Misowaki

Can you post a pic without the cover please?  Or PM me one?  Thanks

I'm basically building mine right now!  Well, modding at least.  Converting my Fender Elite P bass to passive as I never use active and the preamp colours the sound (I finally know what people mean by that now!).

So neck and body exactly the same as the Elite, PJ set up with S/P switch on the volume, blend pot for pups and master tone.  Maybe a kill switch if I can be bothered.  Olympic white, rosewood board with a tort plate (which I am stupidly making with a Dremel, I still haven't learned that it's probably more trouble than it's worth) but other colours might be surf green/daphne blue with anodized gold plate and maple neck (which is basically the regular P bass I made).  Also, an orange sparkle or translucent finish which I'm going to attempt on my Jazz bass one day... or mocha... the colours would change every 6 months or so...

I may be interested in the body and pickguard... (I think I may have bought a CV Jazz body of you through ebay actually...)

1 hour ago, Jus Lukin said:

I know the decal on the headstock could have been applied by anyone, but doesn't it say Made In USA on there?

I don't think I've ever seen a USA neck with the truss adjuster on the headstock, that says MIM to me.
 

1 hour ago, Jus Lukin said:

or whether it was a spare, like that extra button you get sewn into a shirt.

love this idea! =D

Now why did I never think to google that myself...? 🤔

I think maybe it was used to transport a table or some display thing, was in my cousins house and I thought I could use it for something but I haven't.  Free to whoever can come pick it up.  Maybe it will make good storage or a table or something.  Maybe just take it apart to build your own flight case 🤷‍♂️
The choice is yours, young wizard! 🧙‍♂️

If you were to split it I'd be interested in the pups...

@Heathy

Here's one but mega bucks https://www.wdmusic.co.uk/pickguards-c62/fender-basses-c111/precision-bass-american-deluxe-c158/wd-music-american-deluxe-p-bass-single-ply-070-tortoise-shell-p2365

Non-tort is cheaper but still £50+

I had a blank arrive today for £18.  By the time I've taken a Dremel to it it would have cost me three times that in labour but whatyougonnado 🤷‍♂️

2 hours ago, Heathy said:

Thanks for posting. This looks like it could be an option for my deluxe precision. Although this does bring with it the added complication of getting a customised pickguard. Any recommendations?

I'm doing similarly with my Elite and the only options I found for pickguard are £50+ or make my own (which I am going to do). You don't necessarily have to but you'll have to remove the whole board and likely have extra holes. 

If you wanted to buy one I think WD Music have some on their site.

2 hours ago, nilebodgers said:

On line it says the Jazz pickup is the latest noiseless one - is it that that sounds dull, or the P-pickup, or both?

The P has little balls and the J has little growl, or at least compared to what I've had in the past and currently have on separate basses.  I've only really felt this with active basses so I'm wondering if it's something about the pups or the preamp.

Just now, Chienmortbb said:

Yes I did read your post but manufacturers change pups during production runs. Also some pickups are low impedance, some are high impedance, so m I are designed specifically for use with pre amp and do not work well passively. The only thing I can say is that you will not damage the pups running them passively. 

Fair enough but the Elite has only been out 3 years, can't imagine they've changed the pups yet but they're stock from first year of production.  I know it won't damage them but I want to know if it's going to affect the sound negatively as they're plug ins and I don't fancy cutting the wires to find I've screwed the pooch.  Hence my appeal to anyone with 1st hand experience of this particular issue.

2 minutes ago, Chienmortbb said:

I can’t say as I don’t know what pups they’re fitted with. 

I see you've not read any of my original post then... 😬
Or the title, or any of the bits where I've mentioned it's a Fender Elite 😅

8 minutes ago, Chienmortbb said:

No disrespect to @KiOgon but the wiring will have little effect on the sound. His pre-wired systems are very neat and easy to install but to claim anything else is misleading. 

