Calling all "Bassbuilding-do-it-yourselfers"!

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<b>Jazz bass 4 string.</b>
I changed the body to a natural Ash w/black pickguard & Gotoh string thru the body bridge. I just won Sadowsky pick-up's & pre amp on eBay & it's going in this bass. It has the Warmoth decal w/70's style "JAZZ BASS" decal. I'll have new picks soon, I'm just too lazy

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<b>Jazz bass 5 string</b>
Gold hardware
Gotoh tuning machines
Schaller bridge
maple/maple neck
Ash body w/AAAA quilt top
Aguilar OBP-1 preamp
EMG 40J pickups

<img width=400 src="http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1174383&a=13865679&p=55165095&Sequence=0&res=high">
<b>P Bass</b>(sold)
1979 P bass body
Warmoth neck w/70's "Fender Precision Bass" decal natural Ash body*
maple neck w/rosewood fretboard
Schaller tuning machines
Seymour Duncan BassLines Quater Pound P/J** pickups
mirrored pickguard
Leo Quan BadAss II bridge
neck pick-up cover (not pictured).

*The finish of the bass was originally BLACK. The finish was unprofessionally removed. The body was never refinished. The paint was stripped down to the sealer. You can see some dark parts of the wood where it was sanded below the sealer.

**The J pickup was also routed unprofessionally, which is why there is a chrome cover around the pickup.

 

I've got this neck on the way from Warmoth:




Wenge with a Pao Ferro fretboard.

I'm going to get an Explorer body made out of Swamp Ash (probably--maybe Korina) with a P Pickup, and a reverse P Pickup. Black Hardware.

Wanted something different to justify it. Probably gonna string it up with Rotosound Monel Flats.

Should be sweet, with mojo.

 

Bassmonkeee, I'd like to see your bass when finished...

 

Me, too.

 

This is the first bass that I built totally from scratch, it shows. Maple body with a bookmatched quilted maple top, maple neck and fingerboard, maple bridge, (okay... so I really liked maple at the time! ), Schaller PBX pickup, (way under-rated), Gotoh tuners... Of all the basses I have built, this is the only one that I still have a picture of

This picture was taken for a workplace publication in 1992. Right after that, I went out and roached my knee sky-diving, so I had a few weeks of 'shedding with the new fretless!! At the time I built this, I had been away from bass playing for about 10 years and was just looking for a hobby...

-robert
<img src="http://www.pcez.com/~isboy/frstbass.jpg">

 

Here's my home grown Jazz. I got the neck from Warmoth, the body from All Parts, Bartolini pickups and electronics with active/off/passive switch. I've played a lot of stuff and recently came back to this baby, which to my ear sounds great.

 

Nino.... i really like the pickup cover on the J-pickup on the p-bass... don't tell anyone its because of unprofessional routing... it looks really good... likewise on the finish... i'd pay for a finish that looks like that...

odd how mistakes or seconds can turn out soo good..

 

Bassmouse3,

I'm not sure if it is a Gecko neck, I saw it in the bargain section and said heck, let me get it primarily because it was wenge, didn't have a Fender-esque headstock and the look would work well with the flamed top of the body. Thanks for the compliment, I stained that baby myself.

 

That's not even a great picture of it. <a href="http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1174383&a=12990770&f=0">CLICK HERE</a> to see more pictures.

 

I'm pretty sure that it's just the regular Warmoth headstock shape. Like this one:



They call it the "Warmoth 2 + 2 Headstock."

Phil, your bass is definitely sweet. I hope mine turns out half as nice.

 

The headstock photo you posted is a little more elongated at the top, I have another bass that I built that has a neck just like the one you posted but the truss rod adjustment is at the bottom. The other one is quilt mable, but is finished with a strawberry like color, still looks good, I'll get some photo's of it up eventually. Thanks for the compliment bassmonkeee.

 

Currently working on a complete overhall/salvage of my first bass that comes pretty close to scratch.
It was a Vantage with 2 p-pickups. I've completely gutted the electronics, stripped the coating and veneer (I have no idea what the coating was, but it had to be removed by completely sanding it off b/c no chemical/heat combo would work), altered the shape and weight of the bass including the cutaways, the headstock, the neck and heel. I've stained it a completely different color and am currently coating the bass and fretboard with polyurethane. I'm replacing the passive electronics with EMG pickups and controls. Should be done soon and will post pictures. My next project is building a 12 string guitar from parts (very frankenstein-like); I already have the neck. After that it's onto building a 5-string.

 

I plan on doing that someday, just building a bass from scratch. I might not even use power tools and just hand carve it and stuff.

Here's one idea I have:

5 String Neck-Thru
3 Piece Quartersawn Rock Maple Neck
Solid Rock Maple Body (Made extra large for more sustain and tone)
Ebony, Maple or Pau Ferro Fretboard
36" Scale 24 Fret Neck, No Inlays, multiple steel rods reinforcing the truss rod(s)
Brass ABM or Hipshot Bridge (Strung-thru the body if I can figure out how to get one of these bad boys cut properly)
Brass Nut
Brass Frets (If I can get some)
Hipshot Tuners
Basslines Musicman Pickup (the Ceramic kind, in normal Stingray position)
No electronics, just the pickup wired straight to the input jack
Strung with .65 - .150 Stainless Steel Roundwounds and played with a 3mm pick close to the bridge

Yes, I know I am insane for wanting a bass this bright and I know it would weigh like a bastard, but think of the agressive tone! You'd never be drowned out by guitarists again!

 

Don't forget, as the scale length increases, you can *decrease* the string guage. A .65 G on a 36" scale would be horribly tight (the D would be even worse). In fact I don't know if a maple neck could handle all that tension. Or, would you be detuning significantly?

 

I'm just planning this out right now, not really committed to anything (except I want a lot of maple or other hard, bright woods and a single mm pickup without any controls)

 

I have a project I want to tackle some day, I thought I could get some advice from you guys, since you know what your doin.

I have a MIA B.C. Rich 5 string with a MM style bartolini and active electronics. the thing has been violated. when I was 16 I thought it would be cool to tear it apart and paint it up with some "crackle" paint. I kinda let my buddy do most prep and paint stuff. I tore it apart and gave him the body to work on. I know he didn't sand it all the way down before applying the new paint. it also didn't get the proper clear coat it needed. now the truss rod is stripped and the paint has worn off in a few spots.

I was thinking about handing it over to a professional to bring it back to life. but after seeing some of your guys' work, I think I might try it myself (except for the trussrod of course). what do you think, should I tear it apart, sand the finish down, hand the neck to the pro, then have the pro set it up? what kind of stripper should I use, that wouldn't damage the wood? I also was thinking of finishing it with tung oil, what do you think? not sure what kind of wood is under there, it sure is heavy tho.

I was watching a video of my old band rippin up a party and was shocked at how good that thing sounded (haven't played it in a while). it's worth bringing it back to life.

any tips you have or any links to some wood working stuff you guys know of would be cool, I'll look some up here myself.

 

This is the sibling to the other jazz that I made.

 

Man, that's gorgeous! What's that thing that looks like a strap button next to the bridge, Phil?