to match the Progressives 60-80-105 on the D, A and E strings.

Yes! La Bella Flats! Ask for the Mustang bass set, as the ball end is constructed for through-body-over-the-saddle stringing. The simple mid-scale sets are not, and going through body, the short scale sets are too short. You might need a small tweak of the truss rod, but it is worth it.

Short or mid? I don't know of any true short scale (30 inches) scale, but SX, Fender Japan, and some others make 32 inch mid scale basses that have good reviews. About twenty years ago I played on a friend's Squier 32 inch scale P-bass that was really nice. We can't get the Fender Japan instruments here in the USA, but you might be able to get them in the UK.

Back in the day, there were no aftermarket parts, no internet to disseminate proper information, and therefore no good way to repair or modify a bass with issues, at least to make it playable. Moreover, there were no return policies as many stores have today. I would say determine a budget, then a style of bass preferred, surf the 'net to find one if local stores, boutique or box, don't have anything that suits, and ask for a return policy. Concerning the OP's first electric bass, I'm sure with today's availability of good parts and hardware, the OP could sort it out if so inclined if the truss rod still has the proper integrity.

Typical - just another means to squeeze more money out of the working musician. Yes, it sounds like you got the right replacement part. Be careful with the soldering as sometimes other parts are in critical proximity. Good luck with the installation.

With all the planned mods that will cost a substantial amount of money, why not just play the bass as-is while saving the money to purchase another bass?

I have a frankenbass with a VM J-body but a VM P-neck. Good bass. I have been considering modifying my bridge to narrow the string spacing from 19 mm to 18 mm, just for personal preference. After some experimentation, I have come to the conclusion that modifications don't gain anything on this particular model.

Well, yes, there is a difference. If the poles are higher in proportion to the coils, that makes for a little thinner tone with more articulation or edge. If the poles are lower in proportion to the coils, that takes the edge off the articulation and gives a little more warmth to the response. Like everything else, experimenting to find the "sweet spot" can take a little time.

I mis-typed. I should have type "circle-14" instead of "circle-12." Fixed in original post.

No. Here's what the marks mean: "7" is the day, "Jan" is the month, "66" is the year (all when the neck was made), "A" is the 1 1/2 inch nut width, circle-14 is the QC mark [url="http://www.bestbassgear.com/ebass/article/demystifying-fender-neck-sizes-based-on-letter-designations.html"]http://www.bestbassg...signations.html[/url]

"Rule of thumb" on a double bass is about the thickness of a standard business card. I would think that might work on a fretless as well. Another thing to do is, on a good fretted bass that does not buzz, measure the distance between the top of the first fret and the bottom of the string. That should be a similar measurement to help determine what is close to the fingerboard for good action without buzzing.

[quote name='Chienmortbb' timestamp='1448203542' post='2913618'] ...second best was a 2L2R headstock with a through neck.[/quote] One more reason I prefer my Rickenbacker 4002 (yes, "2," not "1" or "3").

Alrighty - here is my two-pickup one-volume one-tone one-switch (5-way) guitar:

[quote name='brensabre79' timestamp='1447844178' post='2910824']I can't play the shorter scale Gibson's etc. not enough string tension for me [/quote] Have you tried a set of "11's" instead of the "standard" "10's"?