neepheid Posted January 1, 2023 Share Posted January 1, 2023 Now that the traps are open and gear can be acquired again, I want to do something I've been scheming about for a while. My Epiphone Les Paul Standard bass currently has EMG-HB pickups and an EMG-BQC 3 band EQ. I did this many years ago when I wasn't sure what I wanted. Now I know that I'm done with active basses. I barely play this bass these days as I don't enjoy the clean, hi-fi sound of the EMG pickups and electronics. The bass has sentimental value so rather than move it on I thought I'd change the pickups and wiring. Pickup choices are somewhat limited if I don't want to be getting the router out. The Standard takes guitar sized humbuckers mounted in pickup rings (think PAFs). There are more expensive options like TV Jones Thundertron/mag/blade but I think I will give the Warman Drivetrain a go, they're relatively inexpensive, high output, 4 wire for series/parallel fun and are claimed to be "equally at home in a bass" by the vendor. So, what to do with 5 holes in the body for controls? My thoughts are - Stacked vol/tone for neck pickup Stacked vol/tone for bridge pickup Three way switch for series/parallel/single (neck) Three way switch for series/parallel/single (bridge) Three way switch in top of the body for pickup selection My main question would be - is it possible to have that last switch do a neck pickup only/both pickups in series/bridge pickup only like on a Fender Boxer/Jazz Bass Special, after each pickup has been individually switched for individual series/parallel/single before it hits the switch? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itu Posted January 1, 2023 Share Posted January 1, 2023 How about vol vol tone tone + rotary pickup switch? With a rotary switch you can have several pickup options under a single knob. I suggest you to use only series + parallel, or series + single coil. Single coil and parallel are so close to each other that you only need the other. If you need a slight boost, then it's single + series. - ser + ser - single + ser - ser + single - single + single Yes, it would be possible to combine different coils from different pickups, but then, do you really think you could get that different or useful sounds? Wiring the system: (pickup - switch - vol - tone) x 2 to output or if you like blend: (pickup - switch - tone) x 2 - blend - volume - output 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralf1e Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 Gordon Smith Graduate guitars used to have. 2 x Volume with push pull coil tap 1 for each pickup 2 x Tone 1 for each pickup 1 x three way switch neck-both-bridge Kind of like a Les Paul but with coil taps using all four wires to choose hum bucking or single coil for each pickup That combo of switching might do what you want (not sure I have my head around it) using the 5 holes without risking ends getting broken off switches as happens sometimes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted January 21, 2023 Author Share Posted January 21, 2023 I've gone away and done some scheming. I've decided to go full hardware swap to gold for those Lotus/JPS vibes. Controls will be VVTT with push pulls for series/parallel, then regular three way pickup selector switch. Pickups - I would ideally like a pair of DiMarzio X2N-B (DP125) - they're not listed as a regular item but can be ordered from the DiMarzio Custom Shop. I have heard some pleasing footage of these pickups in GIbson-esque basses in a few YouTube vids. Going to get them in black with gold rails, I think that will suit the whole black and gold theme nicely... Probably going to be expensive and difficult to get a hold of though. I've already made some enquiries directly to DiMarzio and they're not geared up for direct international sales, so I'm either going to have to throw myself at the mercy of the UK distributor (or whichever retailer they paw me off to) or find a willing US based co-conspirator to act as go-between. Gold bridge is also going to be an issue - Gibson/Epiphone turned down my offer to buy a gold three pointer from them as it's not an officially listed spare part (BOO - God knows what you do if your Rumblekat has an issue then). Can't find a gold one for love nor money, only chrome or black. Currently there's a chancer in Australia wanting a ridiculous amount for the quite used looking bridge/tuners/knobs from a Rumblekat - I'll pass thanks. It'll either be a case of getting lucky on eBay, or resigning myself to buying a Babicz or Hipshot then have to deal with mounting that on a curved surface (where the curve is a lot more pronounced front to back than say a Jack Casady). Anyway, while parts acquisition may take a while, I can get busy with gutting the existing gubbins and giving the fretboard a good clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted January 21, 2023 Author Share Posted January 21, 2023 Right, phase one complete - complete hardware and electronics removal, truss rod slackened off (god knows how long it'll be unstrung) and fingerboard cleaned and oiled. Mmm, grotty. The rat's nest Empty! Bye bye EMG 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3below Posted January 21, 2023 Share Posted January 21, 2023 Mounting the Hipshot on a curved top bass can be achieved with spacer collars and bolting it down onto them with M8 or 5/16" hex button screws. On my Bach EB2 I used collars on the main fixings and just a hex button screw under the front fixing. Works well. Getting Gold colour might be a bigger challenge. