Doing the unthinkable

[Damonjames]

I have been trying to sell my Fender Mike Dirnt Signature bass for a while now, and there have been some incidents along the way so it seems like I am bound to this one by greater forces.
I initially bought this because I loved the look, and bought it sight unseen, but have struggled to get along with the "thick" neck profile. So I am going to do the unthinkable and customise a fender signature bass! I am going to have the neck thinned right down to a "thin c" profile, and since I was going to sell it to buy a p/j I figured I'd put a neck jazz pickup in for good measure. I'm thinking of the seymour Duncan spb-2/sjb-2 combo.
I havnt seen a 50's plank body p/j with a tele neck before so i guess this will now be MY signature bass!
Will post some pics and feedback when it's all done!

Off to the chop shop!!!

[jezzaboy]

Sounds good. This is what I should have done with my GL L2000 Tribute as I loved the bass but the neck was far too "thick." Would have saved myself a fortune and had a damm good bass.

I had a MD for a while and apart from the weight, it was a great bass. Looking forward to the pics.

[chrismuzz]

Sounds like a wicked idea! Though on the pickup front I'd recommend a Quarter Pounder P pickup, and a Hot Stack Jazz pickup at the bridge. Nice and hot, and still hum cancelling!

[Damonjames]

Hi Chris, I did think about that, but a bit concerned it wil be too aggressive? Trying to go for a rob deleo from stone temple pilots feel. I have dimarzio dp123's in my jazz which I love, and they sound pretty growly so maybe you are right

[Damonjames]

It's all starting to happen, picked up my jazz quarter pounder on the weekend, and just ordered the spb-3 precision quarter pounder. Also got a 500k stacked vol/vol pot and chrome knobs so should look pretty sweet!
Once the gear arrives its off to the chop shop 😉

[MarkG3]

Really interested to see and hear how this turns out!

[Mr. Foxen]

I think trimming the headstock of a Jazz neck that you like the feel of into a tele shape would be the better way to go, you know the ergonomic par tin advance, so the reshape is just cosmetic.

[Damonjames]

It's all about cost mr foxen, a decent neck could set me back over a hundred quid, the reshape will be less than half that!

[Damonjames]

Hey guys n gals, got this bad boy back from the chop shop yesterday and I'm massively pleased with it. See the pics below

http://s1282.photobucket.com/user/damoj2/media/image_zpsb8bdd08f.jpg.html

http://s1282.photobucket.com/user/damoj2/media/image_zps9191b1b6.jpg.html?sort=3&o=2

http://s1282.photobucket.com/user/damoj2/media/image_zps45eab026.jpg.html?sort=3&o=3

http://s1282.photobucket.com/user/damoj2/media/image_zpse4547c3b.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

As you can see from the pics, I have had a seymour Duncan quarter pound jazz bridge pickup added, along with a matching p bass pickup thrown in. I opted to put a stacked vol/vol pot in rather than try and squeeze in an additional vol pot for the bridge pickup. It sounds amazing! I have only had a quick play through my practice amp but the p bass quarter pounder sounds really growly on its own, but when you mix in the bridge it makes it a little more well rounded and full. The bridge doesn't sound to shabby on its own either! Considering its only a single coil, it's not too noisy either. Thanks to some clever work by the guy who did the job for me, he changed the wiring and shortened the loom to minimise the noise.
The other major job was to thin down the neck. Anyone who was played a mike dirnt will tell you the neck is massive! It's like playing on a cricket bat, especially if you are digitally challenged like me and have short little fingers. It has been thinned down to just below a US jazz bass, and it is a MASSIVE improvement. It feels as comfy as my jazz, but just with a wider fretboard. I opted to wax rather than respray the neck for two reasons, firstly it was cheaper, second I really wanted to try a waxed neck after hearing a lot of people saying they feel faster than a gloss neck and I have say I agree.
I am really pleased with how this has turned out, the only thing I am considering is pin striping the edge of the pickguard In red to make it stand out a little more, but other than that my hot rod bass is complete. Special shout to Steve at the guitar repair workshop in PMT Manchester, he did an amazing job and delivered 5 days ahead of schedule, TOP bloke!

[Donnyboy]

Nice one when I first read it I was a bit,well,meh. It does look the business even though I do like the big fat neck. I agree about doing something to make the guard stand out a bit more .well done on your signature model

[MarkG3]

Looks good mate!

[GremlinAndy]

I agree on making changes for *your own* preferences. After all, it's for your pleasure...
It looks great, and now it's a player to your taste too!
Cudos!

[JPJ]

Looks really cool as is, but rather than pin striping, I'd consider a black pearloid plate