Replacing a... BODY?

rojo412 · #1 07-24-2011, 12:13 AM

Now please forgive me if I'm in the wrong spot, but it seemed right to me.

I have a Kawai KRB-105. I really dig almost everything about the bass, save for 2 issues:

1) Itsy bitsy control cavity
For some strange reason, it's small and poorly suited to fit just about anything as far as a preamp goes.

2) Pickup stuff
The PJ config sounds great, but leaves me with weird options for pickups. I'm more of a JJ guy at heart, but could survive. But the placement is also very close to the bridge for both, so it's very cool in some ways, but limited in others

My main thing is, I don't want to mod the hell out of the original body, in case there's a possible future collectability factor. Yeah, I could probably just add a battery box and save some trouble, but not fix it completely.

So my mind wandered to thoughts of making a custom body to strap the parts to. And as you can see, it's not a Fender shape, so I can't just order it from a catalog.

Where should I start looking?
What may be a roundabout figure for something like this?

I'd be looking to have something built to the extent that it fits the neck and has the proper shape and routing. All of the finish work, drilling for pots, etc, I can do that. Just need a plain body made of Alder or Ash, likely.

Any thoughts?

bunnykeeper · #2 07-24-2011, 01:07 AM

Can you post a picture of the neck plate? There might be bodies out there that will fit your neck without too much elbow grease.

testing1two · #3 07-24-2011, 02:50 AM

That's not a standard Fender-shaped neck pocket and it's a 24 fret, 34" scale instrument so this would probably have to be completely custom fabricated based on careful measurements taken from the original body. I think when you discover the cost of a one-off custom fabricated body you'll probably consider a different project...like this: Uncle Ike's Music & Sound - UEB13 Used Kawai 5 String Bass - Japan

rojo412 · #4 07-24-2011, 08:07 AM

It's definitely crossed my mind that the project may not be cheap, but I'm still interested in a number.

If I knew someone with the tools, I'd attempt it myself. I know body blanks can be had for about $50.
Basically, I'd just want to copy a Status body shape, make the neck pocket fit the neck, and put it together from there.
I figure the custom body is still cheaper than a whole custom bass...

baskruit · #5 07-24-2011, 08:17 AM

What I once did was stick a sheet of MDF to a body with double sided tape and go round with a router to cut a template. I'm still a woodworking novice so I did scratch the original body somewhat but in the end it worked out pretty well.

fhm555 · #6 07-24-2011, 09:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by baskruit

What I once did was stick a sheet of MDF to a body with double sided tape and go round with a router to cut a template. I'm still a woodworking novice so I did scratch the original body somewhat but in the end it worked out pretty well.

This...if you are interested in doing a body from scratch.

If you are worried about future collector value on your bass, why not keep it as is and just build a parts bass? I got everything I needed to build a j type bass for less than $400. Watch here and other places for deals on parts and have fun.

Here's something else you can check in to. I contacted this ebay seller a while back and he told me he would sell me a J body routed any way I wanted it, or not at all if that's what i wanted. If he can do any pup/bridge/control cavity I wanted, I don't see where changing neck pocket dimensions would be that big a deal. Anyhow, it might be worth talking to the guy.
Jazz Style Bass 2 piece Ash or Alder body | eBay

As far as that goes, if you can do pup routing you should be able to do neck pocket routing on a blank, then cut the body shape around that.

Either way, it sounds like fun.

rojo412 · #7 07-24-2011, 01:43 PM

I figure that if I'm going the whole hog and doing a new body, I'd do a custom shape.

As for a parts bass, I've done that before and I do like the results, but this graphite neck just sounds so sweet on the thing!!! To get one of those, even used, I'm looking at $250.

Pilgrim · #8 07-24-2011, 01:57 PM

You COULD make another body, but unless you're a dedicated DIY guy and have time to burn on an experiment, I'd say get a different bass and save yourself a lot of trouble and time.

rojo412 · #9 07-24-2011, 02:58 PM

Well, first things first:

1) Pickups
I'm going to change those out to some passive Dimarzios to see how that makes me feel

2) Battery Cavity or mod the existing small space.
If I need the room, I can probably make something work with minimal material removed.

Just thought I'd ask about the body, as the rest of the bass is really good.

fhm555 · #10 07-24-2011, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rojo412

I figure that if I'm going the whole hog and doing a new body, I'd do a custom shape.

As for a parts bass, I've done that before and I do like the results, but this graphite neck just sounds so sweet on the thing!!! To get one of those, even used, I'm looking at $250.

OK, so it's the neck you are trying to keep...

That being the case, I'd say snag you up a blank and get a pro to rout you a correct sized neck pocket and let your imagination have it's head.