In constructing a bass, there has to be a damn good reason, otherwise, it's much safer, and probably cheaper (after you count all the time you spend building the damn thing) to buy a bass. But, in the quest for tone, I am required to build my own, because my finances don't allow me to buy Alembics. I love the Alembic sound, and they're ultimately playable, but I simply can't afford one. (Yea, yea, I can pick up a used one for a little over a thousand, whatever, I still want to roll my own.) Also, I'm looking for something a little different than Alembic tone.
So, anyways, I set about the task of finding all the parts to get me my dream tone/bass, and here they are.
- Carvin 24 fret hard rock maple neck with ebony fretboard. Neck-through.
This was the only place I could find a neck through neck, and it had exactly the woods I wanted, so I wasn't complaining. This is the entire basis of my project.
-Brass Hipshot Bass Bridge A style, 4 string. .750 string spacing.
The only place I found this puppy was in the Luthiers Mercantile International Catalog. It's saddles are laterally adjustable too, like the Schaller roller bridge, but it's made out of brass, which the Schaller isn't. A heavy brass bridge will give you lots of sustain, as well as increase harmonic response. Woohoo.
-Seymour Duncan AJJ-2 Lightning Rods Active Jazz Bass Pickup Set
Active Jazz = good. Need I say more?
-Hardrock maple body.
The tighter the grain, the harder the wood, the brighter the tone. My dream tone was described to me one time when I was reading a review of a Kawai knock-off of an Alembic. It's body was made mostly out of hard maple, with a few other woods, and 2 different reviewers (on Harmony Central) described the bass as a "piano in bass clothing." I love the sound of a piano. I love sustain. I love to play bass. What else can I ask for? I also play jazz, and I think this tone would fit excellently into a jazz situation
So, what do you people think? Anything you'd change about it if you were going for the same tone/sustain combination I am? I might try a few other pickups on the sucker, and in the future, I might change the bridge, and add piezos. When I finish, I'll be sure to post pics.
Don't expect 'em for another 4 weeks though.
Hopefully my primitive woodworking skills won't screw it up, although I did take 2 years of high school shop! 
