JohnDaBass Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 I have placed this Bitsa build here as I don't feel it warrants a place in Build Diaries as it is basically an "Assembly" with a bit of body finishing. I wanted a Year of Birth Bass but not a '51 P slab so I thought of a '54 P contoured body with a minimalist Pup and control panel with no pickguard or Pup covers, so here's how it went. Last year I bought a really lovely '51 P neck off a Chinese seller on Flea Bay. It had a Jazz width bound neck with block MoP inlays. Over the following few months I acquired all the other components for the build. I bought a mahogany '54 P body from Guitar Build and opted for the "view & select" option and selected a handsome 3 piece blank. The body arrived and thanks to the experience of @honza992 and @Andyjr1515 shared on this forum I started to finish the body with Tru oil. On a previous Bitsa build ( '51.75 P) I used, very successfully, a Jess Loureiro hand wound '51 P slit Pup with a @KiOgon loom which included a "series / parallel" switch. This time I bought direct from the USA a Lindy Fralin '51 P split Pup as I wanted something different and the various forums contained a number of positive reviews. It's a bit more expensive than the Jess Loureiro once you add on the shipping and duty but it does offer something different. The bridge had previously been taken from my 90's USA Fender P Deluxe which had installed a BADASS 3 thro body bridge. The Loom , as always , was supplied by @KiOgon CTS V & T, Switchcraft jack socket. The sound and tone of the Lindy Fralin is very bright and clean. It does not have an option for "series / parallel", it is wired in parallel. A number of years ago I had a new Fender '51 P Re-issue and the Fralin sounds very similar but much "cleaner" more powerful somehow and of course noiseless. The Fralin is not as mellow as the Loureiro when it's in it's series position but very similar when it's in it's parallel position, but the Fralin just seems brighter and cleaner ( not brittle at all). I really like the '51.75 P Loureiro darker tone but the Fralin seems to provide a fantastic starting point to use the amps EQ to tailor the final tone. All in all I am very pleased with the out come of a very handsome, sweet sounding easy to play, fast glossy neck and low action, YOB bass. As always, thanks to all the Forum contributors who generously share their Build expertise for novices like me to follow. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lksmks792 Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 That looks great! I really dig the simplicity of the body combined with the more ornate neck. Awesome. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lou24d53 Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 (edited) Snap...build near enough the exact same last year...! Finished in Tru-Oil too, but not to as highly polished as yours. Edited April 28, 2020 by lou24d53 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnDaBass Posted April 28, 2020 Author Share Posted April 28, 2020 (edited) 2 minutes ago, lou24d53 said: Snap...build exact near enough the exact same last year...! That looks great, how did you find the Lindy Fralin Pup? It that walnut, it's got lovely grain. Edited April 28, 2020 by JohnDaBass error Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lou24d53 Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 I love it, very bright and punchy, I use a ToneStyler Bass Ten with it, so it really offers some very usable tones, but can almost be too trebly when full on. First time for me playing, let alone even trying, a single coil so it was a bit for a stab in the dark, but I absolutely love it. I play in a Who covers band and it really works for the Live At Leeds sound we try to emulate on stage. Aside from self builds never holding their value, can safely say it's the one bass I'll never part with already. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lou24d53 Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 Yeah, it's a Guitarbuild walnut body and Allparts Tele neck, with Hipshot hardware. I tried to base it on a Mike Lull 54P, like a modern take on it, so I ended up with one at less than half the price of what a Lull would cost! 😂 Would never back for it what it cost to put together, but like I said, I would never sell it...got my wee boy's initials and DoB on the decal, so hoping when he's old enough he'll take an interest and I can pass it on to him. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibob Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 Looks fantastic, great job! Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnDaBass Posted April 28, 2020 Author Share Posted April 28, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, lou24d53 said: Yeah, it's a Guitarbuild walnut body and Allparts Tele neck, with Hipshot hardware. I tried to base it on a Mike Lull 54P, like a modern take on it, so I ended up with one at less than half the price of what a Lull would cost! 