Harryburke14 Posted May 17, 2016 Share Posted May 17, 2016 (edited) Does anybody have any experience with these? I'm considering ordering a kit for me and my cousin to have something to do/argue about for a few weeks. I'm not expecting them to be brilliant sounding but does anybody know whether they're decently made or is it not even worth bothering? Edited May 17, 2016 by Harryburke14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mottlefeeder Posted May 18, 2016 Share Posted May 18, 2016 I looked at these kits and decided to go to Guitar Warehouse instead. My build thread is here - http://www.finnbass.com/showthread.php?t=10950 - but you will have to join Finnbass to see it since the DIY section is off-limits to guests. I have had to do a bit of tweaking to get what I wanted, and I have fitted better strings, but the overall quality of neck joint etc, and completness of kit is very good. It includes all required allen keys, jack to jack lead, and even a length of solder. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huge Hands Posted May 18, 2016 Share Posted May 18, 2016 I spoke to a guy at work who has had a go with the Harley Benton P-bass kit from Thomann. He's a g****rist normally, so this would only be a bedroom bass for him, but he said he was really pleased with it. He painted his and everything. I've not seen it to pass judgement, but I've had a couple of HB basses and bits of kit pass through my hands and they have always been pretty good for the money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted May 18, 2016 Share Posted May 18, 2016 You can order the same thing much cheaper through aliexpress. I was going to get a Steinberger copy and do a relic sunburst on it just for irony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickRiffed Posted May 20, 2016 Share Posted May 20, 2016 I built one with my Grandkids to try and get them a bit more interested in bass guitars. You can screw one together and play it in an hour or so if you want. I did that to make sure it worked then took it all down again and changed it about a bit. They come with the body prepared to be painted. I got the kids to sand the coating of as I wanted to refine the shape a bit and finish it off with gun oil. Maybe not the best choice with a 9 and 10 year old working on it. A lot of bits got put in the parts draw. The body remains but slightly altered. The neck stayed the same. The head stock comes as an oblong paddle which was carved to shape with a Stanley knife... yes really! The electrics stayed but pickups were replaced with Entwistle pups. Wilkinson jumbo open back tuners went on. A heavy duty bridge was added that is strung through the body. New knobs, new scratch plate eliptical strap pins and a decent set of strings. It plays very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twincam Posted May 20, 2016 Share Posted May 20, 2016 Built one up last year. P bass model. Cheap, nothing special but useable. Can be built very quickly. Only issue was the bridge holes were not drilled straight, thomann sent me another very quickly. Also the frets needed attention. Expect to level, recrown and polish the frets for a really good action. Out the box the frets were not too bad, playable but no good for an action under 3mm if I remember right. Your mileage will vary massively I expect. After the fret level I could set up the bass to a very high standard. The supplied strings are crap! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted May 20, 2016 Share Posted May 20, 2016 "I was going to get a Steinberger copy and do a relic sunburst on it just for irony" -would that make it good for Metal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted May 21, 2016 Share Posted May 21, 2016 I think the irony and relic job make it the gold standard for metal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alyctes Posted May 21, 2016 Share Posted May 21, 2016 I'm guessing the J necks would fit the P bodies, and vice versa... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harryburke14 Posted May 22, 2016 Author Share Posted May 22, 2016 I'm now strongly considering getting a precision kit and maybe some Seymour Duncan's if I can find some on the cheap. Gives me some time between now and ordering it to decide on colours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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