A diary of a custom Jazz Bass build...

[HalfManHalfBass]

Hello all!

I am posting this diary of my custom build jazz, in the hope that it can be of use to anyone else considering the same type of project. Hopefully, the things I have decided and will no doubt learn along the way can help others think of things previously unthought of and possibly even save them money from my mistakes!

Many years ago I remember reading many other similar build threads here, which always gave a lot of really helpful advice, so I want to put a little something back into the bass community here!

I really must say a huge thanks to all the helpful Talkbassers for their informative replies to my questions over the years, without their knowledge I would never feel the confidence necessary to start a project of this size and expense!

Everything from wiring diagrams, pickup reviews, to information on bass part suppliers has been made known to me through this great site.

Thanks guys, you rule!

And so to work…..

I have decided to make a pair of jazz basses to my specifications;

1) An old school vibe 60s style, and the other:
2) A more modern toned 'super-jazz' kind of thing.

All my present basses are active so I want this pair to be (at least to begin with) passive. Should I decide later though, I can always add a drop in pre-amp like a J Retro or Audere-especially with regards to the more modern ‘super-jazz’.

Due to money restrictions this project will have to be in at least two stages, as two custom basses right now isn’t financially feasible! So, for many reasons I have decided to start with the older style bass first.

Interestingly, the price for these two projects totals practically the same as two new Fender Jazzes at UK prices, bar the fact that there isn’t a case included. Therefore, should everything do what it is supposed to do (hopefully!), it won’t have cost much more than two stock basses but with my preferences throughout...

 

[HalfManHalfBass]

I am going to assemble the 'old style' jazz from these parts:

1) An alder body. I figure it's the classic tone wood for vintage tone and will be in a cream colour to replicate the vintage look.

2) Seymour Duncan Classic stacked pickups, (I love single coils and know they will probably sound better, but it seems crazy to build a custom bass spending good money on a pair of pickups which I know will buzz from the off set). This particular model isn’t too hot and not too mid heavy-from my research……I hope! Otherwise look out for them on Ebay in the coming weeks when I abandon them!

3) Obligatory tortoiseshell pick guard , again for the vintage vibe.

4) Top loading Hipshot bridge. From personal experience I don’t hear or feel enough of a difference in the through body versus top loading debate and I much prefer the convenience of fast string changes.

5) Passive electronics, with 2 stacked volume / tone pots, again to retain the vintage look and reduce the number of controls on the bass, I figure I have other active basses for more extensive tone tweaks. Should this stacked arrangement prove too ‘fiddly’ I have a 3 pot: passive blend, volume and tone circuit planned too.

6) Hipshot Ultralite tuners in chrome (along with all the other hardware). Not particularly a very vintage choice, but any opportunity to reduce overall weight and neck dive has to be taken in my opinion.

7) Originally I wanted a 21 fret (up to high E) rosewood / maple standard neck with a vintage gloss finish, but recently I have decided (at least initially) to try a different approach. The weather here is extremely humid and I have noticed that my other maple necked instruments’ finishes are either checking badly or require constant truss rod tweaks. Again, when building a custom bass to address all of the design problems/differences that I don’t usually like, it seems ridiculous to throw away good money on a neck that will crack and make me cry! I have therefore rather controversially chosen a custom graphite neck which, if I find screws with the vintage style resulting tone too much, I can reuse again on the second phase of this project, with the modern toned super jazz…..


So part one, the custom neck has arrived from Status Graphite in England. I originally wanted 22 frets but at Mr Green’s recommendation have only 21. The resulting overhanging frets would have apparently made the fingerboard too fragile and in danger of snapping off. Plus, without modification to the standard Jazz Bass shape, any further frets would be pretty much unreachable with the existing cutaway. I asked for this neck to be cast in solid black rather than the usual graphite weave pattern to mask its modern construction a bit, and should this neck not work out, the other bass I want to make will be black too, so it will match the body nicely!

Now, unfortunately I've got to wait for the next batch of parts....

