acidbass Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 Hello all, This week, I'm bringing my old fretless Precision bass to a local luthier to get a complete overhaul done. I bought the bass originally from Beedster of this parish, around 3 years ago, as I wanted to get started learning fretless. The bass was originally fretted, but Chris had it defretted and the slots filled with a light veneer of wood. After I received it, I fitted a set of ashtrays to it, and it looked like this: [attachment=88294:19275_26...718280_n.jpg] A nice bass to look at and equally nice to play, although the fretboard has since taken a lot of knackering as it was unfinished rosewood and I had it strung with rounds. Over the past six months or so, my use for it in a live context had been somewhat limited, and it had taken a back seat to my other fretted basses. One day, out of boredom, I decided to take the whole thing apart and check out the innards, and at the moment it looks like this: [attachment=88295:DSC01896.JPG] So - my recent increase in appreciation for Pino Palladino, Tony Levin and John Giblin has convinced me that she needs to get back on the road, with some TLC required to make sure it sings once again! A list of the mods I'm going for: - New ebony unlined fretboard on the same neck - I love the profile, slightly narrower than most other Precisions I've played - Bone nut - Jazz pickup installed at bridge position (Wizard 84) - New P pickup (Wizard Thumper) - A complete new passive circuit with three knobs - Volume for each pickup and overall tone, with a Switchcraft jack and CTS pots - A custom tort pickguard to accommodate the extra knob - Cavity shielding - Dunlop Straploks Although I considering an active circuit, I am keeping the bass passive and am planning to use an outboard preamp (Sadowsky or Aguilar) with it, as I have a need for one for my other basses anyway. I might consider a new bridge and tuners eventually but for now the ones on it are fine. I will be stringing it up with Thomastik Jazz flats when it's done, with medium action to accommodate a bit of 'mwah'! Turn around time will be 2 weeks or so, as ebony is a very labour-intensive wood and will take a bit of time to get right. Needless to say, I can't wait for the finished article and will keep you all updated over the course of the overhaul. Cheers! Danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 Hey Danny Great to see you've still got the bass and that you're looking after it so well. That really is a fine instrument, and it's going to be a cracker once modded - ebony boards make a huge difference to the way the string feels and plays compared to rosewood, IMO the note swells in a more musical way also, so you'll probably feel like you have a new bass to learn! Really look forward to seeing pics of the finished bass (oh, and I'm very glad to see the word 'unlined' next to 'ebony'). C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acidbass Posted September 3, 2011 Author Share Posted September 3, 2011 Yeah Chris, I can't wait to get it back in action! It was a lovely bass when I received it from you and it can only improve with the mods - I have been in the market for a fretless bass with an ebony board and thought 'why buy another one when you can modify one of your own?' I really love the neck profile on the bass at the moment so it didn't make sense to buy a completely new neck, a new nut and fingerboard and she'll be good to go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acidbass Posted September 5, 2011 Author Share Posted September 5, 2011 Just choosing between a few different pieces of Ebony for the fingerboard - they range from very dark to lighter-coloured pieces with reddish streaks, pics to follow! Absolutely beautiful wood Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acidbass Posted September 15, 2011 Author Share Posted September 15, 2011 Had an update today from the luthier! I went for the darkest possible ebony board, so that I won't require staining. I don't mind seeing a little of the grain as it will give it a bit of character, to my eyes anyway! He has also received a brown tort scratchplate and bone nut. The old fingerboard has been removed and the new ebony one glued on. Work cannot recommence for at least 24 hours to make sure there is a sufficient bond between neck and fingerboard. Pics to follow! I have decided to go for a flatter fingerboard radius also, 16" instead of the 12" of the original. Next step is to wait for the glue to set, then radiusing can begin as well as fine sanding and polishing. Next step - a pickup route for the new bridge pickup. Coming along nicely so far! Danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acidbass Posted November 25, 2011 Author Share Posted November 25, 2011 http://youtu.be/g5GxIRtkuNw All done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louisthebass Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 I'm liking this a lot - video was great (music was pretty good too). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry norton Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 +1 on that. PJ pickups with an ebony board is the classic combination for a fretless Precision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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