I also had to notch the corner of the Pup cover on the bottom as it looked like it would squish the wires.

Can you tell us how you re-wired it? Mark

Yes-- please post this, I'd like to consider this option. I'll be honest, this is the second biggest niggle i have w/ this bass. My ABIs are wired in series and I'm a fan of series punch. I miss it

I removed the strings, unscrewed both pickups, cut the tie in the wiring cavity to give me some slack to flip them on their side on the top, and then changed the wiring on the neck pup to match the wiring on the bridge pup. It is quite obvious what to do, just be really careful to not bump the fine wires that come out of the bobbins or its a doorstop!. Really careful!! If you aren't handy with a solder gun, hire someone! Under the hood it very much resembles a Pre pup in its design, just narrower bobbins. I knew I should have taken pix! Say, Sheldon, would this, or the ABZ pup work with a one piece pre type offset pup cover, instead of a square cover, on the Super J5 as a PJ style option? This would leave a wider landing area under the G for slap and pull players like myself, and lean the SJ5 a bit toward that pre sound ! btw I love the new J5 thats at B-Sharp in Regina, beautiful!!

Hi FrankM, what's your first "biggest niggle" about the combustion?

Ok, i took it apart to get some pix so there is no confusion! Forgive my crude photoshop effort as I wasn't swift enough to photo it before! I also cut the spring in half as the foam didn't work out to well. [img:33c4ycpa]http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/148/l_c294011725da4c93af37bf90781b63db.jpg[/img:33c4ycpa] [img:33c4ycpa]http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/146/l_06235cbab6f9476bbfbe78902676c1be.jpg[/img:33c4ycpa]

[quote="dfries":1sbamy64]Ok, i took it apart to get some pix so there is no confusion! Forgive my crude photoshop effort as I wasn't swift enough to photo it before! Not sure why my images are not being displayed on the page, as others have worked just fine? http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/imag ... 1b63db.jpg http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/imag ... 76c1be.jpg [img:1sbamy64]http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/148/l_c294011725da4c93af37bf90781b63db.jpg[/img:1sbamy64] [img:1sbamy64]http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/146/l_06235cbab6f9476bbfbe78902676c1be.jpg[/img:1sbamy64][/quote:1sbamy64] Could be that you've disabled BBCode for that post. If the pics show in this quote, that's the problem. ..and it is

Thanks Bocete!! I don't recall having to uncheck that before??

Odds are you checked it by accident. BBCode has no simple way to escape tags, so if you want to write a BBCode tutorial, you have to check that option. Escaping BBCode tags while having BBCode enabled is a PITA, as there are no "escape bbc" tags available. Oh, and sorry to de-rail.

Bonus! Lowering the PU seems to let it sustain more, possibly because the magnetic dampening effect is reduced? It also sounds more open, and, unless I'm dreaming, seems to have less string noise. Anywho, loving it! !!THIS WILL VOID YOUR PUP WARRANTY !! thought I'd punt that out before Sheldon had too!

[quote="Bocete":1j5fbd4a]Odds are you checked it by accident. BBCode has no simple way to escape tags, so if you want to write a BBCode tutorial, you have to check that option. Escaping BBCode tags while having BBCode enabled is a PITA, as there are no "escape bbc" tags available. Oh, and sorry to de-rail.[/quote:1j5fbd4a] I apparently set it as a default preference in my profile and forget I had changed it! I mustn't get out much, what's a PITA?

[quote="dfries":25on4zha]I apparently set it as a default preference in my profile and forget I had changed it! I mustn't get out much, what's a PITA?[/quote:25on4zha] Acronym for pain in the @$$. When you're in doubt about some word, google is the way to go. That's how I found out.

Whoa, possible problem! Just to let everyone know, while recording I noticed some static coming from this modified neck PU and not from my bridge one. Further investigation revealed that sliding my finger across the pickguard creates static that the neck PU hears, but not the bridge, however, removing the pickguard [u:3k84ja9b]completely [/u:3k84ja9b]eliminates the problem so I am also wondering if there is some metal in the baltic amber pickguard? Anyone else noticing any static with their BA pickguard? I plan to try foil shielding the back of the pickguard and then grounding it and will let you all know if that fixes it.

You might try putting a few drops of fabric softener on a soft cloth and polishing the pickguard. This will leave an anti-static film.

Thanks Sheldon, I'll try that. It puzzles me that its only audible on the front pickup that I changed to series, which otherwise works fine.

[quote="dfries":5s2fsvcl]Thanks Sheldon, I'll try that. It puzzles me that its only audible on the front pickup that I changed to series, which otherwise works fine.[/quote:5s2fsvcl] Wiring in series bumps up the impedance making the pickup more sensitive to noise. If the fabric softener doesn't do the trick you will have to shield and ground the back of the pickguard. While we're on the topic, I should point out that although we've left the the internals accessible for modifications. The coil tails are extremely fragile and easily broken which of course will void the warranty on the pickup.

Thanks Sheldon. I'll have to try shielding or sans pickguard, the fabric softener tip didn't work. I don't think its a wire as I have full output, and the only interference comes when the pickguard is on. As the rear pup is also in series, but does not "hear" the problem I guess I can't rule anything out. Is there a chance of metal in the BA pickguard material ? I will hold up another plain black pickguard and see what it does. Thanks Again!

Ok, its some combination of the Baltic Amber pickguard and my mod. I have a tortoise shell guard that if I hold it up and run my finger across the pickguard below the neck pup it does nothing, and if i use the BA pickquard it makes a pile of noise. I think I will order a black pearl pickguard, can I get it from the shop or do I order it from chandler? Thanks!

More Baltic Amber weirdness!! If i hold the baltic amber pick-guard upside down against my G&L Z-3 Guitar (single coils) pick-guard and rub it with my finger I hear the same static as on the combustion, but right side out,... nothing! Totally freakin weird!

Wow, that is wierd. You can get the blackpearloid guards from us.