NBD! My first DIY kit! 5 string semi hollow

[Chef]

This is cool.
They have 33 bass kits and some pretty neat ones at that!
Did it come with instructions of any kind?
Their website shows pictures of parts, but not finished basses, which is too bad.

 

[ThinCrappyTone]

Was gassing for a 5 string on a waaaay too low budget and wanted something radically different from the herd of fenders i already have....mission accomplished!

It's from pit bull guitars in Australia. Great quality kit and very good customer service. The cheapy soapbars will need upgrading eventually but are hot and grindy, they just lack a little definition and punch.

It's wired permanently for 2 channel operation on a stereo jack and is very versatile this way sound wise!

I wasn't expecting a boutique quality instrument, just a serviceable 5-string and a fun project to work on. I wound up with a bass I really like with custom touches for less than $300!!

34" scale (feels and plays like 40" lol)
Ebony fretboard, maple neck and basswood body with birch ply top. Stained with ebony varathane and finished with wipe on poly.

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(For the TB police... yes, the strings in the pic are too short and are getting replaced today haha)

Wow, seriously impressed. Unique and very cool!

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Was gassing for a 5 string on a waaaay too low budget and wanted something radically different from the herd of fenders i already have....mission accomplished!

It's from pit bull guitars in Australia. Great quality kit and very good customer service. The cheapy soapbars will need upgrading eventually but are hot and grindy, they just lack a little definition and punch.

It's wired permanently for 2 channel operation on a stereo jack and is very versatile this way sound wise!

I wasn't expecting a boutique quality instrument, just a serviceable 5-string and a fun project to work on. I wound up with a bass I really like with custom touches for less than $300!!

34" scale (feels and plays like 40" lol)
Ebony fretboard, maple neck and basswood body with birch ply top. Stained with ebony varathane and finished with wipe on poly.

View attachment 3017546
View attachment 3017547
View attachment 3017548
View attachment 3017549
View attachment 3017551

(For the TB police... yes, the strings in the pic are too short and are getting replaced today haha)

Really nice.

 

[BrianNYC]

This is cool.
They have 33 bass kits and some pretty neat ones at that!
Did it come with instructions of any kind?
Their website shows pictures of parts, but not finished basses, which is too bad.

The website is full of instructions and diagrams and there's a few videos but most importantly there's a forum full of the most helpful experienced people who have pretty much already made all the mistakes and if you're patient enough to read and listen you can turn out with really great results.

My Gas to make one started here reading the TB luthier forum. Those guys are seriously advanced. While I consider myself crafty and I'm not a novice to certain tools I have never done anything like this before or that I thought would come out this well.

And yes the selection is amazing the trade-off is you pay premium for them. And I should say I am in no way affiliated with this company or endorsing them for anything I'm really just a happy customer

 

[lasalle69]

Cheers! I've built 2 Pitbull basses over the years. Adam is a great guy to work with too. Here's to lots of happiness playing that 5 string beauty.

 

[basshawk21]

Wow, Nice looking bass. Great job man.

 

[Ric5]

Was gassing for a 5 string on a waaaay too low budget and wanted something radically different from the herd of fenders i already have....mission accomplished!

It's from pit bull guitars in Australia. Great quality kit and very good customer service. The cheapy soapbars will need upgrading eventually but are hot and grindy, they just lack a little definition and punch.

It's wired permanently for 2 channel operation on a stereo jack and is very versatile this way sound wise!

I wasn't expecting a boutique quality instrument, just a serviceable 5-string and a fun project to work on. I wound up with a bass I really like with custom touches for less than $300!!

34" scale (feels and plays like 40" lol)
Ebony fretboard, maple neck and basswood body with birch ply top. Stained with ebony varathane and finished with wipe on poly.

View attachment 3017546
View attachment 3017547
View attachment 3017548
View attachment 3017549
View attachment 3017551

(For the TB police... yes, the strings in the pic are too short and are getting replaced today haha)

Now I want one like it …

Very cool

 

[CryingBass]

Was gassing for a 5 string on a waaaay too low budget and wanted something radically different from the herd of fenders i already have....mission accomplished!

