Is creating a frankenbass worth it?

[buldog5151bass]

OP - depends on your budget, and your capacity for "what the @##$~". But we aren't talking mastercraft work here - parts is parts.

 

[REV]

I have modified almost every bass I have in some way. Mostly I put Jazz necks on P bass bodies but they're all Fender. I switch out the pickups to get the sound I want. The bass is a tool and I need to modify it for a specific purpose.

 

[RiZzBot]

I love my "frankenbass". I wasnt able to find a fender bass with the exact specs I was looking for. It's very satisfying to know I got exactly what I was looking for in a bass. I will never part with it. Believe me this bass is as real as it gets. Warmoth lined fretless Jazz: Geddy Lee jazz body, Wenge neck, Ebony fretboard, Schaller tuners, Gotoh bridge and Bartolini pups.

 

[Jaycephas]

I think getting exactly what you want is a good thing. I've tinkered for years, but finally built two - a full Warmoth build and a Warmoth/Fender build. Both are amazing and exactly what I wanted. I've gigged both and couldn't be happier. And both came in under $1K, so well under what a custom build would cost, or even a USA Fender.

 

[JackANSI]

2. Use a MIM natural ash body I have, buy a maple and white block inlay neck from Allparts, and slap a CUSTOM logo decal (Edit, won't be using Fender branding) on it. The pros are it's a little cheaper than the Japanese option. The cons are hiring a tech to get everything set up right and troubleshooting possible incompatibilities.

I'd use this route and instead of hiring the tech, I'd learn to do setup/fitting myself on that bass. Just remember: measure 2-4 times, cut as many times as you need to take enough but not too much . You can easily remove wood, but adding it back correctly is tricky, so if you aren't 100% sure, cut shallow and sand to perfection.

 

[Fresh Eddie]

I stuck a 1972 maple board P-bass neck on my Hoppus body and the difference was so profound (even our singer who hated gear talk said he could hear the difference) that I got rid of the original neck and never looked back. Haha. I think Frankenbasses are totally the way to go for players!

 

[jbd5015]

Ive got fender fake, but to the trained eye, you know its fake. Its a better bass than 'most' fenders ive played, but thats because i put the effort into the details that are important to me.

personally, i dont see the value in buying a brand new fender as ill be modifying it post-haste.

Ive got 3 p-basses. One is a franken-fender (05 neck, 09 body), one is a fernandes body/warmoth neck/fender decal, and one is squier body/handmade neck.

All of them are great players, but the 'all fender' bass has the worst build/fit to it. Neck pocket is really big, which is good because to get the strings 'straight' on the neck, youve got to tweak it and then bolt the neck down. That bass will likely be getting a refinish to fix the problem, and probably a weight reduction. The neck on the fender is PERFECTION to me, so its worth it to me to have it refinished at some point to fix th problem.

The other two parts basses were assembled by a local luthier. Fit and finish are astounding. I paid American Standard prices for them and got something that is better than Custom Shop.

 

[tedious1]

Didn't realize I'd have to also get a decal on my forehead that read "scumbag" for even entertaining the thought.

Shhhh! Someone will think it through and realize a decal is temporary and insist on a tattoo!

As much as I'd like to, every time I pick up electronic wiring gear, the angry ghost of Nicola Tesla rises up and warns me away from doing something that might End the World.

EMG? Solderless installation, I can solder, but I just did the pups in my Jag last weekend, it was so easy it almost seemed like cheating...almost!

Although I can solder, I wouldn't hesitate to get another set of EMGs (the passives though, I can't abide actives ATM.)

 

[Eilif]

I do both depending on whether what I want can be located and if so if it can be done affordably. Most of my instruments are at least mostly stock with minor upgrades but there are a couple that I had to go full franken-bass to get what I wanted.

-In order to get a Jazz bass with a P-bass neck I put together a bass from several different brands and had a relative paint it for me.
-In order to get a Decade'ish bass with a P-width neck at a price I could afford I had a local guy make me a body to go with a T-40 neck and a pair of darkstars that I had.

The first bass was a virtual impossibility to find and the second would have been a prohibitively expensive Lakland USA instrument. Definitely worth it for both instruments.

I would counter the first statement of "pay extra for the real thing" with the observation that the line between Franken and custom can be vague and many times building a bass from good quality parts ends up being more expensive than the "real thing".

 

[DWBass]

I have a full 18v EMG (JV's, BTC) install in my bass. Solderless connectors. Saving up for a Warmoth maple neck with blocks. Right now it has a standard maple neck on it.

