PlungerModerno

Based on the pic there could be as many as a dozen fret levellings & dressings left in those frets - provided they are all the same hieight. It'll all depend on the shortest fret!
Why is there always a shortest fret? because even if the wood is perfectly level before fretting it'll shift slightly when the frets are pressed in. Also over time the neck will change shape slightly (especially a neck with improperly seasoned wood, or open grain, e.g. a typical unfinished "rosewood" fingerboard).

What you're looking for is the shortest fret or frets - for a set neck take a long look at the neck & body joint . . . it can often buldge and need a lot more material taken off the frets to get them level - as seen on 2/3rds of the acoustic guitars I've seen in the wild!
Keep in mind a partial refret is always an option - a cheaper option than a full refret, especially if it's only one or two frets, and the fret slots can be reused without being resawed!

I'd imagine it'll depend on the strength & shape of the magnetic field to start with, the magnetic properties of the added metal strip (what it's made of, it's shape, it's position in the field) and of most importance - the string spacing you want it to work with vs the magnetic properties of the modded pickup.

I'd say the pickup type will be a big influence - e.g. the Entwistle pickups you're looking at are "Neos" or Rare earth magnet based - that almost always means the pickup poles are not charged magnets, rather like a typical ceramic magnet there is a bar or bars of magnetic material on the underside of the pickup poles - thereby magnetizing them. In short you won't know till you start modding, but I'm guessing a thin ceramic magnet slightly over the width of the strings would probably get fairly even output over the 5 strings - but it would change the voicing of the pickup significantly. A piece of Iron (Steel really) or another ferromagnetic alloy (e.g. [url="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alnico"]AlNiCo[/url]) as long as it's not charged with it's own noticable magnetic field will probably do a lot less to change the voicing of the pickup - but I'd say you're more likely to have output issues across the strings - especially if you have a pickup that has staggered pole pieces that doesn't match the radius of the 5 string fretboard. Many pickups allow some adjustability thank fully - otherwise I guess you could just run it through a compressor!

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1469323096' post='3097439']
The neck doesn't need to be longer, just the finger board really, it's not going to bend up the dusty end.
[/quote]

If you want the same scale length & access you need to make the neck longer, unless you're using a single cut or assymetric doule cutaway like a Zon Hyperbass:

Obviously in the case of a neck through it's not as massive a change (no moving of the neck pocket along the scale) - but for set neck and bolt on it'd need to be in the design before the first cut is made to make the best use of materials & time.

EDIT: P.S. I really dislike the idea of a fingerboard extension - I think they're ugly from the players perspective - but worse than that they can have fret seating issues, instability issues, and typically poor access to play the frets (the whole point of having them). I'll probably come across one I like at some point, but even a 1 fret extension looks odd to me at least till now.

As many as comes with the bass I like is usually my choice!

If I were speccing a custom I'd go with 20 if it was a Jazz style instrument - that way it could be more true to the early 60's designs of Mr Fender.
A 21 fret (like a G&L JB-2) or 24 fret (like a lot of "Super-Jazzes" as they are often called, like a Sadowsky [url="http://sadowsky.com/sadowsky-instruments/nyc-basses/24-fret-basses/"]http://sadowsky.com/...24-fret-basses/[/url] ) will not make it seem untrue to the original design . . . if it's active maybe or one without the traditional features (like a 4 in line headstock, tort guard & chrome control plate, similar shape and wood/paint choices to a traditional fender).

As you said you're going with PJ I'd say it won't look traditional anyway. If I wasn't having the P pickup in a special location, e.g:


You can go with 20, 21, 24 - even maybe as much as 30 frets before you are forcing a pickup towards the bridge!

If the longer neck is constructed properly I don't think it'll make any audible difference - except the extra frets will sound a little different of course. Longer necks generally need slightly more reinforcement - If you do go for a 36 fret neck, I'd strongly recommend going for bookmatched laminates in wood, or better yet composite wrap or reinforcement rods/strips.

Maybe there's a way with an anti slip washer - the ones with teeth. Might work depending on the strap material at the button hole...

Like the ones in this pic:



I'd just get a washer of the size that won't fit over the strap button, and just leave the strap screwed to the bass!