 

[MobileHolmes]

Cool. I haven't taken any pics (ironic since my other hoby is photography) but my current #1 is a warmoth super jazz in sheep's clothing (oly white and tort with an audere pre). I Like your plan, although a couple observations

1. The graphite neck is going to be much more modern sounding than old style. Nothing wrong with that, but it will be snappier than alder/rosewood. Not having to mess with seasonal adjustments, however, would be nice

2. the two volume/2 tone stacknob would be a cool arrangement. If you only go 3 knobs, I'd be more inclined to do 2 volumes and a tone. I Like the simplicity of the blend pot, but my understanding is that the passive ones tend not to work very well.

3. Which hipshot bridge? My J has the bent plate on it, and it is really nice. Classy looking, solid, a little heavier than stock, and the adjustment screws stay where they are supposed to.

Keep us updated. I love to see how these play out.

 

[Al Heeley]

This thread belongs in the Luthiers Corner I reckon. Good luck with the build.

 

[eots]

Does a black headstock qualify as vintage? Seems a giveaway to think 'what's wrong with this picture'. I don't mind it as I have a black h/s on my custom jazz but I wasn't going for 'vintage'. Don't see too many black 'boards' either though the occasional dark rosewood comes along now and then.

 

[HalfManHalfBass]

Thanks guys, maybe a kind mod can move this thread for me...?

I thought Luthier's corner was only for REAL builders of instruments and believe me, I am certainly not one of them!

The bridge will be a Hipshot replacement for the standard Fender 5 screw fixing. In fact it only uses 3 of the 5 screw holes and I chose it because each string saddle is in a separate channel (much like an ABM bridge) to prevent sideways movement which I find usually happens at some stage with the standard Fender bridges, (maybe I'm excessively heavy handed though!).

PS I know the neck will be a lot snappier and less traditional sounding but it's a trade off unfortunately... Practically all my basses are either Statuses or Status necked to beat the damn climate here...

 

[HalfManHalfBass]

Well, despite this thread sinking like a stone and proving to be as popular as toothache, I thought for the sake of completion that I'd post final pictures of my project!

I learned a lot from this experience, including how NOT to drill a graphite neck, and that sometimes it's neccessary to plug and drill a bridge another two times due to the original holes being useless with the bridge I'd chosen!

The Classic Stacked Seymour Duncans I used sound much less bright and less modern than the Dimarzios Ultra Jazz that I had to a/b test-which is exactly what I wanted.

I also found a way to raise the neck pickup fairly high to get a strong signal, yet lower the pole pieces of the pickup to reduce hitting the strings and making an awful clank! Spacers between the pickup and its cover indeed....

I ended up using my own take on the 'star ground' wiring schematic-to make all wire lengths as short as possible and only have 2 wires connected to the control panel. This was to facilitate switching between this 2 stack knob arrangement and a separate control panel wired: blend, volume and master tone. In an a/b test the signal from this vintage option was clearer and cleaner than the more modern pan pot set up, hence my decision to stay with it.

So here it is in it's final incarnation, (though I keep changing my mind between cream pickup covers and black ones!). It was built to be a bass with vintage leanings, yet modern appointments and no wood warpage due to excessively humid climate conditions!

The next one will have to wait until the new year sadly, funds permitting....

Thanks to all who showed an interest and another thanks for all the help in building this!

 

[mongo2]

Nothing wrong with that!

Nice job.

 

[BassBob185]

Looks very good. I like the black neck. How does it play/sound?

 

[eots]

I like the cream pups. They match well with the body.
* On a side note, raising the pups closer to the strings is not always beneficial. The extra magnetic pull on the strings can reduce sustain and suck some of the tone.

 

[WoodyG3]

That is probably the neatest control cavity I've ever seen. Mine always have extra wire all over the place like a doggone bird's nest.

That is really a sweet looking bass. As you get a chance, I think we'd all like reports on how it plays and sounds.

Congratulations on a job well done!