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted January 21, 2023 Author Share Posted January 21, 2023 46 minutes ago, 3below said: Mounting the Hipshot on a curved top bass can be achieved with spacer collars and bolting it down onto them with M8 or 5/16" hex button screws. On my Bach EB2 I used collars on the main fixings and just a hex button screw under the front fixing. Works well. Getting Gold colour might be a bigger challenge. I was thinking about multiple M8 washers but these would look better, if I could either get them in gold or get them electroplated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted January 22, 2023 Author Share Posted January 22, 2023 Can get them in brass, might be a close enough match to gold hardware... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted January 22, 2023 Author Share Posted January 22, 2023 Priced up all the misc bits and bobs - everything except pickups and bridge, just a smidge under £100. Keen to get going but I must wait to see if the car passes its MOT at the end of the month. Adulting sucks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted January 28, 2023 Author Share Posted January 28, 2023 Capitulated and ordered a gold Babicz bridge. Bloody expensive, and will probably delay obtaining other parts for the project but what are can you do when alternatives are thin on the ground and it's the last one the shop has, with the price likely to rise at the next restock... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted February 1, 2023 Author Share Posted February 1, 2023 So, the Babicz bridge arrived yesterday. Eager to get it fitted but the bolts were just seizing, even if I tightened them down a bit at a time. Turns out that the main two bolts go down fine but the front threaded insert is about 2mm further forward than the Babicz allows for. I may have uttered the phrase "oh you b'stard". So, what to do? I envisioned going to the ballache of removing the insert, glueing in a dowel, redrilling the hole and reinserting the insert. But then someone said to me "why not modify the bridge so that the top hole is more like a slot?" Now, normally I would scoff at such a suggestion - me, with no metalworking skills since the school and more crucially no metalworking tools beyond a set of files. BUT I do work in the School of Engineering which has a fully kitted out workshop staffed by legends who know what the hell they're doing... In and out in 20 mins. Job's a good 'un! Thanks so much to the guys in the workshop for sorting this out for me! I know rendering a £145 bridge unreturnable and probably unsellable on its own wouldn't be everyone's solve for X, but this is a one way mod as far as I'm concerned. I know that the mod has rendered the topmost locking screwhole unusable on the A saddle slot, but it will never need to be up there, so it is moot as far as I'm concerned. The back end of the Babicz only needed 2 M8 washers on each side to jack it back up to level, doesn't sound like a lot but as you can see, it's quite a steep dropoff... So, I think that's the bridge sorted. Stoopid, beautiful carved top! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted February 1, 2023 Author Share Posted February 1, 2023 Aaaaaand in comes the car with a circa £400 MOT repair bill. No more project progress this month then! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulThePlug Posted February 1, 2023 Share Posted February 1, 2023 Any wood work types in the workshop? Have you considered a slight counter route for the front of the bridge to get in flush to the body at the rear? I'm thinking that the saddles may be high even at their lowest, or is their quite a lay back neck angle? Cheap progress?... something to move the project on. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted February 1, 2023 Author Share Posted February 1, 2023 Just now, PaulThePlug said: Any wood work types in the workshop? Have you considered a slight counter route for the front of the bridge to get in flush to the body at the rear? I'm thinking that the saddles may be high even at their lowest, or is their quite a lay back neck angle? Cheap progress?... something to move the project on. I'll see how it comes together, there is a bit of an angle to the neck. Remember that the OG three point bridge sits at least 5mm off the deck like the goofy oil rig that it is, so I don't really mind about the gap at the back. I will put the strings on to check but I think it'll be ok. Got some boring stuff I could do, like copper shielding... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralf1e Posted February 1, 2023 Share Posted February 1, 2023 (edited) Beautiful bridge, beautiful body. Those washers look awful. I think the route idea above was maybe the answer. He was being more polite than me. It looks even worse because the fabulous depth of shine makes it look like 4 washers. Sorry but telling you the hard truth. Tough love we call it. Edited February 1, 2023 by Ralf1e Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulThePlug Posted February 1, 2023 Share Posted February 1, 2023 (edited) See if the workshop can turn and part-off a couple of brass spacers, take the washers in as measure... Packet of Chocolate Hobnobs type job that... Edited February 1, 2023 by PaulThePlug 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted February 1, 2023 Author Share Posted February 1, 2023 (edited) 11 minutes ago, Ralf1e said: Beautiful bridge, beautiful body. Those washers look awful. I think the route idea above was maybe the answer. He was being more polite than me. It looks even worse because the