Well I THOUGHT it was done...

chromium · July 30, 2015, 07:53:24 PM

That's looking good!

daan · August 03, 2015, 07:39:13 PM

Welp, I got it wired up (again, let's hope I did it right this time) I followed a diagram from Seymour Duncan, the other guitar I wired up (that actually worked the first time

was off a diagram from those guys.) I had followed a "generic" diagram I found online the last time I messed with this guitar, and it didn't work. So...

ALready I had to change it a little, the 3-way didn't fit in the cavity in the orientation I had it, so I had to lengthen a wire to be able to rotate it. I'm also waiting to get the nut fixed, but I probably should string it up to make sure it works...

I do have a question. I bought a set of strings for it when I bought it (about 3 years ago) I strung it up earlier this year, when I started this thread and then tore it down again. How often can you re-use strings, anyway? Guitar strings that cost $4 a pack I don't mind chucking, but I'd rather keep these (flatwounds, Diaddario or other "name brand" ones from the store I bought it at. Something like $35 for the set so I don't want to toss them, cause I'm cheap.)

Pilgrim · August 03, 2015, 09:07:30 PM

Flatwounds are forever. As long as they will string without breaking, you can play them. My oldest set has been on the bass since 1972.

Dave W · August 03, 2015, 10:23:39 PM

Quote from: daan on August 03, 2015, 07:39:13 PM
....
I do have a question. I bought a set of strings for it when I bought it (about 3 years ago) I strung it up earlier this year, when I started this thread and then tore it down again. How often can you re-use strings, anyway? Guitar strings that cost $4 a pack I don't mind chucking, but I'd rather keep these (flatwounds, Diaddario or other "name brand" ones from the store I bought it at. Something like $35 for the set so I don't want to toss them, cause I'm cheap.)

You can reuse flats or rounds as often as you like so long as the core and windings don't separate and make it impossible to tune up, and as long as the portion wound around the tuners doesn't break off.

Quote from: Pilgrim on August 03, 2015, 09:07:30 PM
Flatwounds are forever. As long as they will string without breaking, you can play them. My oldest set has been on the bass since 1972.

Including the 30 years you didn't play it.

Pilgrim · August 04, 2015, 10:35:54 AM

Only 23. (Including a year or so when my younger brother used it but didn't change the strings.)

And it's still sounding good.

daan · January 18, 2017, 03:54:34 PM

OK so I found a music store reasonably close to me (Hudson WI, 20-30 min. from home) I dropped this thing off in September, with the list of what had gone wrong with it. I just got a call Friday that it was done, so I picked it up today. I hadn't seen it for months (or played it for ...uh, a lot longer than that)

It sounds good, not as "snarly" as I remember the original pup (of the two it came with in, uh, 2012

one worked, and the other one basically fell apart when I took it out, I had it rewound, but when they did it, there was one single strand of thin wire inside the insulation... not enough to wire it back in. And the other one stopped working in the mean time) Anyway the electronics work fine now, it doesn't have "quiet strings" (output is even across all 4) The action is higher than when I got it, but way less than the last time I had it together. THe store guy told me they took out the shims in the neck pocket, but the truss rod is frozen. THey were gonna make a new nut for it, since I ruined the one it came with (and 2 or 3 of the blank ones I bought). Hee hee it now looks like THIS

There was one string guide already, and they made another one out of a dime! IT's attatched in the hole from the truss rod cover, so they didn't drill any new holes (not that it matters to me) and they told me they were only charging me 10c for the parts...

So I have another finished bass. Maybe I can take all of them and trade 'em for something...

Pilgrim · January 18, 2017, 04:04:21 PM

That's a nice looking J-bass!!

Dave W · January 18, 2017, 08:53:22 PM

Too bad about the truss rod.

dadagoboi · January 19, 2017, 04:18:18 AM

Quote from: Dave W on January 18, 2017, 08:53:22 PM
Too bad about the truss rod.

Seems common with Hondos. Both of mine have bad ones.

FrankieTbird · January 19, 2017, 07:54:37 AM

If you wind your strings DOWN the tuner shaft instead of up, you won't need that dime, and you won't have any problem with the E-string popping out of the slot.

Pilgrim · January 19, 2017, 08:49:06 AM

The good news is that the neck should be replaceable if it ever goes wonky.

Highlander · January 19, 2017, 02:53:35 PM

Look out for a Squier neck... enough folks upgrade them (including me when I went fretless on my Jazz)

daan · January 19, 2017, 03:54:56 PM

So would the neck pocket be similar to this one? My fab skills are kinda limited (if you hadn't guessed by this thread

) would it be a bolt-on deal, or would I be filling and re-cutting the neck pocket to use a "standard" shaped neck? THis thing isn't shaped like a "real" Jazz-I had to modify the tuners to fit on the headstock, and make my own guard because "standard" parts didn't come close to fitting.
Speaking of which, are J and P necks the same/grossly similar, or is one bigger than the other? I don't like skinny/narrow necks.

daan · January 19, 2017, 04:03:13 PM

Quote from: FrankieTbird on January 19, 2017, 07:54:37 AM
If you wind your strings DOWN the tuner shaft instead of up, you won't need that dime, and you won't have any problem with the E-string popping out of the slot.

Can you explain this? DO you mean turn them the opposite way that they are going now?

I guess I don't quite understand. I've had a few guitars, but this one is basically the only one with the tuners you poke the string down the hole, the rest of them have the "hole thru the shaft" type. So I guess I could have strung it up wrong...

dadagoboi · January 19, 2017, 04:32:36 PM

Quote from: daan on January 19, 2017, 04:03:13 PM
Can you explain this? DO you mean turn them the opposite way that they are going now? I guess I don't quite understand. I've had a few guitars, but this one is basically the only one with the tuners you poke the string down the hole, the rest of them have the "hole thru the shaft" type. So I guess I could have strung it up wrong...

Strings exit from the BOTTOM of the shaft, not the top.