GFS Jazz Bass Body Dilemma

[MN Punk]

So, I have an '07 MIM Fender fretless Jazz bass, and (once I did a little set-up work) I mostly like it. Definitely worth the money. I just have one nitpick about it.

It's too damn heavy. So rather than continue to fuse my spine with the damned thing, I've decided to look into alternatives.

I really like the Paulownia bodies that GFS sells. Seriously. It may be just about the cheapest wood you can make a guitar out of, but that doesn't mean it's not any good. I've built multiple Telecasters out of this stuff, and I think it sounds just great while being significantly lighter than most other options. I haven't tried one with a bass before, but I suspect it will work out well for that.

So here's my dilemma... Do I just order one of these bodies and swap it in as a replacement part, re-using the neck, hardware & electronics from my Fender, or do I sell the Fender outright and build a fretless J-style bass from scratch?


It's a tough call. On one hand, if I buy the GFS body for $60, I bet I could easily sell the Fender body on Craigslist for $40. It's too heavy for my tastes, but I'm sure some hobbyist builder will want it. That means that the entire project will cost me about $20 plus shipping, and I'll end up with a bass which is identical in pretty much every way, except lighter.

On the other hand, I can probably sell this bass for AT LEAST $350. It does say "Fender" on the headstock, after all. With that kind of money and some careful parts-shopping, I could probably build myself a lightweight fretless with a REALLY nice neck and perhaps even a set of active J pickups and maybe even a string-through-the-body bridge, which means I'd end up with a bass that rivals the US model in terms of quality & sound. A much bigger project, to be sure, but the final result could be pretty sweet.

Or am I stupid to even be thinking in this direction? Is the weight of this bass part of what makes it so nice to play? Anybody have any experience building or upgrading using one of those GFS bodies for bass? What are your general impressions?

Maybe what I should really do is wait for a month when I'm kinda flush with cash, and buy everything I need to build a bass BEFORE selling the Fender. Then when I'm done I can hang on to whichever axe I prefer and sell the other.

I welcome thoughts & suggestions from the gang here, especially from those of you who have tried out those GFS bass bodies and have an idea what I'm in for.

[KCKC]

If the neck pocket is a "go" or easily "modifiable" to work work I'd do the swap. This would also allow you to do a recording of the before and after since you're only switching "the wood" - man I use too many quotes! - That test could be quite a contribution to the "is it the wood or the pick-ups" that make the difference in an "electric"!

Let us know what you do!

KC

[4string]

I would keep the original body so you can put it all back together in the future if you eventually wanted to sell it. It won't be worth nearly as much with the GFS body.

Or I would build an all new J bass and sell the MIM if I didn't want it anymore after playing the one I built. I think you are correct that one you can build will be the equal to a USA made or even better.

[fidopunk]

I'm going to second keeping your original body until you've determined that you like it.

I've made three Paulowina Telecasters from GFS and I have one important point to bring up: Neck dive. It's not so bad on the Teles and you can really compensate with strap button placement, but I don't know about how that'd work for a bass.

[MN Punk]

Originally Posted by fidopunk

I'm going to second keeping your original body until you've determined that you like it.

I've made three Paulowina Telecasters from GFS and I have one important point to bring up: Neck dive. It's not so bad on the Teles and you can really compensate with strap button placement, but I don't know about how that'd work for a bass.

That is a valid concern. Bass headstocks are not known for being lightweight.

Once again, is there anybody on this forum who has tried building a bass with one of those GFS bodies? How did it work out?

[fidopunk]

Originally Posted by MN Punk

That is a valid concern. Bass headstocks are not known for being lightweight.

Once again, is there anybody on this forum who has tried building a bass with one of those GFS bodies? How did it work out?

Tim did. But it was a shortscale neck with a Telecaster guitar body. If I recall, neck dive was a bit of an issue.

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/bass-plac...ther-hoss.html

[fidopunk]

Or you can get a wide strap or this:
http://www.headsupstrap.com/index.html
I'd be curious to hear a real-world review. My RD Artist was the king of neck dive until I got a wide strap.

[slapshot]

keep it in mind but i'm looking for a cheap jazz bass body.what colour is yours?

[randomhitz]

There's a great thread by Preeb about building a bass with a paulowina body. Also I think Hipshot tuners are considerably lighter that standard to help with the neck dive problem. I have a GFS paulowina body tele that I love.

[MN Punk]

Originally Posted by slapshot

keep it in mind but i'm looking for a cheap jazz bass body.what colour is yours?

Tobacco sunburst. Very pretty. If I do decide to try a straight body-swap, I'll keep you in mind.

