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Custom 51-72 P Bass


Wayward-Wanderer
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Hello Everyone!

I'm looking to make my own bass after christmas hopefully, But i need a little help............

Well thats an underexaggeration, I need A Whole Lot Of help :huh:
I've only taken apart bass, i've never actually put one together (or back together after i take them apart infact :))
I Have no idea about electronic, I'm absolutly terribly with wiring, and thats where i'll probably need the most help with, as well order all the right parts.
I want to start for. I plan to order from Warmoth Direct in the good Old US of A.
This is a very vague list of what i'm ordering, But I also need a bit of help picking the best materials for it.
Anyway here:

Swamp Ash or Maple P-bass body Topped with either Flame Maple or Redwood. (Either Trans Blonde or Trans Blue {whatever is best with Gold hardware})
One piece Maple neck, 21 medium Gold frets, Jazz style headstock, Brass nut
4 Gotoh tuner Machines gold
4 single string bridges, Gold
Aguilar OBP-3 Onboard Preamp
1 Seymour Duncan Music Man Style Pickup, And 2 "Lightning Rod" Jazz Pickups
72 style Pick guard. white black white. (might spraypaint it gold)
Strap holder/locks Gold


Now i'm not sure what to get electronics wise but I think i'll need:
Battery box for preamp
Capicator(s?)
Pots
Knobs (gold)
Switch for preamp?
Wire
Copper shielding
Jack and jack socket.


Anyone up for a joint project over the web, Because i have no idea what i'm doing :huh:

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did someone say gold?



Warmoth make the whole process so simple. The neck is predrilled so that all you have to do is offer it to the body and bolt it together it is that simple.

My bass is bit extreme as everything except the neck itself is gold.

I have:

Schaller straplocks
Gotoh machines
gotoh 201 bridge
Gold knobs
gold frets
Gold Hipshot string retainer

If you have trouble with wiring bestbassgear.com can prewire a harness so that you can just drop it in and solder the pickup wires to it.

It might seem like the pot calling the kettle black but a gold scratchplate may be too much for the bass. If you're going with a flame top why not go for the rear routing option like my gold one?

Incidentally, the blonde finish on a swamp ash body looks like this:

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Another alternative colour would be white. Google Larry Graham's Moon bass.

Its a rear routed Jazz style bass with gold hardware and looks really good as well.

You could also go for a deep red or brown finish. that would suit the gold hardware. I'm thinking along the lines of the Walnut & Elite Precisions of the early 80s.

Look up the 30th anniversary stingray. i always thought it would've looked good with gold hardware

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the answer to your lack of skills with electrics, maybe?

[url="http://audereaudio.com/3ZB.htm"]link[/url]

easy to install and you get to choose what controls you want and how you want them configured. ive never used one, so i dont know just how easy to install they are, or how good they sound, but ive seriously looked at gettiing one before. and my dad put a jazz one on his jazz and it sounded great.

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I can't remember who it is now - East or ACG are ringing bells - do a preamp system where you actually insert the wires from the pickup into a slot and hold it in position by screwing a small clamp down onto it similar to fitting cables into a socket or light switch

By the way I'm happy to help you if you need it. I've done 2 Warmoths now but I've also installed pickups, bridges etc into many basses and melted a few soldering irons in the process.

There's not really anyone around where I live to do any of these things for me so I've just had to learn everything myself by trial and error and frequenting bass forums

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Yup, you're right. The ACG pre does have screw terminals.


On another note, you can order a wiring kit from StewMac in the USA. This has all the wire, pots, capacitors and instructions to wire a P-Bass.

[url="http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electronics,_pickups/Supplies:_Wiring_kits/Wiring_Kit_for_P-Bass.html"]http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electronics,_p...for_P-Bass.html[/url]

Edited by 7string
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[quote name='Delberthot' post='317699' date='Oct 29 2008, 04:13 PM']did someone say gold?

