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Custom P-Bass, Tobacco Burst (pics)

Thunderitter

Thunderitter

Bass, the final frontier...
Supporting Member
Jun 6, 2007
4,751
335
USA
#1
I just completed a P-bass this afternoon and I am really happy with the results! The original bass started as a $120 purchase from eBay. However all was not well and when the bass arrived it really was a P.O.S. - terrible neck, electrics, hardware etc., etc. I knew I was taking a gamble buying it but I thought it was worth the risk as the photos looked good!

Anyway, one thing lead to another, I bought a new neck, followed by new tuners, a new body, pickup, bridge, etc., etc.!! The only original item on the bass is the string retainer!! It is definitely like George Washington's trusty axe, 4 new handles and 5 new blades!!

The spec is as follows:

Tobacco Burst body (no name eBay purchase)
Fender Pickguard and Neck Plate
EMG P active pickup
Warmoth Neck
Hipshot 'A' bridge
Hipshot tuners plus Hipshot Xtender
Schaller Strap Locks
Rotosound Steve Harris custom flatwound strings
Stew Mac for all the screws, knobs, etc

I am really blown away by just how good the bass sounded when I fired her up this evening. A great range of tone from the EMG: from really bright to a real luscious bass. I've got the action pretty low and she plays really nicely!

Here are some pics:

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#12
Pilgrim said:
For $850, it's clear this was "a learning experience" that you probably won't want to repeat.

So, when do you take all the leftover parts - everything but the string retainer - and assemble a second bass?
Click to expand...

Not at all. I've ended up with a far more personalized P-Bass than I would have had I bought a new P-Bass for $1100. The playability is as good as my other Ps and I would say with the EMG in there is a lot more headroom with the sound.

I've bought quite a few sub $150 guitar on eBay that have turned out well worth the money and what drew me to the original was its natural finish. I purchased the original bass with the intention of replacing the hardware and pick-up! In the process I learned how to use a hand router to make the battery cavity on the back.

There will be no second bass without a string retainer as the body, neck and hardware of the original bass, in a word, suck!

For all of this I have learned that you get a great deal of satisfaction putting together a parts bass and I'd be very tempted to do it again, but this time, learning from experience I wouldn't do it with a donor bass off eBay!
 
#14
Pilgrim said:
It's beautiful!! You do nice work!

For $850, it's clear this was "a learning experience" that you probably won't want to repeat.
Click to expand...

I don't know, man- on the one hand, he wasn't pleased with the original instrument. On the other, he's replaced everything but the body and says he's very impressed with the sound and playability, and has Warmoth/Hipshot/EMG* quality for $850. That's quite a bit less than a new MIA Fender (body looks mint and so do the other parts, so I'm comparing it to a new bass rather than a used one). If he could find a finished body for, say, $300, it adds $170 to his $850 and he's still slightly ahead of the Fender game pricewise and arguably well ahead with that Warmoth neck. So long as he doesn't want to sell, it looks to me like he's done quite well.

*I know EMGs aren't for everyone, and they personally wouldn't be my first choice in anything but a Spector. But they are quality.
 
#15
Note: I replaced the body too, so it was $730 all in for the bass - $850 if you consider that the string retainer cost me a cool $120 (it was attached to the other bass for those not reading the first post!)!
 
#16
Quick question from someone who wants to try building a bass from parts too:

How did you know if a neck would fit the pocket on the ebay bass body? Did it list the specs and such? I have looked at bodies, but they never say what the neck pocket size is.

Nice job, BTW!
 
#18
Thanks!

Pure luck on the mating!

I already had the neck and the body was fairly cheap (about $50 less than comparable bodies) because someone had screwed up trying to drill a hole from below where the bridge would be into the control cavity for a grounding wire. Of course they missed the cavity and drilled through the back of the bass - ouch!!!

I already had the EMG pick-up which doesn't need a grounding wire, so I suspected (and I was right) that I could cover where the drill hole was in the back of the bass with a battery cavity. The bridge covers the hole on the top.

I will admit that the neck and body were initially a very snug fit so it had me worried for a few seconds!
 
#19
moomoocajoo (love the name BTW!)

Here's is a better shot of the logo. The flash shows it up more than in real life, although at some time I will get a couple of water based varnish over it. I was to eager to get the bass playing this weekend!

I had originally bought a Fender waterslide decal, but seeing as only the pickguard and the neck plate are Fender I decided against fitting it!

I personally dig what I have achieved - done with a laser-jet decal kit! No guessing my first name!

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