Help me plan a bass build

[Tipperman]

Help me plan a budget bass build. Things in the seymour duncan price range are fine. An expensive body/neck are fine as well. The main budgeting point would be bridge type, hardware costs, pickups, # of pickups, etc. Four string, five string, six string, anything is fine.  Single coils, humbuckers, whatever. You guys choose. I'll write down what I like most and make it my next build. This way, anyone who responds could have a part in my bass build! Who doesn't want to become one with funk?

My thoughts are personally: A gecko bass build. Alder or Ash body, Tonar finish?, a raw neck of some sort, possibly ebony fretboard? All purpleheart, no finish? Maybe a P bass style. Or a p bass! AHHHH somebody help me pick! Excruciating GAS for some kind of bass.

 

[line6man]

What I've been wanting for a while: One-piece Padauk body, Wenge neck, Ebony fingerboard. (Unlined fretless is my preference, perhaps you would be better suited to a fretted bass, if you don't know what you want.) Your choice of pickup in a soapbar housing in the sweetspot. Two-band EQ or perhaps just a simple buffer to lower output impedance. Black Hipshot A bridge and Ultralite tuners. (With a detuner, if you like them.) Ebony thumbrest.

The body shape and number of strings are up for question. I've thought about this idea as a 5 string Gecko in tenor tuning, and a 4 string modernized take on a Jazz bass.

 

[AutoBat]

This Gonçalo/Gonçalo neck:

This Body:

 

[Tweed]

Excellent pics above!
Un-gloss.

Just today I found that AllParts dot com has a few choices of bridges in the $20 range.
I think the Pbass pickup is unrivaled.
In my experience, you should make sure that you'd use more than four strings. I'm not at all very prolific on bass, but I don't need to go any further than four strings offer.

 

[Tipperman]

Excellent pics above!
Un-gloss.

Just today I found that AllParts dot com has a few choices of bridges in the $20 range.
I think the Pbass pickup is unrivaled.
In my experience, you should make sure that you'd use more than four strings. I'm not at all very prolific on bass, but I don't need to go any further than four strings offer.

I tend to play bass in a Stefan Lessard style, utilizing all strings to their fullest potential. Still, I like four strings just as much as five strings, they both serve their purpose.

Thanks for the suggestions AutoBat! The Goncalo/Goncalo neck looks interesting. I would how Goncalo/Wenge would be?

Joey - That bass build sounds awesome. I kind of like the idea of my bass body changing to a brown over time. Maybe a purpleheart body, though? I'm kind of leaning towards the Gecko body style.

Keep em' coming guys! You all rock and/or roll.

 

[hachikid]

Get hipshot ultralight tuners for the headstock, and schaller straploks. Maybe get a so :guitarplayer2:apbar/MM pickup in the neck, and a '51 P-Bass single could pickup in the neck position. That could be great.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Things in the seymour duncan price range are fine. An expensive body/neck are fine as well. The main budgeting point would be bridge type, hardware costs, pickups, # of pickups, etc. Four string, five string, six string, anything is fine. 

Why is the pickup budget so fixed if the neck and body are free to be so exhorbant.  Seymour Duncan pricing for pickups will certainly buy a lovely, good sounding set, but an extra $50 for pickups when a single, fancier body or neck option can easily add 3 digits to the price of the build.... :dontknow:

 

[Tipperman]

Things in the seymour duncan price range are fine. An expensive body/neck are fine as well. The main budgeting point would be bridge type, hardware costs, pickups, # of pickups, etc. Four string, five string, six string, anything is fine. 

Why is the pickup budget so fixed if the neck and body are free to be so exhorbant.  Seymour Duncan pricing for pickups will certainly buy a lovely, good sounding set, but an extra $50 for pickups when a single, fancier body or neck option can easily add 3 digits to the price of the build.... :dontknow:

I should have clarified. I meant I'd prefer to avoid my typiocal $400 a set pickups, for something more affordable. Seymour Duncan is one of the only ones I've regularly purchase (Along with Lollars etc). If it's around $150-250 for a set, that's fine, just not looking for boutique. The reason I mentioned pickups specifically is that's where I tend to go really expensive (Again: Lollars, BKPs, etc. Trying to avoid that here.)

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Ah, gotcha.

 

[Tipperman]

I should also add, for anybody willing to give input, I am open to any and all suggestions. Even though I do want to keep it budget, if you recommend things in the MEC price range, I will definitely look into it. For those who have already commented: I'm writing down a document now with footnotes on suggestions. Anybody who doesn't know anything about bass (Like me! I dunno shite except "BIG STRINGS!!!!") is perfectly welcome to make suggestions.  :cool01: