Tele bass - a '51 P-bass based build

[tklaavo]

I don't even have the wood yet, and I'm just drawing pickguards... Thanks for opinions in that field. It's getting close.

Maybe I build and paint the bass first and then cut some pickguards out of black cardboard for testing.

I should go out to a music store to check some basses. Like what's a good body thickness, should it need a belly contour, the neck taper etc. just to get a feel.

All the different '51 style pickups? I'm going to sneak into some bass forums and read those esoteric pickup opinion threads . . . . I have no idea what are the differences in bass sounds. . . or what causes them . . .

But my friend said he only uses the neck PU in his J-bass, so I guess this pickup position would fit his style.

[storyboards27]

What if you did the pickguard like one of the old tele prototypes? (I think this was the 3rd prototype)



I would probably go with a standard 1.75 inch body thickness and I would do a belly contour just to keep with the Tele/'51 P vibe. You may already have this, but attached is a '51 P neck plan.

[tklaavo]

Originally Posted by storyboards27

What if you did the pickguard like one of the old tele prototypes?
I would probably go with a standard 1.75 inch body thickness and I would do a belly contour just to keep with the Tele/'51 P vibe. You may already have this, but attached is a '51 P neck plan.

Yes, that pickguard style is one possibility! The control plate is just right too.
Belly contour is planned, and a large roundover to the edges, like strat style. No forearm contour though. And thanks, I have that neck plan and I'm going to utilize it for the headstock and general dimensions. As said, the nut will be a bit narrower.

I'll be very busy for a week, so no time to work on this yet.. more updates when it's time!

[tklaavo]

Not much progress on this, but I may have found the body wood. There was a renovation going on close to where I work, and I got some old pieces of door frames. If they are original, should be from 1930's or 40's. Looks like pine, could be spruce as well, but let's assume it's pine. Feels light and nice:



Took off some nails and screws and sanded the paint off to make sure there were none hidden.

Then planed them. Need 4 a side to make any body. Left some extra thickness in case they twist. Let's see that after a week. Some thin cracks still in the surface, I hope they can be planed out.



Got to fill some holes etc. No problem, as this will be painted. And if I get some better ideas, these would be used for some other build... But I instantly fell in love with old recycled wood and will be scouting for more!

[jpbturbo]

Originally Posted by storyboards27

What if you did the pickguard like one of the old tele prototypes? (I think this was the 3rd prototype)



I would probably go with a standard 1.75 inch body thickness and I would do a belly contour just to keep with the Tele/'51 P vibe. You may already have this, but attached is a '51 P neck plan.

That's gotta be photoshopped.

[tklaavo]

A small update on this project:

I'm making the body out of the old pine, using the best parts:


It's a four piece. Planed, glued, used the router planer and sanded. Thickness is now 45 mm (a hair over 1 3/4 inch). Need to plug some holes...

It will be painted red.

I also made a neck template:


Today I found some grandad's old birch pieces and started thinking why not build the neck like I did in my ongoing challenge build, laminating three slices of birch + some extra on the headstock and a birch fretboard.

Pieces of hardware are also starting to get here. The pickup? How about Seymour Duncan? http://www.seymourduncan.com/product...pb1_vintage_f/

[spook777]

Not sure if there is a budget cap, but I'm building one too and I'm considering a Lindy Fralin split coil in the '51 p-bass shape. http://www.fralinpickups.com/bass.asp They aren't cheap but you can get them overwound by 5-10%.

Another to consider is Duncan's Quarter pounder. I have both a jazz set and a P/J set and love the growl it gives. I think you can find the 51 Pbass quarter pounder on ebay for about the same amount as the vintage.

I've also seen replacement Fender's for about $10-$20 less than the Duncans.

[tklaavo]

Thanks for the suggestions, Spook. I have absolutely no knowledge of bass pickups. The Duncans seem to have different numbers of windings, and the QP has bigger magnets. Maybe the SCPB-1 is quite low output?

There's also a possibility that I try to make the pickup myself. Never done that before though... there's always the first time!

[tklaavo]

Some progress:
Built the neck blank (no fretboard yet) from three slices of birch like in my challenge build, with two extra bits on the headstock. Routed to shape and made the truss rod slot.

