Kit Built Basses

[Callumjord]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]I have recently decided that I am in need of a P bass/P bass style bass guitar and while I was looking at some different options the thought never occurred to me that I could get a kit P bass and make my own and make it a project for next year (after I get my pedal bored finished)[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Has anybody had any experience with kit built guitars? [/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]I am mainly thinking about starting off with one from either amazon or ebay (warmoth would be too expensive once the P&P has been added) and upgrading all the components ie, bass pickups, pots, tuners, bridge etc.[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]I could imagine that there would be a lot of work required for the neck, levelling/filing frets etc but what other problems could I occur? [/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Cheers, [/font][/color]

[6v6]

The kits I've seen aren't great quality tbh - if you want a good playable bass I'd look at something like a squier P or a Yamaha BB, then mod that if needed.

However if you primarily want a project, I'm sure one of the kits will provide some good entertainment, Thommann do a kit for £65 which has got to be worth a go I guess, although a fully built and finished Harley Benton bass is the exact same price, which is kinda hard to understand!

[Twigman]

Warmoth are far far better quality than the ebay kits

[Mykesbass]

Sitting somewhere between Warmoth and the Ebay kits (pricewise at least) are Build Your Own Guitars [url="http://byoguitar.com"]http://byoguitar.com[/url] results of which can be seen in the for sale link below. Good price, and didn't get clobbered for a huge amount of import duty

[Norris]

It depends what you want to do. You may be better off buying a reasonable quality donor bass as it will probably cost less than the individual components. Then refinish/upgrade as budget and inspiration allow. Or you could go the whole hog and find a guitar building course near you - although that will probably cost you more in the long run (e.g. just the wood for the Telecaster guitar I'm making cost me more than a brand new Squier Affinity Tele!)

[roman_sub]

I'd warn against buying very very cheap necks / bodies from unknown manufacturers - you may end up with issues that would make the whole project bass unusable / worthless in the longer term. I bought the cheapest fretless neck I could for a project and ended up giving it away as a freebie because the heel wasn't cut properly, fretlines were already cracked and I couldn't sell it on for any money. Warmoth is expensive but is a recognised name..... That all said, if you just want to mess around with a cheap kit, nothing wrong with that!

[Callumjord]

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1446635095' post='2900941']
Sitting somewhere between Warmoth and the Ebay kits (pricewise at least) are Build Your Own Guitars [url="http://byoguitar.com"]http://byoguitar.com[/url] results of which can be seen in the for sale link below. Good price, and didn't get clobbered for a huge amount of import duty
[/quote]

Thats a fair price, I would love to go Warmoth but the price and P&P on top makes the price go through the roof.

[quote name='Norris' timestamp='1446638737' post='2900985']
It depends what you want to do. You may be better off buying a reasonable quality donor bass as it will probably cost less than the individual components. Then refinish/upgrade as budget and inspiration allow. Or you could go the whole hog and find a guitar building course near you - although that will probably cost you more in the long run (e.g. just the wood for the Telecaster guitar I'm making cost me more than a brand new Squier Affinity Tele!)
[/quote]

An idea I had was to just use the body with the kit and maybe source a fender/warmoth neck. Although a donor bass could be a good shout. Although I am not really good with my hands so would rather pay for a cheap kit and botch it up then pay more for a donor bass.

[zero9]

I'd recommend buying the parts from the for sale forum here on Basschat, as and when the bits come up at the right price. That's what I've done and I just need some pickups now. It may take longer, but is more fun

[Andyjr1515]

OK - I'm going to wade in my my size 12's here...

If you just want to assemble a bass, but want it to look the tops, Warmoth is the way to go, but very very expensive.

BUT if you want to do more than that - if you want to also do the finishing as well, and are using it as a learning / source of satisfaction with a pretty good chance of a half decent end result, I would heartily recommend the kit ranges from [url="http://www.gear4music.com/Bass-Guitars/DIY-Basses"]Gear4music here[/url]

At [b]less than £70 for EVERYTHING[/b], except the glue, stain and varnish, you really can't go far wrong. You will want to put some better strings on and, if it turns out nice build-wise, worth considering popping some better pickups and maybe hardware. I suspect the Thomann kits are just as good but don't have first hand on those.

'The Fretboard' forum ran a Summer Challenge last year to get a Gear4music kit and either just build it or pimp it up. There were around 30 entries - including a number of basses - and very, very few quality issues reported. Most people were well impressed with the quality of the timber and machining. I know I was.

