I'd be more inclined to go this route for a custom if the kit came with a pre-routed body "blank" like this one from Potvin Guitars. Paddle headstock and body to bandsaw out your own unique shapes.
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DIY kits?
- Thread starter Gobnous Gretch
- Start date
JeezyMcNuggles
Inactive
- Feb 23, 2018
- 14,723
- 20,970
- Disclosures
- I suck, but nobody really notices
JeezyMcNuggles
Inactive
- Feb 23, 2018
- 14,723
- 20,970
- Disclosures
- I suck, but nobody really notices
Don't buy a kit. Buy a body, a neck, and misc hardware and electronics. You'll get a fully custom build, with top quality parts, with whatever woods you select, build and finish it yourself, and the end result will be an amazing bass that you'll cherish. Not some trash that could be beat everyday of the week by a benton that cost 100 bucks with shipping, and came put together, finished, and set up.
How about one of these? Any one done one OP what do you think?
https://www.amazon.com/Solo-DJMBK-1...33324138&sprefix=double+neck+,aps,1312&sr=8-1
https://www.amazon.com/Solo-DJMBK-1...33324138&sprefix=double+neck+,aps,1312&sr=8-1
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I've never bought a kit, but i did find an old Squire Pbass in a dumpster a few years ago! I completely gut it and even took all the paint off of it. I bought new pickups, an Omega bridge, new tuners, nut, pots, etc. That would take a few hours to install, but first came the paint job. The paint job from hell! It took probably 2 months of spraying paint and sanding and lacquer, and sanding, and painting, and on and on. I finally got it to where it only needed one coat of lacquer and it would be over. Got the final coat on and I sanded one more time before buffing and waxing. I went to get a spray bottle that was in the back of my truck that I had been using with a little soap and water in it to get the dust off the body. I got it and sprayed the body lightly and within seconds all 2 months of hard work literally melted in front of my eyes. The genius guitar player in our band who is also my best friend decided that he would use my spray bottle to put gasoline in it to kill wasps! Did he think to tell me or anyone about his little mod to my water spray bottle? Heavens no! Needless to say it killed my aspirations to ever put another coat of paint on a bass guitar for as long as I live! I ended up getting another body and I didn't care if that thing was painted doo doo brown. It stayed as is!
Just finished an SG kit from guitarfetish. It cost around the same as a cheap SG copy, under $200. Even Epiphone sells one for about the same price and it looks way better than mine, but...
It was fun to assemble and finish the way I wanted, even if the finish isn't perfect.
It was fun to assemble and finish the way I wanted, even if the finish isn't perfect.
I also built a kit bass a couple of years ago.
I did it because I wanted to learn how to set up my basses and learn more about bass parts in general.
But especially the finishing is a tedious job and getting it perfect is no sinecure.
Paint costs can also make the project more expensive than anticipated.
As others said: if you just want a cheap and decent bass, buy a Harley Benton or alike or a good used one - it will most likely be cheaper.
If you want to learn or customize and create your own unique bass or just like to do the project, than building one can be a good idea.
I did it because I wanted to learn how to set up my basses and learn more about bass parts in general.
But especially the finishing is a tedious job and getting it perfect is no sinecure.
Paint costs can also make the project more expensive than anticipated.
As others said: if you just want a cheap and decent bass, buy a Harley Benton or alike or a good used one - it will most likely be cheaper.
If you want to learn or customize and create your own unique bass or just like to do the project, than building one can be a good idea.
Urmmmm. Shouldn't take months. People take refinishing too seriously. I did my jazz bass (including Amber tint to the neck) in a day. If you were picky you could have added more coats and polished and it would maybe take 5 days.
This is how you paint a bass (when you have zero patience)
If you need an instrument, just buy a bass. Now, if you're a DIY kinda' person, someone who will appreciate the many hours of joy it can bring to your life, then that's where kits fit in IME. I started the kit path in 2016, when my wife gifted me a P-style kit from thomann (88€). It's "evolved" since, it's now a fretless PJ 5er. Still some 180€ tops including all conversions and the LaBella LTFs it sports nowadays.
This project gave me confidence to buy a crappy "donor" bass I ran into afterwards (38€). Body and neck were unusable, so I got the cheapest (basswood) body and neck from AliExpress (51€, so 89€ total). Totally decent bass I even plan on using for a serious originals studio recording soon.
Even the cheapest of kits produced nowadays can be turned into decent sounding and playing instruments. I know as I've only dealt with the cheapest of them. But there's more to it than just "formal" kits. There's scanning for parts/leftovers here & there, and also there's buying a cheap "platform" bass, to mod the crap out of it. All of it is valid for us DIY geeks who don't dare go the high luthiery route (at least not yet).
I'll say it again. Don't get a kit if you just happen to need a cheap bass. There's cheap competent basses everywhere, already put together, for the same kind of money or even less than the cheapest of kits. Measure the value of a kit more in terms of hours of building/tuning/modifying/experimentation fun, and of course the knowledge you'll get in the process.
This project gave me confidence to buy a crappy "donor" bass I ran into afterwards (38€). Body and neck were unusable, so I got the cheapest (basswood) body and neck from AliExpress (51€, so 89€ total). Totally decent bass I even plan on using for a serious originals studio recording soon.
