A few months ago I decided to launch off my first jazz bass build and I thought I'd share my project and its progress so far. 
This all started with what originally seemed like an innocent case of GAS. This beautiful MIJ 75RI jazz bass was on eBay
and it started getting me thinking. Why don't I just buy it? Well I'm not a fan of poly finishes, and there was a good chance that the pickup placement was in the 60s configuration rather than the 70s. But that matching headstock! Wow! For the amount of coin, I was probably better off trying to build my own for a few extra bucks.
I have never owned a 70s style j bass before, however, I have always enjoyed the attack and the slim neck of the Geddy Lee bass at my local music store.
And down the rabbit hole we go...
I fell in love with this 1966 Fender Jazz bass in charcoal frost: drool
And this Danocaster jaguar in charcoal frost:
Yup, settled then. A charcoal frost jazz bass tastefully greened with a matching headstock and a tort pickguard! The aim, a 60s inspired version of a 72 J bass.
I've been a long admirer of MJT and have watched their eBay ads for quite some time, however, I noticed that they usually only offer a 60s routed J bass made out of alder or swamp ash.
I decided that I wanted a 70s inspired J bass but with a few twists:
1) Nitro finish with a matching headstock
2) A one-piece mahogany body with a B&B maple and rosewood neck. (my mind is still trying to comprehend how this will sound in the end)
So I contacted them and had the pleasure of working with Matt. Let me say, this guy is awesome! Fast to respond and super easy to work with. He answered all of my questions (and there were a lot) and we got the process started.
It took about 3 weeks to get this body from Wildwood manufacturing under the following conditions
- single piece body
- mahogany
- under 5 lbs
- 70s routing
And they delivered!
The body weighed in at 4 lbs and 13 oz (2.18kg).
While the body was in the process of being cut I purchased the following neck from Warmoth and shipped it directly to MJT:
I decided to go with a super slim neck profile, steel stiffening rods, nickel 6105 frets, and a pre-installed GraphTech nut. The neck arrived with a weight of 2 lbs and 2 oz (0.96 kg)
And to pair with this body and neck? A Spitfire pickguard purchased through the TB classifieds
60s speckle in burgundy - looks burgundy in natural sunlight and red under warmer light.
At the moment Wendy from MJT is my point of contact for this project. I would recommend her to anyone. She has done a great job determining what I want out of the project and so far I think it is well on its way to becoming a reality.
In the midst of all of this, I decided to have a custom decal made for the headstock. I contacted CIDecals in Finland. Olavi, who makes the decals digitally by hand, did an amazing job taking my ideas and turning them into a reality.
As my last name is Squires, I had quite a few people encourage me to make a Squires decal... Yup, didn't happen (maybe when I make my own bass with my own two hands). Instead, I took inspiration from old radio and electronics companies. In particular, an old Zenith Electronics logo, as well as the logo for Crafted Radio.
It took a while to settle on a name, but after some thought and Olavi's awesome attention to detail:
the Zombie Jazz Bass was born!
Currently this decal is on its way to the USA from Finland and will be applied underneath the clear coat of the headstock.
As for hardware:
- Settled on Ultralite tuners (and an Ultralite extender) finished in Shiny Nickel with clover keys. (Ordered through Bassstringsonline, and Jason is absolutely awesome!)
- After some bridge research, KSM just fit the design and weight requirements that I sought.
Light weight aircraft grade aluminum, small profile, well designed for frequency transference, and they offered it in finished in Nickel!
Weight: 4.25 oz (120.5 g)
Can you tell that I'm a fan of Nickel hardware? Something a little different: aiming for all nickel hardware!
As for pickups, I have a set of Nordstrand 60s style NJ4's which I'm hoping will suit the bass well... however, this may change once the bass is put together. I can't for the life of me think of what will pair the best with this bass but time will tell!
Currently this project is in the 'sit and wait' stage, but hopefully it will come together before Christmas.
Thanks for checking out this build thread! Stay tuned.
(Here's a photo of the body after it was primed!)
P.s. Good piece of knowhow for those looking into MJT into the future: they can do almost any form of aging to your instrument. However, out of their 2 options for checking (linear style and broken glass style) they only offer the broken glass style for headstocks. Personally, I found that to be a bummer, but I'm sure the end result will look fantastic.
