Precision bass refresh

[deepestend]

Last year, I had a luthier I met here make me a nice, basic precision bass. He made what I asked for, but I always felt that it was "missing something." Not his fault. Sounded and felt great, though.

We recently had a staff project day at work where we could work on our own stuff. I'm relatively new to all of this, so it was a great learning opportunity for me.

I talked to our shop manager about the bass and she had a few ideas on what I could do to spice it up. To start, she suggested that we shave off the top, chamber it (it's a little heavy) and add a new top. We were able to find a reject cocobolo top at work that was suitable.

Here's the bass body and the top:

Here we are planing it down to the right thickness:

Here's the body after shaving down the top before I used a rasp to redo the arm cut so that it was less extreme for the top:

Chambering:

Bigger control cavity for a preamp:

Flattening the top and gluing the pieces together:

Planing down the joined top today:

Joined top with a little bastine on it:

The plan from here is to cut the top relatively to size and then glue it down and use a vacuum press to hold it down and have it mold to the curves of the body... I'll get to that in the next few weeks...then a new pickguard, preamp, and more...

 

[two fingers]

Looks like a fun project and a nice piece of wood. Keep us posted!

 

[twinjet]

Neat. Subbed!

 

[JMacBass65]

Wow - this is looking like it will be a sweet looking bass.

 

[GMC]

If you HAVE to use a pickguard...why not make it out of transparent perspex...that way it doesn't hide that lovely top.

 

[amphlett7]

How did this end up! I found this thread way to late but I need to see the end result!

 

[deepestend]

 

[deepestend]

Thanks for looking! This has been a stop and go kind of project. The neck has some issues so I may end up getting a new one. I’m actually considering just making one—first time doing that.

 

[deepestend]

Here are a few mockups...planning on using the pick guard shape above in the yellowish pearl. Open to suggestions, though. Haven’t decided on the pickup configuration. Def want a rosewood/morado fretboard, though, as i have too many maple fretboard basses and want a different sound.

 

[deepestend]

What would you guys do?

 

[amphlett7]

What would you guys do?

Hot damn that turned out amazing!

If it were me I’d go straight p with no J pickup.
But our of those options I’d actually go with the soap bars! If that’s the position you’d put them in. Would sound massive.

That bookmatching is unbelievable!
definitely feeling that Morado neck, too

 

[deepestend]

I could also do a single 51 p pickup.

 

[Matt Liebenau]

My vote would be no pickguard. That top wood looks too nice.

 

[JMacBass65]

I could also do a single 51 p pickup.

My vote would be no pickguard.

I would do both of these, and a rosewood (or whatever you have in those pictures above, the dark one) fretboard.

 

[craigie]

I like the maple neck and white pick guard for contrast. To me that book matching looks too much like the wood paneling my parents had in the basement from the ‘70’s.

 

[bound'n'blocked]

I'd go p/j with the maple neck...

BnB

 

[pickles]

That soaps, maple, pickguard mockup is cool and super unique. It’ll look good no matter what so I’d use whatever pickups will make it work for the higest number of your gigs. You’re going to want to play it a lot.

 

[Beej]

What would we do? That's easy, we'll offer up 50 completely different opinions, none of which will align with your wants, likes or needs.

 

[deepestend]

What would we do? That's easy, we'll offer up 50 completely different opinions, none of which will align with your wants, likes or needs.

I know...it’s still fun to hear what others are into.