I know he does a decent, tidy job.  I also know I could do/have done a good enough albeit messier job, but what I'm trying to figure out is if bypassing the preamp will clear up the sound of the pups in the Elite or if I should change them completely.  

Can anyone speak to that?

Nice one, then that's what I'll look to do.  New passive controls, same pups, see how we go!  Only thing is the plugs... do Kiogon's solderless looms use the same plugs do you know?  I've got a soldered one on another bass and don't fancy cutting the plugs off the pup wires should it not work for me for whatever reason =S

Where are you based?

I'm looking to sell my Rivoli to buy a knockaround PJ for modding... way early/pre=emptive question but for shipping, how would you feel about removing the neck and chucking it in a box over sourcing a proper box and that?

4 minutes ago, Chopthebass said:

Hey Misowaki, I'm not sure what you mean by using the active switch as a kill switch. 

Ah, I meant by removing the preamp batteries so it kills the sound! =D
Perhaps mute switch would have been a better way of phrasing it...

But any idea on the pup sound with preamp removed?  Will it sound different?  When the batteries go in this, it starts squealing and popping and that's in passive mode!  I figured if it affects it in passive, perhaps the preamp is also muddying it up some.

So I have an Elite P and I only ever use the active switch as a kill switch but passive mode sounds pretty muddy to me.  Am thinking about changing everything out but did you find the same pups with the preamp removed sounded different to passive mode through the pre?  Am wondering if I can get around it all without spending loads by just going around the pre and using the same pups.

See now, I just watched a video where a guy replaced his CS PJ set (I'm looking to do both, can see how it looks like I just meant the P pup) with Aguilars and they sounded better to my ear, but that was over laptop speakers tbh...

Alternatively... should I maybe try removing the preamp first and running them passive?  Would that make a difference?

And anyone that can vouch for the Aguilar PJ set?

Are these still going?

Hi wise fellows,

I'm fixing to switch up the pups in my USA Elite. I don't like the active circuit and the passive circuit sounds dull.

I recently built a Jazz with DiMarzio Ultra Jazz and they sound great (1st time I've really dug a J bass sound) and am thinking about putting some Area or Model pups in it. I hear the Area are more vintage sounding which is what I think I want but the tone spec would suggest that Model might be closer to the Ultra Jazz.

Any ideas/feedback/suggestions?

Cheers

9 hours ago, Chienmortbb said:

I have heard that before but the stock pups  in mine are fine. My jazz is one of the really early ones without a pickguard or the Jazz  type control panel. It also has the higher mass bridge that was changed at some point in production. 

I think that's one of the later export models actually.  It's the only one listed on the Fender website.

Okay, so I've owned two Jazz Aeros; red about 10 odd years ago and white which I sold a year or two ago for £700.  At the time I was kinda surprised it went for that much but that seems to be more or less what I've seen a rarer one go for.  Kinda regretted selling both though.  I saw a lad selling one of these Ps about a year or so ago and was asking about the same, think it was the orange. 

This blue one is the first Aerodyne I ever saw, think it was at Wunjo maybe, around 15 years ago.  To look at, it's pretty stunning and I'm not normally a fan of fancy looking basses but it is a beauty in the flesh/wood.  My two Aeros played really nice and sounded great.  I prefer the sound of the Aero to my Elite P (which I never use in active).

The only fault I could find in an Aero is the lack of contour in the lower bout where you'd rest a forearm.  Literally, that's it.  Otherwise they're great basses and those Ps are gorgeous, pics don't do justice.

Would I buy another Aerodyne?  Yeah, happily.  Would I pay £600?  Maybe... although I'd be happier paying £500 because that would be a steal.  It's the 100 mile round trip I don't like.  You'll end up paying an extra £50 on top of it.  If you've never played one it may not be worth it but it's every bit as playable as a low end USA bass or high end MIM bass.  I personally love an MIJ.  

1 minute ago, fiatcoupe432 said:

Haven't heard from him so I guess not

ha, fair play =D