P+MM Matt Freeman

[ben4343]

So, after a couple of years of being consistently being impressed by the Matt Freeman signature Squier, a couple of years of wanting to be like Chris Steele from Alexisonfire, and a few months of panicking after I realised they had been discountinued... ...I got one. A black one popped up locally, and I managed to negotiate a good price.

It has been well used; quite a large number of body dings, and the headstock looks like it's been bashed on something repeatedly, but this is all cosmetic and doesn't bother me. The neck is true, and a beauty at 41 mm; nice and chunky for a Jazz basser, but not too much. The neck pocket was super tight, and I was impressed to see the scratch plate has bee foil-backed and the pup cavities graphite painted.

The plan was to fit a MM style coil tappable humbucker, use the existing split coil, and rig the lot to a KiOgon loom. However, irritatingly the stock pups don't work, and I have not yet worked out why not. So, for 15 quid I am getting a cheap and cheerful Wilkinson split coil for peace of mind, to go with the bridge humbucker (http://www.jhs.co.uk/brands/wilkinson/wilkinson-platinum-series-bass-pickup-single-double-coil; anyone got any experience with this?).

A tort guard will replace the black one to break up the body slightly, and I fancy flats for a change!

Pictures will come when I have something interesting to show; it is currently just in parts at the moment after a good clean. To Be Continued...

[SH73]

[quote name='ben4343' timestamp='1490648672' post='3266803']
So, after a couple of years of being consistently being impressed by the Matt Freeman signature Squier, a couple of years of wanting to be like Chris Steele from Alexisonfire, and a few months of panicking after I realised they had been discountinued... ...I got one. A black one popped up locally, and I managed to negotiate a good price.

It has been well used; quite a large number of body dings, and the headstock looks like it's been bashed on something repeatedly, but this is all cosmetic and doesn't bother me. The neck is true, and a beauty at 41 mm; nice and chunky for a Jazz basser, but not too much. The neck pocket was super tight, and I was impressed to see the scratch plate has bee foil-backed and the pup cavities graphite painted.

The plan was to fit a MM style coil tappable humbucker, use the existing split coil, and rig the lot to a KiOgon loom. However, irritatingly the stock pups don't work, and I have not yet worked out why not. So, for 15 quid I am getting a cheap and cheerful Wilkinson split coil for peace of mind, to go with the bridge humbucker (http://www.jhs.co.uk/brands/wilkinson/wilkinson-platinum-series-bass-pickup-single-double-coil; anyone got any experience with this?).

A tort guard will replace the black one to break up the body slightly, and I fancy flats for a change!

Pictures will come when I have something interesting to show; it is currently just in parts at the moment after a good clean. To Be Continued...
[/quote]
These are superb basses.

[ben4343]

Well, I don't know what I did, but the pickups are working again!! I am no wiring expert, but I just gave everything a bit of a wriggle to make sure it was attached correctly and not shorting out anywhere, bunged it back in and hey presto. They sound pretty good, with a very usable tone sweep.

Had a good plonk on it yesterday evening with some medium-new roundwound 40s, and it sounds killer; very punchy with a rich presence. Need to tidy a couple of fret ends, but nothing major. Reasonable weight, and post-deep cleanse it is looking much happier all round. I'm very pleased.

So, a few quid saved in pickups. An order has been placed for flats, a medium-dark red tort guard from the States, some push on knurled chrome knobs from China, and the Wilkinson double coil in the post above. When that arrives I will report the wiring style to KiOgon, get a loom made up, and then it's time to get routing...

[SH73]

I've got the Olympic white version. I loaded it with spb4 pick ups then spb1.Eventually I put back the original pick up and kept everything else as it came, apart from the strings which are Steve Harris sig flatwounds.They gone dead for a while but seem to get better with age.I'd like another one of these for a project.These basses are definitely a keeper.

[Jono Bolton]

The stock pickup in the Matt Freeman is excellent. I bought a white one as a backup to my black one a few years ago which came with a 1/4 Pounder fitted, but I immediately put the stock pickup back in; it's got a great character to it.

[ben4343]

Ok, progress has been slow but steady.



Here is the wiring loom from Kiogon; volume, blend, push/pull tone which splits the humbucker. Ordering process was super easy, and the rig came with good instructions, the offer of additional help, and even a little screwdriver!! Top man.

My initial plan was use the jack hole in the pickguard for the third knob and mount the jack in the side, but there isn't room for this. So, the volume knob will have to be a bit higher, as below. It looks fine, and during tests doesn't foul my playing hand, so I think this is ok.



The pickguard is slightly redder than I might have chosen in person, but still within tolerable limits. Importantly, the pattern has a high resolution, and isn't at all pixelated. The humbucker is a monster! So chunky! Some might notice that this is upside down; totally on purpose, as this gets the single coil part in the traditional jazz position (based on my Sandberg). Can someone please confirm the distance from bridge saddle to first pole on a Stingray? I think I read 54mm, which again encourages upside down positioning...



Finally, the knobs from China on the left, with the original Squier on the right for comparison. This are a smidge taller and have a less rounded transition from wall to top, but fit the pots very well and look the part.



So far, so good! Once I am certain about pickup position, I will get routing, and then it's more or less putting the pieces together!