Making a custom bass guitar. Suggestions on parts

[40Hz]

I'd like to suggest that if you have no previous experience at least trying out basses equipped with a piezo pickup you skip it for the time being. Most people end up not using them all that much on a solidbody if it has one. And it requires some active electronics to make a piezo really shine.

You can always retrofit a piezo later on if you change your mind.

 

[Ethan Block]

I's like to suggest that if you have no previous experience at least trying out basses equipped with a piezo pickup you skip it for the time being. Most people end up not using them all that much on a solidbody if it has one. And it requires some active electronics to make a piezo really shine.

You can always retrofit a piezo later on if you change your mind.

Starting to come to that conclusion myself.

 

[Ethan Block]

Are you dead set on two pickups? I have a bunch of basses with buckers in them. I was really gravitating towards dual humbuckers for a while, but am now finding that running dual pickups seems to cancel out more frequencies than they add. My EBMM 4HH doesn't sound half as good with both buckers on than it does with just the single "sweet spot" pickup selected. I paid more for that pickup that I never use... I also have an Ibanez SRX400 with a single sweet spot bucker and an Audere 4 band that, to me, is the absolute holy grail in bass tone - so even and responsive throughout the frequency spectrum that it often sounds "fake", like a midi synth (strung with DR Sunbeams).

That 4 band Audere Pro Z preamp is really great. I've got a lot of active basses with different preamps in them, but that Audere is the only one that I've used in more than one of them. The high-mid freq is really nice to boost a little bit to cut through a mix. That high-mid is also nice to boost going into a drive pedal.

Back to pickups: if I were picking pickups I would either go active OR humbucker, but not active humbucker. Humbuckers are nice because they are dead quiet, but their large size "sees" more of the string, which makes them a little less focused sounding than their smaller single coil counterparts. Having active singles is nice cuz they are dead quiet as well, and also more defined and focused. You can also achieve this with split singles. As for brand, aftermarket pickups are all petty great these days, so take your pick. EMG and Duncan both make nice actives. For passive buckers, Delano is top notch. Also Nordstrand, Aguilar, DiMarzio, etc etc.

Tuning machines... I'm sure I'll get people that disagree with me, but even my cheap basses stay in tune. Bass guitars are way more stable than guitars as far as tuning, so I'd say try and save some money on tuners.

As far as a piezo bridge, this is where I've gotta tap out. I've never had one. Maybe one day...

Thanks for the advice. I am looking into the Aguilar passive with a preamp. I will consider going single pickup.

 

[40Hz]

Starting to come to that conclusion myself.

Yeah…it’s one of those things that sounds great on paper or in a “special use” situation. But I’ve got a p-pup on two basses and I hardly ever use them. And my guitarist GF has one on one of her solidbodies and doesn’t use it at all.

 

[Sixgunn]

I will say that Bartolini Singularities or Nordstrand Big Blades are awesome single coils! Very defined, punchy and barky

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Can you guys just stop now?

View attachment 2966637

Thread derail deleted. Personal snark in a public thread doesn’t help anyone.

Let’s please try to keep this on topic.

 

[DanAdams]

First custom bass eh?
I would buy an inexpensive used bass that has good hardware and electronics, and pilfer it.
A lot of 5-15 year old unpopular ugly colored higher end Ibanez, Schecter, Cort, etc came loaded with good parts/electronics, and can be purchased cheaply.

 

[scuzzy]

I am making a custom bass guitar. It will be a fretless 5 string solid body. I need some advise on parts, style, and direction.

I was thinking of having two MM style magnetic pickups and a piezo bridge.
Any suggestions for the pickup make/model, bridge make/model?
Any suggestion for the tuning machines?
Any suggestion on pre-amps make/model/whether I should even have one?
Any other advice?

Have you played any solid body electrics with a piezo bridge? If not, consider a traditional bridge, as the electronics and bridge will be much much cheaper. If you really want peizo, hipshot makes a solid version.

I am a fan of bartolini and nordstrand pickups. I would go with either one that has a 4 lead wire. Wire each to a three way switch for series/parallel/coil split. Lots of tonal varieties there alone. Passive electronics would likely be my first choice, as you may prefer it that way. If you don't, you can always add a preamp later.

Hipshot ultralites are great tuners for the money.

Listen to lots of demos. Changing pickups is expensive. Any reasonable quality tuners will suffice.

Best bass gear is a great source to check prices. If this is your first build, get what you want but expect your tastes to change. They just do. Doesn't mean you won't love it.

 

[jbybj]

If you end up passive, I HIGHLY recommend the Stellartone Tonestyler.
Stellartone ToneStyler BASS TEN

Hipshot is also pretty surefired to please. You can find “Hipshot Licensed” tuners, overseas manufactured but at a good deal less than the USA made. I have been very happy with mine. Also have numerous Hipshot A type bridges in service with excellent results.

I have a fondness for headless ergonomics and Hipshot excels there as well.

If you see this through to finishing, Tru oil is a great DIY finish. Easy to apply, and when you get north of 12-15 coats, it looks amazing.

Have fun, proceed slowly, some choices are hard to undo, and enjoy the fruits.

