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What bass builds do you have planned ?

Dark Horse

Dark Horse

Jul 31, 2008
11,869
21,975
Austin, TX
#1
What bass build ideas do you have running around in your head ? Whatever you’d love, could be a dream bass, or just one to accent the basses you already have. Could be a simple P Bass in a weird custom color like shell pink metallic , or something wild like a double neck fretless and fretted 5 string with a kahler on the fretless…. Just whatever bass idea is occupying your imagination currently…,


I have some weird ideas for bass builds….. like ….


*Grabber style bass
*5 string
*33” scale
*swamp ash body
*maple/rosewood neck
*nitrocellulose relic finish - butterscotch
*bakelite pickguard
*slidable pickup - maybe an Electar (from a Casady Bass)
*varitone
*Hipshot B style Bass bridge
*Hipshot 3+2 ultralight tuners, lollipop
*zero fret
*graphite nut
*hipshot string tree
*v shaped to asymmetrical neck profile
*ebony dot inlays


Of course Chat GPT messes up the image quite a bit, but it’s good enough to get the idea…. So a pic is attached below…

9B27FE7B-21CE-48B8-A1D0-CC0470419283.png
 
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#4
Small bodied, neckthrough, headless, narrow spaced 6; probably 34", but maybe 32" with a similar 35+" 5 string to match. If I do only the 6 it will be tuned B-E, if I do both E-E for the 6, and B-G for the 5. Small SS frets incl a zero fret, flat radius and black ebony boards. I'd like the exotic-ness of them to be a little understated. NOVA hardware on both.

Construction would be a multi laminate neck of wenge, maple and maybe padouk, maple wings with an ash top or some of the pieces of redwood etc I have laying around. If both are made, maybe have one with purpleheart laminates to differentiate. They would wear my custom PUs and electronics.

I'm also contemplating an Aurok headless 5 carbon neck (BO) maybe with the centre block of the body using the chunk of 6061 Al I have here that's big enough for that role, painted black.
 
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#5
crazycloud said:
Small bodied, neckthrough, headless, narrow spaced 6; probably 34", but maybe 32" with a similar 35+" 5 string to match. If I do only the 6 it will be tuned B-E, if I do both E-E for the 6, and B-G for the 5. Small SS frets incl a zero fret, flat radius and black ebony boards. I'd like the exotic-ness of them to be a little understated. NOVA hardware on both.

Construction would be a multi laminate neck of wenge, maple and maybe padouk, maple wings with an ash top or some of the pieces of redwood etc I have laying around. If both are made, maybe have one with purpleheart laminates to differentiate. They would wear my custom PUs and electronics.

I'm also contemplating an Aurok headless 5 carbon neck (BO) maybe with the centre block of the body using the chunk of 6061 Al I have here that's big enough for that role, painted black.
Click to expand...

Nice ! For some weird reason, lately I’ve been really looking hard at headless basses. I’m typically a traditional guy, but there’s definitely some appeal to the weight and more compact size of headless.

Redwood is a beautiful wood . Really looks nice with a lighter back/sides like maple or (imo) especially ash…. With a walnut/dark accent stripe.

I hope you get to build them someday !
 
#7
Bass4ThePublic

Thread 'Well, it’s that time of year! Mjt Build thread'

Hello,

Is it summer already?? Time for another mjt build! These little projects are too fun. So I’m on instagram, right? I stumbled upon a post by my buddy Gleasonguitars. Him and I probably spend too much time talking about guitar repair and luthiery lolol. Anyways his client has an all original 63 fiesta red P bass, drool. He posts it on instagram and I’m like “yeah I need one”. Well, a 63 fiesta red P bass is unreasonably expensive, we’re talking well into the 5 figure mark. I’ve been making these mjt basses for about 10 years now so that’s what I’m going to do.

Heres the 63 P, what a...
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This one
 
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#8
In addition to working on a 32" scale 5-string (EADGC) "scratch" build loosely-based on my old El Toro, I'm also putting together a replica of a '75 Jazz (3TSB, rosewood blocked and bound) using a Warmoth body and neck for the first time. That particular combo was at one point in my life the ultimate aspirational Jazz. Body may arrive today. Had the neck for a couple months and the build and finish quality on that are both (IMO) as good as it gets.
 
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#9
I've been getting an urge to do a build. I have two parts P's that I play routinely and do not need another one. But, that doesn't stoke the building urge. And I won't be able to part with any of them if I build another. I realize that I'm complaining to the wrong crowd here.

Anyway, nothing fancy, alder body, dark blue leather dye, matte rattle can spray top coat. Some flavor of a ~41 mm wide standard C profile neck with rosewood (or whatever) fingerboard. Plain ole boring split P pickup.
 
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#11
I have NO BUSNESS, NO BUSNESS doing another "parts bass"!!!

I'm old, tired and have too many already.

But.........

I already have all the parts. Shame on me!

A black P Bass body, maple neck, one ply white '62 guard with a single coil P Bass pickup. That's right. With an SCPB pickup.

A fashion statement bass. Anti-tech.

Although I am more than happy with the sound of SCPBs!

