Any pitfalls for a beginner putting together a Bass?

[SumOne]

I'm interested in putting together a Precision Bass ('building' would probably be too grand a term!). Basically getting second hand body, neck (complete with truss rod and frets and nut) and other bits and putting them together. I'm assuming that a passive P Bass is the simplest in terms of complexity of the actual Bass and ease of getting parts. I'm also assuming it is relatively easy as I'm basically just screwing parts together and not doing anything like shaping wood or adding frets/fret levelling or dealing with multiple pickups and active preamp.....but is there anything in particular I need to look out for?

 

These are my assumptions:

 

• Body £90 (sold, but as an example). Depending on the body, I would perhaps paint it white - knowing that it'd be quite a shoddy sand then rattle can job (I quite like scruffy looking basses anyway).
• Neck £40 (also sold), this one being a Jazz neck, which I might do - assuming all J and P heel/neck pockets are the same so it's just a case of screwing it on with a neckplate.
• P bass pickups and loom £75, seems a faily simple process as they fit the P bass body cavities.
• Tuners £50 (they'd need to match the width of the headstock and ideally match any pre-drilled holes) 
• Bridge £30 (ideally with the screw holes in the same standard P bass positions)
• Pickguard £20 
• Additional things like strings, neckplate, knobs, strap buttons, string tree, etc. £50
• Total: £355 
• .......then some fairly easy going jobs of screwing pieces toghether and perhaps a small bit of soldering and Bob's your unkle, a one-off  custom Bass!

 

I'm not expecting it to be cheaper (or better!) than just getting an equivilant cost second hand bass but it will hopefully be fun or at least rewarding and I will be able to personalise it possibly cheaper than getting another Bass and then changing lots of parts (Ideally I want: lightweight white P bass body, J Bass neck, black pickguard, white pickups, Black lightweight hardware - including drop tuner).

 

 

Edited October 4, 2022 by SumOne

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

I did this a couple of years ago. I’d not attempted anything like it before and it turned out great. I think I made a thread on it. I’ll see if I can find it.

The best thing is that if you get stuck, Basschat is a great resource for assistance. You’ll be fine. Good luck 👍

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

Found it….

 

 

[SumOne]

25 minutes ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

Found it….

 

 

 

Nice one! That's encouraging, it looks like it worked out great.

 

Some useful things I hadn't considered like Truss rod access, or the thread on the bolts.

 

I'll get into insomniac skip rat mode!

 

 

Edited October 4, 2022 by SumOne

[PaulThePlug]

Yes... And Depending on budget, a Squier or Harley B may be a better bet.

But... Where is the fun in that!

 

If you have a spare £150 min to hobby then go for it!

 

Body - I've used Luthiers Warehouse / Luthiers craft... for a custom body to make something a bit different.

 

Pickups - Check secondhand on here... Kent Armstrong, Entwisle, Warman, Wilkinson, ToneRider...

 

Tuners - Northwest own tuners are great for £25...

 

Neck - Ebay 'TwinCam' P or J width £50!

 

Odds n Sods - here or bay...

 

Loom - Kiogen

 

That were the bassis(!) For mine £150/200 ish 

 

Finish - Oil or Wax... easier to get a passable finish... paint is a whole world of prep...

 

last was an almost their Aria that i got different bits to miss the missing bit...

£130 with the Entwistles...

 

[Random Guitarist]

Go for it, it's a world of fun.

 

As far as second hand parts go one thing you are likely to hit is that the existing screw holes in your body and neck don't align.

You can drill a bigger hole in the neck and plug or you can drill holes and pit in threaded inserts.

I joined a fretless s/h neck to a Squier body a few years ago and went down the threaded insert route..

[Velarian]

I did this last year and it was a really enjoyable experience. In theory it sounds simple doesn’t it? Just bolt a few ready made bits together. In practice, depending on what bits you use and where they’re from it could be a little more involved than that and you may need to do a bit of fettling.

 

Your first assumption that all J and P heel/neck pockets are the same is not necessarily true. I quickly discovered this with the cheap body I started out with. I ended up switching to a better quality body and that did turn out to be a perfect fit. However, I did have to plug and re drill the holes in the neck, which was a little learning curve, as was positioning and drilling the bridge mounting holes.

 

I learned such a lot in the process of doing it and much of the information came from the good people here on BC.

 

You may end up spending more than you intended (certainly more than buying a ready made bass), possibly including buying some tools, but the experience is worth it.

 

Just go for it and post your progress here. We’ll be following with interest.

