First Warmoth Project!

First Nino suggestion! And only one minute after it was posted. Someone keep records of this stuff?

 

If you are handy with a soldering iron and good with tools and wood than you have a fighting chance. If you have absolutely no experience working with your hands on detailed items then don't expect much. Education is not free, maybe not even cheap. If this is a major financial sacrafice for you then I would sacrafice a bit more and find someone who is experienced in such matters, and ask if you can come watch. If you do decide to do the whole thing yourself order 3 or 4 nuts and go for a simple finish.
MAKE SURE YOU PLAN EVERYTHING CORRECTLY, CHECK AND TRIPLE CHECK, DON'T ASSUME ANYTHING!!!!

 

The hardest part of the project is finishing the two wooden bits (body and neck)
If you buy these prefinished, half the job is done.
You will need an electric drill and drill bits and some knowledge of how to use them, an assortment of screwdrivers, a soldering iron (or a friend to do the soldering)
Drill the right size holes, deep enough but not too deep and screw it all together.
once everything is ready the actual assembly need only take a few hours.
Jeff

 

I've done two of these projects, and like you was a complete novice before the first one. They've both turned out really well.

My top tips would be...

-Plan every single step and think hard before doing any little thing.
-Practice any tricky bits (drilling, soldering, etc) on something else before you touch your expensive bass bits!
-Read up as much as you can about each aspect, you'd be amazed how some time on Google can save expensive mistakes.
-Talk to (or email) people in the know. You may not have friends who make guitars, but you may well know people who are good with wood/electrics/DIY and so on. Their knowledge and help can be invaluable. I also found people like John East at J-Retro and Carey Nordstrand really helpful, as well as lots of other TBers. Thanks guys!
-Keep tools and other metal objects well away from wood when you're not actually using them. Understand that your bass loves soft surfaces, pamper it!
-Be prepared to take as long as you need, don't rush (the temptation to do this gets stronger when it's nearly finished). :scowl:
-NO detail is too small for careful consideration. Remember the golden rule... most of the work should be done in your head before you touch the actual bass.

The main differences between you and a master craftsman are knowledge and experience. Anything you can do to boost your knowledge or take advantage of other people's experience will help avoid errors. Don't take chances, only go ahead with each step when you're totally confident that you're ready to do it right. If you follow this advice you should get a lot of pleasure out of the process and the result. Best of luck with it!

 

Hi Ryan,

IMO, forget about the ColdHeat 'soldering' gun and invest around $50 into a nice Weller soldering station with variable wattage. Something that will max at 40w, but be able to reduce to 20w is perfect for anything you'll need to solder on a bass.

You'll also want to use flux core solder (not acid core) of a diameter equal to or smaller than 1/16".

R

 

I had Warmoth install a preslotted Corian nut for an additional $20 or 25