P- Bass Build
Although all of the information found here can also be found on the main blog, I'm using this page to keep the progress organized.
1/26/11
Christmas 2010 was a great one for me, full of all kinds of guitar goodies (yes, I do realize Christmas was over a month ago...). I received a bunch of new reading material, auto-biographies by George Martin (the fifth Beatle) and George Fullerton (Leo Fender's partner in crime). As for effects, I received a Danelectro Cool Cat Tremolo, very cool for when you're in a smooth 60's mood. And last, but not least (this is actually the most important since it is the main topic of the post) a Saga P-Bass kit from my amazing wife Katie :)
For about a year now, I've been very interested in "building" (I realize this is a kit and not a true build, but hey I've got to start somewhere) my own guitar, or in this case bass. I think I caught the building bug when I started modding my Tele. I really love having a guitar that sounds, looks and plays exactly like I want it to... especially if I can do it for a fraction of the cost of buying a custom guitar.
Upon opening the Bass kit, I was very impressed by the quality of the body and the neck. This bass truly is ready to be assembled with minimal knowledge required. Of course I don't know how to do anything the easy way, so this bass will certainly have a few of my own modifications added to increase the difficult of the project, but increase the awesomeness of the final product (assuming I don't screw everything up).
All of the hardware required is included, although I'm sure the quality is similar to that of a Squier or any other cheap import bass.
The full length of the bass is 46 1/2", it is 12 3/4" at the widest point, and approximately 1 3/4" thick. It has 20 frets, and measures to be a 34" scale. As far as I can gather, this is pretty much right on with a Fender Precision Bass.
The body seems to be routed and sanded very nicely, there is one ding on the top of it, but it is under the bridge, so doesn't really matter much. The pickguard was installed when I received the kit, but I have removed it here to show the body routes.
I'm sure this new project will take me several months to complete, but I will meticulously document my progress here. Please feel free to add any suggestions as I go!
-GGT
When I started playing bass years ago I purchased a forest green Ibanez TR 70 (same model as the one shown to the left). It was a great beginners bass, it was simple to play, light weight, and it looked pretty decent. I used it exclusively in high school with different bands I played with, as well as throughout college.
Around 2007, it occurred to me that I'm probably not going to become a rock star, so I decided to sell off some of my excess gear to buy... more excess gear. I sold two amps at that time, a vintage 70's MusicMan HD-130 (which I regret) and a Dean Markley bass amp that I'm glad to be rid of. The individual who purchased my Dean amp tried it out with my TR 70, and by the end of the evening, convinced me to sell it as well. Even though the bass wasn't for sale, I let my greed get the better of me and sold the bass for double what I paid for it when it was new.
I searched for a few months to find a replacement bass, and ended up with an Epiphone Thunderbird. It was hands down the coolest looking instrument I've ever owned, not to mention it sounded fantastic. That being said, it was incredibly heavy, hard to play, and very top heavy, making it really hard to play standing up for an extended period of time. I tinkered with it quite a bit to improve the playability, but finally came to the conclusion that I never should have sold the TR 70.
Now don't get me wrong, the TR 70 wasn't perfect by any means, the pickups were weak, the pots crackled, the knobs were cheap plastic, and the tuners didn't hold tune all that well. On the other hand the weight, balance, and playability were impeccable. Unfortunately for me, I sold the TR 70 before I had entered the world modding my instruments, and now realize that I could have easily fixed everything I didn't like about the bass.
Now back to my current project, when I first ran my hand down the neck, my first impression was that it felt exactly like my TR 70. The radius and neck profile are spot on, as is the scale. Because of this, I have decided to, in a way, attempt to rebuild the bass I never should have sold.
Here is a mock-up of what I'm planning on attempting:
I'm sticking with the same pickup and control configuration as the TR 70. A jazz pickup at the bridge, and a precision pickup in the middle. Likewise, I'm going with the three knob configuration that the Ibanez had, two volumes and one tone. If you purchase a Fender Deluxe P-Bass, they come with two volumes and two tones, but I think that's excess. Both basses I have owned in the past had the three knob configuration and worked great. Additionally, I think the forth knob looks goofy.
I'm going to move the input jack to the side of the body, same spot as a Tele, because I absolutely hate input jacks on the top of an instrument.
