What I have here is a nearly-complete project that I am aborting in favor of other endeavors. Since this bass is nearly complete (just missing a couple parts and needs to be assembled) I've decided to list it as one post, but the neck and body are still available for separate purchase. The bass is not assembled in the pictures and will ship (mostly) disassembled.
I had Steve Cyr (
http://www.cyrguitars.com) make me a custom double-P body out of swamp ash, and then sent it to Pat Wilkins (
http://www.wilkinsguitars.com) to be painted a gorgeous green with a hint of metallic sparkle. Anyone who knows anything knows that Pat is the best in the business, and this finish is nothing short of awesome. The neck pocket is right around 2.5 inches wide. This body was specifically made for the the neck. It SHOULD fit most Fender-style necks, but may need some modification. I believe the neck I was using was a hair slimmer than most Fender necks.
The body is loaded with Dragonfire pickups. These are supposed to be very hot, much like Seymour Duncans and have received great reviews (read them here:
http://reviews.harmony-central.com/r...and/Dragonfire). They were snow-white when I ordered them, which I didn't care for, so I "aged" them with coffee grounds and brown shoe polish. They look more "vintage" now, which I like.
The hardware is all chrome, from WD Music. Everything in the pictures is included, and I'll throw in some copper shielding as well.
The neck is a late 90s Squier, made in China, but don't let that fool you. It's as solid as any American, Japanese, or Mexican Fender neck I've ever seen. I'm not exactly sure if it's a J or P, but the nut width is 1 and 5/8". As you can see, the neck is maple. The fingerboard is very nicely grained rosewood, which has been freshly lemon-oiled.
I had Steve Cyr remove the Squier logo and apply his own logo. You can see some evidence of sanding from where the old logo was removed and the new logo was applied but it's really only noticeable under light (see pics.) I also had him re-shape the headstock. I think it looks pretty cool. I'm not sure who makes the tuners, but I believe they are original to the neck. The whole neck is in good shape. Some minor roundwound string wear on some frets on the E/A-string side. Frets have a little wear but look to have plenty of life left. The back of the neck was heavily-glossed when I bought it, so I took a green Scotch-Brite pad and smoothed it down to a more satin feel. I think it feels great. There are a few horizontal finish scratches toward the heel where I got a little over-zealous, but they're not that noticeable.
The heel is 2.5 inches, and SHOULD fit most Fender-style bodies, but may require modification. I've heard Squier necks are a hair slimmer than most Fender necks so you may need a shim or something similar.
A couple things to note:
There are some minor hairline finish scratches on the back of the body. I used a buffing compound on them - they're still there, but not very noticeable. There are also vertical finish scratches on either side of the neck pocket. These were my fault - I was trying to send some excess paint out of the pocket and wasn't as careful as I should have been. They're only noticeable at certain angles under light, and probably won't bother most people, but I just wanted to disclose them.
The bridge will ship unattached from the body because the ground wire tunnel is filled in with paint. You should be able to drill it out pretty easily. I don't own a drill, and if I did, nor do I trust myself with power tools
The bass is missing a control cavity cover. It got lost in transit somewhere. I'm checking to see if either Wilkins or Cyr have it at their shop. If they find it, I'll let you know. Otherwise, if you wanted to make a new one, it shouldn't be too difficult.
I only have two pots for the bass - they are volume and tone pots from an Ibanez Soundgear bass that I no longer own. You should be able to get a third pot just about anywhere for a few bucks.
Like a Wall Street investor, I've got way too much money in this baby and am going to have to cut my losses. The Wilkins finish alone was $300. I'd like
$300 for the body, $120 for the neck, or $385 for the whole thing. All prices include shipping. Bass will ship disassembled - it will need to be wired, have the neck mounted, one pot installed, and bridge installed. Tuners and neck plate will be included with the neck if someone buys only the neck. All other hardware will be included with the body if someone buys only the body.
Lower 48 preferred, money order and Paypal fine. There are a couple things I need, so open to certain trades:
Warmoth (or similar) natural clear finish P/J body
Warmoth (or similar) unlined fretless neck (exotic fingerboards preferred but open to anything except maple)
Black Gotoh GB7 tuners
Black bridge (Gotoh 201 preferred)
A set of good P/J pickups under $100 for the pair
Some pics of a "mockup" of the bass put together (but not bolted down) below.
More pics of the various disassembled parts
here and
here.
