A Guitar And Gear Support Forum

When does a log become Pinocchio?
I think with this one it's when I finally got around to re-drilling the neck to fit the body. I traded these from different people - a MIK Squier Bullet neck and a VM P/J body (supposedly Indonesia, but I have no idea, it came with active pickups, which I traded away). I don't know what this color is called but it's either grey or coffee-and-cream with a fine metal flake in it. Wouldn't be my first choice when buying, but it's kinda cool.

The holes didn't match up and it wasn't the tightest neck pocket, so I thought about trading or selling them. A pickguard I bought didn't fit. But I decided to give it another try. I had to set it up with a clamp and a couple of twine lines to see if the neck is straight - and drill it in front of a mirror (no vice, no helping hand, a total ad-hoc, I don't recommend it). Put each screw in after drilling - to keep things where they are. I think it worked out. I don't want to use a new set of strings yet and all I had were these med-scale used strings, of which D and G don't reach the tuners, so pickups are next (thank you, Mossman for the jazz pup!).

Sustain is good and it's pretty resonant, no reason to suspect bad neck/body joint. Just need to hope that setup will work out without shimming.

I'm usually not the type to post detailed progress, but a "before" picture really helps

Perfectly nice looking PJ bass. I look forward to the final product.

It becomes a projet when you get squinty eyed and think 'hmmm maybe. And looks promising.

fatjack wrote: ↑Wed Oct 07, 2020 8:49 pm It becomes a projet when you get squinty eyed and think 'hmmm maybe. And looks promising.

I've been meaning to say: nice SJM, fatjack. I changed my avatar to sort of project my SJM affliction (in lieu of a gear list)
If I could have a sunburst, that would be the coolest platform for my "Jaguar" SJM project. To me "the" color scheme is Jazzmaster in white with a tort guard and a Jaguar in sunburst with black guard. Maybe I'll just get a Classic Vibe Jag one of these days.

Thanks, lefty 2 pickup versions are hard to find and I got lucky. It feeds into my p90 affliction very well.

Truss rod is working, so that's very reassuring! And I realized that the P-bass pickup I had laying around is a generic alnico from ebay that I bought back in 2012. I've been wanting to try them out.

It becomes a project when you advertise it on CL.

It becomes a project when the moon is in the seventh house and Jupiter aligns with mars.

Enjoy the project!

I've always hated the anemic white pickguards. Years ago I bought a black pearl guard, which didn't fit this bass (I still have it). I think black or grey pearloid guard would look great on a grey body, but this bass is not precisely grey, it's more like coffee with cream, there's a slight brownish hue to it. So I don't think that'll be the best effect. I am thinking just 3-ply black right now. I like brown tort on white, but not sure it'll work well on this one.

Looking at the pics, I agree that a grey-pearl PG would look good. Might be a good contrast to the hints of brown.

As far as your remaining 'P' pick up, I can build you one for $35, shipped (my cost). Includes covers, height screws and springs. PM me if you are interested.

Gear_Junky wrote: ↑Tue Oct 06, 2020 9:01 pm (thank you, Mossman for the jazz pup!).

You're welcome... But that bass looks far from grey on my monitor. It looks more like Firemist Gold.

Mossman wrote: ↑Fri Oct 16, 2020 11:56 pm You're welcome... But that bass looks far from grey on my monitor. It looks more like Firemist Gold.

True. Or more likely Shoreline Gold. But in person it's definitely more "sand" than "gold", I was even surprised to see "gold" when searching for colors. Nothing like a gibby "gold top". I am just not a good photographer. At some point I'll have to take it outside, that's my only hope of ever getting decent pics.

Got it all foiled up (shielding) so just waiting to solder it all up. Also managed to put new pickups into the new tele, just need to take care of the frets and also solder everything in.

Gear_Junky wrote: ↑Sat Oct 17, 2020 12:15 am

Mossman wrote: ↑Fri Oct 16, 2020 11:56 pm You're welcome... But that bass looks far from grey on my monitor. It looks more like Firemist Gold.

True. Or more likely Shoreline Gold. But in person it's definitely more "sand" than "gold", I was even surprised to see "gold" when searching for colors. Nothing like a gibby "gold top". I am just not a good photographer. At some point I'll have to take it outside, that's my only hope of ever getting decent pics.

Got it all foiled up (shielding) so just waiting to solder it all up. Also managed to put new pickups into the new tele, just need to take care of the frets and also solder everything in.

I think the background may be having an influence on the perceived color of the bass too. Foreground colors can look different when juxtaposed against other colors.

Lined the cavities with copper foil. Found out the P-pickup will not fit into the pickguard rout, will need some filing. Also, the pickguard's last hole is so close to the narrow side of the cavity that there's only room enough for a jack, not a full size pot, so I'll have to use a mini pot for tone. Not what I wanted, but I already have a pot/cap laying around. I really want to find a way to make my own pickguards without buying an expensive machine. Maybe a coping saw?

Coping saw would work if you don't mind aLOT of hand sawing. I'd look for a cheap used scroll saw. Or ask a wood working shop to cut it on their scroll saw.