Wilco Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 I recently purchased a 1983 Aria Pro 2 that has spent the last 10 years in it's case under a bed! As you can image, it needs some care & attention. The pick-ups are too far away from the strings - the bass was stored with the pickup screws very much screwed down, & the foam under the pickups has hardened in a 'squashed' position. I want to put some more foam under the pickups to heighten them & bring them closer to the strings, therefore increasing output. Yes, I know you can buy foam in various guises from various sources that would probably do the trick, but can I find any specifically designed for guitar use - bugger can I! Does anyone know where I can get some? The pickup screws could also do with replacing, purely for looks. Something else that I thought would be straightforward but is turning out to be a lot harder. I've tried the obvious online shops eg Axes r Us, WD Music etc but with no luck. The screw dimensions are:- head diameter 6.5mm, domed head with Philips (+) slot, total screw length 32mm, thread length 30mm, thread diameter 3.5mm - preferably in black, or alternatively chrome. Any pointers where I could get these items from would be much appreciated. Thanks, Wilco. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 I replaced my rather manky foam with some grey foam that some computer kit was packaged in. To the best of my knowledge there is no foam specifically designed for this use - pretty sure manufacturers just buy sheets of 'off the peg' foam with a bit of 'spring' to it and just slice it up to fit. As for the pickup screws, they're going to be a b*st*rd to track down via the web because you also need to know the thread gauge. Once the pickup has been adjusted the screw generally get's left alone anyway - I set mine up on an SB900 nearly 30 years ago and have only touched them once since (when I replaced the foam!) - I think I'd be inclined to get a can of spray paint and give the heads a quick squirt before refitting them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodaxe Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 For pickup foam get a Happy Shopper/Tescos Value mousemat & slice it up. Then just add as many layers as needed. The bolts... These are like hen's teeth. I hunted high & low when I was renovating my SB-1000 & drew a complete blank - it's not the thread size that's an issue, it's the head. All the ones I found had standard (i.e. enormous) pan heads that wouldn't fit the recesses in the pickups. Quite by chance I finally found something that would do on a stall at a vintage car show. Got a Dremel? Give all the threads a good going over with one of those fitted with a wire brush, that'll get the cack off. If you want to polish them do this: [list=1] [*]Put the bolt in the chuck of the Dremel, head outwards [*]Get some fine wet & dry (1000 grit or more) [*]Wet the paper [*]Start the drill [*]Apply paper to bolt, keep it wet (watch it though, this generates a surprising amount of heat) [*]Finish with a coarse cloth & some paste-type metal polish [/list] They'll come up like they're chromed A quick blow of clear lacquer will seal them. Do the same for the bridge adjustment bolts. The bridge itself will respond to an extended bout of Dremel-polishing, but you'll need one of the felt wheels & a tin of Duraglit or similar. DON'T try it on a chromed bridge though as these are usually cast from aluminium alloy & if you break through the plating the metal is rather soft. A brass one will come up like this: Pete. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ras52 Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 +1 for mouse-mat foam. I used three or four layers when doing a similar job, just stacked up with no adhesive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatback Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 (edited) Had to do this lately and found the layered-foam nail buffing stick thingies that women use are the perfect thickness and width. Cut one in half, and job done. Being layered, they don't seem to lose their elasticity. Edited January 27, 2011 by fatback Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 So that's mouse mats, nail files and scrap computer packaging so far... You do realise that 'Time Team' in a 1000 years time are going to come up with proof that people from this era used to store household waste in a hollowed out wooden container with a long handle dont you..? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatback Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 [quote name='icastle' post='1105121' date='Jan 27 2011, 02:44 PM']So that's mouse mats, nail files and scrap computer packaging so far... You do realise that 'Time Team' in a 1000 years time are going to come up with proof that people from this era used to store household waste in a hollowed out wooden container with a long handle dont you..? [/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCB Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 I know this is an old thread, but anyone else reading this, looking for advice (as I was), might find this useful: Try here: [url="http://www.bestbassgear.com/pickup-screws.htm"]http://www.bestbassg...ckup-screws.htm[/url] Though this site is in the US, they say if you call them they'll post cheap items using the regular mail, hopefully avoiding excessive shipping charges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCB Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 and here [url="http://www.mojotone.com/guitar-parts/height-cushions"]http://www.mojotone....height-cushions[/url] [url="http://www.guitarjonesusa.com/catalog/store.php?crn=246"]http://www.guitarjon...ore.php?crn=246[/url] found these links on TB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
synaesthesia Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 Mousemat foam is neoprene. You can use any compressible material as long as you are happy with the 'give', or spring reflex. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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