My IB-6S Bass guitar is here!

[rjmccants]

Hi there, this is my first build ever of a bass guitar, and I'm verrrrrry nervous! Any and all help to get me through it will be greatly appreciated!!! Just did a dry fit of the neck and body to make sure everything fit and did an inventory of parts..

[pablopepper]

It can be very intimidating opening that box. No need to worry though, plenty of help and info to be had around here. Remember, the only stupid question is the one that never gets asked! Take your time, ask questions, enjoy your build and you will end up with a great instrument.

[ultpanzi]

Great grain there. Great build, take your time and sand like your finish depends on it, cos it does. The satisfaction when youre done is worth all the effort plus more.

[Timsan]

Looking good, man. They're putting some nice veneer on the tops of these kits. Welcome to the club!

[lunaticthighs]

Great looking top should be rad when it's all done.

[rjmccants]

Thanks for all the encouragement, guys, one question, though, I read in another build that there was a problem with the nut not being seated right or that there was gunk underneath and had to be cleaned out...how do you know if that's the case? And not quite sure where to begin...I know I'm supposed to do a mock set up to make sure everything is right, but then what?

[wokkaboy]

welcome RJM, awesome looking spalted cap on the bass, love how every one is unique. I'm lucky enough to have built one of these fantastic kits.
Once the mock build is done and you are happy how it fits together I'd start sanding the neck and body, start with 180 grit, next a 220 grit and finish on a 240 grit. Don't oversand the caps are generally very thin, so don't worry if the cap appears to have areas that aren't totally flat or smooth - the finish will fill these.
With the nut you won't find out if the slots are too high till its strung up, so worry about this later. If you don't have nut files you can use the strings like dental floss to lower the slot.
In the meantime have a think about what stain colours you are planning. Most people who have built these kits have gone a fairly light colour for the cap so you don't hide any of the awesome grain.
Best of luck and keep asking any questions you have.
One other thing clamp the neck in place in the body and check the height of the maple at the heel end of the neck is level with the body. From memory my neck was a little proud

[gavinturner]

Welcome! Great kit you have chosen to start on, and some beautiful grain on show there! Start with the mock build and sanding as Wokka suggests. This gives you some time to consider your finish. Looking forward to following your build along the way!

cheers,
Gav.

[rjmccants]

Ow awesome, Wokkaboy and Gavin, I was hoping you would chime in and be a part of my diary build!! Wokka, I saw your build, and it was sweeeetttt!!! Was hoping you could hold my hand and talk me through the build, I'm a novice, so Obi Wan Kenobi, teach me the ways of the Force! LOL Gavin, I would love your input as well, you guys are the experts here so any help you can give is awesome!

[wokkaboy]

no worries RJM, I'll watch this build thread and try answer any questions you have. The main thing is don't rush it, thats when you make mistakes. Make sure the control cover fits ok and fit the tuners and make sure all the parts are there. Myself and Lawry installed a active pre-amp system which was only about $50 posted and this will give you a better range of sounds. If you built the system with the parts provided ie passive there is only need for 2 volume pots and 2 tones and there's 5 pots but you could always make the 5th control a master volume