dave_bass5 Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 Ive posted a few times about having to file down my Squier CV P pick guard to get my Thumper fitted. I put it down to the Squier PG not being standard. Ive just received a Standard PG and im finding the same thing. The Thumper is too large for the cut out. Im just wondering if anyone else has found this. It could well be both PG's are slightly undersized but i doubt it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stinson Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 On my mid 70's P the D/G cover was a bit of a tight squeeze on my Trad so I put the original cover over it which worked Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted January 21, 2011 Author Share Posted January 21, 2011 wow, that was quick. I had considered this but the coils are a bit too tight to go in the Squier cover. Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumnote Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 I have a number of different p bass pickups, all with slight variation, measured across they are Wizard Thumper 28.15 Mexico 50s reissue 27.86 Lollar 27.87 Lindy Fralin 28.19 so it does look as if the thumper is a bit bigger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted January 21, 2011 Author Share Posted January 21, 2011 Thanks bumnote. Andy did say he uses a standard allparts case, same as Fender, but maybe i need to get sometihng just that bit smaller. I can file the new PG down but im fed up having to do it each time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumnote Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 Or perhaps there is a moulding tolerance. I expect there is more than one cavity in the mould IIRC everytime I changed a PG I have had to ease them, particulalrly the ali anodised jobbies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platypus Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 I put a Trad in my '78 P (original guard) and that was a very tight fit - got away without any filing though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted January 21, 2011 Author Share Posted January 21, 2011 This is about 2mm longer so theres no chance of easing it in. Its more the screw lugs rather than the main body, alothugh it is still slightly longer. I think im going to try a different pup first. I know thats not the cheapest route but i dont want to keep filing these things down. The only real experience ive had with this sort of thing was with Changing the PG's o nmy 2 Duck Dunns and changin gthe Hanson for a Fralin in my last one. No issues at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
untune Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 It's a shame that despite the design being standardised, the dimensions aren't! I fitted a Kent Armstrong (Korean not handmade) precision into an Ibanez last year. I'd bought the pickup and it arrived the day I needed it so I didn't have much time to sort it out. I'd also bought a pair of 'closed' P-covers just as an aesthetic thing on the assumption that it was a p bass cover - it had to fit! No such luck. The KA was too big for the covers I'd bought, yet it slotted perfectly into the stock Ibanez P-cover, which had holes for the polepieces - all lined up perfectly! Still have those covers chucked in a box somewhere, but i doubt there's any point selling them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumnote Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 I got the vernier out again and we have length wise Fralin 66.7 Lollar 65.3 MIM 65.2 EMG 65.6 Thumper 66.8 What you could do is to nut a new set of Fender covers as the cover is not fixed to the pick up, so perhaps a genuine fender cover would fit without filing [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/GENUINE-FENDER-PRECISION-P-BASS-BLACK-PICKUP-COVERS-/140501633781?pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item20b68ccaf5"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/GENUINE-FENDER-PRECI...=item20b68ccaf5[/url] £5 from the states or I think I got one a while ago from Oasis in ringwood Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Protium Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 I had to file a Fender scratchplate to fit a Fender pickup, and a while ago I had to file to fit a Thumper too. Annoying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted January 23, 2011 Author Share Posted January 23, 2011 (edited) [quote name='bumnote' post='1098774' date='Jan 22 2011, 04:03 PM']What you could do is to nut a new set of Fender covers as the cover is not fixed to the pick up, so perhaps a genuine fender cover would fit without filing £5 from the states or I think I got one a while ago from Oasis in ringwood[/quote] I'm not sure that would work. I still have the Squier pups that fit but the coils from the Thumper wont fit the cover. Plus, Andy has already told me that these are standard Fender cases (size wise) so i think I'm stuck unless i do some filing. I did have another go today but its too much hassle. Edited January 23, 2011 by dave_bass5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumnote Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 [quote name='dave_bass5' post='1099789' date='Jan 23 2011, 04:28 PM']I'm not sure that would work. I still have the Squier pups that fit but the coils from the Thumper wont fit the cover. Plus, Andy has already told me that these are standard Fender cases (size wise) so i think I'm stuck unless i do some filing. I did have another go today but its too much hassle.[/quote] I have a pickup from a cij bass with covers that are 65.7 long and 27.5 wide ie smaller tolerance Pm me your address and I will send them to you If it sorts the problem, send me the ones from the thumper, if it doesnt send em back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted January 23, 2011 Author Share Posted January 23, 2011 Thanks very much for the offer but I think I'll just keep things as they are for now. Your covers sound about the same as my squier covers but I know the thumper won't fit inside it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumnote Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 ok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawrenceH Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 2mm sounds like it might be a bit much but I had success sanding down the pickup casing when in a similar situation on a jazz set. Would that be an alternative? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumnote Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 My thumper is in a 57 reissue with a ally pg. I remember having to file to fit, but it looks as if I only did the little semi circular bits where the retaining lugs go so maybe Laurences suggestion would work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted January 23, 2011 Author Share Posted January 23, 2011 [quote name='LawrenceH' post='1100225' date='Jan 23 2011, 10:20 PM']2mm sounds like it might be a bit much but I had success sanding down the pickup casing when in a similar situation on a jazz set. Would that be an alternative?[/quote] Unfortunately not. As an example if i hook the PG over one end of one half of the pup, it covers part of the opposite screw hole, as well as the edge of the case. Another idea i had was to file down the lip around the coil. I figured this might help me squeeze it in to a smaller cover but it all seems like a lot of effort. Thanks anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumnote Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 [quote name='dave_bass5' post='1100259' date='Jan 23 2011, 10:54 PM']Unfortunately not. As an example if i hook the PG over one end of one half of the pup, it covers part of the opposite screw hole, as well as the edge of the case. Another idea i had was to file down the lip around the coil. I figured this might help me squeeze it in to a smaller cover but it all seems like a lot of effort. Thanks anyway.[/quote] And the risk you are getting a bit near the delicate bits Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted January 23, 2011 Author Share Posted January 23, 2011 [quote name='bumnote' post='1100265' date='Jan 23 2011, 11:02 PM']And the risk you are getting a bit near the delicate bits[/quote] Yeah, one slip and i could write off the pup. To be honest if this bass was in a colour i liked i would make sure i sorted this out, but all this to get a black PG on to a bass im not really in love with (colour wise only) is a bit too much hassle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumnote Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 [quote name='dave_bass5' post='1100278' date='Jan 23 2011, 11:14 PM']Yeah, one slip and i could write off the pup. To be honest if this bass was in a colour i liked i would make sure i sorted this out, but all this to get a black PG on to a bass im not really in love with (colour wise only) is a bit too much hassle.[/quote] I used to be very sceptical about pickup changes but the thumper made a real difference to my bass, far more than I thought it would Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted January 23, 2011 Author Share Posted January 23, 2011 [quote name='bumnote' post='1100286' date='Jan 23 2011, 11:25 PM']I used to be very sceptical about pickup changes but the thumper made a real difference to my bass, far more than I thought it would[/quote] Same here. Ive been very impressed with the Wizard pups. I al so have some in my HW-one Jazz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumnote Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 In the last year Ive changed out all my Fender basses stock pickups except the mex one. I have a raven labs preamp in the loft that Im going to put in when I get round to it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OmeDunk Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 And? Did you managed to get the Thumper in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted January 30, 2011 Author Share Posted January 30, 2011 [quote name='OmeDunk' post='1107825' date='Jan 30 2011, 04:16 AM']And? Did you managed to get the Thumper in?[/quote] I gave up. This thread is more about me getting a new PG on rather than putting a Thumper in my Bass. The Thumper is already on the bass, along with the original PG that needed a lot of filing. Im going to give up on replacing the PG for now and live with the original one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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