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Advice on parts for P Bass "build"?


barrycreed

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Hi all. A recent addition to the forum, and new to going about a p bass build. Fairly new to bass parts, and bass bits and bobs in general.

I wouldn't call it a build exactly. I have a jazz neck and sunburst p body, both from northwest guitars so it will be a case of assembling it...

I'll tip away at it this year I think, as in no rush to get it completed, so I'm looking for some advice on what you would recommend I should get.

I've used wilkinson hardware on guitars before, and my current Vintage V4 is all wilkinson hardware and I have no issues with tuning etc but any other brands I should be looking at?

e.g. tuners? bridge? electrics? decent straplocks? neck plate? volume/tone pots? From a bass side of things, this is all new to me... Should I just keep an eye out for used?

I might go for speed knobs for volume and tone and I'll leave pickup selection for last. Pickguard will be a tort one I reckon. If speed knobs are tricky, I'll just go for standard p bass volume and tone knobs.

I don't need to go top of the line with parts necessarily, but don't want to have junk on there either. (thinking MIM standard etc)

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16 minutes ago, Steve Browning said:

Keep a watchful eye on the classifieds here. There's a Gotoh 201B bridge that I'd go for now. Superb bits of kit. If you are in no rush then drop in to the Other Musical Items regularly and you'll soon be kitted with top notch parts.

Thanks for the advice. I should have checked in there earlier!

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Interesting thread - I have been vaguely looking at the NW guitars Jazz bass necks since I got a s/h Jazz Bass.

It has reminded me that I prefer the Jazz neck profile and I am thinking I might want to try a Jazz neck on my P-Bass.

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I've lost count of the amount of precision basses I've built and I used to always use the more expensive brands when it came to pickups, with the Fender Custom Shop 62's being my main choice because I like the vintage vibe, but on my last build I compared the specs of the Kent Armstrong Vintage P Bass Alnico Pickup with the Fender Custom Shop 62's, and they were identical in every aspect, so I took a punt on the Armstrongs and they sound identical, now I wouldn't use anything else for the vintage P bass sound I like, and at half the price, it's a no brainer for me.

Fender Custom Shop 62's £100 - £140

Kent Armstrong Vintage P Bass Alnico £49.95

As for bridges? I am/was a big fan of the Gotoh 201B and have used them many times in the past, but now I always use this one from Northwest Guitars which is identical in every way except that doesn't have "Gotoh" stamped on it.

https://www.northwestguitars.co.uk/hardtail-through-body-bass-guitar-bridge/#product-reviews

Gotoh 201B £40 - £45

Northwest £16.26

Gotah.jpg

NW.jpg

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I like the three on the left....virtually free too. I have a genuine Fender Hi-Mass bridge I bought for my Squier PJ but decided against as it nearly half the price of the bass..are any of these a like for like swap...you know, undo the screws, swap 'em over, replace the screws???

image.thumb.png.7941f6d138a2570663f9cce3b86339a3.png

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4 hours ago, thebrig said:

As for bridges? I am/was a big fan of the Gotoh 201B and have used them many times in the past, but now I always use this one from Northwest Guitars which is identical in every way except that doesn't have "Gotoh" stamped on it.

https://www.northwestguitars.co.uk/hardtail-through-body-bass-guitar-bridge/#product-reviews

Gotoh 201B £40 - £45

Northwest £16.26

Gotah.jpg

NW.jpg

Except that Northwest one actually has an additional option - string through body.

It’s a shame they don’t make a five string version of these bridges. 

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7 hours ago, barrycreed said:

Tort pickguards seem to go from a tenner upwards ...

Any particular brands you’d recommend ? Six of one etc ?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-4-String-PB-Bass-Pickguard-13-Hole-Scratch-Plate-for-Precision-Style-Bass/174028281113?hash=item2884e4d519:m:mAwjG80xdbvJpoK9m-zGcCA&var=472837458162

I got a scratchplate from this Chinese seller for my US Pbass, a tort one which was very good. Only issue being a little tight fitting over the pickup but other than that it was fine. Didn't take long to get here either.  

I replaced the bridge on a jazz type bass with a Gotoh. Quality bit of hardware but the saddles were bigger than the originals BBOT ones making the action higher. The lowest I could get it was still too high for my liking so be prepared to fit a shim if you prefer a lower action. 

KiOgon's looms are great and even an idiot like me can fit them. 

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9 hours ago, barrycreed said:

Tort pickguards seem to go from a tenner upwards ...

Any particular brands you’d recommend ? Six of one etc ?

Highly recommend this fella. He's just started up again due to the Covid. OK, Brian is not the cheapest but he's in Glasgow so no 4-6 weeks delivery.

There's also options,not just in colour. Want a USA P plate,he does them.  Need a Fender Japan plate ,he does them too 🙂

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/m.html?_odkw=&_ssn=earlpilanz&_osacat=41424&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEFSXS%3AMESOI&_from=R40&_trksid=p2046732.m570.l1313.TR12.TRC2.A0.H0.Xbass.TRS0&_nkw=bass&_sacat=41424

 

PS

Shortly to be adding Harley Benton PB-50 plates and Fender Japan 51 P-bass plates to the inventory 😎

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14 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

That’s really interesting re pickups, @thebrig, Custom Shop 62s are my fave but if their sound can be found in something else at at least half the price, well game on!

I can't find the full specs on the KE's at the moment but I do remember that every detail was the same as the CS62's, and when I put them in my own build, I still had a 2016 Fender American Standard P and the Fender USA 60th Anniversary P which both had CS62's installed as standard, and I can honestly say that I could not hear the difference in tone or volume

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On 13/05/2020 at 18:37, thebrig said:

I've lost count of the amount of precision basses I've built and I used to always use the more expensive brands when it came to pickups, with the Fender Custom Shop 62's being my main choice because I like the vintage vibe, but on my last build I compared the specs of the Kent Armstrong Vintage P Bass Alnico Pickup with the Fender Custom Shop 62's, and they were identical in every aspect, so I took a punt on the Armstrongs and they sound identical, now I wouldn't use anything else for the vintage P bass sound I like, and at half the price, it's a no brainer for me.

Fender Custom Shop 62's £100 - £140

Kent Armstrong Vintage P Bass Alnico £49.95

As for bridges? I am/was a big fan of the Gotoh 201B and have used them many times in the past, but now I always use this one from Northwest Guitars which is identical in every way except that doesn't have "Gotoh" stamped on it.

https://www.northwestguitars.co.uk/hardtail-through-body-bass-guitar-bridge/#product-reviews

Gotoh 201B £40 - £45

Northwest £16.26

Gotah.jpg

NW.jpg

I’ve just bought one of those bridges from northwest in black for a build i’m doing,really good quality,much better than i was expecting to be fair.Ive always bought quality branded bridges in the past.....don’t think i’ll be spending the extra £££££ from now on tho

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