😂 Would never back for it what it cost to put together, but like I said, I would never sell it...got my wee boy's initials and DoB on the decal, so hoping when he's old enough he'll take an interest and I can pass it on to him. That's a real nice personal touch, love it. Yes your absolutely right that you never ever make you money back on a Bitsa bass, but I'm like you I build something I fancy which I know I would never be able to find in the real world. It's just a passion I suppose. Have you any experience of Herrick Pups? Originally I planned to use another Jess Loureiro split '51 P Pup simply wired in series, but I had trouble contacting Jess, no email response, no website response, I know he's a one-man-band and the Lockdown in Spain hasn't helped but it was just radio silence, so I just ordered the Lindy Fralin direct from USA and it arrived in 4 days😎. The duty and handling is a very expensive pain🤐. Edited April 28, 2020 by JohnDaBass Error 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lou24d53 Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 I haven't any experience with Herrick. Funny you say that about the Jess Loureiro pups, as those were going to by first choice too, but I done some research on here and the feedback wasn't great, orders late, missing, unfulfilled, no contact etc. I was wanting a split single coil to minimise the potential for noise feedback, so ended up ordering via Bass Direct. Biggest pain for me was waiting over 4 months for the bridge to come in, was being manufactured to order by Hipshot to order in the US, and ended up taking over twice as long as quoted. I'm still tempted to do another...... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibob Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 I’m trying to stop myself from starting a build in lockdown, and the Guitar Build stuff seems pretty solid!? That said, I have limited to no access to finishing tools/materials, so that might scupper me before I start haha Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnDaBass Posted April 29, 2020 Author Share Posted April 29, 2020 7 hours ago, Sibob said: I’m trying to stop myself from starting a build in lockdown, and the Guitar Build stuff seems pretty solid!? That said, I have limited to no access to finishing tools/materials, so that might scupper me before I start haha Si To be honest Si, the standard of sanding finish from Guitar Build is very good indeed. I didn't do any further sanding as I wanted an "organic" feel to the finish and mahogany has quite a tight grain structure . Tru oil is very easy to use, I didn't use the "wet' n dry" slurry system that @honza992 & @Andyjr1515 I just applied numerous coats with a microfiber cloth. The Tru oil is very tough when fully dried, I left it to harden for a week before any assembly. One small bottle of Tru oil did the body with plenty left over. If you've got the time and funds it is a very satisfying experience, alright it's not a full build from scratch but it will be your own creation. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardH Posted April 29, 2020 Share Posted April 29, 2020 I've been eyeing up those Chinese necks - good to know they are worth a punt. I'm thinking of doing a more "barncaster" style build, so the bound/block neck might be a bit OTT, but there are some more straightforward necks available too that I may try - still tempting to go block/bound though! Might depend on how the body looks when I get going... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lou24d53 Posted April 29, 2020 Share Posted April 29, 2020 1 hour ago, JohnDaBass said: To be honest Si, the standard of sanding finish from Guitar Build is very good indeed. I didn't do any further sanding as I wanted an "organic" feel to the finish and mahogany has quite a tight grain structure . Tru oil is very easy to use, I didn't use the "wet' n dry" slurry system that @honza992 & @Andyjr1515 I just applied numerous coats with a microfiber cloth. The Tru oil is very tough when fully dried, I left it to harden for a week before any assembly. One small bottle of Tru oil did the body with plenty left over. If you've got the time and funds it is a very satisfying experience, alright it's not a full build from scratch but it will be your own creation. I used the wet n' dry method, moving progressively through the sandpaper grades until 2000. As you say, very satisfying, bordering on therapeutic, I found. Unlike JohnDaBass, I did have the cheek to call mine a 'build'...!! 😂😂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted April 29, 2020 Share Posted April 29, 2020 Very, very nice and IMO this is certainly deserving of being at home in the build diaries forum. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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