Advice sought. To build or not to build.

I'd say a lightly used Fender Player P bass. The parts you mentioned aren't high end quality but they function well enough to make them good basses out of the box and you can replace them down the road if you want. I have been really impressed with the 3 Mexican Fenders I've gotten in the past few years. The only issues were string misalignment pickup poles (mostly with basses with bridge pickups) and lack of good shielding in the control/pickup cavities which were both easy fixes. One thing to beware of though, the weight of those alder bodies varies and some can be pretty heavy. All IMO of course. Happy Hunting.

 

IMHO, build something!

I understand the low resale factor, but to me, that get's more than offset by playing something nobody else has

 

IMO the safe route would be to buy a used Player Series bass and swap the pickup(s). The fun way might be to put one together.

I put this guy together a few years ago for around $400. GFS body and neck, Gotoh lightweight tuners, high mass bridge, Tonerider pickup. It's a great playing bass - body is Paulownia so it's super lightweight too, right around 7 lbs (hence the lightweight tuners and high mass bridge).

This last summer I bought a brand new short-scale Fender Player Series Mustang PJ bass for $550 or so on sale. It's a great bass too, but I think the Tonerider in my parts P-Bass sounds better than either of the stock Player Series pickups - deeper, smoother, rounder - like a P-Bass should sound. So if you go the Player Series route, save a bit of cash for new pickups. Other than that though the Player guitars are roadworthy, pro quality guitars.

My parts P-Bass:


My Player Series Mustang:

 

Check out the G&L Tribute line. The SB-2 fits the bill. They are imports, but use the same pickups as the USA made options. The quality is really high and they sound great.



Or build one and post a crap-ton of pics, cause I love watching that kinda thing

 

This!!!


I’m gassing for a straight P bass, and this checks the boxes for me. Love the color with tort guard and maple fretboard. If you want to swap the pickup- that’s an easy “upgrade” but I think the review on these are pretty good.
My 2 cents- can’t go wrong- If you don’t like, PM me and I’ll try to take it off your hands!!

 

@CapnCrunch - sorry the pic didn’t make it into my first post. Ocean Turquoise with tort...love it or hate it- but it has that maple fretboard you mentioned!

C-Note

 

The Harley Benton basses are excellent for the money. Ive got a JB75 and it is pretty much perfect after a pro setup.

 

@CapnCrunch !! That sounds awesome!!!
I like the idea of aged Fiesta Red!! Matching headstock would be unusual as well...

Oh, and tort guard...(or not, but tort...)

 

I second. Had an L-2000 Tribute (humbucker) that was a rock for me. Will hold their value as well. Actually sold mine for just a bit more than I paid for it new after 10+ years.