Is a bass any harder to build????

martyb1 · May 18th, 2008, 06:51 PM

I have the need to build me a bass.Is it really any different than building a tele??.I know the scales are different but was wondering if there was anything to watch out for.Also,got my eye on a Squire Affinity p-bass neck.Are they the same as a reg p-bass neck as far as specs?Anybody got any pics of ones you have built????
Thanks

Tim Armstrong · May 18th, 2008, 07:18 PM

I've built (okay, assembled) a few and they're no harder/easier than a Telecaster. I would note that you'd be better served with a more expensive neck, those cheaper Squier necks can be hit or miss, and the Affinity ones are on the cheap end of Squier, right? I've certainly heard reports of some of them warping pretty badly...

Cheers, Tim

robbysturgis · May 20th, 2008, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim Armstrong

I've built (okay, assembled) a few and they're no harder/easier than a Telecaster.

Pictures!

How about a Mustang Bass?

BAW4742 · May 20th, 2008, 12:12 PM

Yeah Tim, how about showing us something besides that adorable mug of yours.

And Marty - I've only built guitars so far but I can't see how a bass would be any harder than a guitar. It's the same set of skills.

Tim Armstrong · May 20th, 2008, 12:55 PM

I had a build thread from a few years ago, but I just went back and checked it out and looks like all the pictures are gone!

Here's the bass I gig with now, it has a '73 Fender Musicmaster neck, a '98 Squier Vista Series Musicmaster body and bridge (string-through), a GFS "Lil' Killer" twin-blade Strat-sized pickup, a MOTS (Mother of Toilet Seat) pickguard that I got off eBay loaded with pots & jack from Stew-Mac.

Here's the neck, with the Hipshot Ultralite tuners (very good ones!):

...and here's the bass I'm working on now, which features a similar '73 Fender Musicmaster Bass neck (away for a refret), a '73 Fender Musicmaster Bass body (which will be finished black), a P-Bass bridge (which worked fine on the bass before), and Mustang Bass pickups, pickguard and controls. Obviously, I haven't routed for the pickups yet...

(more in the next post, can't put five images in one post!)

Cheers, Tim

Tim Armstrong · May 20th, 2008, 12:55 PM

The neck presently on the pink bass, and the body/bridge from the new Mustang-ish build, were together here on my earlier Mutant Musicmaster Bass, along with a Kent Armstrong (no relation) lipstick tube pickup:

Cheers, Tim

BAW4742 · May 20th, 2008, 02:11 PM

Nice work there Tim.

I'm not real familiar with the Mustang/Musicmaster basses but those pick guards look a little different. Have you tweaked them a little to make 'em more your own design?

I like the look of the MOTS. Nice.

Tim Armstrong · May 20th, 2008, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BAW4742

Nice work there Tim.

I'm not real familiar with the Mustang/Musicmaster basses but those pick guards look a little different. Have you tweaked them a little to make 'em more your own design?

I like the look of the MOTS. Nice.

Nope, they're of the standard shapes. Musicmasters and Mustangs used the same body and neck, but had different shaped pickguards (and the Mustang had a Jazz Bass-style control plate) and different pickups (the Mustang had a split pickup like a smaller P-Bass pickup, while the cheaper Musicmaster had a Strat pickup with a solid cover, to hide the six polepieces no doubt!).

Cheers, Tim

BAW4742 · May 20th, 2008, 02:58 PM

Cool! I never really paid too much attention to Mustang and Musicmaster basses before. A friend of mine offered to sell me a white Musicmaster a few years ago but I passed on it.

Did you do the black finish yourself?

I just redid a Gibson Grabber in black lacquer myself. It was hard to get right. Shows every little imperfection.

Yours looks nice from what I can see in the photo. I like it with the Rosewood neck.

BAW4742 · May 20th, 2008, 03:01 PM

I went back and looked at those tuners too. They must go a long way toward lighten up the head.

So there you go Marty. It's no harder to build a bass than a guitar.

4mal · May 20th, 2008, 03:17 PM

Those hipshot's are about the best tuner on the planet. At around $80 a set, not cheap but - on a build I did, they salvaged the bass. They were a little less than half the weight of the original set and completely cured what had been a serious neck dive issue. Super light body, kinda heavey neck. Hipshot's save the day ... They feel sweet too!

