P-bass Frankie

[Clifford Lee]

Hi everyone. I have a lot going on the last few years, and my mental health is deteriorating, which was the reason to pick up the bass although i played the drums for almost 15 years. I decided to do a build, a poor man's precision to be exact, although i haven't tried something like this before. My goals are that the build should last a while to keep me occupied and within a budget of maximum 500€.

I choose ash for the body which i will be buying online and treating with stain and tru-oil. My intention is to source Fender and/or Squier parts to keep quality to a decent level, with that in mind i bought a used, but almost new, Matt Freeman neck localy, pup and electronics that came from a 70's Vintage with a .47μF capacitor. The neck had the tuners removed so i'll be looking for a set of those as well.

With that in mind here is the list of parts and materials i will be needing:
•Ash body build to spec, contemplating on having it as a string-through-body. Prices start from about 140€ for a 3-piece-body and go as high as 250€ for a one-piece-body which i think is the route i will be taking
•Bridge
•Squier or Fender tuners with ferrules
•String tree
•F-Neck plate
•One black pickguard
•All screws will be original Fender
•Tru-oil (ordered)
•Sealer & filler (ordered)
•Wax (ordered)
•Steel wool 0000 (ordered)
•Various grid sandpapers (got them)
•Color stain. I am toying with the idea of a maple yellow for the body and darkening the same color for the grain for a more dramatic effect.
•Strap holders (got a spare pair from my MIA pbass)

I will try to recreate a 70's p bass as much as i can, so any feedback in general is always welcome. Hopefuly the thread will keep going and be a place to exchange opinions.
Take care everybody.

 

[Stumbo]

Sorry to hear about your condition.
Glad to hear about focusing your energy on a positive project!

Keep us TBrs updated with pics and journal!

Good luck.

 

[Clifford Lee]

Some pics form the neck. Couldn't believe how good it looks so i had it inspected by a luthier, who confirmed that the neck is indeed in top condition. Fretwear is almost nowhere to be seen.

On another topic, trying to figure out the correct measurements for the body, i'm a little confused with a) Neck pocket:16mm or 14,2mm deep? b)Pick up pocket: With or without ears? I have no clue what would be right or wrong. The only given that i have is that my neck is 63,4mm wide and 20,5mm thick at the heel. Guitar Bodies | Guitar Necks | Custom Made Guitar Parts | Guitarbuild is where i will probably ordering the body from.

The tuners seem to be hard to find as well. Diameter 17,4mm, 2 vertical holes on the left 21mm, 2 vertical holes on the right 18mm with a gap of 35mm between them.

 

[Stumbo]

Maybe @johnk_10 will stop by and help out.

 

[Clifford Lee]

So i finally found the Schaller BM tuners too fit my neck. Mounting holes align exactly, ferrules are a hair smaller than 1mm, but i used teflon tape to fill the small gap and fitted like a glove.

 

[Clifford Lee]

The body came in today. One piece swamp ash. Neck has a nice, snug fit. Can't wait to start finishing it.

 

[Clifford Lee]

Test fitted everything, drilled mounting holes for bridge, pups and neck screws. Tried out some pickguards. The white came from my Am Std, trus rod nut on the neck pocket side. Take a moment and tell me which color you prefer.

 

[crlujan]

I prefer the 2nd one with the darker tort.

 

[Beej]

I'm with @crlujan ... 2nd one with dark tort.

 

[Clifford Lee]

Finished it today. I'm impressed with how well it came together. I will still have to raise the pups, adjust the truss rod and string action. Strung it with Cobalt flats and sounds well bright.

 

[Beej]

Looks great!

 

[crlujan]

Love it. Thanks for the inspiration. What was your process for finishing the body?

 

[Clifford Lee]

Thank you boys!
Crlujan, i used tru oil to treat the body. Before i applied the tru oil i raised the grain of the wood, i wiped it with a moist cloth and let it dry for an hour. Then i sanded in the direction of the grain using a 400 dry. Using a tack cloth i removed the dust and applied10 coats in total, with 24 hours drying time in between. Every 2nd or 3rd coat i'd sand the surface with a 1200p dry to remove any particles, tack cloth it and apply another coat. For the first coat i applied a generous quantity to fill up the pores and let it dry for 48 hours. After the last coat i let it cure for another 48 hours and then started puting the thing together.