ikay

The pole pieces on a standard hum-cancelling '51 style pickup won't line up with the narrower string spacing of the Musicmaster. Although you can slant the pickup to get proper alignment (see pic below). Aero and Sentell both make drop in replacement pickups for the Musicmaster with the correct pole spacing. Both are single coils though. I have a Sentell 'Big Sis' in my Bronco (great pickup) and it's generally hum free unless I face the amp and get too close. Herrick make custom pickups so may be able to rustle up a hum-cancelling Musicmaster style pup for you with the correct pole spacing. https://www.herrickpickups.com/ https://www.sentellpickups.net/bass.html (scroll down for the Lil Sis and Big Sis) https://www.aeroinstrument.com/pickups.html (scroll down for the MusicMasterer)

That's good to hear! You'll only need to make very small adjustments now that the relief is close to where it needs to be. If you feel it needs another tweak then do it 1/8 of a turn at a time and let the neck settle for a good few hours (or overnight) before deciding if it needs more. If you feel you've gone a bit too far just back it off 1/8 turn and let it settle again. You'll soon have it playing just how you want it to.

Can you post a pic? Sounds to me like the neck might just have a little too much relief, which would fit with the trussrod being slack. Have you tried tightening the trussrod to straighten the neck out a little? That would lower the action so you might also need to raise the saddles a little to compensate.

Detailed explanation here - http://www.earvana.com/in-depth-1.html It's mainly used to improve the intonation of chords on a six string guitar. The extent to which it has any noticeable effect when playing single notes on a bass is questionable, but scientifically speaking it should improve overall tuning and intonation.

I was about to mention the slight difficulty in finding 5 string Ric pups and bridges when I spotted this at the Bass Centre https://www.basscentre.com.au/products/used-5-string-rickenbacker-4003s-w-case

Ah, a bit more like this then? Slightly less nauseating I have to admit!

Hmm ....

This article provides a useful summary of factors affecting human perception of tension and compliance/stiffness, but it's a recurring topic with many differing viewpoints so be prepared for an animated debate! https://www.liutaiomottola.com/myth/perception.htm

Everyone's 'normal' is different when it comes to setup lol! Here are the measurements for my '72 and a few pics by way of comparison. Action at 17th fret: G - 2.2 mm, D - 2.0 mm, A - 2.0 mm, E - 2.6mm (I measure using a 64th inch ruler, these are mm conversions) Distance of strings from pickup poles (with strings depressed at last fret: Neck pickup: G - 3.0mm, D - 4.8mm, A - 4.8mm, E - 3.6mm Bridge pickup: G - 3.2mm, D - 4.8mm, A - 4.8mm, E - 3.6mm Pickups are an old set of Fender Custom Shop 60's

Magnetic field intensity is inversely proportional to the square of distance from the source (ie. it decreases exponentially ). The D and A strings are around 2mm further from the poles on a 7.25" radius neck and that's enough to make a measurable difference in the output of those strings. There are other factors involved though, such as the strength of the magnets, the distance they are from the strings (the greater the distance, the less pronounced the differential effect), the gauge of the strings etc. How much of an issue it is will vary from bass to bass. On some it's hardly noticeable, on others more so. I can detect it on my '72, but it's easy enough to play round once you know it's there.

Uneven string balance is a pretty common feature of small radius necks with flat pickups. Winding the pickups down a bit can sometimes help to even things up a little. Otherwise just adjust your playing touch and dig in a little more with the D and A (or ease off on the G and E). It's pretty easy to get used to. I've got a couple of vintage Fenders and have become quite fond of their little idiosyncracies!

I get the benefit of raised pole pieces, just not sure that a plain washer will have the same effect. Surely any magnetic flux transmitted through the washer would be much weaker than the pole magnet itself? I've heard of small neo magnets being used to boost pickups (sometimes placed on the bottom of the pickup). Could also be placed on top of the pole but the neo mags might then overpower the G and E. They might also have noticeably different tonal characteristics to alnico.

Does this really work? I'm not dissing the idea, just interested in the physics.

My HCT Club has a very comfortable medium/low action and still has some downward adjustment at the bridge. I've had older Hofners with a much higher action (manly due to neck set issues) but I think most HCTs come with a pretty good range of adjustment.

The body 'waist' is much closer to the bridge on the A4 which also pushes the neck further away when seated.

What makes the Godin feel longer is the position of the top strap button which is opposite frets 14-15 (compared with fret 12 on a P bass) and the position of the bridge which is some distance in from the end pin (on a P the bridge is closer to the end pin). The effect of both of these is that the neck sticks out further from the body and from the top strap button. The resulting hanging position on a strap means you have to reach further for the low frets.

Some on ebay here - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pair-of-PICKUP-COVERS-in-BLACK-CREAM-WHITE-to-fit-USA-Precision-P-Bass-guitar/190980490847

Google throws up quite a few results on Markbass amps blowing fuses. Generally outcome seems to be sending it to Proel for repair. There's a thread on BC here:

Well it could easily be kitted out as an outside convenience ...