Good spot for SCPB-3 in custom tele bass?

[Immo]

I recently got from a friend an almost complete post-soviet telecaster-style bass painted in beautiful candy apple color. Unfortunately, the neck was a horror - bent in a way allowing it to be a base for a boomerang. Additionally, the pu's, as usually the ones form the Eastern Block do, had weak output and lacked bass.
Fortunately, I had a Seymour-Duncan SCPB-3 pickup in my stash, as well as lot of hardware - everything you need to build a bass - and bought a new neck - 100% maple one. The new neck makes the scale over 2" longer. I've already designed the scratchplate and love it. The color's so cool I'd never change it.

The question is - where to put the SCPB-3?
The body has two holes for pu's: one, angled, next to the neck cavity and the second one next to the bridge. The angled one is big enough to incorporate everything of a size of a Gibson MiniHumbucker, while the bridge one would barely spare a space for J-bass pu. I want to have only the SCPB-3, nothing more, on that bass. I want it to sound thick, but maybe not too muddy, close to P-bass, no J-bass bridge-pickup mids.

My luthier said he'd put the SCPB-3 in the angled hole to get lower tone.
I'd agree with him, but the other hole, remaining insanely empty, would have to be covered by pickguard anyway and the whole design will look silly - a scratchplate sized like a dinner plate and small pu at the far end:



I asked a friend with a original single coil P-bass and he said the original pu - with 34" scale - is located 27 cm (~10 4/5", am I right?) from the 12th fret. In my design it'd look something like this:



But then again there are some old screw holes which could spoil the looks (I haven't checked it yet). And I'm not searching to recreate the original tele sound (I'll come to that later in my "custom-shopping" career), but would rather have an original sounding AND great looking bass. And I love symmetry. So I thought about routing a new hole for placing the pu perfectly between those two original pickup holes - about 29-30cm (~11 3/5" - 12") from the 12th fret and again, with the fully masking scratchplate it'd look like this:

I know that playability and sound are far more important then the looks, but then again, with sooo much output SCPB-3 gives, the sound should still be thick, am I right?

What are your suggestions? Which of the options is best for the sound in your opinion? Is there a better idea?

[bobbybigmac]

I think your bass and the question about placing the pup is so interesting that maybe you should try contracting SD directly. Seymour's corner maybe ?
Personally, I'd go with option 2.

[Immo]

Yeah, you know, I prefered to ask here than on the Polish bass forum I moderate, 'cause most of the users belive in "don't_put_expensive_hardware_on_cheap_bass" policy.
I, on the other hand, love to do it! With proper modding and restoring, this method brings one of a kind instruments with unique sound features from the wrecks in a sorry state.

[frakenstrat]

my vote is for a close to "stock" placement. the bass on the left has been my sweetheart for the last 10 years, and it has the same pup you are talking about. i like it cause it's not as hot as you think it will be. but it does give a little more "oomph".

[Immo]

Frakenstrat - What I've noticed when testing the PU by "hanging" it over the strings of my Traben on the books (or whatever it was I could get my hands on back then) is that the pickup is indeed not "hotter" than others, but it has more gain with great clarity and gives a punch I'd call "acoustic": not a reverb- or chrous-type, but the sound is kinda... roomy.
Given the fact that the body has fake f-holes (less than inch deep), that "roomy" sound will be a great thing.
Nice basses, BTW

Anyway, I decided to put the pickup in the "classic" spot and the routing is already in effect. I'll post pictures of the finished baby and - looking at my top secret prototype sketches - I can already tell this bass will be looking great