Strat. Bass

[fjadams]

1 ) buy strat
2 ) block trem (optional)
3 ) replace bridge (in same place) with bass bridge
4 ) replace nut
5 ) fill tuner holes, re drill 4 to fit bass tuners, install bass tuners
6 ) replace pickups with rails (optional)
7 ) install BEAD strings, tuned EADG
8 ) Play bass

I'm doing this very thing with a Les Paul kit. It's at a standstill right now because of the weather. But hopefully Spring will arrive sometime so I can get back to work on it and my other projects.

 

[xaxxat]

My Squier Mini Strat bass is my favorite noodling bass. It has a 22" scale. I put a 2" string spacing bridge (SX) on it along with old SX strings.

I bought the thing for a nephew who never learned to play. I think he used it for a club.

It weighs next to nothing. I plug it into a Bronco 40 amp. It's great to noodle with when watching ball games.

 

[LanEvo]

I've wanted to do something similar to these guitar-with-bass-strings projects, but with a twist:

• Piezo bridge
• Kala [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

I'd go with a blank Tele/Esquire body (no need for pickups) and an Allparts TMO-Fat neck.

 

[BassMan99]

Isn't wolfgangs bass a strat body?

 

[Real Soon]

This thread is turning into a showcase of a very special variety of weird.





And I like it.

 

[GregT]

Isn't wolfgangs bass a strat body?View attachment 569518

Not quite. You did make me hold my Strat up to the monitor to compare them though. It is a little different shape.

I like xaxxat's Strat bass. I never knew that could even be done.

 

[scourgeofgod]

Isn't wolfgangs bass a strat body?View attachment 569518

If you're talking about the bass in the pic you posted, that's very clearly a jazz

 

[awilkie84]

Landing Bass
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Now, if they only made it in a 34" scale!!!

 

[scourgeofgod]

Now, if they only made it in a 34" scale!!!

Should be simple enough to make your own from parts at 34" scale with either a p body or a modified p/strat body if it must look exactly strat shaped. Probably a lot cheaper too.

 

[Ric5]

1 ) buy strat
2 ) block trem (optional)
3 ) replace bridge (in same place) with bass bridge
4 ) replace nut
5 ) fill tuner holes, re drill 4 to fit bass tuners, install bass tuners
6 ) replace pickups with rails (optional)
7 ) install BEAD strings, tuned EADG
8 ) Play bass

I was thinking something a little different ...

1 - buy a loaded strat body
2 - put on a bass neck ... 30" or 32" or 34"
3 - add a bass bridge
4 - cover hole where the guitar bridge was.
5 - make it a 4 or 5 string bass

 

[awilkie84]

I was thinking something a little different ...

1 - buy a loaded strat body
2 - put on a bass neck ... 30" or 32" or 34"
3 - add a bass bridge
4 - cover hole where the guitar bridge was.
5 - make it a 4 or 5 string bass

Or find a non-trem strat to remove #4

 

[devnulljp]

A the risk of seeming pedestrian ...

 

[JIO]

How do you figure? A bass with 3 pickups, 5 pickup combinations, 1 vol, 2 tone is a worse design than a guitar with one split coil in the middle and 1 vol and 1 tone? Not saying the p-guitar would suck but I fail to see how it would be superior in any way, unless you're going for the whole "less is more/that's all I need " thing...

Maybe what he meant was more in line with a 'Broadcaster' style Tele; 1 single coil, 2 knobs w/a P-bass body. (is there a chance no one has ever built such a guitar?) As the Tele had a single - a solo split pu (like the Fender VII & G&L) could provide a different take on the 'less is more' field. I don't really know the 6-string guitar world well enough to know if it's been done or if a guitarist would even be interested...

 

[JIO]

View attachment 569443

Love these guitars - apparently they were really underrated and overshadowed by the Ric 12.

 

[KohanMike]

It's basically a 25.5" 4 string shortscale bass made from a $150 Squier Telecaster using pretty much the same method as above,

I'm doing this very thing with a Les Paul kit. It's at a standstill right now because of the weather. But hopefully Spring will arrive sometime so I can get back to work on it and my other projects.

I did this to an Epiphone Les Paul Express 22" scale guitar, with encouragement from members of Talk Bass. I wanted a Telecaster, but there are none that small, so I went with the Les Paul. Had fun doing it, Here' a link to a video I did when it was complete (which includes conversion details), then I ran across Blue Star Guitar who makes small Telecasters and Bruce Herron agreed to make me a small Tele bass (my drawing below), which should arrive this week.

-https://Epiphone Les Paul Express guitar to bass conversion. - YouTube

 

[scourgeofgod]

Maybe what he meant was more in line with a 'Broadcaster' style Tele; 1 single coil, 2 knobs w/a P-bass body. (is there a chance no one has ever built such a guitar?) As the Tele had a single - a solo split pu (like the Fender VII & G&L) could provide a different take on the 'less is more' field. I don't really know the 6-string guitar world well enough to know if it's been done or if a guitarist would even be interested...

Regardless of whether he meant a single pickup(split or not) in either the bridge, or middle, or neck position, the question is how that would be a better design overall for a 6-string guitar than a strat's setup would be on a bass, especially when the Stratocaster's three pickups and 5-way switching allows you to choose any one of those pickups, as well as the bridge+middle or neck+middle for a humbucking effect. Usually when 6 string guitars do only have a single pickup, they are either at the bridge like the Broadcaster/Esquire style Teles, or an 80s shredder, or at the neck, like a jazz box, but very rarely in the middle position, and I only say very rarely because I'm sure some exist even if I can't recall one. All I'm saying is there's probably a good reason there has been at least 4 strat-styled basses mentioned in this thread while a few of us question the existence of a p-bass style guitar, imo it's very clear what the better overall design is when it comes to applying it to both a bass and guitar.

 

[Nic.]

My old Stratobass. Disassembled now and waiting for a rebuild that I can never find time for.

Is this just a strat with a bass bridge? What gauge strings are you using? I've a spare strat body and this could be a pretty fun thing to do with it

Oh did you change the nut too?

 

[xaxxat]

Is this just a strat with a bass bridge? What gauge strings are you using? I've a spare strat body and this could be a pretty fun thing to do with it

Oh did you change the nut too?

It's a Squier Bullet Strat. Hardtail. The bridge is from an old SX shortscale bass. The string spread on it is 2", same as a Strat's. Intonation is a bit off. The bridge needs to be moved back a bit.

Strings are from an SX shortscale. Probably .100s or .105s. Kinda crappy.

I used the same nut, just cut new slots for it.

It was a concept project so it never got prettied up. I intended to put some rail pickups in it. It did play easy.

 

[Nic.]

@xaxxat thanks for the info and especially for the headstock photo! It looks really doable, might give it a try soon.

Did you have any problems with the pole pieces not being aligned?

 

[xaxxat]

@xaxxat thanks for the info and especially for the headstock photo! It looks really doable, might give it a try soon.

Did you have any problems with the pole pieces not being aligned?

I'm sure the misalignment didn't help. I have a set of rail pickups that would have fixed that.

Here's a pic of a Squier Mini that was converted to a bass. He used the rails.

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