Filled the holes in the body. Routed the body outline, cavities and neck pocket.

Looks like this now:



I routed the truss rod slot accidentally too long (towards the headstock), but that will not be visible when the fret board is there later...

I'm going to make my first pickup for this. I have a ceramic magnet and steel pole pieces from a cheap tele pickup, could use those. I have AWG42 and 43 wire too. Now I have no idea what kind of pickup those parts would make... If it will be crap, I haven't lost much money - all recycled parts except the wire, which costs about 2 euros per pickup. I guess the thicker AWG42 wire would be more suitable, any opinions on that...?

[Crafty Fox]

Looking good!

[Bud Veazey]

Here's my first Tele bass and here's what I learned from the customer who bought it:

1. It was neck heavy. The padauk/mahogany body wasn't heavy enough to balance the weight of the neck. My customer solved the problem by changing to a wider strap that was less inclined to slide on his shoulder.

2. My customer missed the forearm relief of his old P-bass. The unrelieved Tele type body bothered him until he put a wrist band on his forearm. Now he's a happy camper and gigs with his Tele bass.

If I build another I'll pay more attention to the weight of the body and I will include a forearm relief cut.

[tklaavo]

Thanks Bud, just the things I was worried about too!

That bass looks very nice. Is it the standard Tele shape?

This body is longer than standard Tele body, helps with the balance. I even thought drilling weight reducing holes to the neck on both sides of the truss rod (Scatter Lee style)

The contours - This will be 1,75" thick, so maybe the forearm contour is necessary. I'm not sure about the belly cut, though (the guy who will get this doesn't have a belly ... yet?)

Gonna put the thing together before finishing and then decide on those.

[rip_topaz]

I can't believe I missed this thread. I'm a hopeless tele bass addict.

I built this one last year. I wish I'd have kept it.

[fender62custom]

Cool thread...subscribed....bass is looking great too!!! great workmanship!!

[tklaavo]

Hey Rip, that looks nice, what's the wood?

Just realized I need the truss rod adjustment hole in the body. Just big enough to fit a hex key.

Bought three different red car spray cans (2 each) from local paint store clearance, gotta test them out to find out which color looks right.
Plan for the body finish: dewaxed shellac sealer, sanding, repeat until smooth. Then spray the red of choice from can, thin layers. Maybe some clear on top, but I'm not aiming for that perfect glossy finish because I don't have the skills..

The neck could be wipe-on poly, wet sanded to kind of matte surface. Or just Danish oiled, haven't decided on that yet.

[winny pooh]

@ bud, you should try the gotoh (gb240?) light weight vintage style tuners. Solved the neck dive problem on my 51 RI.

[Bud Veazey]

Originally Posted by winny pooh

@ bud, you should try the gotoh (gb240?) light weight vintage style tuners. Solved the neck dive problem on my 51 RI.

Thanks. I'll put that info in the file for the next one.

[Bud Veazey]

Originally Posted by tklaavo

That bass looks very nice. Is it the standard Tele shape?

It is a standard Tele shape. Your longer body may go a long way toward solving the neck dive issue since it's bound to add some weight.

[tklaavo]

Hi, just a little update - after the challenge I've been very busy doing other things, but this project has to keep going as the birthday is getting closer.. I hope I can make it.

The neck got to this point today. All birch, two-way rod inside, 9,5" radius fretboard epoxied on, fret slots marked, tuner holes drilled:



Needs shaping on the back, final fret slots and frets.. oh and the nut slot

The body got slight contours, not too deep, don't want to lose weight:



Seconds after taking that pic I dropped the body and it got some dents. Oh well, it needs a lot of filling and sanding anyway...

Better pics next time with a proper camera, I hope.
When I have the neck shaped and bridge position sorted out, I'll make a test assembly to check the balance. It is gonna be light overall, so maybe I could add some counterweight stuff to the bridge end if needed. Has someone done that? Like a steel insert under the bridge?

[Crafty Fox]

I used a Fender Hi-Mass bridge on my Telecision Bass. It weighs more than the original 51 style and also has top load and/or thru body stringing. So it'll help add more weight to the end of the body. The '51 bridge cover fits over the Hi-Mass too if you want to retain that look.