funkle

Bought a Hipshot bridge from Dave. By some distance the easiest deal I have done in a while on Basschat. Dave is a true gentleman. Thanks Dave.

I’ve done a lot of measuring. And checking of a lot of different photos of dual P basses. Pickup placement varies hugely between different makers, models, etc. I’m keeping the standard P placement and orientation in mine. The EA coil in standard placement is very close to the front Jazz bass pickup placement. I just don’t feel a reversed P at the standard location sounds quite the same as a the standard layout. The Precision Elite has the DG coil right next to the bridge, just about. Many people sticking in a second pickup get the pickup closer to the neck than that - EA coil lined up just about where the 60s Jazz Bass rear coil sits - almost. So the line between the split coils ends up sitting on the centerline of the 70s Jazz Bass coils. Probably easier to draw than explain in words. But the original Elites suffered another drawback - or benefit, depending on your point of view - the preamp was very trebly. So the rear pickup could really get a lot of ‘plink’ on the DG strings with the coil so bear the bridge.

This is a real beauty. Your work is a real pleasure to see. Can’t wait to see more pics! And sound clips.... I’m planning to make a dual pickup P, but modify an old MIM to do it. Get the bridge pickup centred around a 70’s Jazz pickup line, so it will end up just a little closer overall to the neck than this recreation, I think? Same pickup orientation as here though.......But a hotter wound pickup at the bridge with less highs, to get less ‘plink’, hopefully. Can’t quite face reversing the bridge P pickup...I want to leave the neck P as non-reversed....

Ok, so I lucked out and got a Hipshot brass A style bridge secondhand for £22. It weighs 300g; turns out the existing bridge weighed 148g. So much of the weight I have taken off the headstock I am adding to the other end of the bass. It’s a nice bridge; I like it mechanically a lot. It was a bit of a pain to get on as I had to measure it out and drill new holes. This photo actually shows it 1-2mm off where it should be although the adjustable string spacing saved me; I re-centred it and also moved it another 6mm back after this. It was not as far back as I wanted it to go, but to cover the old screw holes, it had to sit slightly further forward than I wanted. I don’t think doing this changed the balance much at all. The tuners were a more obvious improvement. Equally, I’m not convinced it did anything for tonal changes or sustain. However, I need to be clear; I didn’t install the bridge to make changes to tone etc, I only did it to improve balance. And in this respect, it clearly didn’t work. My advice to others is to not bother with a bridge change for balance purposes. Tuner change was much more obviously helpful. And equally, it backs up my current thinking that bridge changes may change things, at best, marginally, in terms of tone - only change a bridge for aesthetics or for better functionality, IMO.

I’m working my way through the Standing in the Shadows of Motown book and I sight read this tune last night. So great - it is a great class in timing and jazz style chromatic lines. My intention is to read my way through the whole book, over time. It’s improved my reading a lot already - ‘What’s Going On’ gave me a workout from the get go.

I saw that. I have decided that I will get more out of her lines if I learn them by ear, so I’m deliberately avoiding tabs/sheet music. But it undoubtedly will be a great resource for her subscribers.

Woof!! That is choice. Very nice @Pea Turgh

She’s a fantastic player. I’ve spent months learning how to do her version of ‘Juice’ note for note. It’s a ripper. And tricky.

Fair comment! I'll get some wood filler. All I can say is the Talmans are cheap and cheerful. There's a lot of value there.

Yes, I had the same thought. I just need wood filler first, lol. They are very light though - all of them combined might maybe be around 5 grammes - about the same as a single tuner ferrule.

This looks great. Subbed. I'd love to do something similar sometime.

OK, the deeds are done. I replaced the tuners with Gotoh Res-o-Lites - GB350s. There is no lighter tuner that I am aware of. 40g per tuner. I have to say, they feel absolutely lush. And they should, for £90 (from eBay). The ferrules and posts are much smaller than the stock holes, so I had to shim them. I have heard of aluminium tape being used, but I had electrical tape, so I just used that. It worked great, though from the back you can see the slight gap between the tuner and the stock hole. It's perfectly steady, though. And from the front you would have no idea. I don't have wood filler handy, so I just stuck the tuner screws from the original tuners back in the holes. Gives it an industrial look which I enjoy. So. The headstock dive is much better. Not quite perfect - but it no longer needs fighting on the lap, and on the strap, no issues. Just the lightest touch of the forearm on the forearm contour and it sits well. It's still an expensive fix, though, in my view. I may tinker with adding a heavier bridge to the bass to make it perfect - if I can find a suitable one secondhand. As I promised, I also installed the Dimarzio Ultra Jazz 5 Bridge pickup to deal with the single coil hum. It fits the existing pickup rout perfectly with no gaps, has good alignment with the strings, and sounds great. The screw holes line up as well; didn't need to re-do those. It has a big output which keeps up with the stock P pickup, and allows an even blend after I adjusted pickup heights. It matches the look of the existing pickup as well. It's a good choice for this job. £67. So, after another bit of time and money (another £156 in on a £200 bass), I am satisfied that it will suit any situation I wish, and it sounds great. Not bad for £356. I would have paid a bit more for a stock instrument that didn't have any of these issues, but I couldn't find one that ticks all the boxes, so here I am. I may get a new pickguard for it at some point. Probably white. We'll see.