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Putting together a parts P

mistergoats

mistergoats

Jun 24, 2014
1,324
2,583
Vancouver BC
soundcloud.com
#1
Hey all,

Inspired by Matt Sharp's parts jazz and unholy need for tinkering, after 20 years of bass playing, I've decided I'm going to try to put together a parts bass. After a long, hard think on the subject, I decided on a P bass with a tele bass neck.

I have a jazz, a Thunderbird and a G3, so I figured a P would be nice to have in the stable, and I'm pretty handy, so I spec'd it out, with CAD prices. At the time of this post I've got the body (pictured below) and the pick guard is on the way. Here's the deets:

  • Body - Fender Genuine Replacement Parts alder Precision body in Arctic White
  • Budget $250 - Actual $229.75
  • Neck - Warmoth Tele Bass - maple, ebony board, 38mm nut width, 20 frets, white TUSQ nut, Mother of Pearl inlays, clear satin nitro finish (on maple neck)
  • Budget $415 - Actual $454.33
  • Pickup - EMG passive Geezer Butler GZR-P split single coil (with pots and jack)
  • Budget $130 - Actual - $132.66
  • Pick Guard - Fender Genuine Replacement Parts 4-ply tortoise shell '62 P-bass
  • Budget $75 - Actual $44.37
  • Bridge - Hipshot Brass A-style (chrome)
  • Budget $120 - Actual $81.40
  • Tuning Machines - Grover Vintage Bass 4 inline (chrome)
  • Budget $75 - Actual - $72.79
  • Strings - Ernie Ball Power Slinky 55-110
  • Budget $25 - Actual $22.39
  • Neck Plate - Fender 4-bolt Vintage "Plain"
  • Budget $15 - Actual $10.92
  • String Retainer - likely ebay from China (got a Hipshot "3" Chrome)
  • Budget $10 - Actual $13.37
  • Strap Locks - Schaller (chrome)
  • Budget $20 - Actual $17.70
  • Strap - XL Black Poly generic
  • Budget $20 - Actual $27.68
Things I bought but hadn't budgeted for:
  • Tug bar (thumb Rest) $9.45
  • Pick guard screws (24 ct.) $8.40
  • Knobs - Fender "witch hat" blk/chrome amp knobs $7.84
I've not included a case or a professional setup from my guitar tech in the budget. I'll likely use my jazz case for transport and I want to attempt the setup myself and if I can't do it, I'll take it to my guy.

The idea is to spread this out over time, purchasing one part per pay period (save for the neck which is going to require 3 or 4 pay periods to save). And I think it'll be pretty cool to have my very own bass, that I at least partially had a hand in constructing.

I'll update this part as time rolls along and add pics as I build it. It might not be overly exciting for the first few weeks.

Project Budget Total: $1,155 CAD
Project Actual Total: $1,133.05 CAD

Body.jpg
 
Last edited:
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#3
Spirit of Ox said:
That's an awesome build. One thing came to my mind and it's gonna sound kinda funny. Don't skimp on the string tree. I had a cheap one once and the screw popped out from the pressure of the strings causing the tree to fly across the room and almost kill the drummer.
Click to expand...

Good to know. I actually kind of like our drummer ;-)

I appreciate the advice, as I've never done this before. The neck will have no pre-drilled string tree hole. I know Warmoth has string-trees available; I might spring the extra money to get them to put one on for me. Defeats the point of me building it, but I want it done right!
 
#4
I've done this project about a dozen times. Back in the early otts I used make a little bit a money on the side doing this and selling the bass. Now it's not lucrative but I like building my own basses out of parts.
When on Ebay, that 6.00 string tree from China sounds like a bargain compared to the 12.00 Fender. But when they include cheaply made screws you will notice a difference. In fact recently I ordered some no name pickup screws and they stripped so easily and I pre drill and use bees wax.
Upping your budget when it comes to hardware will pay off in the long run. Good luck, and keep posting pics of your project.
 
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#7
Dadagoboi said:
I'm pretty sure Warmoth doesn't make necks with a square Tele style heel. That may give you problems with both the neck pocket and pickguard you use, though the pickguard is easy to reshape.
Click to expand...

You're right, they don't (well, they do, you have to request one). The neck pocket on the bass body is rounded. The heel on the Tele bass necks are rounded. I'm hoping they mate well. If not, my dad is a woodworker so I'll take the parts up to his shop to reshape it. I'm anticipating having to shape the pick guard a little.
 
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#8
The round heal will work in the square pocket but there will be gaps. A pickguard can hide this, or using a neck with a fretboard overhang will hide it as well.
 
#10
Hopkins said:
The round heal will work in the square pocket but there will be gaps. A pickguard can hide this, or using a neck with a fretboard overhang will hide it as well.
Click to expand...

That's a good point. I could order the 21 fret overhang. The pick guard is en-route, so I'll see how that matches up with the body. I neglected to mention that the body is a "vintage style" and as far as I've read it's a little smaller and of course there is no string-through option. If my research is correct, the '62-style pick guard should fit. The pick guard holes have not been drilled in the body, so that increases the chance that I can make the 20 fret neck work. Thanks for the thought.

I'm looking at placing the neck order around December (early).
 
#14
Spirit of Ox said:
That's an awesome build. One thing came to my mind and it's gonna sound kinda funny. Don't skimp on the string tree. I had a cheap one once and the screw popped out from the pressure of the strings causing the tree to fly across the room and almost kill the drummer.
Click to expand...

Given how frequently mine throws sticks...and I've still got a bit of a mark on the bridge of my nose from when he thew a broken bass skin across the rehearsal space. Sounds like payback time for the other half of the rhythm section! Now if I could just get a string tree with a strap-lok type setup so I could put it back on after taking a pot shot at the drummer...
 
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#20
Hopkins said:
Get some #4 stainless oval head screws from your local hardware store. They are cheaper, and wont rust like chrome plated pickup screws.
Click to expand...
I do love my American pals, but it's funny how you assume these would be available easily in Canada. Unfortunately, they won't. We have a fancy screw head exclusive to the great white north called a "robertson" head or "square hole". When you buy screws at the local hardware store, the majority are robertson, not phillips. Mistergoats, if you can't find them at home depot (I've never seen small screws available with phillips heads there), Tom Lee or Long & McQuade will have Allparts replacement screws - should be a few bucks for a bag. We just love to complicate things up here, all in the name of superior torque... :D
 
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