Bass kits: any good ones out there?

[lanark]

I'm not likely to get one anytime soon, but I was wondering if there were any good quality kits out there to build your own guitar? Sometime to get to grips with all the soldering, and stuff before taking on something major.

Or would it instead be better value to pick up a broken / non-working guitar for next to nothing and tear it to pieces as a first project?

[EBS_freak]

[quote name='lanark' post='947274' date='Sep 6 2010, 03:04 PM']I'm not likely to get one anytime soon, but I was wondering if there were any good quality kits out there to build your own guitar? Sometime to get to grips with all the soldering, and stuff before taking on something major.

Or would it instead be better value to pick up a broken / non-working guitar for next to nothing and tear it to pieces as a first project?[/quote]

It depends on what you call a project bass, how much you want to spend and what you want to get out of it. I'm guessing from your post you just want to assemble something.

If you want to just assemble something, then go to warmoth or usa custom guitars... you'll get pro quality kit but at a pro quality price. If the budget won't stretch, look at doing a jazz or a p bass build. You'll be able to find all the parts you need on ebay or in BCs very own for sale forum. That's going to be cheaper... but the components that you want may not ever turn up... or at the right price.

Of course costs can spiral... especially if you are looking at big name hardware, active circuits etc...

Above all, enjoy it dude.

[rmshaw37]

i'm doing similar, i've got an affinity j and p, going to put the jazz neck on the p and replace bridge, electrics and put some quarter pounder in it!

then after that its making my own from scratch! (5 string through neck :S)

best of luck bud and keep us posted!

[wmsheep]

I think it`s a case of you get what you pay for - as an example you can pay £80 or so for a [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/layla_bassguitar_kit_pstyle.htm"]Thomann kit[/url], or a couple of hundred quid for a [url="http://www.carvinworld.com/catalog/guitars/index.php?model=bk40"]Carvin Kit[/url].

Of course, you could go for a total component based bass from Warmoth, and spend a flaming fortune!!!

[Bassassin]

Get down your local car boot, you will probably find an Encore Strat for £20 that you can pull apart & rebuild.

Once you know what you're doing (and there really isn't much to learn - electric guitars & basses are fundamentally very simple) you can pick & choose your own parts to build a bass or guitar, rather than just having whatever comes in a kit.

Jon.

[BassBod]

The Brandoni ones were good, but not sure if they still sell them? The bodies and necks were good (Japanese?) quality, but the pickups and hardware were variable. Give them a call and they'd probably cherry pick better parts into a kit for you?

[Brave Sir Robin]

I'd be weary of car-boot crap. Laminate bodies and broken trussrods. eek! Still, for a tenner, maybe a good way to learn how to do a complete make over.

Edited September 9, 2010 by Brave Sir Robin

[Dom in Dorset]

Don't spend too much on your first project, treat it as a first lesson in instrument making.
The Thoman kits : it says on the website "Harley Benton Bass", I've not tried the kit but I've seen a Harley Benton bass and in my opinion it was the worst bass I've ever come across. The one I saw appeared to be factory made, neck pocket cut so the neck sat at an amazing angle giving a sky high action. If I remember rightly it had a short scale neck.
Have a look at CH guitars : [url="http://stores.ebay.co.uk/CH-GUITARS"]http://stores.ebay.co.uk/CH-GUITARS[/url]
For about £200 you could mix and match parts to build something prety descent. I've used CH many times now, unless I'm after a certain brand they are my first port of call.

[Mr. Foxen]

I accumulate spare parts until I have an especially boring day, then I have a new bass to play with.

[Dom in Dorset]

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='954748' date='Sep 13 2010, 01:55 PM']I accumulate spare parts until I have an especially boring day, then I have a new bass to play with.[/quote]
I'm also doing this, it's also worth a trawl through ebay see what odds and ends turn up.

[EdwardHimself]

[quote name='lanark' post='947274' date='Sep 6 2010, 03:04 PM']I'm not likely to get one anytime soon, but I was wondering if there were any good quality kits out there to build your own guitar? Sometime to get to grips with all the soldering, and stuff before taking on something major.

Or would it instead be better value to pick up a broken / non-working guitar for next to nothing and tear it to pieces as a first project?[/quote]

You could try both? Get a guitar that maybe has a few problems and then see if you can salvage parts off it. Then buy all the other parts.

[Dom in Dorset]

Re: my earlier comment about "the worst bass I've ever seen, " I saw it again today, it's labeled "Benson."