Finally I have chosen to go with a Vintage White finish (it's supposed to be an easy color to spray), and a brown tortoise shell pickguard. The addition of the thumb guard is purely for aesthetics, since I doubt I'll actually use it, but it just looks so cool.
Now that they layout and cosmetics have been planned, it's time to start routing and the body, wish me luck.
-GGT
For about a year now, I've been very interested in "building" (I realize this is a kit and not a true build, but hey I've got to start somewhere) my own guitar, or in this case bass. I think I caught the building bug when I started modding my Tele. I really love having a guitar that sounds, looks and plays exactly like I want it to... especially if I can do it for a fraction of the cost of buying a custom guitar.
Upon opening the Bass kit, I was very impressed by the quality of the body and the neck. This bass truly is ready to be assembled with minimal knowledge required. Of course I don't know how to do anything the easy way, so this bass will certainly have a few of my own modifications added to increase the difficult of the project, but increase the awesomeness of the final product (assuming I don't screw everything up).
All of the hardware required is included, although I'm sure the quality is similar to that of a Squier or any other cheap import bass.
The full length of the bass is 46 1/2", it is 12 3/4" at the widest point, and approximately 1 3/4" thick. It has 20 frets, and measures to be a 34" scale. As far as I can gather, this is pretty much right on with a Fender Precision Bass.
The body seems to be routed and sanded very nicely, there is one ding on the top of it, but it is under the bridge, so doesn't really matter much. The pickguard was installed when I received the kit, but I have removed it here to show the body routes.
I'm sure this new project will take me several months to complete, but I will meticulously document my progress here. Please feel free to add any suggestions as I go!-GGT
P-Bass Progress Update 1/31/11
When I started playing bass years ago I purchased a forest green Ibanez TR 70 (same model as the one shown to the left). It was a great beginners bass, it was simple to play, light weight, and it looked pretty decent. I used it exclusively in high school with different bands I played with, as well as throughout college.Around 2007, it occurred to me that I'm probably not going to become a rock star, so I decided to sell off some of my excess gear to buy... more excess gear. I sold two amps at that time, a vintage 70's MusicMan HD-130 (which I regret) and a Dean Markley bass amp that I'm glad to be rid of. The individual who purchased my Dean amp tried it out with my TR 70, and by the end of the evening, convinced me to sell it as well. Even though the bass wasn't for sale, I let my greed get the better of me and sold the bass for double what I paid for it when it was new.
I searched for a few months to find a replacement bass, and ended up with an Epiphone Thunderbird. It was hands down the coolest looking instrument I've ever owned, not to mention it sounded fantastic. That being said, it was incredibly heavy, hard to play, and very top heavy, making it really hard to play standing up for an extended period of time. I tinkered with it quite a bit to improve the playability, but finally came to the conclusion that I never should have sold the TR 70.
Now don't get me wrong, the TR 70 wasn't perfect by any means, the pickups were weak, the pots crackled, the knobs were cheap plastic, and the tuners didn't hold tune all that well. On the other hand the weight, balance, and playability were impeccable. Unfortunately for me, I sold the TR 70 before I had entered the world modding my instruments, and now realize that I could have easily fixed everything I didn't like about the bass.
Now back to my current project, when I first ran my hand down the neck, my first impression was that it felt exactly like my TR 70. The radius and neck profile are spot on, as is the scale. Because of this, I have decided to, in a way, attempt to rebuild the bass I never should have sold.
Here is a mock-up of what I'm planning on attempting:
I'm sticking with the same pickup and control configuration as the TR 70. A jazz pickup at the bridge, and a precision pickup in the middle. Likewise, I'm going with the three knob configuration that the Ibanez had, two volumes and one tone. If you purchase a Fender Deluxe P-Bass, they come with two volumes and two tones, but I think that's excess. Both basses I have owned in the past had the three knob configuration and worked great. Additionally, I think the forth knob looks goofy.I'm going to move the input jack to the side of the body, same spot as a Tele, because I absolutely hate input jacks on the top of an instrument.
Finally I have chosen to go with a Vintage White finish (it's supposed to be an easy color to spray), and a brown tortoise shell pickguard. The addition of the thumb guard is purely for aesthetics, since I doubt I'll actually use it, but it just looks so cool.
Now that they layout and cosmetics have been planned, it's time to start routing and the body, wish me luck.
-GGT
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