P-Bass problem and various questions.

[hellothere]

I went to put some new pick-ups in my Squire P-bass today, when I opened it up alot of the wires where melted through. When I bought it it was brand new and no one has ever tampered with it, what could cause that?

Anyway I couldn't fit the new pick-ups as I'm goign to have to replace alot of the wiring.

But I now have a couple of questions, what is the best way to store a bass so it dosn't warp when it has no strings on? Should I leave the neck on or off the body?

Also I might fit the pick-ups into my Sue Ryder instead and use the body of the squire for something else after I've replaced all the wiring. I was thinking about fitting a Jazz neck to it. How easy is it to fit one, how do you go about doing it and how much would a decent neck set you back?

I'd probably also replace the bridge, what parts do I need to measure to make sure the replacement bridge will fit without having to rout the body

Then I'll probably get some new replacement pick-ups for the Squire.

I'm also probably going to change the pick-guard to an all black one but that's just a matter of finding one that fits.

Another question is, how do I check it is safe? I have never wired up pick-ups before. How do I know I'm not going to give myself an electric shock when I plug it in for thefirst time or can that not happen?

And a final question is, is there any point replacing the neck on the Sue Ryder with an identical squire neck. The play-ability is not that different but could it effect the sound and durability?

Sorry for all the questions but I'm new to all this. Also sorry if this belongs in repairs or build diaries.

Cheers.

[Dom in Dorset]

a lot of questions ...
How come the wires are burned through? - Probably clumsy handling of the soldering iron by the original assemblu worker. If you don't pay attention you can burn a wire with the side of the iron while you're concentrating on the tip.
P bass wiring is as simple as it gets , just google for the diagram , work through wire at a time.
Safety? - as far as I know , unless you plug the bass into the mains you'll be ok, the worst thing that will happen if you get it wrong is that it won't work.
Diagram:

Edited April 2, 2011 by Dom in Somerset

[mcnach]

[quote name='hellothere' post='1185979' date='Apr 2 2011, 05:27 PM']I went to put some new pick-ups in my Squire P-bass today, when I opened it up alot of the wires where melted through. When I bought it it was brand new and no one has ever tampered with it, what could cause that?

Anyway I couldn't fit the new pick-ups as I'm goign to have to replace alot of the wiring.

But I now have a couple of questions, what is the best way to store a bass so it dosn't warp when it has no strings on? Should I leave the neck on or off the body?

Also I might fit the pick-ups into my Sue Ryder instead and use the body of the squire for something else after I've replaced all the wiring. I was thinking about fitting a Jazz neck to it. How easy is it to fit one, how do you go about doing it and how much would a decent neck set you back?

I'd probably also replace the bridge, what parts do I need to measure to make sure the replacement bridge will fit without having to rout the body

Then I'll probably get some new replacement pick-ups for the Squire.

I'm also probably going to change the pick-guard to an all black one but that's just a matter of finding one that fits.

Another question is, how do I check it is safe? I have never wired up pick-ups before. How do I know I'm not going to give myself an electric shock when I plug it in for thefirst time or can that not happen?

And a final question is, is there any point replacing the neck on the Sue Ryder with an identical squire neck. The play-ability is not that different but could it effect the sound and durability?

Sorry for all the questions but I'm new to all this. Also sorry if this belongs in repairs or build diaries.

Cheers.[/quote]


molten wires??? that sounds pretty odd.
do you have any pictures?

if you have to replace the wiring, a P-bass is probably as simple as it gets. I see you have already a diagram posted. Very easy.

I would not worry about a neck warping with no strings on. It may take a day to settle again after you refit it, but it'll be fine. Lots of necks being removed without issues are evidence to that. Just store it like you would store the bass: away from any heater/air conditioning, proteceted from extremes of temperature/humidity, etc...

You will not give yourself a shock if you wire it incorrectly. The amount of electricity in your passive bass is minuscule. Millivolts. If you get a shock, the problem will lie with your amplifier...
Talking of safety and wiring... have a look at www.guitarnuts.com
There are lots of diagrams, and tips. There are instructions for a nice mod installing a capacitor to protect you from the very strange situation where your amplifier fails and sends current through the cable into your bass, and you. I never did it, but if you are concerned, that's something worth looking at. I prefer to be wireless and be fuly isolated from the amp, which is another alternative, but I only do that live.

Replacing necks on Sue Ryder bassses... it has been done, but it seems the fit is not identical, so you may have to do a tiny bit of woodwork to get a good fit. If you like the Ryder, I would not bother.

[waltsdog]

[quote name='hellothere' post='1185979' date='Apr 2 2011, 05:27 PM']Also I might fit the pick-ups into my Sue Ryder instead and use the body of the squire for something else after I've replaced all the wiring. I was thinking about fitting a Jazz neck to it. How easy is it to fit one, how do you go about doing it and how much would a decent neck set you back?[/quote]


Are you thinking of fitting a jazz neck to your squire or Ryder?
A decent neck will set you back somewhere between £50 -100 ish, maybe a bit less for a squier or similar one. have a look in the classifieds there have been loads up for sale recently so you can get a good idea.
I've just fitted a Mexi fender jazz neck to a Ryder body and needed to replace the neck plate, screws and add a 5mm shim to the pocket. I was pretty lucky as there was no need to fill and re-drill any holes so the whole thing was done in about an hour.
If you have some very basic woodworking skills and more importantly have a good idea of how to set up your bass then it's fairly straightforward to swap a neck.
Had I been able to buy a bass in the exact configuration I wanted then I would have much rather done that than collect the bits and hope they could be made to fit.

