The Frankenbass Club (Moderately modded basses count too!)

[jaxom]

Originally Posted by Doner Designs

Conceptual design layout of our first official bass build to raise funds in a charity auction. Will be donated in the spring of 2013. The guitar and chopper which helped inspire the styling are also shown.









Fighter Plane Bass Features & Specifications

• Custom design, construction, finish and setup (in process)
• Custom pickguard, control covers and color neck plate manufactured by Axetreme Creations to our spec
• Body and Neck from a metallic silver SX P Bass
• Dimarzio Willpower Middle P bass pickups
• Gotoh Neck sidewinder pickup (Gibson EB-3 replacement)
• Gotoh Bridge sidewinder pickup (Gibson EB-3 replacement)
• Bartolini TC-3 booster preamp
• Babicz FCH bass bridge
• Hipshot Ultralight tuners
• Hipshot string retainer
• Separate volume controls for each of the 3 pickups
• On/off toggle switches for each pickup
• Passive/active boost switch
• Passive treble and bass controls
• Momentary contact push-button switch (for machine-gun effects)
• Military style covered toggle switch
• Bourns pots and orange drop capacitors
• Roto 77 bright flatwound strings

I wanna see pics when this is finished!!!!!

[tonybassman]

Originally Posted by Roadkill

Why not sell the neck and buy one more to your liking for it?

Thanks for everyone's replies. I think this is the probably the best approach since the neck and hardware itself is all there and original.

[Ubersheist]

OK... Here's a real Frankenbass:

It's a 1968 P-bass body with a Telecaster neck. I had the J bridge pickup added (I think I replaced all the pickups with DiMarzios of some sort - not sure) and the original owner had a Badass II Bridge put on to replace the original. The neck is a 1972 (?) Telecaster neck. It's a bit thinner then the P-bass neck. A crack started to form in the head, so it's all glued up. Also, the head started to warp such that I had to put in that piece of metal (don't know what it's called) behind the neck to stop the string buzzing while playing open notes. The nut's not the original Telecaster neck's nut either. Next up are the tuners, as they're starting to go bad...

It plays BEAUTIFULLY. I bought it in 1988 or so, and it had already been partly hacked up with the neck switch. I thought it was an old bass then, but I've now owned it for more then half of the life of this bass!

[Doner Designs]

Originally Posted by jaxom

I wanna see pics when this is finished!!!!!

We will definitely post pics when it's done! If you want to follow progress we have been trying to keep our facebook page current with in-process photos.

The custom pickguard and back plates arrived recently. Last weekend we did the lettering, painted the headstock blue and started clear coating over the refinished parts. Clear coating ended when the nozzle got stuck on a full can of lacquer. Had to sit it in the yard til it drained itself. Neighbors may have thought they saw a ghost.

We also went ahead and enlarged the rear access to the control cavity so that all the guts are accessable without removing the giant pg on the front. Actually all the routing may be new since that original post.

Its coming along - gonna be hard to let this one go!

[Doner Designs]

Originally Posted by funkingroovin

Holy Crap! Has anyone ever broken the sound barrier with sound?! I want in on this auction..

Good one! Maybe we'll put something in the user instructions to keep it subsonic when in the continental US.

[Gaolee]

I guess my fretless Thunderbird is on its way to Frankenbass status.

[GAPendragon]

Sorry guys, just realized my post went up three times for some reason. Got rid of the duplicates.

[SBsoundguy]

-Blacktop J Body
-Stock bridge
-2xGFS overwound pickups (noisy and needed copper shielding)
-Mighty Mite J neck (heel needed shaving because it was too fat, and it's still not perfect)
-Cheap $15 24:1 ratio tuners (decent)
-DR black beauties.

I wonder how it'll look with a chrome cover on the neck pickup.

[Lee H]

my orange notafender was finally finished a while back.
I still do not like the slim contour warmoth jazz neck, but the sound is so good

[Doner Designs]

Fit and finishing done - ready for wiring...

[sifi2112]

Spalted maple / mahogany (50/50)
Signature neck (relic'd) maple/maple
Vol / 5-way selector switch / tone (Dingwall knobs)
Nordstrand Big Singles

I actually need to put this in FS-section (UK)

[bassgod76]

Originally Posted by Horny Toad

"Chloe"

2000 American Precision body
2011 American Special neck
Lindy Fralin P
Lindy Fralin 5% overwound J installed by TB's own J Lund
Hipshot A bridge
Custom V/V wiring harness from Best Bass Gear
Green Metallic Sparkle finish by Marty Bell
Vinyl pinup sticker from Greasy Groove

Love that finish!

[BillyB_from_LZ]

Originally Posted by sifi2112

Spalted maple / mahogany (50/50)
Signature neck (relic'd) maple/maple
Vol / 5-way selector switch / tone (Dingwall knobs)
Nordstrand Big Singles

...

That's cool; so familiar, yet so delightfully different all at the same time!

[StreetScenes]

Love the green....And I though mine was loud!

[Doner Designs]

Our most significantly modified frankenbass collection here (and a few guitars too). The two in the middle are to be donated to a charity auction in the spring. The others are our lab rats. Finished up the Air Force Bass this weekend. We'll try to post some sound clips before she get's donated.

[SBsoundguy]

Very cool! You really love those mudbuckers don't you?

[makaspar]

NFBD for me! Well, a week ago, and a year+ in the making..

Bought a MIM Classic 50s neck on Craigslist over a year ago, and just bought a highway one (1?) body here on TB (thanks Shrigg!).. I had picked up a '75 P pup, but after having problems with it, I ordered a Delano.. Put it together with 500k pots, a vintage style bridge, an anodized guard, and extra heavy boomers..

Love this thing! Neck is straighter than my AVRI, and it feels awesome. The Delanos and rounds give it a really punchy, clear Music Man-ish P sound that I'm really digging..

Great compliment to my Flat strung AVRI62!

[9mmMike]

Originally Posted by makaspar

NFBD for me! Well, a week ago, and a year+ in the making..

Bought a MIM Classic 50s neck on Craigslist over a year ago, and just bought a highway one (1?) body here on TB (thanks Shrigg!).. I had picked up a '75 P pup, but after having problems with it, I ordered a Delano.. Put it together with 500k pots, a vintage style bridge, an anodized guard, and extra heavy boomers..

Love this thing! Neck is straighter than my AVRI, and it feels awesome. The Delanos and rounds give it a really punchy, clear MMish P sound that I'm really digging..

Great compliment to my Flat strung AVRI62!

Attachment 302179

Love the 50's Classics necks! I have a few Highway bodies with 50's necks. My favorite combo. That's a real beauty you built there.

[Rockin Mike]

Can I have a number?

My Ibanez FrankenProjekt bass:

Ibanez SR305 body, SR535 neck
Kahler bass tremolo
SGD Sidewinder pickups
Aguilar OBP-3 preamp
DR Neon Green strings
Dunlop Pick holder
Pirate wristband
"I Voted" sticker

[makaspar]

Originally Posted by 9mmMike

Love the 50's Classics necks! I have a few Highway bodies with 50's necks. My favorite combo. That's a real beauty you built there.

Thanks! I'm thinking about adding the ashtrays, to complete the 50s look, and cover the clearly modern 4-pole delano..