Even the cheapest of kits produced nowadays can be turned into decent sounding and playing instruments. I know as I've only dealt with the cheapest of them. But there's more to it than just "formal" kits. There's scanning for parts/leftovers here & there, and also there's buying a cheap "platform" bass, to mod the crap out of it. All of it is valid for us DIY geeks who don't dare go the high luthiery route (at least not yet).
I'll say it again. Don't get a kit if you just happen to need a cheap bass. There's cheap competent basses everywhere, already put together, for the same kind of money or even less than the cheapest of kits. Measure the value of a kit more in terms of hours of building/tuning/modifying/experimentation fun, and of course the knowledge you'll get in the process.
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I get tempted from time to time by kits, but they don’t quite offer what I’d like. I can’t see the point for a bolt-together solid body, but the big hollow body kits interest me. Except they don’t offer a fretless option. If they offer anything fretless at all, it’s a basic FSO that doesn’t interest me. But wouldn’t a fretless hollow body be cool? Or a fretless violin bass? Something that isn’t commonly offered.
Use a spray can, and spray it on thick. Do it outside in the summer for additional bumps (dust & insects).
It didn't it took months, I said it can take months. As you pointed out, finishing can be done in a week. I've been taking years.
I hate to always use the stock answer but here goes: "it depends". There are decent kits available (Pitbull's reviews would put it near the top of the list) but I'd consider building a mutt instead. The kit is ordering one company's choice of included components and assembling them. A mutt is when you order each piece individually (from various sources or just one) to your own specs. If you get a kit and don't like the pickups you just threw money away. The next build I'm doing is a neck through from scratch. The reason is the cost. It's cheaper and easier for me to buy hardwoods locally and shape them into something not available in a kit. When finished it should be a unique and serviceable instrument. If not, I do have a wood stove.
I am having a load of trouble finding the "perfect" bass.
I suffer from G.A.S., like most of the people here, but my wish list is specific:
1) The body MUST be a P-Bass body (or copy thereof, obviously).
2) Passive electronics only.
3) Twenty-four fret neck
4) Five strings would be nice, but not a requirement.
5) A metal "lode" in the body to combat neck dive.
*6) Custom paint/Finish as I love flamed maple (and a nice, royal purple).
I am strongly considering a kit build.
I've spent some time, searching Warmoth, etc. They just seem way over-priced.
I suffer from G.A.S., like most of the people here, but my wish list is specific:
1) The body MUST be a P-Bass body (or copy thereof, obviously).
2) Passive electronics only.
3) Twenty-four fret neck
4) Five strings would be nice, but not a requirement.
5) A metal "lode" in the body to combat neck dive.
*6) Custom paint/Finish as I love flamed maple (and a nice, royal purple).
I am strongly considering a kit build.
I've spent some time, searching Warmoth, etc. They just seem way over-priced.
I wanted a cheap bass to treat badly in a trash-punk duo, and I really didn't want to mistreat a new bass, so I bought a kit and butchered it to a custom bass:
We ended up having fun building it and it got relic-ed since I spray painted it very poorly (partly on purpose)
The kit is from Thomann, electronics off amazon, pickups off Ebay and the blank pickguard sheet came from Aliexpress.
It's.. interesting.
One mostly pays for the experience and I think it should go custom, not just to save money (which doesn't happen, this whole bass costed me about 175$)
We ended up having fun building it and it got relic-ed since I spray painted it very poorly (partly on purpose)
The kit is from Thomann, electronics off amazon, pickups off Ebay and the blank pickguard sheet came from Aliexpress.
It's.. interesting.
One mostly pays for the experience and I think it should go custom, not just to save money (which doesn't happen, this whole bass costed me about 175$)
Well, yes. Sorry for being unclear.
It occurred to me that, since you know exactly what you want, the luthier option might be the sensible one. It can be expensive, but no cheap options are available as you've already found out. No one has flamed maple and royal purple (sounds intriguing, by the way) on their cheap options list.
Hence, my pondering the DIY route. That's where I was going with that.
I can paint and have the proper spray equipment. The woodworking is not an issue. I'm hampered by being electronics-stupid (so some of the pre-wired pickguards are garnering some appeal).
I have spoken to a luthier and (about six years ago) he came up with a price of $2800 (USD) with me, paying for any parts which were needed (it was never made clear if a neck constituted a "part").
No ... my options are: settle for what's out there, pay a "custom shop" or build it, myself.
Oh! In my list of options for the "perfect" bass, the headstock has to match the body (flamed maple laminate [if I must] with the royal purple color).
If you stick within the Fender Universe, the sheer number of drop-in compatible parts is mind-boggling. Thats the "mutt" approach, and you'll end up with exactly what you want, but it wont be cheaper than a Harley Benton. The postage alone will eat you alive unless you have Amazon prime though. Ive built one kit bass, but it was years ago, and the quality of the parts was....meh. I have since built three entirely scratch-built basses, two of them Rickenbacker clones that, on paper, cost less to build than a genuime Ric, but not if you factor in buying some tools I needed to build them. I suppose that gets amortized over subsequent builds. It was never about saving money anyway, the craft itself is addictive. In the case of a Mutt build, its like a Treasure Hunt that can also be weirdly fascinating. Like everyone else, I found out the hard way way that a flawless factory shiny paint finish is really hard to achieve in your garage, but something like Tru-Oil, or other simple natural finish is pretty easy. If you want a painted finish, lots of pre-painted bodies out there for relatively cheap.
