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Make vs. Buy

#21
Regardless of whether it's and inexpensive offshore kit all the way to top-shelf parts like Warmoth, two things to remember :

It MAY be cheaper than buying off the shelf . . . . IF everything proceeds as per the instructions. WTH, that happens sometimes.

It's hard to buy everything retail and come out ahead, and the better the parts and components, the harder it gets.

Now, if it's something you're moved to do as you enjoy the building without watching the spend closely, GO for it, it's a hoot. Otherwise, it's easy to blow by the money you thought you'd save unless you've got some skills and bought very carefully.
 
#22
As a hobby / semi pro woodworker with a better set of tools than Spicolli's dad, building one off will NEVER save money to reach the same level of quality.

Building is fun, educational, and specific, but it isn't cheaper. I love the furniture, basses, and cabs I've made, I even made a few bucks here and there, but my day job pays the mortgage, and I'm happy to keep it that way,
 
#24
You’re not going to build or assemble an inexpensive bass for less than one can be imported for. You probably can’t even get all the parts and materials, assuming good to great quality, for less than you could buy an inexpensive import. However, if you build a few inexpensive to moderate projects you might build a nice bass for less than you could purchase one for.
 
#25
$300 is a hard budget for a bass - any bass, new or used - it's gonna be tough to get what you want with that limitation. Used is probably necessary, and I'd suggest you'll have to live with an issue or two until you get more funds to tweak things.
 
#26
OP chiming in here: Thanks for all the valuable comments and opinions. Yeah it's not that the budget is stuck on $3 bills, it was more about the experience with building that you guys had say in the 3 to4 hundred range. I hear ya on neck and string spacing and will try Squiers 70's Vibe and and Ibanez (205 and 305) to start. My 4 strings at this point include Lakland Skyline 44-02, and a Squier Classic Vibes '60's PB that I retro'd with Bartolini's and other improvements. That Squier, as an example of what we are talking about, started as a $4hundred new with Pups/tuners/bridge additions of about $200 and it sounds damn good for a total of about $600.00.
But yes gear aside this is about learning a 5er as I went from strictly jazz to R&B and Soul and that B string would be nice....
 
#28
I often mod my basses, too, but that's after I've got an idea that it really saves money than buying something premium (that sounds the same). I mostly start on a relatively complete instrument, though, as I can't do carpentry, only electronics.
 
#29
With experience you will probably understand what you want from a bass.
Then you may want to make yourself a good parts bass.

The real advantage is that you should be able to create what you want.
I haven't yet seen the 5er I want because they aren't made.
 
#30
Yeah. Don't build to save money, no way to compete with mass production economy of scale. Parts basses are fun, but just the postage collecting parts adds up quick. Build your own because you like making s#$t, reason enough. As long as the nut width is good, most necks can be shaved down to your preference, a lot of extra meat on a deep C profile like a P Bass, for instance. In the end you'll OWN the bass you build in a way that you never will with a kit or parts bass. It's addictive!
 
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#31
I built a couple of kits this year and don't think i will do a kit again - both times (tele kit and mini p kit) i did substantial modifications to the bodies and headstocks to get what i wanted (headless tele and mini p with less neck dive) and both times i threw out most of the hardware and electronics. Both times, i needed to level/crown/polish frets.

My conclusion was that kits are silly unless you want something generic or want an easy starting point- and buying a cheap instrument is probably a better call unless you enioy the build process

Now i am building my bodies from wood blanks and buying cheap necks. Much better for my needs. One other other thing to consider on a kit is you don't have cutoffs of the body wood for testing different finishes
 
#32
I've been thinking of building recently as well, and it's a tricky thing to judge.

I want to do it for a fun project (I've built an electric guitar in the past and enjoyed it), but how much do I want to do it? I can get a p bass kit, or just get a P from Harley Benton. They even have a nice dark finish one with black hardware, which the cheap kits don't have.

So for my view, if I want to try a color/finish that isn't available, then the kit is a good option. If I want to start with a shape and chop it for something different, a kit is nice because you just finish it once, no need to strip and refinish. Or if I want the look of a particular bass but those are expensive, and kits aren't actually available so you have to buy in slab form and shape it yourself (you know what brand I'm talking about), then the kit works. You could even upgrade some components and save money still, if you just want the aesthetic.
 

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