Building a P bass

[cameltoe]

Does anyone have any words of wisdom for me?

I'm gagging to build my own P bass. I've already figured that the most important thing to me is feel, so I'm thinking of spending the most money on the neck.

Body-wise, I'd like something not too heavy, but not crazy light either. Solid wood, maybe MIM level quality.

I'm going to then strip the body (if neccessary) and paint it up in a colour I choose from [url="http://www.tonetechluthiersupplies.co.uk/Lacquers-and-Paint/Aerosol-Lacquer-and-Paint/View-all-products.html?TreeId=5"][u]here[/u][/url]

I'm hoping to find a maple MIJ or American neck, but if not I've been looking at [url="https://www.musikraft.com/index.php?CZSESSID=41inn3qdh11mq8bhr02hback83"][u]these guys[/u][/url], and with them I could have it built to my specs, for a great price. Chunky, maple, 7.5 radius, rolled fingerboard edges. If I can't find a body, I may order that from there as well.

I'll keep it simple electrically- no preamps or crazy pickups, probably just a Fender Vintage p'up, or a vintage Wizard.

A medium amount of bashing up after the paint-up, just to get that worn-in comfy feeling.

I really want this bass to feel amazing, and play really nice with a low action. I think the neck is the most important part in doing so, but I may be wrong and I'd love to hear your comments, especially if you can advise of other suppliers.

Thanks!

[Grand Wazoo]

Do you want it painted or unpainted? are you able to seal / sand, paint and spray?

[Cat Burrito]

I've done a couple and had a lot of fun with them. Stripping the paint was a real bonding moment and I did all but 2 gigs last year on a bass I put together - it really is a strong bond! I think you are right to get the neck right. It's important. I went all Fender parts and sourced a lot through Basschat.

[Raslee]

I'm building a P at the mo. Got some US pick ups last week on the bay for £25 and got a brand new vintage maple All parts neck off a guy privately for £104 with 60's decal (awaiting arrival) - he has more for sale!!!. I'm using my sonic blue Sue Ryder P body & bridge with P bridge ash tray. Also using a tort pickguard i picked up here for a £10.

My aim is to make some thing like this 60's P:



I'd like to relic next

Edited March 8, 2011 by Rasta

[Jerry_B]

Maybe it'd be useful to put all posts about these endeavours into a sticky thread? I say that as it seems to come up as a subject quite often.

I'm also planning on building a P - in my case, an unlined fretless one from a SX bass, MM neck and whatever else I can get my hands on...

[Algae]

A modern Fender USA P body will be quite light weight and you could buy one in a nice colour already to save you the hassle of all the spraying and sanding. There is a place in America that strips down and sells the parts from Fender guitars and basses on Ebay called the Stratosphere. You could get a USA of MIJ neck there too. I have bought a few things from them they are reliable and it doesn't take long to come. Go to [url="http://stores.ebay.com/thestratosphere"]Stratosphere[/url] . The only downside to buying from the states is that you will have to pay a customs charge on top so bear that in mind when looking at the prices.

[orangepeelneil]

[size=2]
I'd agree the neck is everything (once you get a reasonable weight body).

I've put together (assembled, not really built) a few P basses but never been to happy with the necks I chose, I wish I had chose an Allparts, Warmouth or genuine Fender neck personally.

I always like it when people base their projects on a bass from a certain era, Eg 57 PBass, 62 PBass, early 70's PBass.

None of us put together basses intending to sell them on again but it amazing how many self builds and "keepers" on basschat get sold on after a few years. I sold all three of the basses I built within a few years as something else caught my eye.

Be sure to do a build thread to keep me entertained at work...

Cheers Neil [/size]

[Muzz]

Just had a look at them, and Lord, they're expensive - a P-Bass neck is £400 + Ebay + shipping + import Duty + VAT = the North end of what you could get the whole bass for. The search (for me) continues...

[chrisba]

Anderton's in Guildford sell a "Build your own P-bass" kit that has all the bits. Pretty cheap, so presumably not particularly good, but might make a good starting point.

( Their website is a bit broken at the mo, otherwise I would have posted a link )

[cameltoe]

Great advice, cheers. The Stratosphere does have some nice stuff, but I've figured out why they chose that name- that's where their prices are.

Does any body have any experience of this Musikraft company? I've read a few good things on google, and they'll make a neck to any spec you want really.

I think I'll enjoy any stripping and painting, so looking forward to that. I'm gonna base it roughly on a '57, and see how I get on.

Hopefully someone will come forward with a body soon, I'm hoping for at least MIM quality so at least I know I'm getting solid wood (as opposed to moulded particle board) although I remember my last MIM P not being overly light. No boat anchor, but not exactly ash.

