Doing my first Warmoth Build

[Bass'd on a true story]

Hey, everyone! I'm starting up my first build officially. The parts are being ordered as we speak.

Goals---
Making a Daphne blue, fretless, P-bass bodied, P/J with the option to sound either like a more or less vintage pbass or a bit extra. I want a more or less traditional looking/sounding instrument, but with much better stability and a few more options. Lastly, I want it to be assembled with my own hands.

Details---
It will be a passive P/J bass and ideally be a 3-knob Volume/Blend/Tone configuration (if I can figure out how to do this). I will be buying a fretless, jazz neck from USA customs as I love their work and I've been moving towards fretless for awhile now. I will be buying the body (alder) from Warmoth, as their customization options offer what I'm looking for and they cover a lot of the steps I'm more nervous about, like drilling holes for the bridge etc.

The pickups I'm using are going to be mixed brands (I know there's some risk with this, but whatever). I really love the sound of the Aguilar 4P-60s precision pup, so one of those will be the main pickup. I've fallen in love with the way Kloppmann JB60 J bass pickups sound when the bridge is solo'd, so I decided to use that for the J pup. I understand there's some risk with phase issues/volume issues occurring with pickup mixing, but it's a risk I'm willing to take. Worst case scenario I'll just swap out one of the pickups for a same brand pup and sell the other.

I'm seriously considering a Stellartone tone pot, as all the demos that I've seen of them are awesome. I'm a traditionalist in many ways, so it's a little scary to try something so out of the ordinary, but I'm so impressed by these things that I think I'm gonna cave and give it a shot.
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If the massive wall of text hasn't deterred you yet, I could use some help! Below are some things I am unsure about. Also, I should mention that I want the assembly of this bass to be almost completely DIY. The one exception will be cutting/installing the nut. I simply don't feel comfortable with that. I'm very firm on what I want, I just don't know what all the pieces of the puzzle are to get me there.


1. Bridge/Tuning Machines. Ideally matching colors. My goal is for them to fulfill two needs. #1 need is stability. I want something that stays in tune/bridge saddles that don't move unless I say so (bad experiences with a lot of Fender bridges). #2 simplicity. I want a bridge that can be intonated without removing the strings. The simpler the intonation and the more stable the bridge the better.

2. String Tree. This will be one of the only things I will be actually drilling holes for. I'm fairly nervous about this, but I'm determined to do it myself and would be grateful for any advice.

3. Neck/control plate for a 4 screw bolt-on Fender style neck and a standard Fender style top-loading control cavity. Unmarked or even potentially custom options are the most desirable. I just want one that won't crack after a few years of being under tension.

4. Hardware. Totally in the dark. I just want high quality screws/washers that are the appropriate size/length for the pick guard etc... Things that won't rust or corrode quickly are ideal. I sweat like a beast while performing.

5. Electronics. The pickups (P/bridge J)have been purchased already, but what else do I need? I want to do Volume/Blend/Tone ideally, but if that's too difficult/advanced I'm willing to go V/V/T. Who makes the highest quality pots? Do I need to purchase additional copper wires or do most big box pickup manufacturers provide all the wires I need? Who makes the best wires if they are a necessary purchase?

6. Nut. As mentioned above, the nut cutting/installation is the one thing I don't want to do myself. That being said, if I'm going for a somewhat vintage tone, what materials are the best? Should I only go with bone? Does it even matter?

Thank you guys in advanced for what I'm sure will be incredible insight and advice (it always is)!

I will be adding pictures and more comments as the build starts/progresses. Feel free to follow along on my journey!

 

[Sid the Kid]

1. Hipshot. All chrome will match. The B style bridge is solid, simple, and effective. Tuners are top notch. Bassstringsonline.com for best price.

2. Good luck. I like the Hipshot 2 and 3 string retainers but if you want a button just study Fender headstocks. There really is no right or wrong here as long as the strings are straight.

3. Neck plate, no worries. Won't crack. Get one with a plastic or rubber gasket behind it to protect your finish.

4. Tiny screws are cheap. If they corrode or rust just change them out.

5. Also matters less than you would think. Look up "the art of tone" on evilbay. All you need and great quality parts.

 

[Reedt2000]

1. Hipshot. All chrome will match. The B style bridge is solid, simple, and effective. Tuners are top notch. Bassstringsonline.com for best price.