I did a 6 string, [b]which is now my main gigging guitar[/b], and has been since I finished it over a year ago!!!!

Here it is (and yes - I well and truly pimped mine up):




The quality of the machining on mine was unbelievable at that price point.

There are better kits around - some are stunning quality - but bang for buck and for starters, this is the way I would go...

Andy

[Stevo]

TBH This is the way I want to go, I was a Luthier back in the dim and distant past, and made everything myself from wood blanks, so spraying a guitar up won't be too much of a problem.

Regards the hardware (- or shoud I start another thread!) what's popular these days? I was used to making pickup blanks from figured maple and sending them to Kent Armstrong to wind/mould them for me....

I've see some great reviews and comments for Alun Entwhistle's Neo pickups... Schaller Machines? Badass bridge? you tell me!

Edited November 4, 2015 by Stevo

[Callumjord]

[quote name='Andyjr1515' timestamp='1446646278' post='2901080']
OK - I'm going to wade in my my size 12's here...

If you just want to assemble a bass, but want it to look the tops, Warmoth is the way to go, but very very expensive.

BUT if you want to do more than that - if you want to also do the finishing as well, and are using it as a learning / source of satisfaction with a pretty good chance of a half decent end result, I would heartily recommend the kit ranges from [url="http://www.gear4music.com/Bass-Guitars/DIY-Basses"]Gear4music here[/url]

At [b]less than £70 for EVERYTHING[/b], except the glue, stain and varnish, you really can't go far wrong. You will want to put some better strings on and, if it turns out nice build-wise, worth considering popping some better pickups and maybe hardware. I suspect the Thomann kits are just as good but don't have first hand on those.

'The Fretboard' forum ran a Summer Challenge last year to get a Gear4music kit and either just build it or pimp it up. There were around 30 entries - including a number of basses - and very, very few quality issues reported. Most people were well impressed with the quality of the timber and machining. I know I was.

I did a 6 string, [b]which is now my main gigging guitar[/b], and has been since I finished it over a year ago!!!!

Here it is (and yes - I well and truly pimped mine up):




The quality of the machining on mine was unbelievable at that price point.

There are better kits around - some are stunning quality - but bang for buck and for starters, this is the way I would go...

Andy
[/quote]

I'll have a look into the gear4music kits, ideally the bass will be used for gigs so I am wanting to put some time and money into it. I think I will go with a basic kit and work on it as appose to a warmoth as that way it will feel like there is more of "me" put into the bass.

That guitar looks awesome btw

[wmsheep]

Hmmm, sounds like a competition for next year - at some random point in time the competition is announced and you have to buy your kit from Thomann, Gear4Music or BYOGuitar, and once received you have a certain amount of time to put it together.

Results are then put to the public vote. Obviously there would be different classes for the different makers/models.


Just a thought.




oh, by the way, the Carvin BK4 kit I bought years ago is still in a state of "will be looked at again at some point in the future" (actually, just got the body to finish/start - just waiting for nice weather to lacquer)

.

[petetexas]

Hi Guys ,
I have decided to "build " my own bass , I say " build " as really its an assembly , with a few vey critial holes , alignments etc .
Nothwest Guitars manufacture excellent finished bodies ( gloss polyester £150 ) and necks ( satin polyester £110 ) both maple and rosewood fingerboard ALL MADE IN HOUSE .
I have just purchased an Artic white Jazz Body ( gloss polyester ) and a vintage ( satin polyester ) one piece Maple Neck .
By the time you purchase [u]all[/u] the hardware , pickups etc , it does come out at about £450 ! Expensive , but , something you make to your own requirements .
Beware though , aligning neck to body , and drilling for mounting plate etc HAS TO BE DONE WITH CARE . Even drilling holes and mountng m/c heads has to be done with care , as a hole drilled through the headstock or fingerboard can be VERY expensive !