 

 Here’s my build thread for reference: -

 

 

[SumOne]

22 minutes ago, Velarian said:

I did this last year and it was a really enjoyable experience. In theory it sounds simple doesn’t it? Just bolt a few ready made bits together. In practice, depending on what bits you use and where they’re from it could be a little more involved than that and you may need to do a bit of fettling.

 

Your first assumption that all J and P heel/neck pockets are the same is not necessarily true. I quickly discovered this with the cheap body I started out with. I ended up switching to a better quality body and that did turn out to be a perfect fit. However, I did have to plug and re drill the holes in the neck, which was a little learning curve, as was positioning and drilling the bridge mounting holes.

 

I learned such a lot in the process of doing it and much of the information came from the good people here on BC.

 

You may end up spending more than you intended (certainly more than buying a ready made bass), possibly including buying some tools, but the experience is worth it.

 

Just go for it and post your progress here. We’ll be following with interest.

 

 Here’s my build thread for reference: -

 

 

 

 

Nice one, yeah a few more things to consider than I had originally anticipated. Looks like it worked out well though.

 

I guess if I were to go for new Northwest Guitars Neck (£130) then it doesn't have pre-drilled holes so that solves the plug/re-drill thing, and potentially also a new Body from them (£175) means there aren't mis-aligned scratchplate or bridge screw holes (as it doesn't have any pre-drilled). The price soon starts creeping up though! But I suppose getting those two key parts new makes things easier, then I can gradually add all the other parts second hand. That'd be £305 neck and body + approx. £200 for everything else so about £500......somewhere between the cost of a new Squier and new Fender MIM Player series. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 4, 2022 by SumOne

[SumOne]

Has anyone here had good or bad experiences from G&B bass bodies? 

 

Specifically, I'm considering a 4 piece Korina body as it's 1.9kg , or perhaps the 3 piece Alder 2.1kg (vs 3kg for Ash), both £148 and unpainted. I know 'tonewood' is a contentious subject for non-acoustic instruments but any thoughts on advantage/disadvantage to those woods? (For what it's worth I've owned a couple of 3.3kg Basses that use basswood and they sounded just as good as much heavier Ash Basses I've owned, that wasn't comparing like for like though). 

 

Another option is northwest guitars 2 piece Alder at 2.6kg (painted) for £175.

 

Also, as these don't have the cutout between the pickups and the control cavity how are the cables ran between them? 

 

 

Edited October 15, 2022 by SumOne

[Velarian]

12 minutes ago, SumOne said:

Also, as these don't have the cutout between the pickups and the control cavity how are the cables ran between them? 

I don’t have any knowledge of these but I can see that there is pre-drilled hole for the bridge ground. Therefore the chances are that there’s a hole drilled between the corner of the pickup route and the control cavity. This is how it was with P bass body I got from Northwest Guitars. 

[SumOne]

2 minutes ago, Velarian said:

I don’t have any knowledge of these but I can see that there is pre-drilled hole for the bridge ground. Therefore the chances are that there’s a hole drilled between the corner of the pickup route and the control cavity. This is how it was with P bass body I got from Northwest Guitars. 

 

Thanks, yes actually I can now just about see that they do have a hole drilled in the corner of the pickup cavity. 

[SumOne]

 

It strikes me that the Fender Jazz and Precision headstocks could be made about 3" shorter and also save weight (and reducing weight at the furthest point away is the best place to reduce weight and prevent neck dive). I guess they are the shape they are for looks and for the Fender logo rather than necessity. 

 

At the very high risk of this ruining a budget neck/headstock (not the one in the picture)  does it look like this could work in theory ?

 

 

 

[PaulThePlug]

^ Yep... Stingray!

you can even reverse the winder on a lot of open machine heads...

 

i have previously seen 3 + 1 bass necks on the bay... kimase?

Edited October 15, 2022 by PaulThePlug

[SumOne]

10 minutes ago, PaulThePlug said:

^ Yep... Stingray!

you can even reverse the winder on a lot of open machine heads...

 

Ah yeah, I forgot about the Stingray. So that sort of layout works in principle.... In practice (with my lack of skills) probably not, might give it a go though. How hard can it be to cut the end off and drill a new hole?! 

[SamIAm]

Having built one bass (which was taken by a fire) and about to start my next I see only one pitfall  ...

 

Not doing it!

 

S'manth x

[3below]

3 hours ago, SumOne said:

 

It strikes me that the Fender Jazz and Precision headstocks could be made about 3" shorter and also save weight (and reducing weight at the furthest point away is the best place to reduce weight and prevent neck dive). I guess they are the shape they are for looks and for the Fender logo rather than necessity. 

 

At the very high risk of this ruining a budget neck/headstock (not the one in the picture)  does it look like this could work in theory ?

