Well, I'm not entirely sure this belongs in the luthier's corner, being as how I'm really just "assembling" a bass, but it is a big build, for me.
I fell in love with the playability and sound of the "raffle bass" I put together for the Virginia GTG, and decided to build one similar to that, only with higher-quality hardware and a more complex finish. I learned a lot in that build, and each time I'm going to try to learn more, and eventually I really will build a bass.
Enough talk.
This is the base bass.
An SX SPB-62, along with a lefty black bound + blocked neck - I love those necks, and I wanted to do something different, thus the lefty bit. Nothing special, but a great starting point for a tinkerer like myself. Got a decent clip of the sound, but the playability left some to be desired, as I did nothing to set it up before recording this. Bear with the playing and the clipping towards the end - that's my DI, not the bass.
I bought pretty much all the hardware and whatnot from eBay - Might Mite tuners, BadAss II bridge, AllParts knobs, Hipshot D-tuner, SD 1/4# pup, bar string retainer, and I had some CTS pots and an Orange Drop .047 cap from my last project. I'll get a Tusq nut from the local mom 'n pop.
I decided to do a dual-P pickup config, for the experience and for the **** of it. Worst case I just leave the neck pup solo'd. In this thread, I got opinions on the placement of the two, and ultimately decided to go with option 4.
Today I actually got started and routed for the second (bridge) pup.
I used an old P pickguard I had laying around for my template - more on that later - and good double-stick tape, plus my Dremel with routing attachments.
When it was all said and done:
The soft plastic of the pickguard "template" didn't hold up very well at all, and I eventually just free-handed it. It's not perfect, but I'm actually really pleased with how well it turned out considering. Had to go out and buy a drill bit to route the wiring for the new pup - amazing how long of a bit you need for such a short space when you can't get your drill in the right angle.
It's not a great picture, but it actually looks pretty good IRL. It's definitely not a perfect route, but I doubt anyone will notice, unless they're looking, and that works for me... For now...
Finally, I shielded the cavities.
Tomorrow (depending on the weather) I'll be sanding the top down and laying down a coat of white basecoat for the custom paint... Given a name like "Python Bass" and my known affection for the weird, use your imagination...
More to come...
I fell in love with the playability and sound of the "raffle bass" I put together for the Virginia GTG, and decided to build one similar to that, only with higher-quality hardware and a more complex finish. I learned a lot in that build, and each time I'm going to try to learn more, and eventually I really will build a bass.
Enough talk.
This is the base bass.
An SX SPB-62, along with a lefty black bound + blocked neck - I love those necks, and I wanted to do something different, thus the lefty bit. Nothing special, but a great starting point for a tinkerer like myself. Got a decent clip of the sound, but the playability left some to be desired, as I did nothing to set it up before recording this. Bear with the playing and the clipping towards the end - that's my DI, not the bass.
I bought pretty much all the hardware and whatnot from eBay - Might Mite tuners, BadAss II bridge, AllParts knobs, Hipshot D-tuner, SD 1/4# pup, bar string retainer, and I had some CTS pots and an Orange Drop .047 cap from my last project. I'll get a Tusq nut from the local mom 'n pop.
I decided to do a dual-P pickup config, for the experience and for the **** of it. Worst case I just leave the neck pup solo'd. In this thread, I got opinions on the placement of the two, and ultimately decided to go with option 4.
Today I actually got started and routed for the second (bridge) pup.
I used an old P pickguard I had laying around for my template - more on that later - and good double-stick tape, plus my Dremel with routing attachments.
When it was all said and done:
The soft plastic of the pickguard "template" didn't hold up very well at all, and I eventually just free-handed it. It's not perfect, but I'm actually really pleased with how well it turned out considering. Had to go out and buy a drill bit to route the wiring for the new pup - amazing how long of a bit you need for such a short space when you can't get your drill in the right angle.
It's not a great picture, but it actually looks pretty good IRL. It's definitely not a perfect route, but I doubt anyone will notice, unless they're looking, and that works for me... For now...
Finally, I shielded the cavities.
Tomorrow (depending on the weather) I'll be sanding the top down and laying down a coat of white basecoat for the custom paint... Given a name like "Python Bass" and my known affection for the weird, use your imagination...
More to come...
