Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
First Time Build - SAGA JB-12 Fretless Jazz
- Thread starter rocmonster
- Start date
Thanks dls59.
After letting things settle overnight, I shimmed the neck and the action is much better without bottoming out the saddles. The neck relief looks perfect so no truss rod adjustment yet, only if the neck relief increases, otherwise it's fine. Great 'mwah' on the D and G strings, okay on the E and A strings. I need to file down the nut on the E and A strings to get them lower to the fingerboard. Previously I just cut the bottom of the nut with a chop saw (duct taped the nut to a piece of wood and slowly cut a piece out of the bottom effectively lowering the nut height) but since the D and G are at perfect height, I don't want to shorten the nut anymore.
Today I also played it through an amp. The pickup hum is on par with my MIM Jazz, which is to say barely noticable, and when both pickups are turned up, there is no hum. I didn't have the patience to shield the pickup/control cavities, and I used the solderless clips which worked well for now. They provide heat shrinkable insulation for the clips so as to not short the tone circuits. Volume and tone pots are smooth. The pickups are surprisingly strong. I was convinced that they would have been crappy and weak, being part of a kit that cost around $130. The strings that come with the kit are unremarkable round wounds that I will chuck when I pick up a set of flats later in the week.
In the end I have a fretless Jazz copy that I can tool around with, and leave on a stand in the livingroom so I can grab it and noodle on it anytime I want, without the worry that my 3 year old will destroy something valuable (like my real Jazz). The kit is well made, the parts fit together well and are of decent quality, especially for $130 (plus another $15 for paint). The hardest part was being patient during the painting process.
The greatest takeaway was learning about the bass from the inside out and gaining a better perspective of how the parts work together. If you want to get your feet wet building a bass, the entry price is cheap, and while you can order a finished bass from Rondo or Guitarfetish, you get the actual experiece of building a customized bass by you for you at your own pace.
After letting things settle overnight, I shimmed the neck and the action is much better without bottoming out the saddles. The neck relief looks perfect so no truss rod adjustment yet, only if the neck relief increases, otherwise it's fine. Great 'mwah' on the D and G strings, okay on the E and A strings. I need to file down the nut on the E and A strings to get them lower to the fingerboard. Previously I just cut the bottom of the nut with a chop saw (duct taped the nut to a piece of wood and slowly cut a piece out of the bottom effectively lowering the nut height) but since the D and G are at perfect height, I don't want to shorten the nut anymore.
Today I also played it through an amp. The pickup hum is on par with my MIM Jazz, which is to say barely noticable, and when both pickups are turned up, there is no hum. I didn't have the patience to shield the pickup/control cavities, and I used the solderless clips which worked well for now. They provide heat shrinkable insulation for the clips so as to not short the tone circuits. Volume and tone pots are smooth. The pickups are surprisingly strong. I was convinced that they would have been crappy and weak, being part of a kit that cost around $130. The strings that come with the kit are unremarkable round wounds that I will chuck when I pick up a set of flats later in the week.
In the end I have a fretless Jazz copy that I can tool around with, and leave on a stand in the livingroom so I can grab it and noodle on it anytime I want, without the worry that my 3 year old will destroy something valuable (like my real Jazz). The kit is well made, the parts fit together well and are of decent quality, especially for $130 (plus another $15 for paint). The hardest part was being patient during the painting process.
The greatest takeaway was learning about the bass from the inside out and gaining a better perspective of how the parts work together. If you want to get your feet wet building a bass, the entry price is cheap, and while you can order a finished bass from Rondo or Guitarfetish, you get the actual experiece of building a customized bass by you for you at your own pace.
tspallone said "Where di you get the Fender decal?"
I made it. I downloaded a spaghetti style Fender logo in black and white, then turned the outline into a vector line in Adobe Fireworks. I then thickend the outline, used Futura typeface for the "Fretless Jazz Bass" part and printed it onto clear acetate (in reverse). I used a gold metallic marker to fill in the 'Fender' outline. Cut it to size, glued it into place with clear gloss acrylic and sprayed many coats of clear gloss urethane. There is a tuturial on TB if you search. IF you have access to any vector graphics program and can print to acetate, you can make your own.
I made it. I downloaded a spaghetti style Fender logo in black and white, then turned the outline into a vector line in Adobe Fireworks. I then thickend the outline, used Futura typeface for the "Fretless Jazz Bass" part and printed it onto clear acetate (in reverse). I used a gold metallic marker to fill in the 'Fender' outline. Cut it to size, glued it into place with clear gloss acrylic and sprayed many coats of clear gloss urethane. There is a tuturial on TB if you search. IF you have access to any vector graphics program and can print to acetate, you can make your own.
Thanks for this, rocmonster. I've been kicking around the idea of building a Saga bass kit this winter. Don't really need another bass, but it seems like a fun project and a way to learn about setup and such. Your write-up is nicely done and informative.
You're welcome blastoff99, before I bought the kit I wandered around the net looking for reviews and found them somewhat lacking so I decided to do my own. Perhaps this winter you can post your experience with your kit? It was fun and now I have a cool looking player to noodle around with anytime I feel like it.
I first masked off the area with masking tape. I used an Exacto knife to trim it to less that 1/8" of an inch around the opening. When the painting and clear coat were done, I removed the tape and simply used a medium point black permanent marker to color the unpainted wood. I didn't want to risk seizing the truss nut with paint.
You ROCK dude! I love when people use their skills to get things done. Good on you!!!!!
They recently discontinued the MB-10 (MM 5 string Stingray copy), and luckily I got the last one listed on Amazon... It was hiding somewhere in Maryland, until I plucked it from the internet. So far, everything looks good, just have to select a color, and I'll be in my way! Take care, brother!
Roc, it may take a bit... as you know, family first, right? Hopefully, my OCD doesn't kick in too bad, and I can complete it in a timely manner. For what it's worth, I will take pics during the build, and take notes (The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly), and posted... at the very least, I will learn something (already have) and hopefully the TBers will be entertained! See ya', Roc!
Recently found a great pic of a 5 string MM headstock to use as a template, also. The scale of the headstock was smaller than that of the kit. I measured at the actual neck (1 and 3/4"), and kept increasing the vertical/horizontal values of the pic, until it matched. The art of improvisation... Use it, or lose it!
