Alembic Guitars Club
Alembic products => Alembic Basses & Guitars => Topic started by: jazzyvee on May 14, 2022, 02:55:05 AM
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I've just got my bass back from respray at Jaydee, and it looks great except for the old pickups. Does anyone have any sure fire suggestions on how to get them back to a matt black finish make the aesthetic look right.
They do have some of the gold lettering but as the lettering has worn down over the years, i'd rather have the whole pickup black.
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You might get a matte finish by wet sanding. I would imagine it'll take something very fine-grit, and I have never tried it, but that should work. Should also remove the last of the gold letters too.
I'm with you; the bass looks so nice after the respray, it seems only right to have the pickups renewed as well. I might go so far as to buy a new set and sell the originals at this ummm... peak market time. Try a little DIY first. ;)
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New pickups are an option i will consider if i can’t get a good DIY result. Though i'd be reluctant to add too much to the cost of the whole refurb project.
Any idea of pickup only prices?
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There was a recent post on here about the same subject, if I remember right. I think Mica said that the pickup casing was pretty thick and you could sand them a bit. I would probably get a real flat sanding block and scuff them with whatever grit worked best for the result you wanted. You might look for a gold 'paint pen' to do the lettering. I just did a Rickenbacker logo with a white one and it came out great.
Can you post a pic?
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Yeah i recalled a thread like that but could not find it.
I am not really fussed about keeping the writing on the pickups just that they all the same.
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Here is a link to the refinished bass.
https://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=8524.75
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Nice looking bass!
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I'd try it on a small hidden area first but something similar to this might bring the luster back. I'd also remove the pickups to do the work so that beautiful new finish didn't get damaged.
https://www.amazon.com/GP14018-Plastic-Acrylic-Polishing-Compound/dp/B00V8BMH1K (https://www.amazon.com/GP14018-Plastic-Acrylic-Polishing-Compound/dp/B00V8BMH1K)
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Those are in ABS plastic injection molded shells. It's possible to sand it some, not sure you can get the entire hot stamping decoration out. You could sand it some and glue on a thin decorative layer of plastic or wood maybe. I _might_ have some aged cream colored pickups, I'll have to check that out, might look cool. New cream pickups are more expensive than the black style by $100 each (which is confusing on P pickups, so it's $200 for the 2 positions), but the older set won't be at that premium. We should probably talk via email or phone to discuss any parts you need to order.
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Aged Cream pickups would be SWEET on there. 8)
(just my two-pence worth...) ;)
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Aged Cream pickups would be SWEET on there. 8)
(just my two-pence worth...) ;)
Agreed!
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(http://club.alembic.com/Images/394/187021.jpg)
A precedent has been set..... hmmmm
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Hi Mica, did you find time to seek out if you have any aged cream pickups? I sent you an email about it a few weeks back, maybe in your spam box.
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Here's the cream pickups I have in stock
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Thanks Mica, that Looks just right I think. Watch out for a phone call sometime today.
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I will send you an email. I will not be at the shop today.
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Got it and replied. Thanks👍🏾
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Got my order sorted out with Mica now for those pickups. i have also asked for a 3 position q-switch for this bass so i can get a little bit less emphasis.
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Looking forward to seeing the finished revision :)
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Well, here are the pickups installed. They arrived this morning.
i had to do some sanding of them to get them to fit the pockets and gently open the holes so the screws would slide in and fortunately no mishaps. Phew.
I measured the pickup heights before removing and these new ones are set to those measurements.
I much prefer the way the bass looks now. Though i think the cream pickups would have looked great on the original purple body. 8)
Could a moderator please move this to the correct thread please.
https://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=27036.0 (https://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=27036.0)
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Very nice!
Bill,tgo
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Beautiful! :)
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The light makes the bass a much warmer colour than it really is.
It's more like the colour of the headstock.
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Looks good!!
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Excellent!
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I emailed Mica regarding the sound i'm getting which is considerably warmer sounding than the originals. Which if I understand her email is due to the pickups in these being further away from the inside top of the casing. So I will adjust that later and hear what the difference is.
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Very nice!
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Right Vince - the pickups made in the silicone molds can't be as close to the decorative face as the ones in the plastic shells. I actually have a few cosmetic seconds that have the shield visible on the sides as some of these concoctions barely fit in the cavity!
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That turned out beautiful!
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Since i bought this bass it has been the least played and only done a small number of live gigs. The light bulb moment for me was towards the end of last year i got a 70's RnB soul gig with a local singer and most of the set sounded like it was recorded with a p-bass. So out came this bass and it was the first time i had heard the bass coming back at me through a PA which was a revelation. That sound inspired me to play it more and hence overcome my uncertainty about the colour by going back to a natural finish. Hopefully there will be more gigs this coming year that i can use this bass.
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Ok now everything seems fine. i bought a set of small files to gently slim the casings and screw tags and now they fit better and i've adjusted the heights and gain so the pickup balance is much better and upped the trim pots a tad. Mica i managed to loop the pickup cables through the ferrite bead and the hiss seems to have gone 8) .
I will give it a blast through my gig rig just to check things out properly.
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Sorry I missed this thread earlier and a late response. Fabulous solution Jazzyvee and the refinished bass looks superb. I particularly like the cream covers.
I experienced a similar issue with wear to the gold lettering on a couple of basses. After much creative thought and seeking advice from some brilliant artists and luthiers, I hit on a solution. It's one that involves much very careful sanding (with different fine grit papers), lots of masking, lots of fine spraying with gloss then matte lacquers, lots of patience, and a significant investment. However, I think the results are pretty impressive. When the pickups are finished, it's hard to tell the difference between a new and refinished pickup from a foot or two away. Given the outlay, I ended-up with around 80 of the little logos - very pretty in their own right! Here's the before and after, and in process and the end result
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I'll be the first to say it; that looks like an excellent fix. Well done!
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And nice looking Series II fretless! :)
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Late to the party as usual.
awesome craftwork! congratulations, sir!
And nice looking Series II fretless! :)
indeed. my goal for 2023. yay!