After trawling pretty much every single classified on every inch of every website, I've had no luck finding a Yamaha SBV that is either nearby or comes with shipping, I have come to the conclusion that it would be easier to build my own... BUT:
I have taken into account the sheer rarity of this bass guitar and how hard it is likely to be to find the stiff I need to make my own 'surf bass'... I have the basic specifications for things like neck scale, the type of neck I would have, truss rod type, fret type, pickups, bridge (gotta be a Leo Quan Badass II) all I need is templates... and that's where I'm as stuck as a cow in quicksand...
I can't find templates anywhere for this bass... I've searched high and low and I'm at a loss... I have a possible link that could help since I have thought about contacting the Yamaha custom shop, but no luck yet, still waiting reply (and betting 100% it will be a resounding no!!) basically, the templates I will need to do the work are:
scratchplate template
body, pickup and neck pocket templates
measurements for 'tween pot and distance from edge of body
output jack alignments and diameters
other than the slight issue of this, it would be a 35" scale C-shape maple neck (same as a j-bass since I'm used to that neck type), a rosewood or ebony fingerboard (inlays unknown, I need templates for 2dDesign as well) slim frets, it would be an oak or ash body, Seymore Duncan 1/4 lb pickups, or I'll see about some specially wound ones, or contacting Yamaha and having a BB set shipped unless they still have stock of the 550 P-style pickups, it would be either light green (reminiscent of Fumi's SBV (POLYSICS)) and instead of being a solid color, I think I'd stain the grain, sand it back and apply a translucent laquer because it just looks so damn neat!!
besides all this, I will have to draw up my specs and change a few odds and ends to stop Yamaha copyrighting me for making the bass... and once I get hold of enough tools to actually do the job... I might become a luthier
let's nickname the bass the SBII 5xx series?? 
XDD what's your views peeps??
here's a basic look in at a standard SBV-550 (P-J style pickups) coutesy of le googlez
Invalid Link Removed
if anyone can be of help it will be appreciated and if I can get to building a couple... there might be an SBII in it for ya if I can afford that much wood!!
I have taken into account the sheer rarity of this bass guitar and how hard it is likely to be to find the stiff I need to make my own 'surf bass'... I have the basic specifications for things like neck scale, the type of neck I would have, truss rod type, fret type, pickups, bridge (gotta be a Leo Quan Badass II) all I need is templates... and that's where I'm as stuck as a cow in quicksand...
I can't find templates anywhere for this bass... I've searched high and low and I'm at a loss... I have a possible link that could help since I have thought about contacting the Yamaha custom shop, but no luck yet, still waiting reply (and betting 100% it will be a resounding no!!) basically, the templates I will need to do the work are:
scratchplate template
body, pickup and neck pocket templates
measurements for 'tween pot and distance from edge of body
output jack alignments and diameters
other than the slight issue of this, it would be a 35" scale C-shape maple neck (same as a j-bass since I'm used to that neck type), a rosewood or ebony fingerboard (inlays unknown, I need templates for 2dDesign as well) slim frets, it would be an oak or ash body, Seymore Duncan 1/4 lb pickups, or I'll see about some specially wound ones, or contacting Yamaha and having a BB set shipped unless they still have stock of the 550 P-style pickups, it would be either light green (reminiscent of Fumi's SBV (POLYSICS)) and instead of being a solid color, I think I'd stain the grain, sand it back and apply a translucent laquer because it just looks so damn neat!!
besides all this, I will have to draw up my specs and change a few odds and ends to stop Yamaha copyrighting me for making the bass... and once I get hold of enough tools to actually do the job... I might become a luthier
let's nickname the bass the SBII 5xx series?? XDD what's your views peeps??here's a basic look in at a standard SBV-550 (P-J style pickups) coutesy of le googlez
Invalid Link Removed
if anyone can be of help it will be appreciated and if I can get to building a couple... there might be an SBII in it for ya if I can afford that much wood!!
