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Winter Build Jazz Project

StereoPlayer

StereoPlayer

Aug 29, 2010
8,888
42,278
Need to keep my mouth shut.
#1
Winters are cold and snowy here in Saginaw, MI. I need a winter bass build project.
I used that excuse to my wife for more bass stuff(remodel the living room....nah!) and she said ok, but I would have anyway, less arguments that way:)

I am not a Luthier, but I do work in a wood and metal shop.
I am starting a winter project and thought you would like to follow along. I have never fully built an instrument from the ground up....but have modified lots of basses. This one is going to be a very streamlined Jazz bass.

I found this Jazz bass kit online for $104.99....well, I had to check it out. The quality is really not that bad, I've seen worse parts on a completed factory basses,

This is the site, if you want to check out their stuff.
Invalid Link Removed

The body is Pauwlonia and is very, very, light. the neck is maple/rosewood. I wanted a fretless, but they don't offer them. Maybe I'll pull the frets later, or get a fretless neck, but for the build I'll leave them(I play fretless 99% of the time)

I will post lots of pics, but I'm sure this will take a while. I have lots of my ideas/plans in my head, but WILL consider your INPUT. One thing is for sure.......It...will...be.......Stereo!

The shipping was fast, complete, very well packed. Emails were quick and questions answered with personal replies very promptly.

box.jpg

Bass in box!

parts.jpg

Exploded view!

More to come!
 
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#4
When I first picked up the body....I said to myself...WOW! VERY lightweight. The body looks a little chunky to me, I'm sure it's close to a Jazz, but I modded my Schector "82 kit P/J body heavily, so I'm used to a more streamlined bass body.

The routing looks OK, but there are very small chips on some of the edges of the routes, sanding will fix that. Also, the wood, being very lightweight looks a little porus on some of the edges, I will look into this later.

The kit body has a large route for the neck PU(I'm sure I will call this PU the "bass PU" from time to time), the Jazz PG could cover that route, but....
I really don't care for the pickguard on my basses(unless needed)....so.....I have decided to install a MM PU in this position. I was hoping it would drop in the route from the factory, but I will have to enlarge it. I have never had a MM bass or MM PU and looking foward to it!

I spent 3+ hours with a pencil and eraser sketching the new design I wanted directly on the body. I have a co-worker that has a band saw and he is making the major cuts for me. He is also doing the neck headstock.

This is the body with the desired cuts marked out.

body.jpg

It's gonna be lighter now!

Next post: the Neck

PS: sorry about the typos, I use a NetBook and the keyboard is really small...and I kant spul:hmm:....I do LOVE the NETBOOK:cool:
 
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#5
The neck appears to be well made, the edges of the fretboard/frets are fairly smooth. It will need a little smoothing, but it is playable now...I seen worse on a store bought bass.

I thought alot about headstock designs and will go with the "F" style. Why, because I like it!

Quality review:
The fretboard is a little rough on the last two spaces, a little sanding is in order, no big deal tho. There is a tiny chip on the edge of the fretboard , on the corner at the neck/body area, again NBD.
The nut looks a little cheap(white rough plastic), but hey, I'll prob replace it later. For the build, it stays.

As with the body cuts, a co-worker is using his bandsaw for the rough cuts.
Neck headstock...block...
headstock.jpg


Desired neck headstock cuts.
headstockcut.jpg


More posts later, Christmas party tonight. Thanks for all of your ideas and support...TB is the best!:bassist:
 
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#7
My co-worker made the rough cuts last night and brought it in to work today. He said the wood was very, very, scary soft to cut with the band saw!

Also, If you get one of these kits from G.Fetish....the paulownia sawdust from sanding was very annoying to me, almost like I was allergic to it! I WILL wear a dust mask from now on.
Here are the rough cuts.....it's gonna be even lighter now!

newcuts.jpg


And views of some of the sanding/shaping.
sanding1.jpg


th_sanding2.jpg
th_sanding4.jpg


More sanding tomorrow, and maybe neck pics of the rought cuts and sanding. Thanks for looking.
 
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#9
Ok thanks. I have a similar p/j bass that I sorta shaped this way. This project is not done of course. I have a vision, and everything should balance out, it should be very comfortable for me. Warwicks have a sorta weird shape too, but I love mine, (the Wick) and it very comfortable to play.

This bass project is going to be very lightweight. Thanks for your interest!
 
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#10
I got up very early this morning(4:30 am) and went to the shop where I work, to work on my bass project!

I finished sanded it to 320 grit. The wood is very soft, I keep chasing marks from handling....

I have purchased from the same company another knob and a couple of pots, a copper shielding kit, and a chrome oval input plate for the bottom of the body. I like the jack there and I will use the extra hole in the control plate for another control.

endjack1.jpg


I marked the location of the jack plate, and gathered some bits and finally a router....the hole for the jack is quite large, 7/8 diameter and fairly deep. I also drilled a hole to from the jack route to the control cavity.
th_endjack2.jpg

More to come....
 
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#11
Next up is to make a jig for the MM PU I am putting in. Remember, the original neck PU route was oversized, and the pickguard was to cover it.

I won't be installing the pickguard. The original route was too big top to bottom, the screw flanges on the MM PU fit in it. So it had to be a simple retangle route.
After fine tuning the routing jig, I clamped it on the body...and routed... never mind the neck routing jig it was a practice layout for the neck, I did not use it)
puroute.jpg


and it turned out perfect.
puroutedone.jpg


I'm having fun...this is good "therapy" for me!
Next up....maybe adding some color to this project.
 
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#12
I originally wanted it to be woodgrained finish. But after thinking about it, I had 2 stains that were acceptable. After testing stains on the scraps I cut off of the body, I went with a cherry stain. It looks sorta like mahogany...very cool....even the wife likes it!

Here it is with a fresh coat of stain....
bodystained.jpg


I put 3 or more coats of stain, and touched up a few marks I missed....still looks the same....colorwise.

After a couple of hours of drying time, I rubbed it down and put the first coat(of many) of polyurathane(can) on it.

Working on the neck next...... and more coats of Polyuranthane.
 
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#14
Jon_West said:
I'm seriously digging that body shape.
Click to expand...

Why thank-you, very much Jon!
I did a very similar thing to a Schector P/J kit body, it has had 3 mods so far to a shape much like the project I'm working on now.( I'll try to get pic of it here soon)

I know it "feels" right when I hold it to a playing position.
Stay tuned for the results. I just put the 2nd coat of poly on tonight.
 
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#18
wow, this is... beautiful!

did you do a dry fit of the parts before finishing it?

I'm making a parts-P bass, and I'm thinking of getting one of their bodies, but I'm not sure about the quality of routing, so if you can inform me a little bit about the fit of all the parts that would be much appreciated.
 
#19
Thank you.

I did put in the bridge PU before I worked in it, the neck PU I was going to change anyway.( I do not want to use the PG)

The neck fit OK, a tiny bit loose, maybe with the many coats of poly it will fit a little more snug. I did place the control panel and PG on it when it came, fits OK. Machine heads looked OK too.

I just now put on coat #5 of many more.

Thanks again.
 
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