Cheers!
This all started with what originally seemed like an innocent case of GAS. This beautiful MIJ 75RI jazz bass was on eBay
and it started getting me thinking. Why don't I just buy it? Well I'm not a fan of poly finishes, and there was a good chance that the pickup placement was in the 60s configuration rather than the 70s. But that matching headstock! Wow! For the amount of coin, I was probably better off trying to build my own for a few extra bucks.
I have never owned a 70s style j bass before, however, I have always enjoyed the attack and the slim neck of the Geddy Lee bass at my local music store.
And down the rabbit hole we go...
I fell in love with this 1966 Fender Jazz bass in charcoal frost: drool
And this Danocaster jaguar in charcoal frost:
Yup, settled then. A charcoal frost jazz bass tastefully greened with a matching headstock and a tort pickguard! The aim, a 60s inspired version of a 72 J bass.
I've been a long admirer of MJT and have watched their eBay ads for quite some time, however, I noticed that they usually only offer a 60s routed J bass made out of alder or swamp ash.
I decided that I wanted a 70s inspired J bass but with a few twists:
1) Nitro finish with a matching headstock
2) A one-piece mahogany body with a B&B maple and rosewood neck. (my mind is still trying to comprehend how this will sound in the end)
So I contacted them and had the pleasure of working with Matt. Let me say, this guy is awesome! Fast to respond and super easy to work with. He answered all of my questions (and there were a lot) and we got the process started.
It took about 3 weeks to get this body from Wildwood manufacturing under the following conditions
- single piece body
- mahogany
- under 5 lbs
- 70s routing
And they delivered!
The body weighed in at 4 lbs and 13 oz (2.18kg).
While the body was in the process of being cut I purchased the following neck from Warmoth and shipped it directly to MJT:
I decided to go with a super slim neck profile, steel stiffening rods, nickel 6105 frets, and a pre-installed GraphTech nut. The neck arrived with a weight of 2 lbs and 2 oz (0.96 kg)
And to pair with this body and neck? A Spitfire pickguard purchased through the TB classifieds
60s speckle in burgundy - looks burgundy in natural sunlight and red under warmer light.
At the moment Wendy from MJT is my point of contact for this project. I would recommend her to anyone. She has done a great job determining what I want out of the project and so far I think it is well on its way to becoming a reality.
In the midst of all of this, I decided to have a custom decal made for the headstock. I contacted CIDecals in Finland. Olavi, who makes the decals digitally by hand, did an amazing job taking my ideas and turning them into a reality.
As my last name is Squires, I had quite a few people encourage me to make a Squires decal... Yup, didn't happen (maybe when I make my own bass with my own two hands). Instead, I took inspiration from old radio and electronics companies. In particular, an old Zenith Electronics logo, as well as the logo for Crafted Radio.
It took a while to settle on a name, but after some thought and Olavi's awesome attention to detail:
the Zombie Jazz Bass was born!
Currently this decal is on its way to the USA from Finland and will be applied underneath the clear coat of the headstock.
As for hardware:
- Settled on Ultralite tuners (and an Ultralite extender) finished in Shiny Nickel with clover keys. (Ordered through Bassstringsonline, and Jason is absolutely awesome!)
- After some bridge research, KSM just fit the design and weight requirements that I sought.
Light weight aircraft grade aluminum, small profile, well designed for frequency transference, and they offered it in finished in Nickel!
Weight: 4.25 oz (120.5 g)
Can you tell that I'm a fan of Nickel hardware? Something a little different: aiming for all nickel hardware!
As for pickups, I have a set of Nordstrand 60s style NJ4's which I'm hoping will suit the bass well... however, this may change once the bass is put together. I can't for the life of me think of what will pair the best with this bass but time will tell!
Currently this project is in the 'sit and wait' stage, but hopefully it will come together before Christmas.
Thanks for checking out this build thread! Stay tuned.
(Here's a photo of the body after it was primed!)
P.s. Good piece of knowhow for those looking into MJT into the future: they can do almost any form of aging to your instrument. However, out of their 2 options for checking (linear style and broken glass style) they only offer the broken glass style for headstocks. Personally, I found that to be a bummer, but I'm sure the end result will look fantastic.
Cheers!
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