You can always try a different pickup, a preamp, a varitone, or a combination of the three - along with any number of different strings (e.g. half rounds, tapewounds, flats, etc) - and setups!

Get to know it, and figure out what you'd like to change first (if anything!) and start from there!

Oh and enjoy!

It'll depend on the specifics of the wood in question. For a bass neck that's not flood damaged the change in stiffness and density will be minute - what may be important is the size. Even a fraction of a milimetre in the wrong place can make a big difference.

I'd recommend reading up on it:
[url="http://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/wood-and-moisture/"]http://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/wood-and-moisture/[/url]
[url="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_drying"]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_drying[/url]
[url="http://woodgears.ca/lumber/moisture.html"]http://woodgears.ca/lumber/moisture.html[/url]
[url="http://woodgears.ca/wood_grain/shrinkage.html"]http://woodgears.ca/wood_grain/shrinkage.html[/url]

[quote name='danbowskill' timestamp='1467402371' post='3083527']
is it my eyes,or does that bridge look mighty skewiff?
[/quote]

Looks off alright . . . by quite an amount.
Come to think of it everything looks off based on those picks. Could be a homebuilt!

In general - wood expands when it gets wetter and shrinks when it gets drier.

In practice is depends on grain, glue joints, and finish - each piece of wood moves differently, in 3D (Length, Breadth, and Thickness). No two glue joints are the same (minute inconsistancies in the jointed surfaces, imperfections in the glue mix, etc. All finishes are porus sooner or later - apart from inch thick lead or depleted uranium - that will keep the moisture in / out forever! Obviously unfinished wood is asking for instability - certainly when compared to the same stock covered in oil, wax, or laquer.

Multi-Laminate Necks are using the same logic as plywood: many grain directions + strong glue joints = Massively improved average strength and stability.
Such is my understanding at least. I've been wrong before. It was a Thursday.

I'd imagine the best way to do it would be an aluminium body, hollow or solid - get it chromed and give it a high polish.

Chris Squire - one of a kind. He'll be remembered fondly - his music will be enjoyed and admired as long as there are people with some sort of musical leaning.

Wonderful stuff!

[quote name='KiOgon' timestamp='1467207687' post='3081926']
Brass Bar 3/8" x 1/4" in 100mm length for £4.99 - [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Metal-Brass-Round-Square-Flat-Bar-Rod-Wire-Angle-Tube-100mm-to-600mm-long/322167152527?_trksid=p2045573.c100505.m3226&_trkparms=aid%3D555014%26algo%3DPL.DEFAULT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D36886%26meid%3D76586b9b4dda460f9015d6259ca7f317%26pid%3D100505%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26"]http://www.ebay.co.u...D1%26rkt%3D1%26[/url]

Can't find Nickel though
[/quote]

+1 - I can't find it either. It seems most nickel silver is sold as a thin wire for jewelers and a thin plate as an anti-corrosion material. I hope I don't have to buy a whole lot to get what I'm after.
I'll have to contact a few people / businesses. Both metalworking, jewelers, and luthiery suppliers. even if they can't sell me a nut blank - they may point me in the right direction - especially if I ask while I'm making some sort of purchase. Most businesses will go a lot farther for you when you're a paying customer as opposed to generic stranger!

EDIT: For those who want the look of a chrome nut with the workability of brass:[url="http://www.ebay.ie/itm/BN-EM6045-C-Brass-Slotted-Polished-Chrome-5-String-Guitar-Bass-Nut-/331871558584?hash=item4d45161bb8"]http://www.ebay.ie/itm/BN-EM6045-C-Brass-Slotted-Polished-Chrome-5-String-Guitar-Bass-Nut-/331871558584?hash=item4d45161bb8[/url]
They also sell a 4 string version.

[quote name='jassbass' timestamp='1467203038' post='3081873']
4 or 5 string,passive or active, weight is no issue
Your right used is better choice
[/quote]

If weight is no issue you have a lot more options - including 5 strings increases this even farther.
As you have a two pickup bass already I'd reccomend a two (or if you can find it three) pickup bass with active/passive switching ideally - not because a passive bass is bad but to have the extra options. If it doesn't have active/passive switching I'd always suggest bringing a backup bass to a gig. Lots more to go wrong electronically with an active vs. a passive. I'd look at used Ibanez, Yamaha, Cort and other "amazing bang per buck" makers first!