Assembly so far ...................( sorry about the quality of pics , dodgy phone camera ! )

[url="http://s1298.photobucket.com/user/petetexas/media/20151106_172426_zps3fxpbtdi.jpg.html"][/url]

[Mykesbass]

[quote name='petetexas' timestamp='1446831328' post='2902791']
Hi Guys ,
I have decided to "build " my own bass , I say " build " as really its an assembly , with a few vey critial holes , alignments etc .
Nothwest Guitars manufacture excellent finished bodies ( gloss polyester £150 ) and necks ( satin polyester £110 ) both maple and rosewood fingerboard ALL MADE IN HOUSE .
I have just purchased an Artic white Jazz Body ( gloss polyester ) and a vintage ( satin polyester ) one piece Maple Neck .
By the time you purchase [u]all[/u] the hardware , pickups etc , it does come out at about £450 ! Expensive , but , something you make to your own requirements .
Beware though , aligning neck to body , and drilling for mounting plate etc HAS TO BE DONE WITH CARE . Even drilling holes and mountng m/c heads has to be done with care , as a hole drilled through the headstock or fingerboard can be VERY expensive !

Assembly so far ...................( sorry about the quality of pics , dodgy phone camera ! )


[/quote]

I found drilling through the finish to be the most difficult - even using masking tape and a new drill bit I got quite a lot of flaking. Hopefully your finish will be a little more forgiving. Nice work so far!

[petetexas]

Hi Mykesbass,
I always use a bradle to firstly mark the center where the hole is to be , then use a hand drill ( about 40 years old - given to me by my late dad ) and take it VERY VERY slow .
I always go back after drilling and slightly countersink the top of the hole .
Will get the bridge lined up and fitted in position tomorrow - if the screws turn up !
Pete

[Callumjord]

[quote name='petetexas' timestamp='1446831328' post='2902791']
Hi Guys ,
I have decided to "build " my own bass , I say " build " as really its an assembly , with a few vey critial holes , alignments etc .
Nothwest Guitars manufacture excellent finished bodies ( gloss polyester £150 ) and necks ( satin polyester £110 ) both maple and rosewood fingerboard ALL MADE IN HOUSE .
I have just purchased an Artic white Jazz Body ( gloss polyester ) and a vintage ( satin polyester ) one piece Maple Neck .
By the time you purchase [u]all[/u] the hardware , pickups etc , it does come out at about £450 ! Expensive , but , something you make to your own requirements .
Beware though , aligning neck to body , and drilling for mounting plate etc HAS TO BE DONE WITH CARE . Even drilling holes and mountng m/c heads has to be done with care , as a hole drilled through the headstock or fingerboard can be VERY expensive !

Assembly so far ...................( sorry about the quality of pics , dodgy phone camera ! )

[url="http://s1298.photobucket.com/user/petetexas/media/20151106_172426_zps3fxpbtdi.jpg.html"][/url]
[/quote]

Yea I worked out the cost of all the extra components and I was roughly round the £450 mark, that's why I am wanting to get it right and not muck it up

[Stevo]

Anyone seen [url="http://www.guitarbuild.co.uk/"]http://www.guitarbuild.co.uk/[/url] ? At least the customisable options are there and you can design a 2 piece swamp ash J body, fully routed and shaped so you can do away with the pickguard and show off the wood... £160.

[petetexas]

They look good ,
I decided to go for a colour ( Artic White my fav ) because I have a Lakland Spalted Maple top ( to which I have fitted Nordstrand pups and Glockenklang pre amp ) for a while , but missed the Jazz sound !
Anyhow , here is a pic of the Jazzer next to the Lakland .
Jazzer has had the neck aligned / fitted ( had to shim it to get a good action ) and the bridge ( Gotoh ) , with the nut cut and pups added using an old set of strings .
Just waiting for the control plate to arrive - have got the CTS pots . Switchcraft Socket and Sprague capacitor already .

[URL=http://s1298.photobucket.com/user/petetexas/media/SDC11836_zpsaajz2ifz.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag59/petetexas/SDC11836_zpsaajz2ifz.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

The strings / bridge look out of line to the pups , but they are not - its just a slight angle of the picture .
Pete

[Callumjord]

[quote name='Stevo' timestamp='1446912972' post='2903467']
Anyone seen [url="http://www.guitarbuild.co.uk/"]http://www.guitarbuild.co.uk/[/url] ? At least the customisable options are there and you can design a 2 piece swamp ash J body, fully routed and shaped so you can do away with the pickguard and show off the wood... £160.
[/quote]

Never heard of that website before, just had a look around and signed up. They have some great prices. Hopefully the product will be good.

[Andyjr1515]

Guitarbuild are very good quality components in my view. Just finished a tele build using one of their bodies and it was tip top...

