While I’m waiting for a few things in paint, I wanted to keep my hands busy… so I dig up this project I started a few years ago, before my cancer and subsequent treatment. about 12-13 years ago I made a bass that was basically a combo of a tele bass and an ampeg scroll bass. I really liked the aesthetics of it , and then wanted to refine it further….though I’ll probably build another one like the original in the future. Here’s the original “Tele-Scroll” bass I build all those years ago….... Finally revisiting a fretless project ..read more

Not sure how much appetite there is for this, but thought I'd start a thread for this Tele build. I got this chunky piece of walnut the other day which has some nice grain, but when I planed both sides up there's quite a bit of sapwood in it, so it will be getting a veneer on the top, more of this later. View attachment 5272361 Started by cutting the board in half and gluing up the body blank. This build will be be mostly done in my breaks at work so could take a while, but I do have... Not another Tele build! Yawn ..read more

Specs 30 inch scale 6 string Carl Thompson tribute 33mm thick body shrunk to about 80% of a normal bass size Neck through body Washburn 6 string humbucker Black hardware Generic 6 string bridge from Aliexpress Wilkinson tuners No controls 100% macassar ebony construction Here's my Plan B entry in the event that my overly ambitious 10 string fretless doesn't get done in time. I find that having two basses to work on at once makes the process flow a bit better. While waiting for glue to dry... Winter Build Off 2024 - Best Bass for Having a Contingency Plan ..read more

I recently documented my $89 Bex Gears Tele kit and it was much better than expected in pretty much every way. I actually bought this headless kit before I bought that one, but I am building these kits as self education working toward a scratch build. Even having never built a kit before it was obvious that this one had many issues, so I thought it would be better to save it for when I had a little more experience. So I spent a lot of time considering how I might correct and/or conceal the... WBO 24: Best Bass to root, root, root for the home team ..read more

Incoming holiday break project - '60s Holland made Egmond 1EBS1 Rambler bass loaded body, original tuners, neck-plate, and tr cover. Everything but the neck, which was badly warped according to the Reverb seller. View attachment 5287932 Not certain if the finish is original, but it looks like it could be. I plan to strip & refinish it. View attachment 5287936 Nice and light - and thin (looks to be ply top & back over a solid core) View attachment 5287938 Bridge cover intact... Egmond Rambler bass project ..read more

Here we go! This will be a partial build for the Best Bass for Metal! Here's my pile-o-parts: 5 string bass neck purchased off of eBay a few years ago, 3 piece Alder body blank from Exotic Wood Zone, 1/4 maple top (nothing special), HipShot KickAss bridge and Fishman Mike Inez pickup set. Tuners are on the way. View attachment 5291547 As you may have guessed from the name, the body will be a slightly more aggressive Jaguar... just a little pointier at the horns and... Winter Build Off 2024 - Hel Jag (P) The Best Bass for Metal ..read more

I think I'm finally ready to jump into this whole mess here.... View attachment 5297945 I'll preface it with the warning that I may change my mind on some things here and there when it comes to wood or specs, but this at least gets me a placeholder. What bass would possibly cost more than $10k and require a possible 4 year wait? I think We ALl know what that is... So with that in mind, here's the general plan on this scratch build: - Swamp ash body - Birdseye... Winter Build-Off 2024: Best bass for saving thousands and years ..read more

Hello fellow bassists, I am a student in my final year of high school planning to make a 5 string fretless bass as one of my major works throughout this year, I'm currently trying to get a finalised design in the next few weeks so that I can start ordering parts and cutting wood ASAP, I'm here to get some feedback and ideas from people that will hopefully lead to me making my project as good as it can be. I know this current model isn't perfect but that's what I'm here for, I will be making... Final year high school student major project ..read more

Hello everyone, this will be a Scratch Build including some of the pickups. It will include: Multiple separately movable multi-coil pickups and options for more conventional pickups A new D-extension (new compared to my first build) Probably fanned frets (I've never built a neck before, so this will get interesting). Maybe I'll also try a binding... Winter Build Off 2024 - Best Bass For Sound Experiments ..read more

Legendary builder/luthier John Diggins passed away today. Legendary Guitar Builder John Diggins, Known for Making Tony Iommi's 'Old Boy' SG, Has Died ..read more