 

 

 

 

Done that one, the cutting (bandsaw) and smoothing is easy enough.   It did not look as good as I had hoped but that is a matter of personal taste.  Ideally you will get machine heads with a small back footprint e.g. Hipshots.  The Space at the back is a bit tight, I only just got Schaller BMs to fit.

Edited October 15, 2022 by 3below

[rushbo]

I’ve lost count of the number of bitsas I’ve bolted together. Some I’ve punted on for a modest profit - generally just enough to cover the cost of a Balti and a can or two of Root Beer- and some I’ve kept. It’s great fun. My advice to a prospective bitsabuilder would be:

 

Don’t just look for parts - if a whole bass comes up for a good price and you need just a neck/body/hardware etc, get it anyway. Then you build up a store of useful spares.

Facebook Marketplace is great for budget basses. I’ve scooped up all sorts of nice things (Squiers, Harley Bentons,  Epiphones) for not much money. 

Get a Dremel (or similar). They’re brilliant for drilling, sanding details and ghetto routing. I have a Tachlife Dremel knockoff and it’s ace.

Don't worry about getting hardware that’s an exact fit for the neck or body you’ve got. Use hardwood dowels or toothpicks to fill any existing holes and re-drill. More often than not, the old holes will be covered by the new hardware. The same goes for pickguards- even the cheapest Chinese P Bass plate can be bullied to fit a bass with some sandpaper and a bit of patience.

If you’re stripping paint, get a heat gun. Getting a poly finish off a Squier bass is no fun at all with anything else.

Tru Oil is great if you don’t want to paint a body. You can get a really deep gloss finish, or a lovely matt sheen. 

Don't worry too much if the neck isn’t a snug fit to the body. My main gigging bass of the last 8 years has a 1mm gap between the neck and the body and tuning and sustain are great.

Entwistle pickups are cheap and utterly fantastic. 

Prewired looms are useful if you’re nervous about soldering. An alternative is to use heat shrink tubing over twisted wires.

Wilkinson hardware is great and occasionally pops up on BC or eBay for good prices.  

Don't turn your nose up at budget basses- I’ve had great successes working on things like Encores. I’m not fussy about bodies- if they’re in decent condition and my hardware fits it, I’ll use it. I’m much fussier with necks.  

 

Welcome to the wonderful world of the lo-budget bitsa! 

[Andyjr1515]

A Bitsa Build is a great, great way of starting to understand: the basic geometry and mechanics of a bass; the things that matter; the things where you can take major liberties without affecting anything. 

 

You also start to realise (eg with your headstock example) how much of what lots of us see as 'the right way' or 'the right look' is simply what someone did 50 years ago that happened to work OK. 

 

Welcome to the slippery slope  

[3below]

14 hours ago, rushbo said:

.... Don't worry too much if the neck isn’t a snug fit to the body. My main gigging bass of the last 8 years has a 1mm gap between the neck and the body and tuning and sustain are great.....

 

The bitsa Jazz bass (all genuine Fender bits including 1970s neck) I have in my possession has this very feature  

Edited October 17, 2022 by 3below
1070s neck typo, a bit too vintage

[Geek99]

On 04/10/2022 at 10:30, SumOne said:

I'm interested in putting together a Precision Bass ('building' would probably be too grand a term!). Basically getting second hand body, neck (complete with truss rod and frets and nut) and other bits and putting them together. I'm assuming that a passive P Bass is the simplest in terms of complexity of the actual Bass and ease of getting parts. I'm also assuming it is relatively easy as I'm basically just screwing parts together and not doing anything like shaping wood or adding frets/fret levelling or dealing with multiple pickups and active preamp.....but is there anything in particular I need to look out for?

 

These are my assumptions:

 

• Body £90 (sold, but as an example). Depending on the body, I would perhaps paint it white - knowing that it'd be quite a shoddy sand then rattle can job (I quite like scruffy looking basses anyway).
• Neck £40 (also sold), this one being a Jazz neck, which I might do - assuming all J and P heel/neck pockets are the same so it's just a case of screwing it on with a neckplate.
• P bass pickups and loom £75, seems a faily simple process as they fit the P bass body cavities.
• Tuners £50 (they'd need to match the width of the headstock and ideally match any pre-drilled holes) 
• Bridge £30 (ideally with the screw holes in the same standard P bass positions)
• Pickguard £20 
• Additional things like strings, neckplate, knobs, strap buttons, string tree, etc. £50
• Total: £355 
• .......then some fairly easy going jobs of screwing pieces toghether and perhaps a small bit of soldering and Bob's your unkle, a one-off  custom Bass!