Edited March 8, 2011 by cameltoe

[jezzaboy]

Everyone should have a P bass bitsa. Mine is a Squire body, Jap Fender 57 neck, Wilkinson tuners, US Fender pick up and a nice wiring kit. I really love my G&L but as said earlier, the fact that you have made it yourself, gives you a bond with the guitar.

[attachment=74302:SAM_0097.JPG]

Jez

[cameltoe]

How nice could I get a bitsa like this to play? To the inexperienced man (myself) these guitars are so simple, that it seems if you buy quality parts, especially the neck, there's no reason why it shouldn't play really well, providing it has a decent set up. the low action is important to me, and I'm willing to pay out for a decent fret job to help achieve this, but I'd hope, hope that I could get it playing as nice as an MIJ/ Am Standard. If I could get it to feel as good as my Road Worn P, I'd be over the moon.

[allihts]

[url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/layla_bassguitar_kit_pstyle.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/layla_bassguitar_kit_pstyle.htm[/url]
Anyone think this would be a good starting point? Could replace neck/pickups etc but it's essentially a blank canvas

[nick]

[quote name='Rasta' post='1153392' date='Mar 8 2011, 08:59 AM']I'm building a P at the mo. Got some US pick ups last week on the bay for £25 and got a brand new vintage maple All parts neck off a guy privately for £104 with 60's decal (awaiting arrival) - he has more for sale!!!. I'm using my sonic blue Sue Ryder P body & bridge with P bridge ash tray. Also using a tort pickguard i picked up here for a £10.

My aim is to make some thing like this 60's P:



I'd like to relic next [/quote]

Doing exactly the same myself to my sonic blue Sue Ryder bass. Swapped out the pickup for a Wizard Trad that I found cheap. Also, changed the pots, added a PIO tone cap & fitted a nice cream pearloid scratchplate.
Was happy with the neck from a playing point of view, but it doesn't like the high tension La Bellas i use. So as I've gone this far modding it, I've decided to put a R/W Mighty Mite, nitro'd with a '63 logo, on it. Also £104 - probably from the same guy.
Hopefully will turn out to be good P-Bass, when its all done.
Not sure about relic'ing it though!

Edited March 13, 2011 by nick

[Muzz]

[quote name='cameltoe' post='1154609' date='Mar 8 2011, 09:55 PM']How nice could I get a bitsa like this to play? To the inexperienced man (myself) these guitars are so simple, that it seems if you buy quality parts, especially the neck, there's no reason why it shouldn't play really well, providing it has a decent set up. the low action is important to me, and I'm willing to pay out for a decent fret job to help achieve this, but I'd hope, hope that I could get it playing as nice as an MIJ/ Am Standard. If I could get it to feel as good as my Road Worn P, I'd be over the moon.[/quote]

Well, I built a FrankenP from an SX body, a MM neck and a Schaller 3D bridge, and sold both my US Precisions on the strength of it. It wasn't a straight fight, I guess, but I was playing and looking at the USs and thinking "These aren't very much better at all, I don't pick them up before the FrankenP, and I could have over a grand in the bank". Having said that, I'm now fitting a pair of Wizards PUs (P/J) to it, having a faff with parallel/series wiring, and seriously considering a Wenge/Ebony Warmoth neck (the MM will go onto my Ryder Double-P), so I guess once the improvement bug bites, it's hard to stop!

It's the one in my avatar - we played five gigs in Scotland one (long) weekend last year, I took the Ray, the FrankenP and a US P, and only played the FrankenP...

Edited March 13, 2011 by Muzz

[Raslee]

[quote name='nick' post='1161000' date='Mar 13 2011, 08:40 PM']Doing exactly the same myself to my sonic blue Sue Ryder bass. Swapped out the pickup for a Wizard Trad that I found cheap. Also, changed the pots, added a PIO tone cap & fitted a nice cream pearloid scratchplate.
Was happy with the neck from a playing point of view, but it doesn't like the high tension La Bellas i use. So as I've gone this far modding it, I've decided to put a R/W Mighty Mite, nitro'd with a '63 logo, on it. Also £104 - probably from the same guy.
Hopefully will turn out to be good P-Bass, when its all done.
Not sure about relic'ing it though! [/quote]
Nice one, i went for the maple neck on the Ryder body-was a nice fit too. I've set mine up now and its playing realy nice - good action and intonation, reminiscent of a lovley MIJ i once owned. Can't bring myself to relic now - change of heart, prob for the best.

