custom painting bass

[nik1093]

has anyone custom painted their own bass?
is this a good idea or should i get a pro to paint it for me?
also wat pickups would anybody recomend for a fender squire p-bass.

[d-basser]

i know nothing of the painting but the standard pickup upgrade seem to be Quater Pounders

[nik1093]

do u kno if quarter pounders are punchy or round sounding?

[nik1093]

does EMG make p-bass pickups

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

[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.

[ngombe]

Seymour Duncan / Basslines also make a range of P bass pickups:

[url="http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/bassesdescr.shtml#QuarterPound153forSingleCoilPBassreg"]http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/bass...gleCoilPBassreg[/url]

[nik1093]

does anyone have any experience or opinion about the semour duncan lightnin' rods p-bass

[elom]

[quote name='nik1093' post='13418' date='Jun 7 2007, 01:55 AM']has anyone custom painted their own bass?
is this a good idea or should i get a pro to paint it for me?[/quote]

Well it all depends on the quality you are looking for and how much confidence you have in your own skills. I spray painted my cheapo P-Bass with auto-paint and did an okayish job (though I reckon I could make a better attempt now that I've tried it once). It is nowhere remotely near professional quality though but then I'm not the most practical of guys.

I found [url="http://www.paintyourownguitar.com/index.html"]this site[/url] an interesting read if you can get past the annoying 'infomercial' style. I've not bought his guides so this is not an endorsement.

elom

[nik1093]

Thank you to everyone who helped!!!
Ill post pics in bass porn when it's done!

[Muppet]

I've done a few in my time. It's not that difficult but it is time consuming. The temptation is to rush through to see the finished product, when in reality you need to spend a lot of time preparing the body, then spraying, then ALLOWING TO DRY (very important) then lacquering then ALLOWING TO DRY (very important) before cutting back. When I'm talking drying time I'm talking days and weeks rather than months, as I assume you don't have access to a commercial oven.

If you are doing designs then it's a little trickier as you need to start masking off areas and ensuring one colour does not bleed in to another. tricky as I said but very possible at home.

Paint from Halfords, lacquer from B&Q. Give it a go it's great fun.

[Sean]

As far as pick ups for a P, I put a Lindy Fralin in a P + J bass I used to have and it was perfect. I've tried different P pups and the Fralin just leaves everything else in the shade. Lakland put Fralins on their Bob Glaub and Duck Dunn models - there can't be much more recommendation than that! Fralins are expensive but for me they are worth every penny.

[MB1]

[quote name='nik1093' post='13418' date='Jun 7 2007, 01:55 AM']has anyone custom painted their own bass?
is this a good idea or should i get a pro to paint it for me?
also wat pickups would anybody recomend for a fender squire p-bass.[/quote]

MB1.

If you find anyone good and reasonable on that paintjob,let me know!

[charic]

1/4lbs all the way

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

[quote name='charic' post='88967' date='Nov 15 2007, 02:57 PM']1/4lbs all the way [/quote]

Seeing as an ancient thread has been dug up, I'll add that the Wizard Thumper pickups seem to be very well regarded as well.
[url="http://www.wizardpickups.co.uk/shop.asp?category=Bass"]http://www.wizardpickups.co.uk/shop.asp?category=Bass[/url]

[HarryPotter]

Do not strip the old finsih off if you want to spray it up, you would be effectively unsealing the grain again which makes for bloody hard work when spraying it.

Just a handy tip there born from experience.

[Tait]

you want to talk to simon1964 for info on the EMGs. i prefer a passive precision sound so i haven't played his precision much lately, but he plays it a lot.

[simon1964]

[quote name='lwtait' post='89100' date='Nov 15 2007, 07:36 PM']you want to talk to simon1964 for info on the EMGs. i prefer a passive precision sound so i haven't played his precision much lately, but he plays it a lot.[/quote]

As I've been named in this post I'd better respond!

I've got a Jap 70s P reissue with EMGs and I love the sound. To me it sounds like a P should but with a tighter bottom end and a bit more punch. I've tried quarterpounders, but to be honest didn't like them. To me they sound light on mids. All personal taste of course.

[charic]

Sorry didnt realise it was such an old post, i was interested in custom paint jobs... searched and got this. Maybe we should see everyones custom paint jobs tho