Newbie Bass enthusiast in Perth

[Brendan]

G'day all, Brendan here.
Haven't ordered my first kit, but thinking about the Jazz Bass kit. My woodworking and electrical skills are pretty basic, but looking through the videos and the Community forum it all seems fairly achievable. Any other recommendations for a bass fan?

[Gavin1393]

Welcome Brendan, are you north or south of the river? There are a few bass enthusiasts on the forum including our Luthier in Residence DingoBass.

[dingobass]

Hey Brendan, Welcome aboard!
Great to have another Perth based Bass head amongst our numbers.. I think there are 4 or 5 of us now :D

The Jazz Bass is a really good choice for your first build.

Don't worry too much about your skill level as there is a wealth of help and advice right here on the forum, and if you get really stuck you can always email me at dingobass@pitbullguitars.com and request a visit to the Man Cave of Lutherie 8-)

[robin]

Another bass player, cool.

Welcome aboard Brendan. Heaps of help on the forums, most of us are noobs, so you're in good company.

rob

[Brendan]

Gavin - North - my passport for south of the river expired last year and I haven't renewed. Totally impressed by DB's work - the Ibanez clone is stunning and one I'd be proud to claim as one I'd made.

DB - thanks for the offer - when it's all in I might take you up on it.

[dingobass]

You might need to renew that passport then Brendan :D

[Brendan]

I'll start the paperwork DB! :P

How long end to end for a kit (not wanting to rush the experience)...

[dingobass]

Great attitude! A slow build will always be a great build...

A build should take 40ish hours of work. Seems a lot but considering you probably have a day gig and other commitments you may be lucky to find an hour a day to work on your kit.

When it comes time to apply the Wudtone finish (hint), you will only be able to do one coat per day for most finishes, some need a few days drying time between coats so all up it may take up to three weeks to complete the finishing, depending on how many coats you want to apply.

Even if you decide to paint your Bass (shudder) you will need to give yourself this length of time, even though many of these paints claim to be dry in a few hours, the curing process can take months!
(The usual time that Fender and Gibson leave their bodies is 3-4 months).

A general rule of thumb with paint is if you can smell it, it is still curing and during this time it is very easy to damage the finish.

You may get the impression I don't like paint... Yep. I don't like paint at all, and for many other reasons as well that have been discussed in previous posts..

[keloooe]

I always shudder when I hear the "N" word or even just spray paint...
Hi Brendan, welcome to the forums!!! We already have a number of 'Perthians' here, and the warehouse that the kits are stored in is located in Fremantle IIRC, so your kit should be pretty quick to get to ya!
Yep, as DB hinted, we all love Wudtone, seriously great stuff (no mess, more awesome looking!!!), so give it a shot!

Set up a Build Diary in the appropriate sub-forum so we can all follow your build, and when you finish, enter it in GOTM (Guitar of the Month)!!!

Cheers,
Pest

[adam]

Hey Welcome Brendan, I know you've got your eye on a Jazz bass type kit, with some custom specs, that we can order for you, but while you're waiting for that, why don't you look at getting one of our HB-4 kits (the Violin bass style kit).

I've played the one that DB put together and its sensational. Sounds great (authentic!) and is such fun to play ('cause it's so light). If you're looking for a bass to just "play around the house", this would be a great choice.. and it's an eye catcher too if you go with a Wudtone, or similar, translucent finish.

Something to ponder...

[Gavin1393]

Quote from keloooe on April 24, 2013,
Hi Brendan, welcome to the forums!!! We already have a number of 'Perthians' here, and the warehouse that the kits are stored in is located in Fremantle IIRC, so your kit should be pretty quick to get to ya!
Yep, as DB hinted, we all love Wudtone, seriously great stuff (no mess, more awesome looking!!!), so give it a shot!

Set up a Build Diary in the appropriate sub-forum so we can all follow your build, and when you finish, enter it in GOTM (Guitar of the Month)!!!