May 18th, 2008, 06:51 PM	#1 (permalink)
martyb1 Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Alberta,Canada Age: 44 Posts: 1,324 13 Photos	Is a bass any harder to build???? I have the need to build me a bass.Is it really any different than building a tele??.I know the scales are different but was wondering if there was anything to watch out for.Also,got my eye on a Squire Affinity p-bass neck.Are they the same as a reg p-bass neck as far as specs?Anybody got any pics of ones you have built???? Thanks __________________ Before throwing it out,make sure it's not 16x13x1.75

May 18th, 2008, 07:18 PM	#2 (permalink)
Tim Armstrong Moderator Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Berlin, Maryland, USA Age: 49 Posts: 7,672	I've built (okay, assembled) a few and they're no harder/easier than a Telecaster. I would note that you'd be better served with a more expensive neck, those cheaper Squier necks can be hit or miss, and the Affinity ones are on the cheap end of Squier, right? I've certainly heard reports of some of them warping pretty badly... Cheers, Tim __________________ http://www.moodswingers.org

May 20th, 2008, 12:55 PM	#5 (permalink)
Tim Armstrong Moderator Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Berlin, Maryland, USA Age: 49 Posts: 7,672	I had a build thread from a few years ago, but I just went back and checked it out and looks like all the pictures are gone! Here's the bass I gig with now, it has a '73 Fender Musicmaster neck, a '98 Squier Vista Series Musicmaster body and bridge (string-through), a GFS "Lil' Killer" twin-blade Strat-sized pickup, a MOTS (Mother of Toilet Seat) pickguard that I got off eBay loaded with pots & jack from Stew-Mac. Here's the neck, with the Hipshot Ultralite tuners (very good ones!): ...and here's the bass I'm working on now, which features a similar '73 Fender Musicmaster Bass neck (away for a refret), a '73 Fender Musicmaster Bass body (which will be finished black), a P-Bass bridge (which worked fine on the bass before), and Mustang Bass pickups, pickguard and controls. Obviously, I haven't routed for the pickups yet... (more in the next post, can't put five images in one post!) Cheers, Tim __________________ http://www.moodswingers.org

May 20th, 2008, 12:55 PM	#6 (permalink)
Tim Armstrong Moderator Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Berlin, Maryland, USA Age: 49 Posts: 7,672	The neck presently on the pink bass, and the body/bridge from the new Mustang-ish build, were together here on my earlier Mutant Musicmaster Bass, along with a Kent Armstrong (no relation) lipstick tube pickup: Cheers, Tim __________________ http://www.moodswingers.org

May 20th, 2008, 12:12 PM	#4 (permalink)
BAW4742 Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Maryland's Eastern Shore Age: 51 Posts: 445	Yeah Tim, how about showing us something besides that adorable mug of yours. And Marty - I've only built guitars so far but I can't see how a bass would be any harder than a guitar. It's the same set of skills.

May 20th, 2008, 02:11 PM	#7 (permalink)
BAW4742 Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Maryland's Eastern Shore Age: 51 Posts: 445	Nice work there Tim. I'm not real familiar with the Mustang/Musicmaster basses but those pick guards look a little different. Have you tweaked them a little to make 'em more your own design? I like the look of the MOTS. Nice.

May 20th, 2008, 02:58 PM	#9 (permalink)
BAW4742 Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Maryland's Eastern Shore Age: 51 Posts: 445	Cool! I never really paid too much attention to Mustang and Musicmaster basses before. A friend of mine offered to sell me a white Musicmaster a few years ago but I passed on it. Did you do the black finish yourself? I just redid a Gibson Grabber in black lacquer myself. It was hard to get right. Shows every little imperfection. Yours looks nice from what I can see in the photo. I like it with the Rosewood neck.

May 20th, 2008, 03:01 PM	#10 (permalink)
BAW4742 Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Maryland's Eastern Shore Age: 51 Posts: 445	I went back and looked at those tuners too. They must go a long way toward lighten up the head. So there you go Marty. It's no harder to build a bass than a guitar.

May 20th, 2008, 03:17 PM	#11 (permalink)
4mal Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: The Gorge Posts: 1,933	Those hipshot's are about the best tuner on the planet. At around $80 a set, not cheap but - on a build I did, they salvaged the bass. They were a little less than half the weight of the original set and completely cured what had been a serious neck dive issue. Super light body, kinda heavey neck. Hipshot's save the day ... They feel sweet too!