So far £60 on the Ryder, £20 on US Pick Ups (ebay), £104 on the Mighty mite neck (totally love this neck), £5 on larger ferrules for string thru option, £17 on the vintage CTS pots P wiring/PIO cap and £10 on an ashtray which i've left off. Total £216 ....Really beginning to like this bass lots too.

Here's the bass now:

Edited March 13, 2011 by Rasta

[nick]

[quote name='Rasta' post='1161059' date='Mar 13 2011, 09:21 PM']Nice one, i went for the maple neck on the Ryder body-was a nice fit too. I've set mine up now and its playing realy nice - good action and intonation, reminiscent of a lovley MIJ i once owned. Can't bring myself to relic now - change of heart, prob for the best.

So far £60 on the Ryder, £20 on US Pick Ups (ebay), £104 on the Mighty mite neck (totally love this neck), £5 on larger ferrules for string thru option, £17 on the vintage CTS pots P wiring/PIO cap and £10 on an ashtray which i've left off. Total £216 ....Really beginning to like this bass lots too.

Here's the bass now:[/quote]


That's lovely, like it!

Here's mine - very happy with how it turned out.

[Raslee]

[quote name='nick' post='1168968' date='Mar 19 2011, 10:38 PM']That's lovely, like it!

Here's mine - very happy with how it turned out.

[/quote]
That looks lovley Nick - loving the pickguard combo, how well does it play?

I'm really chuffed with mine as the set up was relatively painless, i shimmed the neck with a business card and the action is now superb and the intonation is great too. I ended buying a relic squire body the other day so P bitsa 2 could be happening very soon....oh dear this could become a new obsession

[geoffbyrne]

If anyone's got a decent(!) Sue Ryder (or other) neck they don't want, I'll have it - Mine has a Not-So-Good neck with a pretty rough fret job - several low frets - if it were high frets it would be much more fixable - so I can't get the action below, say, medium - I like low - and I don't feel it's worth spending £40 on it for the fret job.

G.

[dmz]

Great stuff ! - I love all this talk of building your own beast.

I'd love to do the course that John Shuker provides - buidling your own bass from scratch .

[url="http://www.shukerguitars.co.uk/course.htm"]http://www.shukerguitars.co.uk/course.htm[/url]

Appears to be offering a course on set-up and slight mods/repairs as well......

[gafbass02]

Sorry to resurrect. I'm thinking of keeping my Ryder bass now. Did these necks you guys have fitted match the holes or was it a more involved job?

[bassmachine2112]

I built my own as well or heavily modified it .
I wanted a maple neck, and a vintage 3 over 1 neck turned up for their musicman copy so I got that,straight forward job to fit,drill new pilot holes for the neck screws,nos schaller tuners,fake badass bridge which was a stopgap but it does the job very well so I might change it if a gotoh comes up cheap as.Wizard thumper,very high presence which can be tamed with the tone,very high output which can be rounded out with the volume.This pick up is almost like an active and I might go the whole hog and go for stealth 51.
Apart from the pick up everything has been sourced from fleabag on 99p starting bids which did take a bit of patience and time but it,s a killer bass
[attachment=87061:DSCN4071.JPG]

[Circle_of_Fifths]

I\'ve started biting back at the building bug myself. So far I\'ve built three - one was a selection of parts that I finished and assembled to see just how it goes and I had so much fun, I just took off from there.

My first bass, a P-clone is made from parts I cherry-picked from a couple of guitar parts sites:::

I call this my Tuxedo Bass #1:::



It has Guitar Fetish AlNiCo p\'ups, olde style with no over-winding. I finished it with a hand-rubbed stain and several coats of clear urethane and many coats of hard paste wax - carnauba bean wax.

Right now it has some MII Fender Squier 7250 NPS strings on it and these are NOT the strings that Fender says they are. These actually sound good.

The next one was my own body made out of scrap construction lumber that I picked up at a job site where I was rewiring the electrical panel:::

Here\'s the wood BEFORE::



and in the formative stage:::



....and after:::



This \'50s P-clone has a single wound antiquities p\'up and a single-ply PG. I added ROTO 77s for some serious thump and it really sounds nice.

At the moment, I am in the final stage of this bass - my own design. Kinda a cross between a Fender Jaguar and an Ibanez SR series:::









Here\'s where the body sits at the moment:::



...and the headstock:::



I triple bound the head with individual Black/White/Black binding strips from StewMac, but I can get a better price by buying it in bulk from a plastic store in another town --- MUCHO CHEAPER!

Next on my plans is to actually make my own neck for the new bass I\'ve laid out already.

So - you too can build your own - although I suggest getting a neck that\'s already made until you get your feet really good and wet!

Edited August 16, 2011 by Circle_of_Fifths