 

[Syco_bass]

First of all, congratulations in making the leap from "off the shelf" to custom building your own instrument. 10 years ago or so, I was in your shoes. I wanted a high end bass, but didn't have the money for it. So, I started building my own. I started out just taking Squier basses and upgrading them. Once I had the knowledge and the experience to build a quality bass I dove into the prospect of building a true "custom" bass. After building over 100 basses I finally got the balls to build them for others. Needless to say I learned a lot and made a lot of mistakes. Some basses came out fantastic and some were marginally better than an off the shelf Squier. With that said you can't go wrong with Warmoth or Allparts to get your body and neck. Warmoth is a lot more customizable, but it will also cost you a bit more. A completely finished body and neck can easily cost you $900. If you are willing to do the finishing, you can save a lot of money. But if you don't have the experience and the tools, you waste a lot of time and money.

I also can't say enough about the folks at Hipshot. I use their hardware on EVERY build now. Their tuners and bridges are simple, rugged and function at a high level. I love their new Kickass bridge and am a big fan of their ultra lite tuners.

For pickups and electronics you can't go wrong with Nordstrand, Aguilar, or Barts but I've been using MojoTone exclusively for the last several builds. Their pickups are well build and are true replications of the originals. I used a set of "blade" Pups from Nordstrand on a P bass build a few months back that came out great. It all depends on your taste as far as tone is concerned. Barts are good, but if you haven't used them before, there are a too many options consider IMO. You'll find opinions on P'up are a lot like A-holes. Everyone has one. So pick one you are familiar with and use them.

As far as your specific build, I would seriously consider staying away from Piezo. You'll find that it's more expensive and you'll rarely use it unless it's the only pickup in the bass. I would also stay away from it unless you have a chambered body, which Warmoth can do for you.

As far as the fretless design, I would ask what type of strings you are going to use? If you want that Jacco sound and use roundwound strings I would recommend an epoxy or at least "superglue" finish. (this is a pretty advanced type of finish and something I would not recommend for your first build) If you have to have it, I would recommend buy a cheap fretless neck, even if broken, and get some experience first. If you are going to use flatwounds, then an ebony neck with no finish will be fine. Again, Warmoth makes some great necks that are rugged and really playable.

IMO if someone came to me and asked me to build them a custom fretless 5 string for under $2K I would use either a single or double pickup design. MM or Jazz or Soap bar design with an Ebony/maple fretless neck and a chambered swamp ash body from Warmoth. I am a passive fan. For me Tube amp and passive tone circuit is my wheelhouse. So that's what I build. Less hassle, less expensive and less issues with noise. But that's me. You might want something else. If you choose to go "active" I would recommend that it is completely assembled for you by the manufacturer unless you are great at reading schematics and soldering. Best Bass Gear offers this service. Yet another skill that doesn't come EZ for a lot of ppl starting out. Noise issues with active pre-amps are real and will keep you up all night trying to figure out. For me ---- simple is better.

Here's a build list that I would recommend for such a customer
Hipshot hardware all around
Warmoth neck - Ebony/Maple - use Warmoth's option for string nut. They do a great job.
Warmoth body - Chambered if you have the extra $$
MojoTone MM pickup in the "sweetspot"
Passive tone circuit with "series/parallel" switch
Option - Nordstrand or Aguilar MM pickup with EBMM 2 tone pre-amp

If you would like to bounce some ideas off me, feel free to send me a PM or ask here in this thread. I'm always happy to share my experience with all of you.

Peace.
Rob C
Arizona Bass Co.
Curcio Custom Basses

 

[somebrains]

I'd like to suggest that if you have no previous experience at least trying out basses equipped with a piezo pickup you skip it for the time being. Most people end up not using them all that much on a solidbody if it has one. And it requires some active electronics to make a piezo really shine.

You can always retrofit a piezo later on if you change your mind.

But it's so much fun to slam the crap out of an amp with an improperly adjusted or installed piezo.

It's almost as bad as when I cleaned out the pots on my Buster combo and the power+standby were flipped up from me shoving the amp back in the combo.....it insta sparked the receptacle.

Also the guy posting above me noted something OP should heed: wrench together a lot of cheap builds before you Lego out your dream bass. It's not Legos, even when your boss orders piles of the same parts at max discount for a house semi-custom and you use pickups that are on the "whitewash everything" end.

 

[40Hz]

But it's so much fun to slam the crap out of an amp with an improperly adjusted or installed piezo.

Yep. And what better way to instantly endear yourself to whoever’s running FOH? Especially if they’re setting levels when you do it. Play cleanly and precisely for half a minute to lull them into a false sense of security. Then once they’ve boosted your channel several dBs, cut the piezo in and let’er rip. That’ll immediately let them know they’re dealing with a real pro. Bonus points if you smoke at least one HF driver or crack a window somewhere.

Never forget that in many primitive cultures, players who had a piezo installed in their basses were considered gods.

 

[somebrains]

Yep. And what better way to instantly endear yourself to whoever’s running FOH? Especially if they’re setting levels when you do it. Play cleanly and precisely for half a minute to lull them into a false sense of security. Then once they’ve boosted your channel several dBs, cut the piezo in and let’er rip. That’ll immediately let them know they’re dealing with a real pro. Bonus points if you smoke at least one HF driver or crack a window somewhere.

Never forget that in many primitive cultures, players who had a piezo installed in their basses were considered gods.

That was the #1 way to have a FOH guy stomp to the stage screaming.
We actually had a few guys ask us NOT to install piezos when I was working in LA...bc let's just flip it in and SLAP.