My First Custom Bass

Jebthebassist · #1 03-26-2006, 09:49 PM

I'm building my first bass and I'm at some points where I need some advice. Before my question(s) I'll tell you about the bass and what I'm going for. I'm buidling the body out of maple and I'm ordering a maple neck from carvin (bolt on neck). I want the maple because I'm going for a brighter sound so I think that the maple will do that. I have EMG J-pickups. Thats pretty much about it at the moment.
Now a few questions...

1.) Doing a color finish on the instrument: Is there different color stains out there so I can still see the wood grain but also give the bass say a blue color too it? If so how and where do i get my hands on these? (or make them)

2.) Doing inlays with abalone and pearloid, for a small design on the headstock how do I get the material into the wood? What tools do I use and how do I cut the pearloid/ablone?

That should be it for now, Thank you for all your help in advance.

Here are 2 pics of what it looked like before I shaped it after I glued the 2 pieces of maple together and a pic of what it looks like now after I did the main shaping to it.

Greenman · #2 03-26-2006, 10:19 PM

You might want to think about dye for coloring your wood before you clear it. You can get wood dye everywhere and probably in your home town.
As far as inlays I'm not familiar in this area.
Good luck!

rdhbass · #3 03-26-2006, 11:27 PM

[quote=Jebthebassist]I'm building my first bass and I'm at some points where I need some advice. Before my question(s) I'll tell you about the bass and what I'm going for. I'm buidling the body out of maple and I'm ordering a maple neck from carvin (bolt on neck). I want the maple because I'm going for a brighter sound so I think that the maple will do that. I have EMG J-pickups. Thats pretty much about it at the moment.------------

I had a hohner B bass five string that was all maple and had real emg J pickups in it and it was cool but i got lost in the mix sometimes, maybe it was my eq settings i don't know. I ended up selling it. I would seriously consider if I were you, in putting a soapbar in the neck position to even things out, but thats just me....

Jebthebassist · #4 03-27-2006, 06:57 AM

Thanks for the advice guys. I already have the next body ready to build, I think I want to try putting a P/J pickup configuration in it but maybe I'll throw a soapbar in there too and take out the J.