Mylkinut Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 (edited) I got one of those P-Bass kits for Christmas, so I figure I may as well show you all how it's going since interest in them comes up every so often. Everything you need comes in the box, right down to the strings. All you need to do is paint the body, finish the neck (if you want) and carve out the headstock. The body feels great - it's a three-piece and looks to match my real-deal Fenders very closely. The neck isn't bad either, more shallow than a regular P neck but nice and wide. The hardware isn't anything to write home about but I'm planning to upgrade as I go. My plans are basically a Capri Orange (ish) body and a '51-style headstock. Depending on how it turns out I'll look at glossing the neck, fitting chrome covers and a thumbrest, but to be honest this the first thing like this I've ever attempted so I'm just happy to be building something. First off, I got myself a template for the headstock from the depths of the internet, and stuck it on with a pair of tuners (I did straighten it out after I took the photo ) Edited January 7, 2013 by Mylkinut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mylkinut Posted January 6, 2013 Author Share Posted January 6, 2013 (edited) I gave the neck to a mate of mine with the tools for the job, and got back a headstock I'm very chuffed with. The freshly-sawn wood came out bright compared to the rest, so I sanded and oiled it and now it matches perfectly. I'm still in two minds about glossing the neck - it's my preference, but I think I want to see how it plays first before putting the effort in. Out of giddyness I mocked it up for the first time - the neck pocket is the tightest of all my P Basses! (are you reading this Fender? ) Edited January 6, 2013 by Mylkinut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mylkinut Posted January 6, 2013 Author Share Posted January 6, 2013 Onwards with painting. Primer was done despite the spraycan packing up on me - it ended up spraying unevenly. Once it dried I sanded it down and it came out flat and even - close one... [IMG]http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y98/mylkinut/20130105_133104_zps1c7ff3fe.jpg[/IMG] Pretty chuffed by this point, so today I decided to do the colour coat. [IMG]http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y98/mylkinut/20130106_145933_zps429cddf0.jpg[/IMG] Unfortunately, it came out pretty poorly - a few runs and some ironic orange peel. The colour is spot on though (it doesn't look nearly as bright in real life) so looks perfect from about 6 feet away. So, plan is to let it harden over the week and sand it down flat next weekend, then either give more colour coats if it needs it or just go straight to clear coating. Honestly, I'm not after a perfect finish but I'd like it looking nicer than it is... we'll see how it goes I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mylkinut Posted January 6, 2013 Author Share Posted January 6, 2013 Actually, what would be best to sand the paint flat so I can spray a clear coat over it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommorichards Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 im liking the 21 fret neck. Dont see those too often. Looks good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete1967 Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 [quote name='Mylkinut' timestamp='1357490537' post='1923389'] Actually, what would be best to sand the paint flat so I can spray a clear coat over it? [/quote] Wet sand with 1500 then 2000 grit wet and dry, or start with 1000 grit if the runs are really bad.... Tip: add a drop (literally) of washing up liquid to the water. Helps to lubricate the water! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allighatt0r Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 I'm quite tempted to get a Jazz kit after seeing this thread. I'll be interested to see how this turns out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mylkinut Posted January 20, 2013 Author Share Posted January 20, 2013 Right, so I finally got round to sanding the finish back today. Pretty soon realised that it looked brilliant in a matt finish, so I just assembled it! The finish feels fantastic, lovely and worn in. It plays surprisingly well; I've got the action right down and the neck feels lovely. The sound is huge, I wasn't expecting much but the pickup is reasonably hot. Definitely gig-worthy. [IMG]http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y98/mylkinut/DSC_0063_zps69dda6d3.jpg[/IMG] Only thing left to do is to oil the neck and age it a little - not a fan of the pale wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mylkinut Posted January 20, 2013 Author Share Posted January 20, 2013 [quote name='allighatt0r' timestamp='1357908711' post='1930351'] I'm quite tempted to get a Jazz kit after seeing this thread. I'll be interested to see how this turns out! [/quote] Go for it - I came into this expecting to enjoy the project but maybe not the bass itself, but I'm really happy with it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 It looks great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myke Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I love the orange! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkHeart Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 that looks really good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Looks pretty good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommorichards Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 what orange spray did you use, and how many coats? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mylkinut Posted January 21, 2013 Author Share Posted January 21, 2013 Just some Rustoleum I had in the garage left over from respraying a fixed gear. I think the colour is called 'Real Orange'. I sprayed 3 coats of primer and 4 thin coats of colour - the back will need another coat since the primer came through a little when I was sanding it back. That can wait though, it's far too cold at the moment to spray and I don't have anywhere heated to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dom in Dorset Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 Would you mind posting a link to the template for the headstock? I could do with one of those for my own build. Nice work by the way, I had misgivings about the orange colour but itworks really well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mylkinut Posted January 22, 2013 Author Share Posted January 22, 2013 (edited) Thanks! Matting it with sandpaper toned the orange down somewhat, much closer to the Capri Orange I had in mind... And here you go, it's the PDF on this page. There's a bumper load to choose from. http://www.tdpri.com/forum/bass-place/252557-p-bass-headstock-template.html Edited January 22, 2013 by Mylkinut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gruffers Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 [quote name='Mylkinut' timestamp='1358869098' post='1946304'] Thanks! Matting it with sandpaper toned the orange down somewhat, much closer to the Capri Orange I had in mind... And here you go, it's the PDF on this page. There's a bumper load to choose from. [url="http://www.tdpri.com/forum/bass-place/252557-p-bass-headstock-template.html"]http://www.tdpri.com...k-template.html[/url] [/quote]very cool PDF. Thanks for sharing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dom in Dorset Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 Thanks, I'd been agonizing over what headstock for my Fenderesque Fusion Fretless jazz build until I saw your bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mylkinut Posted January 22, 2013 Author Share Posted January 22, 2013 No worries, glad to be of service! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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