Care to help me plan out a parts bass?

[markom89]

I've been more and more into playing bass as of late, so I decided I'd build a parts bass :) I'd like you guys to help me out, though. I'm simply looking for some answers to these questions:

Which of the follow combinations do you find look best on a P-Bass?:

Fiesta Red body, dark rosewood or ebony fingerboard on vintage tint maple neck, tortoise pickguard, black pickups, and that pup/bridge cover..

Candy Apple Red body, the same everything...

Black body, the same everything...

Olympic White body, the same everything...

Also, who makes the best bass pickups for a bass that's going to be used on a variety of different styles? Versatile pickups... I was thinking Lollar...

Lastly, how do you think a sparkle bass would go over with people? :)

Thanks in advance.

Cheers,

Marko M.

[musicmancutlas]

Marko, First I would say that if your looking to cover a variety of styles, then a P Bass may not be the choice as they can can be pretty style-tone specific.I'd suggest looking at maybe a Jazz Bass set up.Given what ever pickup selection you go with , your variety in tones will be more condusive to what ever projects your working on.You'll also need to look at how broad of a range you want to cover with your tones and an active electronics system can offer a wide array of possible tones.MC

[testing1two]

Personally, I think you're on the right track with a P-Bass, although I have both P's and J's and they each sound great in numerous musical contexts. Let's first talk sound before cosmetics. I recommend the tried and true alder body, maple neck, and rosewood fingerboard. Very versatile and still affordable. For pickups, you won't go wrong with Lindy Fralin or Sadowsky. The Sadowsky preamp is also super cool, but not necessary by any means to achieve great tone.

Cosmetically, you've come up with some classic combinations. I like candy apple over fiesta red, but that's just my preference. However, I like olympic white with the tortoise shell guard even more. As far as sparkle finishes go, they are great under stage lights but they're not exactly what you bring out to play weddings, church gigs, and other casuals. It's all a matter of context.

Good luck and be sure to post some pics!

[markom89]

Thanks, guys! I appreciate your input.

The reason for my wanting a P Bass is that I want to get as classic a bass as possible, and I've come to the conclusion that the P Bass is it.

Yes, the alder body, rosewood and maple neck is what I was going for, as that's the "original" and "true" P Bass sound/construction. I'll look into those pickups that you mentioned- thank you for telling me about them.

Yes, these are very classic combinations that are tried and true, I find! Nothing beats these, IMO (on a P Bass, that is).

Back to sounds for a second... While the P Bass may not be the most versatile, I won't really be using it for death metal or anything like that, so I expect that it could cope a bunch of other styles/sounds fine, right? (i.e. classic rock, "hard"(er) rock, blues, jazz, etc...nothing really heavy)

Thanks again for the great input.

[mgrier1]

Marko,

Don't bother (unless you really, really want to :)).

Get a Sadowsky (Best bet is a P/J to cover all bases - pun intended) You can go NYC or Metro according to budget.

You'll never build a better Bass than what Roger is doing (Certainly not from the ol' parts bin around the web)

I'm serious here, Brother... :banana

Best,

Mike

[tkozal]

Marko,

Don't bother (unless you really, really want to :)).

Get a Sadowsky (Best bet is a P/J to cover all bases - pun intended) You can go NYC or Metro according to budget.

You'll never build a better Bass than what Roger is doing (Certainly not from the ol' parts bin around the web)

I'm serious here, Brother... :banana

Best,

Mike

Yes, like this one...I was thinking you should get a P/J. I love mine

I think maple boards work well with P's. Besides I have enough rosewood boards. The maple snap balances out the P mids nicely.

This is the best instrument I have ever played
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc170/tkozal/DSCN1944.jpg

[Thor]

Big +1 on just buying a well built bass.

Sadowsky, Lakland, Lull, and even a well chosen Fender all offer what you are looking for with quality that will far surpass a parts bass. Spend time playing it rather than building it!

Cheers,

Edward

[mgrier1]

Yes, like this one...I was thinking you should get a P/J. I love mine

I think maple boards work well with P's. Besides I have enough rosewood boards. The maple snap balances out the P mids nicely.

This is the best instrument I have ever played
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc170/tkozal/DSCN1944.jpg

Fine, fine instrument! Congrats tkozal... Don't you just love these basses? Sold my NYC Jazz in a fit of GAS and it is the worst move I have made in a long time. Suffice it to say, there will be a new Sad on the way shortly (The Ric will have to hold the fort for now.)

Marko, the fellas are right here... Just fire up the Sad that fits your price level and get playing! PM me if you have questions, Buddy...

Best,

Mike

[n.j.]

If it was me, I'd get a P-Bass: light ash body, maple board, big fat quartersawn neck, huge flatwounds (like the LaBella Jamerson set, .052-.110) and a Duncan Antiquity pickup. Black nitro, matching headstock, gold anodized guard, yow! Put the pickup covers on, get yourself a skinny leather strap w/ a shoulder pad, and kick ass.

But that's me.

[markom89]

Thanks for the input, guys :D
I certainly appreciate your time!
maybe I should consider just getting a finished one, though I thought building one to my specs would be fun. I would of had the help of a pro guitar tech for the building process, FYI, but he probably ain't no Mr.Sadowsky, lol. I'll look into them some more.

Mike, I'll shoot you a PM later on, thanks, bro!

n.j., that sounds pretty dope :banana
I could totally pull it off.

[tkozal]

I have found that by the time you price out a decent parts bass, with labor, you are into Fender Reissue or Sadowsky Metro pricing really fast...

[testing1two]

+1 for the Sadowsky if you have the means. It's probably twice the cost of a parts P-Bass, but everything Roger touches seems to be inspired and my Sadowsky P-Bass will probably be buried with me.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk20/testing1two/PBass3.jpg

[Thor]

Played a friend's Sadowsky J just tonight - a truely inspiring bass. Gonna have to start squirling away the pennies!

T12: beautful bass!

cheers,

Edward

[mgrier1]

...Sad NYC J Bass:

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a84/mgrier1/Sadowsky%20NYC%20Jazz/SadowskyNewYork4446.jpg

Best,

Mike

[Thor]

Whoah!!! Mike that is stunning.
:banana:banana:banana:banana:banana

Clearly rates 5 outa 5 dancing bananas!

Cheers,

Edward

[ghoti]

I just like the plain wood finishes, maybe with some stain or color but semi-clear finish.

Tonally, I like a music-man and j, and you can cover a LOT of ground with the right setup even if you don't mount a 3-band active eq. I prefer at least 5 strings, because the neck's a little more comfortable for my hands, and you get more bottom end and can do low runs easier as well IMO.

Usually basses are either bolt-on or neck-thru on a solid-body instrument. I prefer neck-thru for sound and feel, but lots of others like bolt-on better. As for woods, you can go "classic" with alder or ash (or mahogany), or you can use an exotic that might do the trick as well.

[chopperace]

Talk to Nick at Rocketfire, he also builds basses and can build you a bass for not much more than you can doing it yourself. You can find pictures of the guitars he has done on the guitar page. He's building me a vintage style Jazz bass but he could match that Sadowsky also.