Aspen P-Bass Restoration (2024)
A full restoration and upgrade of a vintage 1980s Japanese P-Bass from Aspen. The project combined hands-on repair, electronic calibration, and visual refinishing with careful logging of each step.
Overview
- Guitar: Aspen Precision Bass (Japan-made)
- Goals: Restore electronics, upgrade hardware, calibrate tone
- Tools: Multimeter, soldering iron, truss rod wrench, setup tools
- Skills used: Electronics, mechanical adjustment, finish work
Work Performed
- Replaced all potentiometers and capacitors
- Resoldered wiring harness to vintage spec
- Replaced pickups with Fender Pure Vintage '63 P-Bass pickups
- Cleaned and leveled frets
- Polished and reconditioned hardware
- Setup neck relief, string height, intonation
Progress Gallery
Documentation
Setup Guide
- Loosen strings and check neck relief using a feeler gauge
- Adjust truss rod clockwise to decrease relief, counterclockwise to increase
- Set string height at the 12th fret to desired action (~2mm low E, ~1.5mm G)
- Adjust pickup height to 6–8mm from strings when pressed
- Check and adjust intonation at the 12th fret using a tuner
- Tighten hardware and clean surfaces
Restoration Notes
Throughout the restoration I logged part replacements, setup tweaks, and tone results after each change. I documented each phase from disassembly, cleaning, rewiring, testing, and final setup. These notes helped tune the playability and tone to a pro level.
Reflection
Restoring this bass made me appreciate the precision and nuance of hardware restoration — something I carry into my engineering work.