fabulous depth of shine makes it look like 4 washers. Sorry but telling you the hard truth. Tough love we call it. The washers are temporary - I've still got some playing about to do with that. Sorry for the vague language - when I said the bridge was "sorted", I was really talking about the modifications allowing it to fit and that I know what I'm going to do RE: mounting it at the correct angle. I will not be routing into the top of the body - what's the point in having a carved top if I'm going to flatten it (and then the front insert will have to be removed anyway and resunk). I will look into those brass spacers. Might not be able to get ones thin enough, but the boys in the workshop at work might be able to help me do something about that too. Typing that as @PaulThePlug replied Edited February 1, 2023 by neepheid 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralf1e Posted February 1, 2023 Share Posted February 1, 2023 6 hours ago, neepheid said: So, the Babicz bridge arrived yesterday. Eager to get it fitted but the bolts were just seizing, even if I tightened them down a bit at a time. Turns out that the main two bolts go down fine but the front threaded insert is about 2mm further forward than the Babicz allows for. I may have uttered the phrase "oh you b'stard". So, what to do? I envisioned going to the ballache of removing the insert, glueing in a dowel, redrilling the hole and reinserting the insert. But then someone said to me "why not modify the bridge so that the top hole is more like a slot?" Now, normally I would scoff at such a suggestion - me, with no metalworking skills since the school and more crucially no metalworking tools beyond a set of files. BUT I do work in the School of Engineering which has a fully kitted out workshop staffed by legends who know what the hell they're doing... In and out in 20 mins. Job's a good 'un! Thanks so much to the guys in the workshop for sorting this out for me! I know rendering a £145 bridge unreturnable and probably unsellable on its own wouldn't be everyone's solve for X, but this is a one way mod as far as I'm concerned. I know that the mod has rendered the topmost locking screwhole unusable on the A saddle slot, but it will never need to be up there, so it is moot as far as I'm concerned. The back end of the Babicz only needed 2 M8 washers on each side to jack it back up to level, doesn't sound like a lot but as you can see, it's quite a steep dropoff... So, I think that's the bridge sorted. Stoopid, beautiful carved top! Does anyone make inserts with thicker tops so they sit right in and still have a level top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted February 10, 2023 Author Share Posted February 10, 2023 The stars have aligned! The pickups I wanted appeared on eBay (US) - moved some money around and snagged them. Hopefully will see them in a couple of weeks. Also, eBay UK is having a £1 final fee/no insertion fee weekend, so I'll get my EMGs listed and hopefully sold to offset the cost of the new pickups. Also, some small round brass things might be arriving soon... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted February 11, 2023 Author Share Posted February 11, 2023 So, small, round, brass things - brass will tarnish so I guess I should blast them with a coat of clear lacquer before putting them on the bass, do you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted February 11, 2023 Share Posted February 11, 2023 46 minutes ago, neepheid said: So, small, round, brass things - brass will tarnish so I guess I should blast them with a coat of clear lacquer before putting them on the bass, do you think? Can’t hurt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted February 17, 2023 Author Share Posted February 17, 2023 Rubs hands together Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted March 1, 2023 Author Share Posted March 1, 2023 (edited) My hands are rubbed raw, pickups still not made it across the pond yet. On the plus side, with pay day comes orders for all the other stuff (tuners, pots, knobs etc.) which will hopefully arrive in the next few days. I got the lacquer for protecting my brass standoffs so I suppose I should get that done too. Edited March 1, 2023 by neepheid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted March 4, 2023 Author Share Posted March 4, 2023 So, some bits n bobs arrived... Also I put a coat of lacquer on my brass standoffs and put them on the bass in place of the temporary washers under the bridge... A tiny detail, perhaps, but I guess it looks a bit less temporary now. Still no sign of pickups yet but I'm debating whether or not to get gold rings, or black - as the pickups themselves have gold rails and that might be enough gold to go around. One thing is certain - cream rings have to go. I thought they might tie in with the body binding but I think they look daft next to the gold bridge. Thoughts? The eagle-eyed amongst you will have noticed that there are no position markers on the tone knobs. That's because the push-push pots are bigger than the single pots and the position markers are intended for the smaller ones. I'm not buying more - I'll ream out the ones I have to fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartelby Posted March 4, 2023 Share Posted March 4, 2023 Quick question @neepheid, I'll admit I've not read the whole thread. Is that bridge the Gibson or Epiphone version? The bass is looking bloody good so far! I'm a sucker for Black and Gold. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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