2. Good luck. I like the Hipshot 2 and 3 string retainers but if you want a button just study Fender headstocks. There really is no right or wrong here as long as the strings are straight.

3. Neck plate, no worries. Won't crack. Get one with a plastic or rubber gasket behind it to protect your finish.

4. Tiny screws are cheap. If they corrode or rust just change them out.

5. Also matters less than you would think. Look up "the art of tone" on evilbay. All you need and great quality parts.

I like the hipshot hardware too. When drilling for the string retainer just carefully measure the correct depth and Mark your drill bit with a piece of masking tape to insure you don't go too deep. Sounds like you've got a solid plan, make sure to post pics as you go through the process.

 

[two fingers]

1. Hipshot. All chrome will match. The B style bridge is solid, simple, and effective. Tuners are top notch. Bassstringsonline.com for best price.

2. Good luck. I like the Hipshot 2 and 3 string retainers but if you want a button just study Fender headstocks. There really is no right or wrong here as long as the strings are straight.

3. Neck plate, no worries. Won't crack. Get one with a plastic or rubber gasket behind it to protect your finish.

4. Tiny screws are cheap. If they corrode or rust just change them out.

5. Also matters less than you would think. Look up "the art of tone" on evilbay. All you need and great quality parts.

I agree with most of this. However...

4. Stainless steel screws. They are still cheap but bullet proof.

5. Bestbassgear.com has this pre-wired v/b/t wiring harness for $42. Well worth it.
Prewired (for J Bass) Passive Harness (Volume-Blend-Tone) - Best Bass Gear

 

[Bass'd on a true story]

Thanks for the replies so far! Really great stuff.

I was doing my research last night and I came up on a few things. Babicz FCH bridges look really freaking nice. How would you guys say they compare to Hipshot? I'm not worried about the price differences, I have a pretty high budget for this build actually (for once in my life). I'm open to both brands, like I said, I don't have any preferences for hardware as long as it meets those 2 requirements. As far as tuners go, I think I'll go with Hipshot. They have been unanimously the most recommended/well reviewed for tuners everywhere I've looked.

That pre-wired v/b/t thing is extremely tempting. The only issue is that I'm REALLY starting to lean towards the Stellartone pot. Invalid Link Removed. If I had to get separate volume/blend pots and wires and use the Stellartone tone pot, is Stewmac pretty much the way to go?

If I want to keep my options open for different Hipshot tuner models, are 11/16" holes the way to go in the headstock or do you recommend the ultralights? I'm not worried at all about neckdive really, it's never been a priority for me. I'm more worried about tuning stability.

 

[Bob_Ross]

1. Bridge/Tuning Machines.

The world's your oyster as far as bridges go. Schaller, Hipshot, ABM, Gotoh, Kahler, Leo Quan, even (gack!) Babicz all make solid high quality bridges that are pretty hard to find fault with. Likewise for tuning machines: Gotoh, Hipshot, Kluson, Sperzel, they're all gonna be just fine. Pick whichever bridge and tuner from those manufacturers flips your switch, you seriously can't go wrong.

2. String Tree. This will be one of the only things I will be actually drilling holes for. I'm fairly nervous about this, but I'm determined to do it myself and would be grateful for any advice.

Best advice I can suggest is: Use a depth guide on your drill so you don't go too far through the headstock. Ask me how I learned this!

3. Neck/control plate for a 4 screw bolt-on Fender style neck and a standard Fender style top-loading control cavity.

Generic parts from Stew Mac

4. Hardware.

As above: Generic parts from Stew Mac

5. Electronics. The pickups (P/bridge J)have been purchased already, but what else do I need? I want to do Volume/Blend/Tone ideally, but if that's too difficult/advanced I'm willing to go V/V/T. Who makes the highest quality pots? Do I need to purchase additional copper wires or do most big box pickup manufacturers provide all the wires I need? Who makes the best wires if they are a necessary purchase?

Just purchase a pre-wired passive harness from BestBassGear.com

6. Nut. As mentioned above, the nut cutting/installation is the one thing I don't want to do myself.

I'm with you there: Don't attempt this yourself if you've never installed & slotted a nut before, leave that to the pros.