What do you think of this build idea?
 
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#12
I’ve built a lot of my wacky ideas already, but I still have some bouncing around in my head:

  • Headless multiscale Mockingbird
  • Headless SG
  • Les Paul gold top with P90s
  • Extra-long scale Devil fretless
  • Ten-string Rick
  • Lightweight headless doubleneck
 
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#14
RonC72 said:
Wow, Nice ideas!
I promised my son to build him a pachyderm copy, Les Claypool’s bass.
It will be quite a challenge, I’ve never built a set neck before..
Click to expand...


Very nice
RonC72 said:
Wow, Nice ideas!
I promised my son to build him a pachyderm copy, Les Claypool’s bass.
It will be quite a challenge, I’ve never built a set neck before..
Click to expand...


Awesome … you definitely need to do that !

One of the guys on the luthier forum here just built a Pachy he calls “Colonel Hathi”. You can find lots of build info there … here’s a link to the build thread …

postalflunkie

Post in thread 'Winter Build Off 2026 - Colonel Hathi'

Here's my submission for the WBO26, Unfinished Business catigory.

Specifications
Body: Mahogany with figured cherry top
Neck: Three piece mahogany, neck-thru, double action truss rod
Finger Board: Katalox, 29 lined "frets" (white glow-in-the-dark), GraphTech nut, red glow-in-the-dark side dots
Finger board radius: 9.5 inch
Scale Length: 32 inch
Headstock: 2+2, 11° angle
Tuners: Spertzel, locking
Bridge: All Parts chrome Tune-o-matic, string thru body
Pickups: Seymour Duncan 1/4 pound P-bass
Electronics: Passive...
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#16
ctmullins said:
I’ve built a lot of my wacky ideas already, but I still have some bouncing around in my head:

  • Headless multiscale Mockingbird
  • Headless SG
  • Les Paul gold top with P90s
  • Extra-long scale Devil fretless
  • Ten-string Rick
  • Lightweight headless doubleneck
Click to expand...


Nice ! I especially want to see that Devil fretless !

You probably remember @mapleglo did a devil build a little while back - that turned out great !!!

I think @JIO did one as well, IIRC

Here’s a link to Mapleglo’s build ….

mapleglo

Thread 'Winter 2017 Build Off - Speak of the Devil'

Since it's within the rules, I'll throw my planned devil bass in the ring.

wjjlts.jpg


Headless, with a head (huh?), Eye of Sauron, all maple, bolt-on, 5 string, 33.25" scale. No idea what pickup(s).

Here's the wood:

35lra7t.jpg


The smaller piece will be the body - one piece.

Here's the bridge and tuners:

2uzsc3p.jpg


No sawdust yet. I was planning on building a template from 3/4" plywood first, though I might start on the neck first. I never built a bolt on neck. I actually have a cast off from my last build where I totally messed up the neck blank, but I may be able...
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#17
bassdude51 said:
I have NO BUSNESS, NO BUSNESS doing another "parts bass"!!!

I'm old, tired and have too many already.

But.........

I already have all the parts. Shame on me!

A black P Bass body, maple neck, one ply white '62 guard with a single coil P Bass pickup. That's right. With an SCPB pickup.

A fashion statement bass. Anti-tech.

Although I am more than happy with the sound of SCPBs!

What do you think of this build idea?
Click to expand...

Do it !!! That should be killer …. Old school woody tone from the scpb, but with the contoured P body.

Yep…, you are REQUIRED to build it ! Now get to work !!! 😁😁😁
 
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#18
2saddleslab said:
NONE! I'm too busy watching all your builds. :smug:
Click to expand...


Well dang…. I think you need to do another build !!! Yours always come out so cool ! My favorite overall builds on talkbass.


I need to build another one of these for myself. I built this one for my nephew and I love it… I think a less “fancy”, alder bodied one (natural finish) with tortoiseshell binding, Thunderbird pickups, etc would be killer …. (Or mahogany back sides, like this one, but with a plain maple top)




IMG_5498.jpeg
 
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#19
lark_z said:
I've been getting an urge to do a build. I have two parts P's that I play routinely and do not need another one. But, that doesn't stoke the building urge. And I won't be able to part with any of them if I build another. I realize that I'm complaining to the wrong crowd here.

Anyway, nothing fancy, alder body, dark blue leather dye, matte rattle can spray top coat. Some flavor of a ~41 mm wide standard C profile neck with rosewood (or whatever) fingerboard. Plain ole boring split P pickup.
Click to expand...


You say “boring”, I say “practical workhorse”… nothing wrong with a good P Bass, I love em !
 
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#20
I have been building a lot of kit basses and either building them bone stock to sell, or for the ones I keep, chucking almost all the hardware and upgrading it and ending up with a great instrument for a much smaller investment.

These are the basses I'd like to build at some point in the future:
1951 Precision clone
A dual mini-humbucker semi-hollow body bass (possibly a Warmoth Mooncaster?)
A dual pickup bass of some kind to utilize the East Uni-4 Preamp that I have laying around
A Wal-inspired build with Turner multi-coils and an Underwood Full English preamp

Those are my 'plans'.
 
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