Cheers,
Pest


He's baaaaaaack! Gee Pest, we all thought the mathmatics monster had abducted the real Pest! welcome back to you too and on top of your 'welcoming duties' game once again! Good man! :)

[Brendan]

DB / Pest - wouldn't dream of painting it. To be honest, I've run across an image online that I'm thinking I'll have a go at for my first - not sure if to go for a light Wudtone or even go with DB's wax option (like the ST-1). Looks like I can ebay a cover (without the "F") for the bridge (though I might not go the pickup cover).

Adam - I figured I'd start with something fairly simple and the Jazz looks the treat. Let me know how to order with a maple neck - I can handle the wait... (at least I keep telling myself I can). The HB-4 looks great, but I'd want to go spalted to get the best look - may be a 2nd (though it'd be a toss up with the PBH-4 and a defret job) guitar. Alternatively, I might go over to the dark side and try my hand at a Tele (though I can't play normal guitar for nuts).

Great community here - already feel part of the whole and looking forward to the day I can put in my Build Diary.
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/ogw2d-mini_1061_shoponline_produits_f_f1stck012__wk1_fen der-custom-shop-jazz-bass-1970-closet-01.jpg

[wokkaboy]

Quote from Gavin1393 on April 24, 2013, 07:07

Quote from keloooe on April 24, 2013,
Hi Brendan, welcome to the forums!!! We already have a number of 'Perthians' here, and the warehouse that the kits are stored in is located in Fremantle IIRC, so your kit should be pretty quick to get to ya!
Yep, as DB hinted,
Cheers,
Pest


He's baaaaaaack! Gee Pest, we all thought the mathmatics monster had abducted the real Pest! welcome back to you too and on top of your 'welcoming duties' game once again! Good man! :)

Welcome Brendan. Good choice a PB, JB or HB bass they all look like great kits. I'm another South of the River resident handy to be a 20 minute drive from dingobass. Good luck with your build and set up a build diary as Pest says. Any questions the forum family will be too happy to answer.
Cheers wokka

[keloooe]

Quote from Gavin1393 on April 24, 2013, 07:07

Quote from keloooe on April 24, 2013,
Hi Brendan, welcome to the forums!!! We already have a number of 'Perthians' here, and the warehouse that the kits are stored in is located in Fremantle IIRC, so your kit should be pretty quick to get to ya!
Yep, as DB hinted, we all love Wudtone, seriously great stuff (no mess, more awesome looking!!!), so give it a shot!

Set up a Build Diary in the appropriate sub-forum so we can all follow your build, and when you finish, enter it in GOTM (Guitar of the Month)!!!

Cheers,
Pest


He's baaaaaaack! Gee Pest, we all thought the mathmatics monster had abducted the real Pest! welcome back to you too and on top of your 'welcoming duties' game once again! Good man! :)
Yea, woke up to this post, so I just had to!

[Bass Guy]

Welcome, fellow deep-ender! Good to have more low end guys on board!

The natural finish look for the Jazz is a winner- looking forward to seeing the progress shots!

Best wishes,

Eliot "Bass Guy" McCann

[Brendan]

I agree - just waiting on the bass with the maple neck coming in... Has anyone played a bass with the bridge / pickup covers on? The pickup cover looks to be a bit of a pain, but I like the look. Hmmm... do I compromise function over looks.

[robin]

Quote from Brendan on April 25, 2013, 18:52
Has anyone played a bass with the bridge / pickup covers on? The pickup cover looks to be a bit of a pain, but I like the look. Hmmm... do I compromise function over looks.


Hi Brendan,
I got my Jazz second hand about 30 years ago, and still play it to this day. The first thing I did was take the covers off. Never been on since. I think they may be suited if you play with a pick. But never had one of those on it in 30 years either. lol

I think its just a matter of taste, and what you get used to.

cheers
rob

[Brendan]

That's what I thought - may go for the bridge cover - I think I can live with it. Pickup looks a no go.

[dingobass]

Yep. The covers are a pain.... That is why most of them ended up being used as ash trays! :P

They were originally installed in an attempt to shield the Bass from electrical feed back etc, they didn’t really make much difference.

You get a much better result by using copper shielding tape in the pup routs and control cavity.

[keloooe]

I actually play a little bit of bass, and I play with a pick, so the covers on my friends Jazz bass are used as neck holding jigs!