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My first build

R

rainbownorth

Aug 14, 2006
373
0
42
Auckland, Aotearoa
#1
Hey guys,

I have to admit, I never thought I would post in this particular corner of the talkbass forums, but was propositioned today and thought I'd ask around.

My fiancee's dad is a builder, and has a love of music of his own. He's kind of a jack of all trades with his building, and has done plenty of impressive carving and cabinet making too. Well today he asked me if I'd be interested in building a bass with him. He has a lot of purple heart blocks spare to work with and is happy to lend me a hand doing it.

Now I had NEVER considered doing this before, but when propositioned like this, my thoughts are to grab the chance while it's there.

So, I guess, where do I start even considering my options? I know more or less what I'd want the bass to look like, but there are SO many more considerations to think about (pickups, electronics, ergonomy, neck design, fretted or fretless, the list goes on).

I know there probably are stickies that will help. What I want to know is where is a good starting point to start considering this project and what I want from it? What properties does purple heart have that I will need to take into account? Prices? Good places to get hardware, pickups, any help would be great, even if it's just a finger in the right direction.

Thanks in advance,
RN.
 
#2
i just picked up a real cheap bass to steal all the electronics and hardware from and it ended up saving me a bunch of money so maybe you could do something like that to get started. it helped me a lot. allparts.com carries pretty much everything you need though. it's the site i use along with others on here. and all of those decisions are really up to you. building a bass can take up all the time and money you want to put into it. seriously. look around to all of the build threads floating around and in the stickies too. and a lot of the guys on here recommend books on how to build. it wont take much looking to find that out.

i'm just a novice first builder myself but have learned a lot so far. once you get into working with things, you start to understand the general ideas of what you're trying to do. once you learn enough to get past the "what in the world are these people talking about" stage, it gets easier. look at all you can for tips and info. there are some very helpful and wise people on this forum that can help
 
#3
Thanks a bunch.

I think what I do first off is just to make a checklist of all the things I need to take into account hardware and preference wise. Then just think about what I want the bass to be able to do, and work from there. Methinks a lot of reading is ahead of me, but talkbass has not let me down so far, so I'm fairly certain I'm in good hands.
 
#4
First off - when a loved one offers to spend time creating something with you, jump at the opportunity. It doesn't matter what the end result is, because the greatest payoff by far is the time spent with them.

Second - don't try to get too fancy with a first build. Keep it rather basic - bolt-on neck, radiused body edges, smooth, gentle curves for the body shape. You can make a fantastic instrument within these parameters, but don't expect perfection your first time out of the gate (although having a master craftsman helping you will make your chances of perfection much greater!).

Purpleheart is quite hard and dense, and therefore heavy. It works well, though, and it makes the most lovely purple shavings! Purpleheart will eventually oxidize to brown; this process can be slowed if you use a UV-inhibiting finish. Don't worry too much about any "tonewood" properties of purpleheart; for a solidbody instrument, the electronics chosen play a larger role in the overall sound of an instrument. Just concentrate on good workmanship and good joinery, and you'll come out with a fine instrument that's unique and valuable beyond all monetary considerations.

Take lots of pictures and video. Share them with us!
 
#6
I'm just starting my first build as well. Once I decided on a body shape and type wood. I actually took my alder blank into a local music store and was able to trace a bass for a starting point. There are more than a couple good website for parts and hardware. I like bestbassgear.com the have a pretty good selection of pickups,preamps, and most the other hardware. I'm doing a p bass body jazz style neck with both p and j's, an active/passive eq with plenty control and blend capabilites, and a 3 band eq. Have fun!
 

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