All great points Simon.
Yeah, I think if I had have done this from the start I might have ended up with a better result.
Leo was responsible for so many outstanding inventions. It’s amazing that 50 or so years later and the designs are still in use today.
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73 years for the Tele, and the Tele bridge pickup came from a Fender lap steel which was a couple of years older than that!
That’s really impressive, isn’t it? Getting so many designs right so early on.
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Hi Tim, I am about to start a build of a PB4. I have previously built a STAF-1 with a Floyd Rose Bridge - quite a challenge for my first build!! Now I assume you are in Sydney - my condolences regarding the COVID situation there - hope you have not succumbed to the stress!!
I have a few questions regarding your PB4 build - Your first build diary is most informative and very helpful.
So, would you be prepared to help me?
Cheers, Jon W
Hi Jon, I’m glad it helped. Let me know what you need and I’ll try to help. I’m just about to start my second build in the next few days.Originally Posted by RAG Inc
And thank you, yes, I’m in Sydney. Hence the second build.
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Tim, thanks for the prompt reply. I live in Regional Qld, COVID situation here all good so far. I am not a muso, but enjoy building things - decided on guitar at commencement of the pandemic when we were in lockdown.
There are a few scratch plate mounting screws missing from the kit - guess I should contact PB re that.
4 small springs - do they go under the pickup mounting screws so that the pickups sit proud of the scratch plate?
Any tips regarding the mounting of the pickups in general?
Any tips regarding getting the bridge in the correct position ? - obviously it needs to be 432mm from the 12th fret - what about getting it lined up laterally - just do it by eye?
I used Dingotone on the STAF-1, but would like to try someting else this time - your Bass 1 looks great but I am unsure of where to source the "ingredients"
Cheers, Jon W
I’m glad you’re staying safe.
Good on you for giving it a go. Leo Fender apparently never played either and he did all right.
Haha. Yeah, it’s really great to make something tangible and get a sense of achievement.
Yeah, I believe PB are pretty good when it comes to replacement bits and pieces. You should have 11 screws for the scratch plate, if it’s the same as the one shipped with mine. The standard Fender ones have a 13 screw configuration and a slightly different shape. I’ve heard certain basses shipped with different ones. The tuner screws are a similar size, so it can get a little confusing. There should be 16 of those screws.
In terms of the bridge and the neck, that’s probably the most crucial part. Make sure you’ve got the neck in the pocket as snugly as possible and as straight laterally against the upper (E string) side of the pocket. Then it’s a matter of clamping the neck in place and using the E and G strings, clamped tightly, to set a reference point to the bridge.
There’s some great threads on here about bridge placement but I believe the distance is to the centre of the saddles, rather than the back or front of the bridge. So, roll the saddles to their middle point fore and aft, to use as your marker. I hope that makes sense. After that, once your sure you’ve got it at the right distance, yes, I guess as straight by eye as possible. From memory, I think I may have measured from each corner of the neck pocket to the leading edge of the bridge to make sure that it was as close to straight as possible.
As far as the pickups, they’re dependent on the strings and the scratch plate. They’re one of the later things to go in. You can use the scratch plate to hold them captive while you’re aligning things but I wouldn’t screw them in until your bridge and neck are set. The aim is to get the strings as close to the centre of each pair of poles.
The springs in the pack sit below the pickups screw holes and the screws run through the middle. It helps the pickups to “float” and sit proud of the scratch plate. You can get foam inserts with springs that do the same job.
Most bass players use the pickups as a thumb rest, so the aim is to find a height that is a happy medium between the strings and the scratch plate, so you get decent volume and no interruption to the strings. Definitely a bit of trial and error there. I’d use the edge height of the neck as a good starting point. Eyeball that and go from there.
I read somewhere that Fender actually have a list of specs on their site for pickup & string heights and setup specs. I haven’t found it yet, but I think it would be helpful. I’ll let you know if I DO track it down. Certainly though the PB manual is pretty thorough.
Sorry for the essay. I hope it helps, though. Good luck with your build. I’ll keep an eye out for your posts.
Let me know if you have any more questions.
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Great stuff Tim, Must have taken a lot of your time to post the essay!. Everything you say makes a lot of sense to me and I sincerely appreciate your advice. I have done a dummy assembly using clamps, so the next trick will be to temporarily attach the neck to the body, line up and temporarily attach the bridge, temporarily attach the machine heads, line up the strings and pickups and scratch plate, temp screw down the scratch plate, then pull it all down and commence the fun part - Sanding! I am in no hurry, so will post a progress report some time down the track. Thanks again, Cheers, Jon W.
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