Luthier or DIY?

[Xavier Isaac]

Hey y'all!
So I've been really loving my Fender Aerodyne Jazz bass, it's very comfortable, light, and sexy looking. I just wish I could have the Aerodyne body with a maple Tele bass neck. I know that Fender came out with the Parallel Universe '51 Tele bass in 2018 and if I had the money I'd pull the trigger. But as a broke college student, I do not have that luxury.
My dream bass would have a Tele bass neck but only have the Tele headstock and a J bass neck instead of a P bass one and of course the aerodyne style body with string through holes. I'm also thinking of having concentric pots for both the PJ pickups like the Squires Paranormal Series Jazz. I think it's great if you could have a bit more control with blending in the tones of those pickups. I'd also use Seymour Duncans 1/4 lb pickups (I have these on my aerodyne) and a hipshot A-style bridge as the cherry on top.
Now I know that what I just described sounded like a wet dream but I'd love to see a bass like that since I think it would be very comfortable and versatile mainly for me of course but perhaps for others as well.
Now for the question. Should I save up and commission this idea to a luthier? It'd probably take me a couple of years to do so, but I don't mind waiting. Or, should I scour the internet for these parts (probably make the neck myself) and make it myself? I'm not trained in any capacity with woodworking at the moment, although I do think that it would make for a fun project. What do y'all think? I've been dreaming of owning this type of bass for a couple of years now, but I am content with what I own at the moment, thanks.

 

[ModuMan]

Broke college student? Something a lot of us can relate to... at one time or another.

The bass you describe reminds me a little of Matt Sharp's from his Weezer days, a Tele neck on a Jazz bass. I think the whole thing was held together with electrical tape.

Anyway, if you know what you really want I'd say collect the parts as you go. Maybe you build your dream bass, maybe you have a bag of parts and your plans change. Either way, the important thing is to get out there and play so focus on that and don't worry about the bass itself too much.

 

[Xavier Isaac]

Broke college student? Something a lot of us can relate to... at one time or another.

The bass you describe reminds me a little of Matt Sharp's from his Weezer days, a Tele neck on a Jazz bass. I think the whole thing was held together with electrical tape.

Anyway, if you know what you really want I'd say collect the parts as you go. Maybe you build your dream bass, maybe you have a bag of parts and your plans change. Either way, the important thing is to get out there and play so focus on that and don't worry about the bass itself too much.[/QUO

Thanks lol, I checked out his bass, and it's pretty cool, it looks completely different from most basses that I see, and it definitely helps further cement my idea of someday owning a bass like that.

Also collecting the parts would be the least expensive route, but I do get your point that perhaps my plan might change, but I'm a pretty stubborn guy when it comes to ideas, so I won't know until I see them through.

Thanks for the advice! I definitely don't want to be a gearhead who just buys things and doesn’t even use them. I love playing bass and I don't see myself stopping at any point. I know that owning the bass won't make me a better player, but I think that I would enjoy having something unique in a way.

 

[Deleted member 365158]

There is enough meat on any fender shaped jazz neck’s headstock to trim it down to look like a tele headstock.

 

[Xavier Isaac]

There is enough meat on any fender shaped jazz neck’s headstock to trim it down to look like a tele headstock.

Hell yeah! Might actually do that instead! Probably cheaper too. Just get a saw of some sorts.