Ok now everything seems fine. i bought a set of small files to gently slim the casings and screw tags and now they fit better and i've adjusted the heights and gain so the pickup balance is much better and upped the trim pots a tad. Mica i managed to loop the pickup cables through the ferrite bead and the hiss seems to have gone .
I will give it a blast through my gig rig just to check things out properly.

Sorry I missed this thread earlier and a late response.  Fabulous solution Jazzyvee and the refinished bass looks superb.  I particularly like the cream covers.

I experienced a similar issue with wear to the gold lettering on a couple of basses.  After much creative thought and seeking advice from some brilliant artists and luthiers, I hit on a solution.  It's one that involves much very careful sanding (with different fine grit papers), lots of masking, lots of fine spraying with gloss then matte lacquers, lots of patience, and a significant investment.  However, I think the results are pretty impressive.  When the pickups are finished, it's hard to tell the difference between a new and refinished pickup from a foot or two away.  Given the outlay, I ended-up with around 80 of the little logos - very pretty in their own right!  Here's the before and after, and in process and the end result 

I'll be the first to say it; that looks like an excellent fix. Well done!

And nice looking Series II fretless!

Late to the party as usual.
awesome craftwork!  congratulations, sir!

QuoteAnd nice looking Series II fretless!

indeed.  my goal for 2023.  yay!