[/quote]
Fort Knox called, They want their bass back :)

Thanks everyone for the advice. All the pre-wiring deals out there are pretty good, but i think I'm going to have to go with Delberhots idea for Bestbassgear.com prewiring with an Aguilar 3 band.

I've also repicked my pick-ups from the same site, now going with Delanos, which I have heard are quite good. The Gold bass has kinda put me off all the gold, But I'm gonna go for something very similar to your P bass, Most likely something along these lines:

[url="http://s68.photobucket.com/albums/i29/wehp/?action=view&current=072808234323.jpg"]http://s68.photobucket.com/albums/i29/wehp...72808234323.jpg[/url]

Anyway this is the neck I'll be getting:

[url="http://www.warmoth.com/showcase/sc_guitar_necks.cfm?type=bass&start=1&menuItem=1&itemNumber=BN1971&subMenuItem=0&subMenuItem2=0"]http://www.warmoth.com/showcase/sc_guitar_...;subMenuItem2=0[/url]

Where they usual Fender decal would good, I'll be puting my personal symbol which is this:

[url="http://s68.photobucket.com/albums/i29/wehp/?action=view&current=greywinged.jpg"]http://s68.photobucket.com/albums/i29/wehp...=greywinged.jpg[/url]

Might also put that one the 12 fret not to sure tho.

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Right new plan then!

Body:
51 P bass Slab (no contours)
Tobacco Burst
Rear Routed
3 pot holes (2 stacked pots and an input)
Pick up Routed for a Single Coil 51 vintage Pickup and a Mucisman.
With 72 P style pick guard.

Neck:
Maple with matching maple fret board. Medium jumbo fret, Tele head

Electronics:
Aguilar OBP 2
2 stacked pots (volume/volume, treble/bass)
Prewired with battery socket and input jack.

Pickups
Seymour Duncan Bassline Quarter Pound single coil vintage pickup
Seymour Duncan Bassline Musicman ceramic pickup

Hardware:
4 Hipshot Single String Bridges (gold)
Stacked knobs Chrome
Schaller tuners (silver)
Heavy Duty Strap buttons and Locks ( for windmilling :) )

Any ideas on names anyone?
The 5172 doesn't really work.

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[quote name='Wayward-Wanderer' post='322323' date='Nov 4 2008, 11:54 PM']Pickups
Seymour Duncan Bassline Quarter Pound single coil vintage pickup
Seymour Duncan Bassline Musicman ceramic pickup[/quote]

ooh nice, my taitycaster's got the same pickups in. and did you mention swamp ash earlier? same wood as my taitycaster. youve obviously got good taste my friend!

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[quote name='LWTAIT' post='323061' date='Nov 5 2008, 10:42 PM']ooh nice, my taitycaster's got the same pickups in. and did you mention swamp ash earlier? same wood as my taitycaster. youve obviously got good taste my friend![/quote]

Nice, How are they for tone?

Good taste yes, but an expensive taste no doubt with the way this project is going.
o.o

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My gold Warmoth has the SD quarter pounder SCPB pickup installed.

Now that's a spicy meatball

Very powerful and clear. Will distort your preamp if you have your bass volume up full and the pickup too close to the strings.

Wind it down a bit and it becomes a different animal. Very clear right across the board.

the gold one has different woods to what you're using so will sound different.

My Blonde Warmoth has a swamp ash body and maple neck but a Lollar vintage SCPB pickup - very old school, thicker, glowlier tone much more akin to the original

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[quote name='Wayward-Wanderer' post='323101' date='Nov 5 2008, 11:47 PM']Nice, How are they for tone?

Good taste yes, but an expensive taste no doubt with the way this project is going.
o.o[/quote]

both growl like hell! or you can get a nice thumpy tone out of the p pickup - it does both. i tend to play entirely on the p pickup with a pick, or entirely on the mm pickup with my fingers, no blending or anything. i havent even really tried out many sounds blended, cos i love the sounds i get at the moment too much, i cant imagine a better sound.

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