At this point, I'm leaning towards building from scratch though. And it might be a few months or even a year or two before I get around to it. I'm the guitarist in my current trio so even though I always thought of myself as a bassist first, I hardly ever get a chance to perform on bass these days.

[MN Punk]

Originally Posted by randomhitz

There's a great thread by Preeb about building a bass with a paulowina body. Also I think Hipshot tuners are considerably lighter that standard to help with the neck dive problem. I have a GFS paulowina body tele that I love.

Likewise. I've got one that I bought raw and finished with Teak Oil only (no sealer) that I'm hoping will look really awesome as it wears in. I've also got a dual-HB Tele made from one of their translucent racing green finished bodies. Those two guitars are the only ones I gig with these days.

[MN Punk]

Originally Posted by fidopunk

Tim did. But it was a shortscale neck with a Telecaster guitar body. If I recall, neck dive was a bit of an issue.

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/bass-plac...ther-hoss.html

Hmm... A Tele body doesn't even have the extended upper horn you get with a Jazz bass, and he was able to solve the neck-dive issue just by making a few mods.

If I build from scratch, shape the headstock to about the minimum amount of wood structurally needed, go with ultra-light machines like Tim did... maybe it won't be so bad. It could be a fun project.

The more I think about it, the more I think I'm maybe better off building a bass with the exact neck, bridge, pickups, etc. that I want and selling the other one to somebody out there who covets the chance to own a "real" Fender.

Plus, I got a drill-press from my dad for Christmas this Winter, so that's a good excuse to modify one of those GFS bodies to be string-through!

[4mal]

Just grab a normal weighted Mity Mite. They generally fly in the 4 lb - 4.5 range making for an 8 to 8.5 lb bass. I have two separated shoulders. 8 to 9 works fine for me on a 3 set evening... anything over 9 lbs is long outta here though. The Mity Mite stuff is realy darned good. Their necks in particular are a steal.

+1 to using HipSHot Ultralites to cure neck dive but... an $85 tuner set is not exactly the cheap way to go to cure a cheap body that is too light to begin with ...

[MN Punk]

Originally Posted by 4mal

Just grab a normal weighted Mity Mite. They generally fly in the 4 lb - 4.5 range making for an 8 to 8.5 lb bass. I have two separated shoulders. 8 to 9 works fine for me on a 3 set evening... anything over 9 lbs is long outta here though. The Mity Mite stuff is realy darned good. Their necks in particular are a steal.

+1 to using HipSHot Ultralites to cure neck dive but... an $85 tuner set is not exactly the cheap way to go to cure a cheap body that is too light to begin with ...

I'm pretty sure my not-at-all-cheap Fender would weigh damn near 8 pounds with the neck removed entirely. Seriously, it's heavier than my Peavey Foundation 5-string, which is not exactly made of chopstick bamboo either.

[4mal]

yeah, well that'e one of the issues we face with what are really budget instruments. Weight is a real variable - you just never know. You do find more boat anchor weights down market than up though ...

(In a marlket that has Fender CS, Mike Lull, Sadowsky, etc... a MIM Std is pretty mcu a budget instrument at least IMO. that doesn't mean bad, just built to a lower price point. I've played some MIM's that were great. the MIM f'less J neck is great and for the dough ? amazing ...)

Anyhow, have a look at the Mity Mite stuff, it's relativly inexpensive, done quite well and IME, quite consistent - to me that's a big plus right there... I have a Franken P under construction at the moment using their body and neck and so far I like how it's coming together.

[MN Punk]

Originally Posted by 4mal

yeah, well that'e one of the issues we face with what are really budget instruments. Weight is a real variable - you just never know. You do find more boat anchor weights down market than up though ...

(In a marlket that has Fender CS, Mike Lull, Sadowsky, etc... a MIM Std is pretty mcu a budget instrument at least IMO. that doesn't mean bad, just built to a lower price point. I've played some MIM's that were great. the MIM f'less J neck is great and for the dough ? amazing ...)

Anyhow, have a look at the Mity Mite stuff, it's relativly inexpensive, done quite well and IME, quite consistent - to me that's a big plus right there... I have a Franken P under construction at the moment using their body and neck and so far I like how it's coming together.

I've generally found with Mity Mites that at least 20% of what you're paying is license fees that allow them to use Fender headstock shapes and market themselves as "official Fender replacement parts". Other companies make necks as good or better for less, if you're not picky about it looking Fenderish, and for body shapes you can get exact matches from companies with no Fender ties at all.

Anyway, it's kind of irrelevant. I've decided to hang on to it as it is (for now), since I generally play my 5-string more than my fretless anyway. I'm not likely to do an entire gig with just the fretless, so I can just put up with the weight for a few songs or whatever, and when in the studio I'll just sit down.