 

I'm not expecting it to be cheaper (or better!) than just getting an equivilant cost second hand bass but it will hopefully be fun or at least rewarding and I will be able to personalise it possibly cheaper than getting another Bass and then changing lots of parts (Ideally I want: lightweight white P bass body, J Bass neck, black pickguard, white pickups, Black lightweight hardware - including drop tuner).

 

 

What kind of pick guard? I have a nice celluloid tort one spare for less than that 

[SumOne]

2 hours ago, Geek99 said:

What kind of pick guard? I have a nice celluloid tort one spare for less than that 

 

Cheers. I'm not sure yet but I think if I go for a scruffy/roadworn white paint job on the body then I'll go for a black pickguard. This sort of thing:

 

• 

 

Bonus of that option being that I don't need to do a good job of the painting. 

 

Or, I am a fan of purple sparkle. It's not something that's easy to find on a P bass so doing it myself seems to make sense if I want to put together something fairly unique (although I imagine it's quite hard to do well and I wouldn't be able to do metal flake but just some rattle can glittery spray might be easy enough). Again though, that'd probably suit a black pickguard:

 

 

 

 

Edited October 17, 2022 by SumOne

[SumOne]

Overall I now think I want:

 

• P Bass body, lightweight.
  • I've bought a new one from G&B for £148 incl postage, it is Korina wood and is light at 1.9kg. 
• Jazz bass neck. Ideally Rosewood fingerboard with no front facing inlays (what's the point of inlays on the front of the fingerboard - you don't really see them when playing? Just need good visible side dots - which many basses do not have), but I'm not too fussed though.
  • Northwest Guitars do new Jazz necks from £130 which seems an alright price for new (main benefit being no holes drilled - so it'll line up with no faff). I'll wait a while to see if any suitable second hand necks become available though as my budget was £40 second hand.
  • If I feel ambitious perhaps I'll reshape the headstock to be 3+1 like a stingray. It would reduce the length and weight and make it more unique. 
• And up to about £200 for these second hand:
  • Black scratchplate.
  • Passive P bass pickups (I'd probably add white covers, just for the look).
  • Pre-wired loom.
  • Hipshot ultralite black tuners.
  • Black Pickguard.
  • Black bridge.
  • Neck plate. 
  • Black schaller straplocks. 

 

....so basically P Bass body and pickups etc, Jazz neck, Stingray type 3+1 headstock shape. All black and white, probably quite a scruffy, lightweight, Frankenbass.

 

Apart from the fun of putting it together I think that it is unique enough that it makes it worth doing as it is very unlikely I'd be able to get all those things in a pre-made Bass. 

 

My budget of £355 has risen to over £400 as I've already spent £60 more than expected on the body and that's the first thing I've bought so I guess the cost could keep creeping up if I'm not careful and patient.

 

 

Edited October 17, 2022 by SumOne

[Random Guitarist]

Budgets do that

 

You could save a little by using the rubber washer strap locks instead of the Schallers.

I have used the Schallers on everything for years and finally tried the rubber washers recently.

They have been a revelation, cheap/secure and fit any guitar/bass, no faffing with the buttons or straps.

They are not as ultimately locky as the Schallers but still pretty darned good and much more pleasant on the instrument.

I will never buy strap Schaller strap locks again.

[SumOne]

1 hour ago, Random Guitarist said:

Budgets do that

 

You could save a little by using the rubber washer strap locks instead of the Schallers.

I have used the Schallers on everything for years and finally tried the rubber washers recently.

They have been a revelation, cheap/secure and fit any guitar/bass, no faffing with the buttons or straps.

They are not as ultimately locky as the Schallers but still pretty darned good and much more pleasant on the instrument.

I will never buy strap Schaller strap locks again.

 

Yeah, if I need to save ££ then that is one of the first things that'll change.

 

Apart from easily changing straps over (one is set higher for slap) one of the main reasons I like the Schaller locks is that they are an easy way of extending the horn by a couple of cm to help balance the neck angle up a bit. I tend to add a washer between the bass/strap button, and another rubber washer between the lock on the strap and the strap, it adds perhaps 2-3cm distance which does make a small difference:

 

 

 

[SumOne]

I've got wood!

 

 

From G&B. Arrived quickly and is all looking high quality. I expected I'd need to sand it down a bit but it is all done already very smoothly. Compared against my Fender CIJ bass it seems almost identical in dimensions.

 

If I was being picky then there is that small knot in the wood at the neck pocket that goes all the way through and seems to have had some filler to stabalise it - perhaps one of the worst places to have an inconsistency in the wood but I guess it won't really matter. And I know this is petty but it was advertised as 1.9kg and is actually closer to 2kg (could be my kitchen scales that are wrong though).

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 19, 2022 by SumOne