First Bass Build Question

[bassburner]

I'm planning on building a P-Bass but I have a question. My preference is to go with an alder body and maple/rosewood neck.

If I get all body parts from Warmoth, the total, with all the parts, works out to be $1160 or $990 if I happen to find a body they already have in stock I like.

However, my top choice for the body is Fiesta Red so I was thinking I could also start with a Squier Classic Vibe since it's only $9 more than getting a custom body from Warmoth. Of course the wood would be basswood vs alder. If I still upgraded the Squier to match exactly as I would build it from scratch it would total $512. The only difference in the end would be lack of the upgraded Warmoth neck with the graphite rods. If I wanted to upgrade that as well it would hit $897.

I'm wondering if there's that big of a difference in the basswood and alder in terms of tone and ability to stand the test of time to make the difference worth it? Or are basswood and alder close enough that I should just save the money and go with the Squier? And just add the pickguard, pickup and bridge covers and upgrade the pickups.

Thoughts?

[TheEmptyCell]

You'll get a number of answers. I don't personally believe in tone wood. So I say start off with the Squier. Down the road, replace the neck if you want.

[1bassleft]

Tone, I don't think so - certainly compared to replacing the stock electronics. Ability to stand the test of time, yes. I realize I'm over-reacting, but basswood puts me off a purchase. The grain is ugly (not a problem for Fiesta Red) but, is it just me? - falls and knocks seem to ding the heck out of a basswood body when alder would be picked up unharmed. Not very scientific; proper luthiers here can give a much better qualified opinion.

Also, and again from not huge exp, the latest Indonesian Squiers look great but the necks seem a bit soft and need a tweak and re-tweak. Older Japanese and Korean necks of mine feel more solid to me.

Is it worth looking out for a body only?