Modding my cheap P-Bass

Thanks guys, no probs Guinny. Here's a close up of that headstock, it's a bit cheeky so let's not mention it to Leo. (Fender that is). This finish is acrylic base coat and lacquer, the base coat is green with clear lacquer on top, done with a compressor and spray gun

Here are a few pics.








Obsidian Wiring Harness. Top notch workmanship and components. The tone difference is incredible.


Bored on weekend and decided to try my hand at spray painting the head. I sanded the original finish and spray painted the head. I used stickers for the lettering, but I will re-sand and do a proper water slide. See the last pic below for an idea of what it will look like.




Still not decided on what to go with. My father's name was Ariel, and he was a big supporter of the band I played in years ago. He put out a lot of dosh to pay for studio time. Just my little way of saying thanks to him.

On the to do list.

1. Replace pups. I've decided on the Bill Lawrence J 45's.
2. Replace tuners. I have the tuners just need to resize the peg holes.
3. Upgrade the bridge. Undecided on what I will go with.
4. Refinish the entire bass. Not yet decided on staying black (paint)or going with a stain. I'll see what the wood looks like after sanding and decide.
5. Take myself out back and give myself a good ass kicking for spending so much money upgrading a squire…

Looking good Guinny, very Goth, I oiled and waxed my first bass builds Ash body, waxing is forever and now I'm stuck with it. Also there's a strong chance your Squiers body isn't book matched quilted maple but looks more like a banana box! Try veneering the top if you're dead set on staining

Great advice. I will try to get some pictures up this weekend of where I am with it all - things have taken an interesting turn…

We've had some concerns over a mail strike here, which I think is now resolved, but I am going to wait a bit before ordering the Bill Lawrence pups. Instead I have picked up and installed a set from a company here in Canada named The Tone Emporium. Handcrafted and all that good stuff and to be honest I am pretty happy with them.

The next big thing is replacing the tuners. Have you had any experience with this? The current tuners are 3/8“ and the new ones are 1/2”. This is the concerning part of this project for me as I don't want to screw up the head. Should I be buying a wood reamer, or can I get away with a 1/2" drill bit?

I'd invest in a 1/2" reamer and use a stable drill press.