NBBD (New bass body Day) Warmoth

[Thebrownarrow]

Had this body made for me. Only took about two and a half weeks to get here.

Wanted a jazz bass body with a P pickup. Almost got the jazz bridge pickup installed, but decided against it.

Swamp ash wood, not sure about the weight. No scale here.


Now to decide if I will find a nice stain, or paint it a crazy solid color.

 

[Bassa Nova]

Nice. I like the jazz bass body. Been thinking of something similar with a precision neck. Enjoy!

 

[JZQuantum]

Nice choice. Keep us updated on your build!

 

[JRA]

Now to decide if I will find a nice stain, or paint it a crazy solid color.

congrats!

i know you didn't ask, but: i'd go with the stain first --- and if you don't like it = re-sand a little and paint. good luck with your project!

 

[ThudThudThud]

Gonna need one of these.

 

[Thebrownarrow]

That’s not a bad idea!

I have been searching around for a good stain color. Not sure if I want to go light or dark. It’s my first time doing anything like this.

i know you didn't ask, but: i'd go with the stain first --- and if you don't like it = re-sand a little and paint. good luck with your project!

 

[Thebrownarrow]

Definitely. I ordered one off of eBay last week. Got a few other small parts too.

View attachment 3217080

Gonna need one of these.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

The Warmouth stuff is pricey, but very nice quality. I still own a Warmouth Frankenjazz I built almost 30 years ago, same body style and material. It’s heavy, but the Warmouth neck fit perfectly. If you have the spare coin, buy a Warmouth Jazz neck, best aftermarket available IMO. Most stable wood neck I own. Shop the hell out of everything else, so many vendors of Fender parts, like a treasure hunt. Get some lightweight tuners or it may neck dive on you, the Warmouth necks are heavy.

 

[micguy]

Stain! Stain! Stain!

Here’s Tiger - a Warmoth body of Swamp ash, with a DIY stain finish:

 

[Flooflox]

That's pretty. Like the grain.

Edit: This was for the OP but saw another post came in ahead of mine. Yes, that stained one looks very good as well.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

+1 on stain. Any painted finish would require all that open grain to be filled, primed, etc., in which case it could be made of MDF for all the wood you’ll see. I ebonized mine with a black stain and overcoated with poly, the ash grain telegraphs through the finish, still looks and feels like wood. Stain and Tru Oil another option, and stupid easy. That ash will take almost any color you can think of, but try it in the control cavity to see how it looks first. I’ll vote a mahogany brown, but it’s your bass. Just no fuscia please!

 

[micguy]

Get some lightweight tuners or it may neck dive on you, the Warmouth necks are heavy.

If you buy a standard Warmoth neck with steel rods, they can be heavy. Tiger (shown in my prior post) has a roasted neck from Warmoth, with graphite rods. Thise necks are very well built, but quite light. Tiger is 6.7 pounds in total ( the body is VERY light), but it balances hands free on a strap, no problem. Yes, it has Hipshot Ultralites - I definitely agree with you on that.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

^^^^ What he said, I’d go with the carbon rods and standard double action trussrod. That’s all a 4 or 5 string needs. You can find cheaper necks, but not sure about the fit. Are the pockets standard Fender heel dimension?

 

[RBrownBass]

...If you have the spare coin, buy a Warmouth Jazz neck, best aftermarket available IMO.... Get some lightweight tuners or it may neck dive on you, the Warmouth necks are heavy.

Warmoth offers graphite reinforcement rods instead of steel as an option, have for years now. That'll make the neck weight comparable to other graphite-reinforced or non-reinforced necks available out there.

Agreed 110% on Warmoth quality.

 

[Juststanley]

Warmoth usually writes the weight in the neck pocket...???

 

[Thebrownarrow]

I was planning on getting a warmoth neck. Not sure if I want a p or a j neck. I have heard that their necks are a little chunky (fine by me).

Might sound messed up, but my favorite shaped neck was on a SX jazz bass neck. Loved that profile.

 

[Thebrownarrow]

I have been reading up on what you have to do with ash, and I think staining is the way to go. Seems like a ton of work to get a solid finish on it. I will have to look into the mahogany. There are a ton of options I am finding out.

+1 on stain. Any painted finish would require all that open grain to be filled, primed, etc., in which case it could be made of MDF for all the wood you’ll see. I ebonized mine with a black stain and overcoated with poly, the ash grain telegraphs through the finish, still looks and feels like wood. Stain and Tru Oil another option, and stupid easy. That ash will take almost any color you can think of, but try it in the control cavity to see how it looks first. I’ll vote a mahogany brown, but it’s your bass. Just no fuscia please!

 

[Thebrownarrow]

Maaaan that is a nice looking bass. Good job!

View attachment 3217145 Stain! Stain! Stain!

Here’s Tiger - a Warmoth body of Swamp ash, with a DIY stain finish:

 

[darwin-bass]

Warmoth usually writes the weight in the neck pocket...???

Only on their in-stock bodies.

 

[Magthegrate]

I love a fresh piece of wood!

Good luck with the build. My warmoth build turned out pretty nice (I think). I used stewmac dye and wipe on gloss poly from Lowes.