• 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.

How hard can it really be?

T

test4echo

Jul 9, 2006
5
0
#1
OK here’s my story. (Feel free to point and laugh at anytime)

I haven’t played a bass in over 20 years This is way to long to go without the pleasure of making music. So I decided it was time to start playing again.
Instead of doing what any reasonable person would do by going out and buying a decent starter bass I decided to build one. Because how hard could it really be?

Brave words for someone with no discernable wood working skills.
I was in over my head from the moment I made the decision to build. But did that stop me? Heck no I’m much too foolish for a little thing like knowledge to stop me.

So I went out and bought the wood I liked the look of Maple/Purple Heart/Padouk (about $50 for all of it) and glued it all together and “started to build a bass”.
Even with someone as slow as me it didn’t take long to decide not to take on building a neck. So over to Warmoth it was and 1 neck later I’m back to building.

That’s when the sawdust really began to fly. By the way did you know sawdust gets everywhere? Just ask my wife. She’ll tell you all about it as she shoveling it out of her van and hosing down the kids. But anyway somewhere in between the countless hours of cutting, sanding and routing I bought the rest of the parts. I got tried of sanding so I applied some poly and bolted the whole thing together.

Long story short after 4 months, more mistakes then I can count, buckets of sweat, frustration and pure joy I ended up with a bass that actually plays.
Now it’s far from perfect but not too bad for a goof like me.

I big thanks goes out to all you real builders who post great information on this forum. I never would have been able to pull this off with out you!

Body – Maple/Purple Heart/Padouk
Bartolini X44CBJD
Bartolini NTBT 4.5
Hipshot A Style bridge
Gotoh GB7 tuners
Warmoth Neck Maple/Purple Heart
Dr Black Beauties
Ibanez SW65 amp

Check out some photos here.
.
http://www.test4echo.net/images/Bass/Front_1.jpg

http://www.test4echo.net/images/Bass/Full_3.jpg

http://www.test4echo.net/images/Bass/Side_1.jpg

http://www.test4echo.net/images/Bass/Back_1.jpg

http://www.test4echo.net/images/Bass/Tuners.jpg

Front2.jpg


If you wonder why I did something the way I did it's because I didn't know any better.
 
#13
test4echo said:
By the way did you know sawdust gets everywhere? Just ask my wife. She’ll tell you all about it as she shoveling it out of her van and hosing down the kids.
Click to expand...
You've got that right. The stuff gets all in your hair, in your shoes, tracked through the house, in the car. Yesterday, I found some walnut shavings around my desk in Prof. Kirch's art history class. My only guess is that it was still in my shoes, or that it got into my backpack.

As annoying as it can be, though, I like sawdust. It's like snow, only it comes in more than two colors and has a variety of aromas.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back