[hellothere]

Thanks for the wiring diagram.

The wires are binned now so I can't show any pics. I guess it was poorly pu together like Dom said.

Good to hear I can't electrocute myself And I'll just make sure I keep the bass out the way, what would be the best way to protect it from humidity?

Well the neck on the Ryder seems fine, so I'll leave that. And thanks for the guitarnut reccomendation, some interresting stuff on there.

I was planning on putting a jazz neck on the Squire. If I bought a neck on here would I need to measure the neck pocket on my squire and ask for the measurements of the neck to check it fits?

Should a GOTO bridge just fit into the Squire without any routing?

And yes I guess it could work out cheaper to just buy a bass with the spec I want but I want to learn how to do mods to basses myself and doing it on a cheap bass is probably the best way to learn. Also I imagine it will be satisfying once I'm done

[mcnach]

[quote name='hellothere' post='1186760' date='Apr 3 2011, 02:48 PM']Good to hear I can't electrocute myself And I'll just make sure I keep the bass out the way, what would be the best way to protect it from humidity?[/quote]


essentially, don't leave it where you wouldn't be comfortable standing for a few hours... that's all.

[hellothere]

Sound advice

[hellothere]

a cheeky bump...

[johnDeereJack]

[quote name='hellothere' post='1186760' date='Apr 3 2011, 02:48 PM']Should a GOTO bridge just fit into the Squire without any routing?[/quote]
I recently fitted a GOTOH 203 bridge to my Squire VM Fretless with minimal work. The screws that come with the 203 are slightly thinner than the screws fitted to the stock Squier bridge so two toothpicks shoved firmly in each of the five holes in the body did the job and the screw holes matched up exactly with the holes already there.

Another great thing with the 203 is that it has an extra two screws (7 mounting screws in total) at the leading edge giving it a more secure anchor and a larger area in contact with the body which (IMHO) increases sustain. You will of course have to drill these yourself.

Cheers,
JDJ

[Ghost_Bass]

The Gotoh 201 should be a perfect fit to your Squier without the need for drilling extra holes. I've fitted one in my Maison P and it's a very good bridge witch gives a bit of extra sustain.

[TRBboy]

Worth also considering the Wilkinson bridge with brass saddles. Been very impressed with the one on my RBX and they're only about £14!

[lemmywinks]

Not much help but when you come to rewire the bass (if you haven't already) then it might be an idea to have a look at the Ryder too. Mine has a pretty horrible and messy wiring job and isn't something i'd gig. In fact i'd go as far to say it was some of the worst soldering i've seen in a long time!
Might as well do both if you've got the soldering iron and wire snips out!


While we're on the subject of bridges, don't discount the cheapys off eBay. I fitted one of the Schaller 3D copies to my Jazz bitsa and it's surprisingly good, much chunkier than the usual fare and still under £15 delivered. It was this one:
[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/4-string-Black-hard-tail-fixed-bass-guitar-bridge-/130393132588?pt=UK_Guitar_Accessories&hash=item1e5c094e2c"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/4-string-Black-hard-...=item1e5c094e2c[/url]
There's quite a few decent looking bridges at that price, most from Papa Ds or CH Guitars (both great service), all look like good alternatives to the usual BBOT.

[hellothere]

Well I havn't got around to fitting the pick-ups in the Ryder yet so I'll take a look when I do. Maybe it'll be even worse than my soldering

And what about the neck "I was planning on putting a jazz neck on the Squire. If I bought a neck on here would I need to measure the neck pocket on my squire and ask for the measurements of the neck to check it fits? "?

[lemmywinks]

[quote name='hellothere' post='1189621' date='Apr 5 2011, 08:27 PM']Well I havn't got around to fitting the pick-ups in the Ryder yet so I'll take a look when I do. Maybe it'll be even worse than my soldering

And what about the neck "I was planning on putting a jazz neck on the Squire. If I bought a neck on here would I need to measure the neck pocket on my squire and ask for the measurements of the neck to check it fits? "?[/quote]


An idea i had was to draw round the neck heel and scan it on a PC so you can email it to people for them to print out and check.

I got some parts together last year with the idea of making a few bitsas. Out of 3 bodies and 4 necks only one lot fitted together snugly, even then i had to do make some minor adjustments. Can be a bit of a minefield!

[hellothere]

Hmm that sounds like a good idea, I guess I'll do that. Cheers.

Have you, or anyone else reading this, ever considered a custom made neck? Or are they too expensive for a project that is mainly for fun, I have no idea how much they cost.

[Ancient Mariner]

Just be aware that scanners and printers can slightly distort dimensions, so something which someone *said* was a perfect match might not be when you try it. Also it's not at all unusual to have a bit of slop in a neck joint, but as long as the neck is seated all the way to the bottom of the pocket then it shouldn't make any real difference.

Good advice on the wiring and pickups. Make sure your soldering iron doesn't get too hot if it's a cheapie - I had one (from Maplin) that was so hot it caused the solder on the tip to oxidise & turn yellow quite rapidly. Over-heating with an iron like that (and you'll know if it does because the tip will quickly become yellow and flakey) will damage pots & burn insulation on wires. f you've not soldered before then remember to heat the job and melt solder on that - don't melt solder on the iron tip because it won't flow into the joint.