Alon, from Talkbass, sent me some info about his PJ Marx modded Black 'n' Gold. The mod was inspired by Cliff Burton's PJ Marx loaded Black 'n' Gold. This might be the least well known mod done by Burton and I believe it was done not too long before he died. There is only one photo I've found of Cliff actually with his Aria w/ PJ Marx. He is seen in what looks to be a sound check with Metallica during the "Puppets" tour. John Marshall, filling in for James, can be seen with an acoustic guitar, leading me to believe he was using it on "Fade to Black".
See more from my original post on the PJ Marx mod here:
http://ariabasses.blogspot.com/2013/09/cliff-burton-aria-bass-w-modification.html
Alon was kind enough to send some pics and sound samples of his PJ Marx mod. Notice, the pickup is also wired to the two way switch to allow for humbucker or single coil mode.
He did need to create a pickup ring to allow the smaller pickup to fit the stock MB pickup cavity.
Finally, here is a sound demo of the SB loaded with the PJ Marx. Thanks Alon!
See more from my original post on the PJ Marx mod here:
http://ariabasses.blogspot.com/2013/09/cliff-burton-aria-bass-w-modification.html
Alon was kind enough to send some pics and sound samples of his PJ Marx mod. Notice, the pickup is also wired to the two way switch to allow for humbucker or single coil mode.
He did need to create a pickup ring to allow the smaller pickup to fit the stock MB pickup cavity.
Finally, here is a sound demo of the SB loaded with the PJ Marx. Thanks Alon!
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ReplyDeleteI realized after looking at this for a bit that Cliff's guitar tech (a local guitar tech and friend of his that, Cliff being the loyal guy he was, always stuck by for years before he even joined Metallica) took the original Aria pickup casing, removed the original pickup from it, and used the Aria MB-II (I'm certain that's which model it was because the Black 'n Gold I / Elite I is the same as my SB-R60 which has an MB-II pickup) cover as a mounting ring by cutting out the center and fitting the PJ Marx humbucker in it.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant idea!
My apologies, I didn't read the original post thotoghly enough about this mod Cliff had done. You (Jason) did alude to how the original pickup was used as a mounting ring. That's what I got from the way you wrote about it at least. It just dawned on me, as I was looking at the photo of Cliff's bass, that it looked like his guitar tech took on the daunting task of gutting the original pickup enclosure in order to insert the PJ Marx pickup and use it as a mounting ring.
ReplyDeleteHope to see more posts from you soon, btw! Now that I'm (finally!) an Aria bass owner, this blog is my Holy Grail! Between you, Alon, and others at TalkBass I am in good hands if I ever need advice or good, solid Aria bass information and help in general with my new baby! My 1981 SB-R60 is already my other #1 bass. Tied with my Ricky 4003 - a once unimaginable spot for any bass to be at, I'll tell you!
And I have to give a shout out and another huge THANK YOU, to Alon for contacting me personally and sending me the specifications on his mounting ring and wiring pics!! You are the best, my friend!!!
Cheers!
Oran