 

[TyBo]

I've done a lot of modding to various instruments, put together several Frankies, and a nice Partscaster. My Partscaster Strat is absolutely my go to instrument - it's exactly what I want, 'cause that's how I made it! (Hardtail bridge, highly radiused fretboard, "Texas Special" pickups, and so on ...) Came in under $500 too, so that can definitely be done. Warmoth is a good option, won't be quite as inexpensive, but solid quality.

I have a Jazz Bass parts build in the works - haven't been finding much time for that lately, which is the one downside of going this route. But overall, I would most definitely endorse the homegrown option. Get exactly what you want, and have the satisfaction of, "Yeah, I built this." (Or, "Yeah I designed this," if you have a tech put it together)

 

[hrodbert696]

I've done one Frankenbass. I'm all thumbs, not a craftsman at all, but it wasn't hard. LPB P-bass body, rosewood J neck (both bought from TBers, both MIM), plus a tort pickguard (call me weird, I like tort on LPB) and a Schaller bridge I'd taken off another bass. The headstock does still have the Fender logo and serial number of the jazz it came from. I also got a custom neck plate with a pinup girl on it. Strung with flats. Love it.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

Of course it's worth it, it's fun!

 

[bearfoot]

Someone should actually make a decal that says "Frankenbass", maybe with a Fender "F"

 

[organworthyplayer337]

I stuck a 1972 maple board P-bass neck on my Hoppus body and the difference was so profound (even our singer who hated gear talk said he could hear the difference) that I got rid of the original neck and never looked back. Haha. I think Frankenbasses are totally the way to go for players!

Pics or... Well you know

 

[AltGrendel]

Personally, I think every bassist should build at least one frankenbass just so they know what goes into the instrument. Experience is a good teacher.

 

[Fresh Eddie]

Pics or... Well you know

Fair enough! Old pics, but the bass still looks the same. I put the pickup cover on it after the neck swap, the new neck sat lower in the neck pocket, so I had to lower the pickups a bit, which didn't leave a lot of room for my thumb to sit on, so the pickup cover is a perfect thumb anchor point. I added the control plate and tone knob after the original pickguard broke (trampling accident) Haha!

Pardon my toes...

The original tuners were on the neck when I got it.

 

[organworthyplayer337]

Fair enough! Old pics, but the bass still looks the same. I put the pickup cover on it after the neck swap, the new neck sat lower in the neck pocket, so I had to lower the pickups a bit, which didn't leave a lot of room for my thumb to sit on, so the pickup cover is a perfect thumb anchor point. I added the control plate and tone knob after the original pickguard broke (trampling accident) Haha!

Pardon my toes...

The original tuners were on the neck when I got it.

drool Now THAT is nice.

 

[Big Hoss]

Interested to know how many people create exactly what they want from parts, or spare themselves the fuss and pay extra for the real thing?

I'm personally pondering how to get a bass that looks like a '75 natural ash Jazz with maple fretboard and white block inlay neck (and not pay crazy vintage USA prices). Which route would you take?

1. Pay close to grand for a Japanese '75 reissue on ebay, which looks perfect and they're generally known to be quality instruments. The pros are I can start playing straight away. The cons are it's a little pricier than a frankenbass, possible customs tax, and if I don't like it I can't send it back.

2. Use a MIM natural ash body I have, buy a maple and white block inlay neck from Allparts, and slap a CUSTOM logo decal (Edit, won't be using Fender branding) on it. The pros are it's a little cheaper than the Japanese option. The cons are hiring a tech to get everything set up right and troubleshooting possible incompatibilities.

To answer the question of your title, it depends on how you define "worth it".

For ME, I chose to mod a cheap bass because.

#1. The color I wanted was cheap bass only.
#2. I absolutely loved the neck.
#3. The tuners work great.

The bridge, electronics, and pick guard were fairly inexpensive and easy to do... All told I have my bass the way I want it.

Will I ever see my money back out if I sell this bass? Heck no. I never thought so, but I built it to play it, not sell it. So to me, yeah it's worth it.

 

[Eilif]

Someone should actually make a decal that says "Frankenbass", maybe with a Fender "F"

I think someone had just such a headstock posted up a few years ago. I seem to have lost the file, but a few years back someone made me a logo saying "Fenderbird" in Fender script for a project that's now on hold.

I know I've also seen "Bender" and "Fubar" in Fender Script. I think that decals with different words in the same script are great because they show both creativity and honesty -and sometimes a sense of humor- and that reflects well on the buildier/owner.