hamfist

[quote name='Big_Stu' timestamp='1392127748' post='2365042'] I think she got if from Norman Stanley Fletcher, a habitual criminal. [/quote] ..... who originally picked it up from the Duke of Edinburgh. possibly.

[quote name='Ou7shined' timestamp='1392114110' post='2364732'] Slight disparity in these two posts ..... but yes the important thing is to measure from the frets. You are actually taking your measurement from the nut but it is far more convenient to use a fret as relative starting point. I think people are possibly mistaking the positioning of the bridge as a fixed and finite thing. All bridges have differing designs and therefore differing footprints and so the placement is arbitrary - within a tolerance. Even stating the instrument's scale as 34" is just a guide to it's proportions, as rarely if ever do the strings come in at 34" (bridge saddle to nut distance) once it has been intonated. Therefore all measurements must be taken from the nut ... or your preferred fret. [/quote] My measurement is definitely from the 12th fret. The 13.5" is the ideal stingray position (although I do believe MM have changed it a bit between different models over the years). I was saying that in a P/MM I am happy having the MM pickup a tiny bit nearer the bridge, to enable the P pickup to stay in the Fender sweetspot.

There are, of course, many ways of getting it right. For me, I always use the measurement from the 12th fret. So, for a Stingray pickup, the centre of the pickup, between the two rows of polepieces, needs to be 13.5" from the 12th fret.

[quote name='Osiris' timestamp='1391954591' post='2362922'] hamfist - The string has good clearance over the pup (Yes, it's a P style!) and is definitely not hitting it when the string is plucked. [/quote] Is your fingertip striking the pup though ? With me that still makes a noise similar to that you are suggesting.

I've been through a lot of headphones trying to find what I am looking for. I love my Grado SR125 'phones. They are not cheap (about £200) but I can really hear the difference. The clarity and sound-separation is incredible. I am not rolling in cash, but the extra was worth it to me as I do play and listen through them a lot. Now something I wasn't expecting is how much I enjoy open-backed headphones (which these Grados are). They feel "lighter" on your head and ears, and you hear a lot of ambient sound too, which I think would be a big advantage as a church player. Unless you have well thought out ambient sound mics, IEM's can make you feel a bit isolated, which is a big reason I don't like them. Just my experience anyway.

If it has a precision pickup it could be the string touching a pole of the pickup. P pickups in particular can obviously be adjusted to have any string "high".

To the OP ... you are mentioning nothing about the sounds available from each of these basses. Are you playing these plugged in at all ? And what sounds and styles of music are you hoping to play ? Favourite bands etc ? THis will give us an idea of the types of sound you are going for.

I don't think screened cable will make any difference here, as you are getting no bass signal at all at the moment. Difficult to advise at the moment. Some pics of the installation and the connections available on the preamp would be useful (although awkward to get I'm sure).

Excellent ! result !

[quote name='lemmywinks' timestamp='1391615540' post='2359258'] How would I wire the switch jack in? With the [b]Battery +[/b] wired to the [b]9v +[/b] on the preamp as usual, then the [b]Battery Gnd[/b] wired to the extra tab on the jack, then the [b]9v Gnd[/b] wired to the Gnd on the jack? [/quote] Yes that's it. So long as the ground connection on the preamp is only actually connected to the -ve side of the battery when a jack is plugged in.

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1391413838' post='2356727'] Sorry my friend, but I don't think you're talking high-enough numbers. I wouldn't sand any more with less than 350. The last thing you want now is adding more scratches. I finish a neck with 1000 grain or very fine wire wool, because on the neck you want it really smooth. [/quote] We'll just have to disagree on that one. I have found it impossible to get scratches out from something sanded with 80 or 120 grade paper with something like a 400 grade. To get scratches out you need to remove wood or poly or whatever the finish is. You can't magic scratches away. It'll just take much, much longer to do it if you don't through the grades but jump straight to a finer grade. But yes I do agree with finishing with 1000 grade or similar. I go to at least 1000 on all my stuff. However, I'm sure finishing with 600 would probably be fine for many, especially on a neck, where many prefer more of a satin finish.

If the scratches are caused by 120 grade paper. You now need to buy some thing like some 180, 240, 400 and 600 grade paper. Take out the scratches of your 120 with the 180, then use the 240 etc, finishing up with the 600. It really is very doable. Also, I would advise wetting the wood and allowing to dry between each sanding. This brings up the grain each time and you will end up with a smoother finish.

[quote name='Thunderpaws' timestamp='1391335527' post='2355790'] Hey Hamfist...is the neck pocket cavity ok for the mighty mite neck or is it another routing job? [/quote] I'm expecting it to be a straight swap. It's a 63mm wide pocket on the body. I'll let you all know if I'm right !

[quote name='alyctes' timestamp='1391309931' post='2355684'] Woof woof [/quote] It's mieow in this household ! And thanks to all for all your comments. There is now an incoming Mighty Mite maple fretboard P neck, probably for this bass. I do fancy it with a maple board (and a slightly reduced nut width).