The HBB-5 Build.

[ozzbike]

This kit looks really interesting...challenging and yet avoiding some of the issues noted on other hollow body kits.

https://www.pitbullguitars.com/shop/...ss-guitar-kit/

The alternative for me was this one....the "Jam Sannich".....stained red front and back and up the back of the neck...headstock and sides of body a golden amber colour.

https://www.pitbullguitars.com/shop/...forum-special/

I have a GPB-4B I am building for a family member....the "Pauli"...my partner is Finnish and this fellow is her cousin. "Pauli" is coming along great....then when it is finished.....what do I do?????

Planing shall begin. The HBB-5 has string through body with ferrules top and bottom....nice. The photos show a rosewood, or similar, bridge....but no insert in the bridge...unless it is in one of the plastic bags.

Question 1:-

How do you use just a stick of rosewood as a bridge on a five string bass? All that thick string pressure concerns me.

Plan:-

1. Pore fill with ebony timbermate on top of body....and back of body. Neck and sides to be baltic/pine or similar neutral colour pore fill.

2. Stain top and back of body and rear of neck deep red...crimson...cherry....something like that.

3. Stain sides and headstock face a yellow/vintage amber/lemon colour.

4. Two coats of Feast Watson Sanding Sealer...sanded well back to 240 grit in between each coat....on both body and neck.

5. Feast Watson Fine Buffing Oil on the body....up to seven coats...one per day for a week. Hang for 14 days. Then at least four coats of hand rubbed Gilly Stephenson's Cabinetmakers Wax....and buff until I fall over. DW on the fretboard...also buffed until I fall over...and then do it again.

6. Tru-Oil on neck and headstock....I like the gloss look and the feel under my hands.....the wipe on poly ones I have get a little sweaty.....not found that with Tru Oil.

7. Electronics:- Price and find a better set of 5 string soapbar pickups...possible Phase II Seymour Duncan Bass Lines passive set.

2 x Push Pull coil split 500K pots in volume control positions. 2 x CTS vintage dish back A style 500k Tone pots. 2 x .223uf Orange drop Tone Caps. 1 x Switchcraft jack socket. 1 x recessed Tele Style electrosocket jack plate.

8. Hardware:- 1 x TUSQ Nut blank...black...which I will have to carve for the five strings....need to find a string spacing template. 1 x set Gotoh GB-707 five piece tuning machine set (3 x 2).

Queries:-

Big one is the Bridge for me. What do I do with this? Is timber strong enough for this application? Internet searching is required.

The three position toggle switch? Are they good enough from the kit?

Positives:-

Semi hollow body. Bolt on neck. Control cavity on back....less fishing electrics through the F hole required. The bridge is not a three point style used on other kits...that allegedly have a propensity to pull out from the body of the Bass guitar.

Negatives:-

5 strings?????? My first one.

The BRIDGE...in case I hadn't mentioned it before.

Gotta save the money.....bugger.

Off to the budget planner and start the saving. GAS has struck yet again......will make 22 guitars and basses when done....ouch.

[wazkelly]

Hi Ozzie, I like your well thought out planning checklist for this kit.

Just a few thoughts and comments I felt worth sharing:

1. Not sure timbermate grain filling will do much on basswood or back of a maple neck but happy to be proven wrong.
7. Stock Humbuckers are not bad and have plenty of grunt with 7.97k on one coil and 8.01k across the other coil which means once split they still have enough oomph. You can spend plenty on soap bar upgrades for not much extra benefit. I used Bensons in the EX-5 and they have plenty of MM warmth and alternatives were either Bartolini or EMG passives. If budget is an issue suggest trying stock units to begin with as that will save at least $200 - $250 up-front.
8. I used one of these on my EX-5 and it is a ripper, fantastic idea.... Aussies seller doesn't have any available but this UK site does and price seems reasonable https://www.thomann.de/gb/warwick_ju...ring_45_mm.htm

* 3 way switch - stock units are noisy and prone to failure. I have used these on most of my 3 position switch upgrades and found them easy to connect and relatively noiseless when switching across all 3 settings ...... https://www.realparts.com.au/electro...ch-chrome.html

Stock tuners on this kit are better than the open back elephant ears, in fact they look the same as on the EX-5. They are functional, don't slip but do feel a bit tight under tension. OK enough for occasional use but if regular gigging was happening that would justify upgrades.

Timber bridge? No idea buddy and tend to think once it has been 'located' in the right scale length position maybe glue it down? Best to wait for others to drop by and add their thoughts.