 

[HMZ]

Which Hipshot bridge exactly is that? Does it fit the newer three screw hole pattern of the American Fender jazz basses?

 

[ZachisSuperCool]

I am also about to order a hipshot bridge for my warmoth five hole body. Which style bridge would you recommend for ease of installation?

 

[HalfManHalfBass]

Thanks for the comments guys, I'll post more info as I can, but with regards to the bridge:

It is a Hipshot direct replacement for the Fender 5 screwhole pattern, but it only uses the two outside holes and the middle one for the screws (i.e. 3 screws in total). I bought it from the Basspartsresource website.

I originally wanted an ABM bridge, but as the body was bought from Warmoth, the 5 hole pattern was already pre-drilled.

These bridges do fit, but I had a wierd problem that the intonation saddles were either too far forward or too far back, not allowing for much intoination adjustment.

I think the problem is that the intonation screws don't allow for much variance between the minimum and maximum of their travel unlike some bridges (as the screws don't pass all the way through the saddles and so stop turning when they hit the front wall of each). I eventually had to cut 4mm from each screw and drill yet again between the two holes I had! And believe me, I had measured the scale length many times beforehand! Thankfully after plugging all the extra holes, they are still all hidden under the bridge's footprint!

Therefore I don't think I can really recommend them, as it may be that you too will need to move the bridge-at which point any after market bridge can be used! The saddles also rattle a little bit in their channels, which again something fixable, (stick small pieces of paper etc on each saddle's side to fill up the room) but not really desirable on such an expensive unit. Shame I bought two of them untried (one for the next bass d'oh!).

 

[needmoney]

but with regards to the bridge:

Yeah, not a big fan of the A's, I think they're just too complex for their own good. I'd stick with bent-plate anyday.

 

[HMZ]

Thanks for the info on the Hipshot A bridge. I guess a Gotoh or Badass would have worked out better for you adjustment wise.

 

[Mr.Bassie720]

Wanted to share my recent Status jazz build. Went for a modern vibe/tone. One piece contoured heel swamp ash body from USA custom guitars, Bartolini 9J1s, Hipshot ultralites and A type bridge,( I love this bridge! no issues with install as body was drilled to accomodate its 4 hole pattern) complete copper shielding and Aguilar OBP1 preamp. Sound is articulate and clear. Bottom end is very tubular sounding. Top end cuts through but not harsh. All of this unplugged! Controls are, volume with active bypass, blend and boost only bass and treble. When you plug in, its pure magic! The Status neck was connected using stainless steel threaded inserts. I highly recommend these as the wood in the heel of a Status neck is not very substantial.

 

[Fender32]

No idea how I managed to miss this thread - normally, I can smell anything involving Status necks, from all the way over here in Germany !

Anyway, Rob (HMHB), I assume that this is what got you GASsing for the new bass, which you PM'd me about ? How's that one coming along anyway - have you had the drill out yet ? I imagine that your cream one sounds pretty similar to my black one, as the body is made of the same kind of seasoned alder and my pickups (Nordtrand NJ4SEs) are not overly "modern" sounding either. Coupled with the sturdy bridge and passive electonics, I can easily imagine that you too are getting that articulate, but non-brittle tone from yours as well.

Can't wait to see your new beast - come on dude, hurry up !


Mr. Bassie720, has Major Metal seen your bass yet !? He coverts anything green, but especially sexy-ass beasts like your bass!

The body's really intriguing - I've never seen a scalloped cutaway around the neck joint like that on a "replacement" body before. Nice!

The black hardware and stripped-down look are fantastic, too. I had something similar once myself, only in red, back in the early 1980's. Here's a crappy scan of an even crappier picture, just for reference ...

The logo on the headstock reads, "GMT", which stood for Green (as in Rob Green) Machine Technology and was the name that the fledgling Status company traded under, in the days when they made bike parts out of carbon fibre too, IIRC !?

[/DUBIOUS_HISTORY_LESSON]

 

[murphy]

DROOL!!!!!!