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Custom built Fender (Mighty Mite Black) Precision Bass Guitar

PBASSTONE

PBASSTONE

Feb 16, 2012
84
12
Petaluma, California
#1
I wanted to post some pictures of the most recent build I did. I was modeling this bass off a 1968 P-Bass as close as I could.

I did another Mighty Mite build before this one that was also a P-Bass but it was a Seafoam Green color that you can see here:
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/cu...en-precision-bass-guitar-870571/#post12445009

The parts consist of: Mighty Mite body, and neck vintage amber nitro tinted, Fender pickguard and shield, Fender neck plate, Threaded steel inserts to mount the neck to the neck pocket, Seymour Duncan SPB-1 Vintage pickup, Vintage style wiring kit with (2) CTS 250k solid shaft pots, Switchcraft 1/4" jack, black/white cloth wire, and .047mfd Orange Drop tone capacitor. RN 66LD RotoSound strings, Hipshot lollipop machine heads. Real ebony wood thumbrest, high-mass Fender vintage bridge.

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#8
rumblinbass said:
are you happy with the Mighty Mite parts?
Click to expand...

I have built at least 20 bass guitars using Mighty Mite parts, and I have never had a problem with them. I think the quality is very good. Maybe I'm just easy to please or something. They are as good, or better than Fender MIM. There are a lot of guys who will belittle Mighty Mite, but they may just like spending more money because it makes them feel like they are getting a better quality product.
 
#9
PBASSTONE said:
I have built at least 20 bass guitars using Mighty Mite parts, and I have never had a problem with them. I think the quality is very good. Maybe I'm just easy to please or something. They are as good, or better than Fender MIM. There are a lot of guys who will belittle Mighty Mite, but they may just like spending more money because it makes them feel like they are getting a better quality product.
Click to expand...

Warmoth, USACG, etc. are just out of my price range. How much work do you have to do to the neck? Fret leveling, crowning, or work on the nut?
 
#10
rumblinbass said:
Warmoth, USACG, etc. are just out of my price range. How much work do you have to do to the neck? Fret leveling, crowning, or work on the nut?
Click to expand...

Again I might just be easy to please because I have never had to dress, level, or crown frets on any of the MM necks I have purchased. Some people may have more sensitive hands that they feel that the fret ends need to be dressed. Me, I have never had to do so. As far as the nut, it seems good quality, but you will always have to file the nut slots when you do the first set up on the bass. The action will always be way high at the nut. Usually after I assemble a bass, first I adjust the truss rod since that is the foundation, then check string height at the bridge, while also adjusting strings for the neck radius, then measure string height at the nut, then adjust the intonation.

Like I said every bass I have built seems to play nice and sound great.
 
#14
PBASSTONE said:
I have built at least 20 bass guitars using Mighty Mite parts, and I have never had a problem with them. I think the quality is very good. Maybe I'm just easy to please or something. They are as good, or better than Fender MIM. There are a lot of guys who will belittle Mighty Mite, but they may just like spending more money because it makes them feel like they are getting a better quality product.
Click to expand...

I used one on a strat build and it was great. My guitard brother A B'd my MIA Strat and my Mighty Mite necked Squier (had fake Fender decal on it, sorry purists) and he preferred the Squier because the neck was better. His jaw hit his knee when I fessed up that he was playing a Squier partscaster and not an MIA Strat. And I got the staisfaction of proving that he was a headstock label snob.:hyper:
 
#20
pocketgroove said:
That tint is just amazing...if you don't mind, could you possibly describe the process?
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Mind Eroded said:
+1...I built a custom p-bass years ago with a maple fingerboard Mighty Mite Neck and have been contemplating lacquering the neck for a long time, would greatly appreciate any info on this.
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Basically the process is pretty straight forward. You start with a bare neck from Mighty Mite, or what ever brand neck you use. Use blue masking tape to tape off the rosewood fretboard. For maple necks leave untaped. Give it a very, very light sanding just to knock off any sealer the neck may have from the factory. Take a can of spray lacquer sanding sealer, (I use DEFT brand) and follow the instructions on the can. Next day I apply Clear Wood Finish to the front and back of the neck (Gloss Lacquer Spray), by DEFT, follow instructions on can. Next day I apply the neck with coats of amber ReRanch (I've also used StewMac ColorTone Vintage Amber), (spray coats to desired color, don't go to dark or it starts to look orange). Next day apply your Fender water-slide, let that dry over night. Next day apply more coats of Clear Wood Finish (Gloss Lacquer Spray), by DEFT to the front of the head stock. You need a minimum 10 coats on the front of the head stock to build up enough coats to wet-sand down the ridge from around the Fender water-slide because the water-slide adds height that needs to be wet-sanded down to be even with the head stock. You don't want to accidentally sand through the water-slide, but you don't want to leave much of a ridge around the water-slide either. After you have Sanded down the water-slide even with the headstock, let dry over night. Next day add a few more coats of lacquer and let that dry over night. After you have let the coats of lacquer dry sufficiently , you can proceed with the wet sanding of the head stock. (DON'T RUSH THE DRYING PROCESS! Follow the instructions on the can! If you don't let the lacquer dry enough, and you add more of it on top of still wet coats of lacquer, the lacquer will start to bubble and look like crap and then you'll want to cry because you weren't patient. :bawl:). On the head stock you can start with 800 grit, then work to 1000, then 1500. Then I use a scratch removing car polish to really bring out the gloss on the head stock. You can also do a light wet sanding of the entire neck its self, and then apply the car polish to make the whole neck shine. Some people prefer the neck to be matte finished, so just lightly sand and don't use the polish. Let the neck dry for at least a week before installing it on the guitar. For maple fretboards you need to clean off the lacquer from the frets very carefully. I use my fingernail very gently as to not pull up the lacquer on the fretboard its self. Your going to also have to ream, or sand out the tuner holes as they will be filled with lacquer. Rock on! :bassist:
 

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