[DorsetBlue]

[quote name='Andyjr1515' timestamp='1447022955' post='2904278']
Guitarbuild are very good quality components in my view. Just finished a tele build using one of their bodies and it was tip top...
[/quote]

Just building a Hank Marvin'ish Strat based on a Guitarbuild body. Custom routed to match a G&L neck, very impressed with the quality.

[petetexas]

Still awaiting delivery ( should be this morning ) of the correct control plate ( I ordered the wrong 3 hole instead of 4 hole ) , but wired it up for last nights rehearsal ........................................what a sound and feel ...................be it that the bass weighs in at just under 12 pounds , did not notice the weight at all !
Loads of comments about it from the band ( even the drummer ! )
I have even put a F%"%ER logo on the hedstock , and laq over it .
It looks the part.
Will get new pics up when the correct plate is installed . Have REALLY enjoyed the "assembly" , and gettting all the parts together .
Pete

Edited November 12, 2015 by petetexas

[petetexas]

Plate not turned up yet ...............BOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !
Pete

Edited November 13, 2015 by petetexas

[petetexas]

Well, Here she is ..........done two gigs with her , and I am VERY pleased with the result .
Nice C shape neck profile ( I have large hands , so feels great ) , a little heavy ( just under 12 pounds ) but did not feel it during gigs , sustain is brilliant .
Body and neck from Northwest Guitars , scratchplate , bridge etc from bits lying around and some parts purchased on ebay .
Had to do some "tweaking " to get neck at correct angle to body to get a decent action ( put a shim in neck pocket ) even decided to put waterslide Fender Logo on headstock , and gave it 5/6 light coats of satin Laq to seal it .
Really enjoyed the whole project .........I would say about £450 in all . I know you can get a secondhand Mex Jazz for about that , but its not half as much fun ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

[url="http://s1298.photobucket.com/user/petetexas/media/SDC11850_zpsym8725xh.jpg.html"][/url]

[url="http://s1298.photobucket.com/user/petetexas/media/SDC11849_zpscwkgpcfy.jpg.html"][/url]

[url="http://s1298.photobucket.com/user/petetexas/media/SDC11844_zpsau1sy5bw.jpg.html"][/url]

[url="http://s1298.photobucket.com/user/petetexas/media/SDC11847_zps4zskhizl.jpg.html"][/url]

[url="http://s1298.photobucket.com/user/petetexas/media/SDC11841_zpsbfgaep9q.jpg.html"][/url]

[url="http://s1298.photobucket.com/user/petetexas/media/SDC11840_zps52vzv5or.jpg.html"][/url]

Pete

Edited November 16, 2015 by petetexas

[Callumjord]

[quote name='petetexas' timestamp='1447599727' post='2908779']
Well, Here she is ..........done two gigs with her , and I am VERY pleased with the result .
Nice C shape neck profile ( I have large hands , so feels great ) , a little heavy ( just under 12 pounds ) but did not feel it during gigs , sustain is brilliant .
Body and neck from Northwest Guitars , scratchplate , bridge etc from bits lying around and some parts purchased on ebay .
Had to do some "tweaking " to get neck at correct angle to body to get a decent action ( put a shim in neck pocket ) even decided to put waterslide Fender Logo on headstock , and gave it 5/6 light coats of satin Laq to seal it .
Really enjoyed the whole project .........I would say about £450 in all . I know you can get a secondhand Mex Jazz for about that , but its not half as much fun ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

[url="http://s1298.photobucket.com/user/petetexas/media/SDC11850_zpsym8725xh.jpg.html"][/url]

[url="http://s1298.photobucket.com/user/petetexas/media/SDC11849_zpscwkgpcfy.jpg.html"][/url]

[url="http://s1298.photobucket.com/user/petetexas/media/SDC11844_zpsau1sy5bw.jpg.html"][/url]

[url="http://s1298.photobucket.com/user/petetexas/media/SDC11847_zps4zskhizl.jpg.html"][/url]

[url="http://s1298.photobucket.com/user/petetexas/media/SDC11841_zpsbfgaep9q.jpg.html"][/url]

[url="http://s1298.photobucket.com/user/petetexas/media/SDC11840_zps52vzv5or.jpg.html"][/url]

Pete
[/quote]

That looks excellent! What pickups did you use? You install a preamp as well? £450 is brilliant price. At least you have something that you can say that you have built with your bare hands.

I'm just starting to spec out my p bass, thinking metallic pink body with all black hardware, just trying to decide if I should go with a all maple neck or spend a bit of money and get a wenge warmouth neck.