Heres what I think I'm going to do: Buy an essex jazz bass (the one with the vintage pickguard for $119) Install a hipshot Bass tremelo Install Seymour duncan vintage jazz pickups Install a Moses Graphite neck Polish it off with A mirror Pickguard and some Elixir nano webs. What do ya think
Why don;t you just buy a Warmoth body instead? You seem to be replacing everything except the body, so why not spend a little bit more and end up with a nicer body? I've never played an essex, but if they are loike most cheap basses, the body will be made out of a few pieces of cheaper wood instead of one piece. Considering the amoutn of money you will be spending to add all the expensive modifications, I think it would make sense to spend a little bit more and get a nice body. Just my 2 cents.
Weird, you read my mind. The top on the essex is photo flame. Spend an extra buck or two and get a bass with a real wood top and you'll really have something. Or are you just trying to put together a tremolo bass as cheap as you can?
Bingo I like the black though. I'm basing the cosmetics on Tom morello's guitar. I love that look, the mirrored pickguard, with all that metal thats going to be on the bass, it will just look awsome. I'm actully reconsidering the Jretro pre, and Just keeping the passive elecs. w/ the seymour duncans, I've never really cared for the "fiddle faddling" of and active pre. This bass will act as a secondary Tuning/Tremelo crazy bass.
Essex bodies are made of a solid piece of wood, not multiple pieces together. That's what the web site says anyways. I doubt that it would be a lie...
I used to own one. The body is really heavy - agathis I think. You might be better served going the Warmoth or USACG route.
clearing up the solid wood question. a "solid-wood" body simply means that it is not plywood or fibreboard. Fenders and even warmoth bodies are mostly more than one piece of the same type of wood glued together. At warmoth you actually pay a bit more for a body made from one piece of wood. The question is, what kind of wood, and maybe how many pieces.
with all the routing that has to be done for the bass tremolo, would using an unfinished (eg. warmoth) body, routing it, then finishing it, be better than risk chipping the finish on the Essex body?
Why not by Modulus or Status that is based on the Jazz body. Ive seen both go for around $1100. Swap out the pickguard and buta bing buta boom. It will end up costing the same. If not less. Leave out the tremolo, your only looking for trouble.
