DJB-4 First Build

Having a crack at my first build.

Always wanted a Fender Jazz Bass but cannot justify having one in my collection for aesthetics alone so hoping to build my dream one on a budget.

Went into this with a plan which I threw out the window as soon as I laid eyes on the American Ash woodgrain.

So now I’m just doing a light stain with Feast Watson Prooftint Maple heavily diluted to soak into the grain and enhance it. Finish with be Feast Watson Wipe-On Poly.

Added gold hardware, a bone nut and a 3-ply black scratch plate but otherwise sticking with the cheap electrics, etc. to keep costs down.

Never done this before so here’s hoping it works out!

Attachment 42260

All done. Really happy with the finished product given it took me 5 days start to finish. 7 coats of satin wipe-on poly on the body and 3 coats on the neck. Really nice feel and finish. Action, intonation, sound and playability is all surprisingly pretty good with a quick setup. Will do a full fret job and pop on quality strings once she's settled for a couple of weeks.

The black pick guard below is just sat in position as it is a genuine Fender and doesn't fit exactly (close but not close enough). Waiting on my black one from Pit Bull to arrive this week.

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Wow, that was quick work! It looks great

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JohnH

Wow, that was quick work! It looks great

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+1.

Looks very nice.

Thanks guys. I'm very happy with the finished product given how quickly I was able to complete it.

Currently fitted with a white pick guard while I wait for the black to arrive. Also need to replace one of the machine heads that is slipping and fit my bone nut (they originally supplied a 6 string by accident). Should all hopefully be here this week.

I can see how people end up spending brand-name money on these things if they're not careful!! Great fun to build but would get expensive when you start to upgrade tuners, bridge, electronics, etc...

Attachment 42257

A couple of build pics. of the stain and poly coating.

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