Quick update: No joy with Warmoth - no custom metalworking available, at least as far as nickel silver nut blanks are concerned.

I may just get a fender width one (1/8" thick, as linked above) and put an EIR (East Indian Rosewood, like the fingerboard apparently is) backing strip to take up the other 2/8".
Would make it a lot easier to shape. Still I'll keep looking. Not in a mad rush as it plays just fine

If the finish was the only "antiqued" / "reliced" / "aged" / "knocked to sh*te and smeared with nasty chemicals" or "roadworn" element of the bass then it might be one that had an issue with the finish. Doesn't matter who is painting - occasionally the paint will act weird (e.g. react with something in the primer / undercoat, or the air, or with something in itself, e.g. a contaminated thinner etc.). Usually it doesn't work straight away (will spray oddly or will cure oddly (or not at all)). Sometimes it fails down the road - usually due to misuse (e.g. left in the sun or in a hot car boot) but occasionally due to a fault in the paint or the painting. I'd say this is a long shot given the reputation of Suhr.

Probably intentional - especially if everything was manky and tarnished on the bass.
I don't get it. I do get liking worn instruments (e.g. stings battered '52 P bass). But it should be real - earned. If you like the look have it finished/refinished in nitro and play the crap out of it!

[i]"I've been through alot of basses in last few years"[/i]

What did you have? What did you like? What did you hate? - e.g. pickups, active/passive, headless, skinny neck, 2 octave neck, fretless, 4/5/6 strings, different weights, different size frets, different body shapes (e.g. a slab 'Ray or P bass vs. the contoured version).

Obviously if they were all passive Jazzes of roughly the same weight with the same number of strings, similar shape neck profile etc. then the above won't be all that useful!

If you can come up with a set of things you'd like to get - or something to avoid (e.g. if you hate thin necks or the look of a headless) then you may refine your search.

Oh and go used if you want to get maxiumum bang per buck.

Try the DiMarzio Model P in the bass first. You may find it perfect!

I'd strongly recommend trying a couple of different string types on the bass with each pickup you try (one or more). They interact differently with different sets - even different gauges of the same string model. I find some pickups, especially the higher output ones e.g. SPB-3 (aka Quater Pounder) cry for ultra bright flats or rounds - whereas lower output, more middy/punchy sounding pickups can do much more with a set of broken in flats IME/IMO of course. Try to find out what you like the sound of! Keep in mind strings aren't as easy to sell used at a significant portion of the new cost as pickups are. But if you have a Jazz Bass or another bass with fender scale & tuner layout - you can try the strings out on any/all of these with ease.

Here's something fun to have a gander and a listen to!
[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6XQN0QLzNY"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6XQN0QLzNY[/url]

You're very welcome. If you're willing to expand the budget to £63 - I'd be checking out a set of gotoh's resolites (especially if the bass has a medium weight or lightweight body):

[url="http://g-gotoh.com/international/product/gb640.html"]http://g-gotoh.com/international/product/gb640.html[/url]

They would be a lot lighter than most full size tuners. . . . And now that I see the prices they are a good bit more expensive than the grovers (up to double!). Here's the cheapest set I've spotted:
[url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GOTOH-GBR640-Super-Light-Weight-Bass-Guitar-Reverse-Wind-Tuning-Machine-Set-/111159561347?hash=item19e1a04c83:g:A4MAAOxyHE5Rphj8"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GOTOH-GBR640-Super-Light-Weight-Bass-Guitar-Reverse-Wind-Tuning-Machine-Set-/111159561347?hash=item19e1a04c83:g:A4MAAOxyHE5Rphj8[/url]

They say reverse wind but I'd check the model no. with Gotoh before seriously considering them. If I had reverse wind tuners on a bass they'd be the first to go!

By how much are the wilkinsons too big? if it's only slightly - I'd suggest looking for a reaming tool and trying to fit those as I'd wager you won't find better tuners for less (the wilkinsons are decent, and good value IME).

