LukeFRC Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 (edited) [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][size=4]So there will be a build thread about this soon. This is my new jazz bass that I traded from [/size][/font][color=#323232][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Bassistclem a week or so ago. So it's a jazz bass... 1994 Japanese Fender squier precision bass neck, and reportedly a fender squier jazz bass body. Well the plan was originally to use the neck (which is good) as a base for a bitsa - new pickups, new body probably and so on.... and then I played the thing.... and it's outstanding- I don't know what it is, the ceramic pickups or what but the tone is brilliant- both me and my flatmate find it hard to put down. It's brilliant! So that given, I have a bass that just sounds brilliant- kinda like a fender jazz but not quite- having bought and sold a fair few jazzes over the past few years- some of them would have cost thousands... and this one... yeah - this is my bass [/font][/color] [color=#323232][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]So the plan was instead to refinish this bass- and obviously, if you look at the [/font][/color][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][color=#323232]scratchplate get one that fits! I figure that at some point someones stuck a cheaper scratchplate on that isn't the right size.[/color][/font] [font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][color=#323232]So I go on ebay and buy a new one- it comes- a quality item, looks good..... and it's the same flipping size as the one already on there. What's going on? Why is my bass body a wee bit bigger? Is it some other make? what's a happening? [/color][/font] [color=#323232][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]On the plus side I'm now going to have two jazz scratchplates to sell [/font][/color] Edited October 3, 2012 by LukeFRC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mentalextra Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 It seems to me that you can buy 3 different scatchplates from 3 different suppliers and they will be slightly different sizes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted October 3, 2012 Author Share Posted October 3, 2012 both the ones I have now are exactly the same Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted October 3, 2012 Author Share Posted October 3, 2012 not many people on this forum- should have put it in the regular bass forum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iiipopes Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 If it is a Squier J-bass body, it will have just the slightest bit of difference in its contours to distinguish it from a MIA J. Not so much it is noticable, but when you go to put different parts on it, there you go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted October 3, 2012 Author Share Posted October 3, 2012 [quote name='iiipopes' timestamp='1349299397' post='1824562'] If it is a Squier J-bass body, it will have just the slightest bit of difference in its contours to distinguish it from a MIA J. Not so much it is noticable, but when you go to put different parts on it, there you go. [/quote] I was told it was probably a MIJ squier. Can you see how much extra wood is below the bottom horn and round to the body cavity? oh well... back to the drawing board! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjones Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 (edited) I have a Silver Series MIJ Squier from 1994. The MIJ Squiers were based on 62 Jazz basses, so have the metal grounding strip going from the bridge to the pickup (instead of a wire going from under the bridge to the control cavity) and I notice yours doesn't. I also notice that the bridge pickup is in line with the tone control like a 70s Jazz Bass. The Japanese Squiers I've seen have the bridge pickup in the normal, further forward, position. The neck on my Squier is also 40 mm at the nut, unlike a normal Jazz bass which would be 38mm. edit: One last thing - my 94 Squier fits a normal sized scratchplate. Edited October 4, 2012 by gjones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted October 4, 2012 Author Share Posted October 4, 2012 [quote name='gjones' timestamp='1349310609' post='1824696'] I have a Silver Series MIJ Squier from 1994. The MIJ Squiers were based on 62 Jazz basses, so have the metal grounding strip going from the bridge to the pickup (instead of a wire going from under the bridge to the control cavity) and I notice yours doesn't. I also notice that the bridge pickup is in line with the tone control like a 70s Jazz Bass. The Japanese Squiers I've seen have the bridge pickup in the normal, further forward, position. The neck on my Squier is also 40 mm at the nut, unlike a normal Jazz bass which would be 38mm. edit: One last thing - my 94 Squier fits a normal sized scratchplate. [/quote] ah thanks for that hmm wonder what it is then, and yeah I thought it was 70s spacing, good to know. I guess I'm going to need to make my own scratch plate for it then to fit. The neck is more obvious, they stamp the make on both ends! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brensabre79 Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 I'm not even sure its a Squier body. The pickups are definitely further apart than 60s spacing but seem slightly further together than 70s. As a visual guide I usually see that the screw on the scratchplate is approx. equidistant between the two pickups on a 70s spacing bass - although if the plate is wrong this may be an illusion. Could the body have come from a 70s/80s jap copy? What sort of wood is under the paint there? And who the hell fitted that badass!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JapanAxe Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 (edited) I have a MIJ Squier Silver Series Jazz, and the lower horn looks very much like that. Now you mention it, it is pretty darned ugly, but I never noticed it before. [attachment=120191:Jazz lower horn.jpg] My advice: put on a black pickguard and forget about it! Edited October 5, 2012 by JapanAxe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted October 5, 2012 Author Share Posted October 5, 2012 [quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1349435510' post='1826224'] I have a MIJ Squier Silver Series Jazz, and the lower horn looks very much like that. Now you mention it, it is pretty darned ugly, but I never noticed it before. [attachment=120191:Jazz lower horn.jpg] My advice: put on a black pickguard and forget about it! [/quote] hmm I dunno, your's isn't as pronounced as mine. [quote name='brensabre79' timestamp='1349426651' post='1826073'] I'm not even sure its a Squier body. The pickups are definitely further apart than 60s spacing but seem slightly further together than 70s. As a visual guide I usually see that the screw on the scratchplate is approx. equidistant between the two pickups on a 70s spacing bass - although if the plate is wrong this may be an illusion. Could the body have come from a 70s/80s jap copy? What sort of wood is under the paint there? And who the hell fitted that badass!? [/quote] I don't think it's a squire body either, I'm going to strip some of the paint see what's happening- expecting a butchers block type thing. Yeah the rear pup is in a funny position. Has anyone got a measurement so I can check it? The badass isn't on it anymore I'm happy to say! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brensabre79 Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 IIRC 60 spacing the centre of the pole pices are 3.5" apart, 70s spacing 4" apart. Its difficult to tell whats going on with that scratchplate on the pic, but the screw holes for it on the lower horn seem to be in completely the wrong place. I've had problems aligning scratchplates in the past because the neck pocket cutout is not quite right, this acts as a pivot point to misalign the whole thing, but yours seems to be an extreme case. Best bet would probably be to draw your own scratchplate that fits this body, cut it out of card and send it off to get one made for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warwickhunt Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 If you need a plate to fit then just draw/trace what you require and ask Howard (the bass doctor) to make one to fit; his plate materials are absolutely stunning (not horrible red/pepperoni) and generally as cheap as an off the shelf jobbie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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