[quote name='nik1093' post='13616' date='Jun 7 2007, 02:53 PM']does EMG make p-bass pickups[/quote]
Yes - I used to have an active EMG in my old P bass. I took it out and put the original one back in as it was frankly a bit dull and unpunchy sounding. I might try the it again (perhaps in my fretless precision) with two 9v batteries as I have heard that the EMGs very different (in a good way) with 18v.
As for painting the body, you probably want to strip the old finish off first. I used nitromors on my daughter's old musicmaster bass, (the previous owner had already removed 95% of the finish though) then I sprayed it with car paint from halfords - larger branches can mix the paint & put it in the can, so you can choose just about any shade you want. I used a can of white primer, two cans of custom-mixed lilac and a can of clear over the top.