It's from pit bull guitars in Australia. Great quality kit and very good customer service. The cheapy soapbars will need upgrading eventually but are hot and grindy, they just lack a little definition and punch.

It's wired permanently for 2 channel operation on a stereo jack and is very versatile this way sound wise!

I wasn't expecting a boutique quality instrument, just a serviceable 5-string and a fun project to work on. I wound up with a bass I really like with custom touches for less than $300!!

34" scale (feels and plays like 40" lol)
Ebony fretboard, maple neck and basswood body with birch ply top. Stained with ebony varathane and finished with wipe on poly.

View attachment 3017546
View attachment 3017547
View attachment 3017548
View attachment 3017549
View attachment 3017551

(For the TB police... yes, the strings in the pic are too short and are getting replaced today haha)

Oh so righteous!

 

[BrianNYC]

View attachment 3018460 The dad rock DIY rig...its almost too cliche too be real. All I need are some oversize sports jerseys!!
#rigsofdad

 

[FrenchBassQC]

Yes! Goes with my "theme"... unusual is my middle name View attachment 3017636

Here is the coq, now where is the poule?

 

[BrianNYC]

Here is the coq, now where is the poule?

He is the king of the yard! Each rooster needs from 8 to 10 different hens to stay happy.

 

[BrianNYC]

An old joke about Bill Clinton when he was President… The President and Hillary were being shown [separately] around an experimental government farm. When Mrs. Clinton came to the chicken yard she noticed that a rooster was mating very frequently. She asked the attendant how often that happened and was told, "Dozens of times each day." Mrs. Clinton said, "Tell that to the President when he comes by." Upon being told, the President asked, "Same hen every time?" The reply was, "Oh, no, Mr. President, a different hen every time." President: "Tell that to my wife when you see her."

 

[EddiePlaysBass]

Purdy! And different. I like the headstock.

 

[BrianNYC]

Hope you can post some sound clips of it in action. That’s a very lovely build you did. Now all that’s left is to hear it sing!

I don't know about "sing' but I did a video demo for anybody curious how it sounds stock. In the hands of a better player would be nice but you get the idea haha

 

[Morse_77]

I'm currently building my first DIY kit.
It's a telecaster guitar. I figure if I mess up, I won't feel as bad as messing up a bass (and apparently it's one of the easiest kit).
Your bass is absolutely gorgeous. that looks like it's going to be my next project.

Like the wise men said: "If women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy."

 

[bassbenj]

Great job on the kit! I put together a Saga Les Paul kit and was very pleased at how it turned out. Biggest hassle was the many coats getting the finish nice. I've never done a bass kit because most are 4 string. I am a big fan of semihollow body basses and own a Carvin AC50. They sound terrific but don't give you the big feedback problems of ABGs.

Great job! Enjoy!

 

[Thir13teen]

It would also be made out of way nicer wood and I wouldn't have had to spent an afternoon leveling the frets lol

Agreed.....but then the price would go up nominally. Not up to $8000.

 

[BrianNYC]

Agreed.....but then the price would go up nominally. Not up to $8000.

Check out the luthier forum here at TB and the scratch builds will blow your mind...even a rough calculation of man hours on a well made instrument is tough but truly hand crafted? What's specialized skilled labor like that supposed to get per hour? My plumber gets $80 to show up with a snake for 10 mins haha...auto electrical in my parts is $65 per hour.

If I spent 100 hrs working on something I'm going to get $4000 for it...my labor is worth about $40 an hr at this point lol

 

[BrianNYC]

Official weight 8.6 lbs. He's a keeper!

 

[Axl Rose]

Hi this bass is fantastic and well built!
I want to get the fretless one but not sure about a few things like:
How did you install the Wooden bridge?
Was the body pre-holed for installation or did you have to measure it and do it yourself?

Thanks for your help.