E.g. one of these: [url="https://www.allparts.com/lt-0815-000-tapered-reamer-tool-for-tuning-peg-holes_p_2069.html"]https://www.allparts...les_p_2069.html[/url]

EDIT the second:

Did some digging on the wilkinson range of bass tuners - hard to find exact dimensions on them. Seems the open back tuners have a 14 mm peg diameter:

When you include the bushing it may be over the 19 mm hole of the existing tuner holes of course.

Hello!

I have a bass that has a black plastic nut. It's cut fairly well - no intonation, tuning, or playability issues. Problem is it's not as neat as I'd like - and the string spacing is slightly wide like 1 mm more than I'd like - the neck has a very pronounced roundover and the string spacing could use a subtle tweak. What I'd like is a high mass one (partly as an experiment for working with the medium, but also in the hope of increasing open note sustain a little). Saw this vid a while back and it made a good impression:
[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxkN1RzRQqE"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxkN1RzRQqE[/url]

Ideally I want one of these:
[url="http://www.warmoth.com/Fender-Style-Nut-Blank-Flat-Bottom-Nickel-P296C221.aspx"]http://www.warmoth.com/Fender-Style-Nut-Blank-Flat-Bottom-Nickel-P296C221.aspx[/url]

In this size:
[url="http://www.warmoth.com/Gibson-Style-Nut-Blank-Brass-P297C221.aspx"]http://www.warmoth.com/Gibson-Style-Nut-Blank-Brass-P297C221.aspx[/url]

- It's for an Ibanez bass with a 3/8 inch thick nut (1-3/4 wide, little over 1/4 of an inch tall). For us metric heads that's 9.5 x 44.5 x 6.4 mm approx. Obviously bigger can be machined / filed down whereas smaller is a bit useless.

Anybody know where I can get something like this? I'm going to send a message into warmoth and keep looking but if anyone can come up with the goods that'd be super!

[quote name='MoonBassAlpha' timestamp='1467112826' post='3081226']
Maybe you're getting a build up of wax in your ears!
[/quote]

+1 - a perfect excuse to book a hearing test. All joking aside musicians need to guard their hearing like a photographer guards their sight, or a chef their sense of taste.

Wow! what a great Idea!

My favourite part is: " you can play it fairly comfortably if you use a strap"

. . . Hint - there's only one strap button!

[quote name='Manton Customs' timestamp='1467061542' post='3080954']
...The correct neck angle/shimmed neck should result in a straight edge laying a long all frets and resting on the bridge at it's lowest position.
[/quote]

You're spot on - for maximum adjustability (what you want in 99% of cases - where the hardware & the body neck etc. are a good match). For maxiumum playability, especially on a Bitsa - you may need to throw away some of the adjustability to keep the spiky grub screws down a little, using a thicker shim than strictly nescessary to make the bridge usable. more of an aside than anything.

[quote name='Manton Customs' timestamp='1467061542' post='3080954']
There's nothing wrong with a shim if it's necessary to get an instrument playable (or on a parts bass), but if one is required on a new bass built from scratch then there has been an obvious miscalculation and the neck angle/relation between neck and bridge has not been set correctly. Neck shims are an after thought to fix poorly executed planning, a fix, or as in this case the assembling various parts.

The scenario you're describing is not a particularly common one (switching back and forth between necks). However if the neck angle was correct in the first place and the necks are chosen sensibly, then there would be no issue switching between them without a shim, as all you would be talking about is the height of the frets.
...
[/quote]
+1

Anything that works, works.

Card will compress - unless you compress it before inserting it as a shim. I'd imagine wood, metal, paper, cloth, plastic etc. could all work...
Cloth would probably need some resin to make it stiff enough for thicknessing & shaping (I'm a believer in tapering the shim to fit the angle of the pocket as much as is reasonably possible).

EDIT: Nothing wrong with a shim! You should be able to get a bolt on necked bass with low frets, a slim neck (front to back), and low string height and have the grub screws not stick out a bunch and tear the hand when muting. The same bass should be able to run higher action, [u]and[/u] either a thicker neck or taller frets (e.g. going from a fretless neck to a fretted neck with jumbo frets) - the only way to do this without using different length screws or having them scraping hands is to use a shim (use long grub screws but use a shim with the first setup (w/ thinner neck) to have a positive neck angle that will keep the grub screws close to or below the surface of the saddles). This is based on BBOT or other similar styles of saddles. IMO of course!

Wonderful.