Pimp my 'Stingray'

[Leon Transaxle]

Hi,
I recently bought a Deluxe P Special from a fellow BCer the other day so now I need to thin down my collection to make space and raise the necessary funds.
My original thinking was to get rid of three and then possibly go for one of the Retrovibe Rickenfakers knocking around on BC at the moment.

So, last night, I got the condemned three together to weigh and photograph prior to putting them on BC and realised that one of them must stay.

The one in question being a Vnitage EST96 Stingray-a-like. I bought it form ebay from someone getting rid of stuff on behalf of a relative but didn't really know much about it.
I only really got it because it was the Born to Run Telecaster of the bass world - Natural body, black plate and maple board.

The black marks that defaced it on the original ebay photographs turned out to be marker pen and came off with isopropyl injection swabs.
The strings were rubbish; old and actually rusty in place so I fitted a set of Elixer I had kicking about that I got free in some magazine promotion a little while before.
There was a blog of blu-tack on one of the machine head which buzzed horrendously when removed. This was sorted with a minor blob of epoxy - no buzz now, and they hold tune beautifully.
The action is fantastic. Really low. No sign of buzz. Apart from a couple of exceedingly minor dings the body is great too.
But I was never really happy with the sound. It seemed rather quiet when compared to my trusty old westone Thunder 1. The Westone is passive the Vintage is active so I was expecting more.
As the mid EQ pot was crackly I decided to take the plate of and give the contacts a clean. Inside it looks like a new volume pot has been added at some point (the pot is bigger than the others and the cavity looks like it has been roughly filed out to fit it in). Despite my best efforts with Supersol the pot remained crackly so I have decided to replace the whole EQ/volume section lock, stock etc.
So for starters at a princely sum of £9 I shall try a 3 band EQ from flea-bay and se what transpires.
Not sure how good the pickup is as I don't know whether the disapointing sound was related to the electronics of the pickup. I'm not sure the age of the bass (but I don't imagine its a spring chicken) so I don't know if the spec has changed in recent years. Recent models have 'Wilkinson' printed on the pickup; this doesn't.
SO what do you modders out there reckon I could do to this? I was thinking of a serial/parallel/single coil microswitch. I have circuit diagrams but does anyone have any advice or pitfalls to look out for? Bearing in mind I don't have unlimited resources where could I go with the EQ and pickups?

What I was thinking was I have the P bass special newly fitted with Picato flats, I have Fender flats on the Westone but am thinking of trying the Status half wounds. So really this will be fitted with rounds for the brighter stuff that needs a bit of zing. Musically I play a mixed bag of stuff but no slapping. I tend to use a pick more often than not (dexterity issues - I am cack handed but lefties were like hens teeth and hideously expensive when I started to play so I taught myself to play right handed).

Over to you and thanks.

Edited February 2, 2012 by Leon Transaxle

[Greggo]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread but whatever came of this endeavour? I've got same bass in 5 string form and yanked stock preamp for a 2 band stingray clone preamp and it sounds lovely now, stock pickup in parallel does give off a nice ray like tone.