DJB-4 First Build

[sameri]

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!

[sameri]

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.

[JohnH]

Wow, that was quick work! It looks great

[Trevor Davies]

Wow, that was quick work! It looks great

+1.

Looks very nice.

[sameri]

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...

[sameri]

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