Cheers, Waz

[ozzbike]

Waz...those two options....adjustable nut and good quality three way switch....are great ideas. Thank you. 😎

Hmmmm.....well I will save myself some dollars and see how it goes.....those resistance figures for the stock pickups sound good. I do note that the ones in my TB-4 are very quiet...have to ramp the amp a little.

But stock tuners sounds good.

Yeah the bridge is an unknown thing for me. That will be interesting.

*****I get good results with timbermate on Basswood and Maple.....but at 120 grit....sand the filler off at 180. Wasting you time finer than that I think.

[Simon Barden]

8. I used one of these on my EX-5 and it is a ripper, fantastic idea.... Aussies seller doesn't have any available but this UK site does and price seems reasonable https://www.thomann.de/gb/warwick_ju...ring_45_mm.htm

Just FYI, Thomann is a German company, but do have a generally good English version of their website (though you do still find the occasional German phrase). Their prices are actually properly shown as Euros, so for costing purposes, convert from Aus$ to € rather than £ (the Thomann web site conversion to £ can be on the slightly optimistic side for us in the UK). Ten years ago they used to be significantly cheaper than the UK for most of their products, which forced the UK retailers to compete so now UK prices are generally on a par, though they can still be competitive on some products.

I wouldn't worry too much about the wooden bridge. A web search shows quite a few basses with them, and of course a double bass has a wooden bridge. You've got a solid wooden centre block to take the downwards pressure. Plus you don't need to worry about drilling bridge location holes.

You could pin the bridge if you find it moving about, though if you change string gauge (or even make), you'll probably need to relocate the bridge to get the intonation correct again, so I'd only do it (or glue it) if it was a real nuisance for you.

The pickups seem to be of one of the standard soapbar sizes, probably 1.5" x 4.5" rather than 1.5" x 3.5", so retrofitting alternatives should be pretty easy to do.

I'd certainly replace the selector switch for one like Waz recommends. The kit ones work for a bit but can easily go short circuit to ground. I've had two identical switches to the kit ones fail on two Vintage (the brand) Les Paul copies, and both have shorted the signal directly to ground. Get a short switch, not a long one (as you normally get on a Les Paul), as you won't have the depth to get a long one turned round and poked through the hole in the body. Luckily that's the only control that's awkward to install. I'd be tempted to get some 3 or 4-core shielded cable to run the distance from the control cavity to the switch location, as it's quite a long run. Plus you only have to get one cable through the holes from the control cavity up to the switch position (and I have no idea what that route is from the kit photos).

[ozzbike]

Simon,

Nice info on Thomann....I will check ze german site. Thank You.

This wire looks good. Shielded and four core.

https://www.realparts.com.au/electro...ire-black.html

The piccies really don't show much of the route the wiring would take up to and back from the switch.

But....2 x pickup hot wires up....one earth back....one hot output to the jack socket back. So the four core should do the job fine.

Glad I kept the fishtank tubing I used on an older hollow body kit. (Thanks for the idea Gav Turner. )

[wazkelly]

Simon,

Nice info on Thomann....I will check ze german site. Thank You.

This wire looks good. Shielded and four core.

https://www.realparts.com.au/electro...ire-black.html

The piccies really don't show much of the route the wiring would take up to and back from the switch.

But....2 x pickup hot wires up....one earth back....one hot output to the jack socket back. So the four core should do the job fine.

Glad I kept the fishtank tubing I used on an older hollow body kit. (Thanks for the idea Gav Turner. )

Hi Ozzie, i was looking on the Thoman site last night and they have a very expensive minimum freight charge to Aus. Also tripped over a Hong Kong based eBay store selling adjust a nut clones and will copy their link when i get home after work.
Cheers, Waz

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[wazkelly]

Hi Ozzie, as promised I have copied in below some links for the expensive and not so expensive 5 string adjust a nut. Not sure of the quality for the Hong Kong based supplier but at that price it could be ok?

https://www.ebay.com/b/Warwick-Guita...76/bn_25160720

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Warwick-Jus...QAAOSwjVVV03WY

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/String-B...8AAOSwjSJadgVC



Cheers, Waz

[wazkelly]

I am ordering one of the cheapie 4 string versions and will let you know what i think once it arrives.

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[Simon Barden]

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/String-B...8AAOSwjSJadgVC

"- Material :Pom"

I do think it's a bit off making nuts out of dead Englishmen.

[wazkelly]

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/String-B...8AAOSwjSJadgVC

"- Material :Pom"

I do think it's a bit off making nuts out of dead Englishmen.

Yeah, i had to google to find out which pom they were referring to.

Turned out to be some long winded poly something material (plastic). The German ones are similar plus reinforced with fibreglass.

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