slingblader Posted June 10, 2020 Posted June 10, 2020 Hi guys. I just finished up another bass build and thought I might post some shots of the completed project. I started this one the first week of April and just did the final assembly and setup yesterday. I've always wanted a P bass that had some of the characteristics of the late 50's models, but with a CAR finish and some other "upgraded" features. I have a mid-90s P bass that sounds amazing and I'll keep that strung up with rounds, but I'm going to run this one with flats for that classic thumpy tone. I did try to keep cost to a minimum and just used wood that I had on hand. Specs: 34" scale 2 piece poplar body Figured maple neck Birdseye maple fretboard 9.5" fretboard radius Two way truss rod accessible at the heel Fender reverse tuning machines Fatter profile neck Bone nut Jescar stainless steel frets Fender anodized gold pickguard Fender "Original" Precision pickup Fender pickup and bridge covers Candy apple red nitrocellulose lacquer finish (transparent red over gold pearl flake) Rotosound flatwound strings I hope to take some better pictures soon with a better background. My dirty workbench isn't too flattering. LOL. This was the first time that I've ever shot flake. I think I'm hooked! I know my brother wants a silver flake Tele with black binding (sort of a Don Rich tribute) so hopefully this was good practice.
topekatj Posted June 10, 2020 Posted June 10, 2020 Dude, that's Supper bad-a$$! The body color looks great and I really like the flamey neck. Do you build these for sale or your own enjoyment? Impressive you milled the body and neck yourself.👍 If you want the total vintage F@nder vibe you gotta add the (useless) strap knob on the back of the peghead!
cmatthes Posted June 11, 2020 Posted June 11, 2020 I did this one up a few years ago - it gets gigged pretty regularly too!
kizanski Posted June 11, 2020 Posted June 11, 2020 5 hours ago, cmatthes said: Was that the Stew Mac body?
cmatthes Posted June 11, 2020 Posted June 11, 2020 5 hours ago, kizanski said: Was that the Stew Mac body? Yes indeed! Thanks for the heads-up on that one. They sent a really nice, lightweight body, and I sent that out to Mike Hansen (2TEK) and he installed his only gold bridge for me. Musikraft neck that I spec'd out. I think Slingblader built his own parts v. my just acquiring them, so I give him major thumbs up for a gorgeous build!
slingblader Posted June 11, 2020 Author Posted June 11, 2020 21 hours ago, topekatj said: Dude, that's Supper bad-a$$! The body color looks great and I really like the flamey neck. Do you build these for sale or your own enjoyment? Impressive you milled the body and neck yourself.👍 If you want the total vintage F@nder vibe you gotta add the (useless) strap knob on the back of the peghead! Thanks! I'm really happy with the end result. I just build them for myself. I was lucky and found that figured maple at a local Menard's store about 3 years ago. It's just been sitting on the shelf, so I figured I should go ahead and use it. This is my fifth build, so I feel like I'm still in the early stages of learning and not ready to start selling anything. Yeah, those hootenanny strap buttons are ridiculous. I have a '62 Jazz reissue that has one. This was made in 1982 and came out of the Fullerton plant. I love that bass, it has aged beautifully. 21 hours ago, a.bandini said: Wow. Impressive, and gorgeous. Home run. thanks, I appreciate it! 18 hours ago, Steve Haynie said: Can I borrow your bass? Absolutely! Not sure if you like a chunky neck, but this one has a little extra roundness and I love it.
slingblader Posted June 11, 2020 Author Posted June 11, 2020 13 hours ago, cmatthes said: I did this one up a few years ago - it gets gigged pretty regularly too! Whoa! That is gorgeous! I love that. Did you shoot the flake? Tell me about the setup you used!
slingblader Posted June 11, 2020 Author Posted June 11, 2020 2 hours ago, cmatthes said: Yes indeed! Thanks for the heads-up on that one. They sent a really nice, lightweight body, and I sent that out to Mike Hansen (2TEK) and he installed his only gold bridge for me. Musikraft neck that I spec'd out. I think Slingblader built his own parts v. my just acquiring them, so I give him major thumbs up for a gorgeous build! Yeah, I built the body and neck. But honestly, it's mostly patterns and router work. Leo and the boys knew what they were doing when they designed these and it's a pretty straight-forward affair to make the parts. I did make my own templates from my mid-90's P Bass. That was one of the hardest parts for sure. Here are a few snapshots of the build process.
kizanski Posted June 11, 2020 Posted June 11, 2020 8 minutes ago, slingblader said: Did you shoot the flake? Tell me about the setup you used! Stewart MacDonald offered Fender-style bodies finished in metal flake for a brief peried. IIRC, they were only $150, too. I had to get one! ETA: Also, after @cmatthes and I got these, they added blue metal flake (which he would have preferred) and red metal flake (which I would have preferred).
slingblader Posted June 11, 2020 Author Posted June 11, 2020 1 minute ago, kizanski said: Stewart MacDonald offered Fender-style bodies finished in metal flake for a brief peried. IIRC, they were only $150, too. I had to get one! Wow, what a bargain. At that price it would be crazy to build and paint them yourself!
slingblader Posted June 18, 2020 Author Posted June 18, 2020 I just took some better photos of this build that were actually outside of the shop. I hope it's OK if I post some additional shots to show the bass in various lighting environments.
specialk Posted June 18, 2020 Posted June 18, 2020 Great! That looks mean as hell but mighty comfy too. Wow, sounds like a lot of my old girlfriends… 😃
hamertek98 Posted June 18, 2020 Posted June 18, 2020 Sweet. Now build me a medium scale PJ with a downsized body. Please. Lol
Dasein Posted June 19, 2020 Posted June 19, 2020 @slingblader Oh wow - Dude -- you actually MADE that bass! I thought it was an assembly first - Well done. That's such a cool set of skills to have. I love my P Bass - yours is a beaut!
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