Well, here's the latest. I got these this week, but had very little time to install.
Last night I got a time window to do just a bit of work. Here's what happened next.
The bass had not yet been strung up. I seem to be having a bit of difficulty finding correct strings. I settled on a set of Thomastik flatwounds, intended for a short scale bass. However the length from ball to wrap was a little long. I thought nothing ventured nothing gained, so I tried them anyway. I heard a distinct snap when I was installing the E string. I think I broke a core. Well, now. What to do.
Also, when strung, the strings sit directly on top of the fretboard. I think a shim may be needed, but I also know the Thomastiks are low tension and may not have the juice to pull the neck into proper alignment. I'm trying to locate a set of La Bella flatwound medium scale thru-body strings. From what I read, they may just fit correctly. Failing that, there's a La Bella set intended for mustang basses that may work too.
On to the next. On the first hole that I drilled for the pickup rings I broke a drill bit in the body. Oh, damn damn damn. Okay, 10 minutes of wrangling and I had it out. In trying to remove the broken bit I made a dumb mistake and put a dent/scratch in one of the pickup rings. Idiot. The next size up bit was only a 64th size difference. I wanted a little snugger fit, but that will work. That bit was a bit more sturdy, and things progressed well. Installation complete.
With the strings (sort of) installed, and the pickups installed, let's plug this thing in. Hm... Where's the sound? Oh, there it is. I had to turn the volumes up to 10 to get it to squeak. Very low volume. Hm... What could be the problem with that? And with that, my time window was gone. I'll have to save that for my next session. Disappointing and frustrating.
In all my frustration I forgot to take pics of the front of the bass. Here I was hoping to be able to present a finished bass today. Not going to happen.