New 5-String Z-Bass...

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Hey guys,

I recently pulled the trigger on a new Warmoth project.  First one in years.  Not sure how it's going to pan out but it'll be fun. :)

This is also my first time posting here.  When I was looking at the parts I did a Google search and stumbled on to this place.  This appears to be a great community with a wealth of knowledge so I'm looking forward to sharing and learning with you all on this project.

The first bass I owned was a '72 P-bass.  Alder body, maple neck, rosewood board.  There was a chime when I popped on a fresh set of D'Addario XL's on it that I fell in love with and miss.  Since then I've owned Tobias, Ibanez and Yamaha basses and have most recently been playing a 5-string HH Stingray 5.  Currently I think I'm feeling the Jazz thing, and missing the tone of my original P...So here comes this project...

I've got an alder Z5 body with J-Bass pickup routes, a maple neck with ebony board, and a 3+2 Warmoth headstock.  The neck is fretted with SS frets and the body has the contoured neck pocket.  All of the hardware is chrome right now.  The body was already drilled for the TK5 bridge and I've seen at least one person frown on it.  I'm hoping that it's not that big of a deal but would be curious if a Hipshot would be a direct bolt on replacement.  I might look into that if I'm not happy with the TK5.

I have a pair of Bartolini J-Bass pickups rolling in as well and will at first do a passive config.  I've got four control holes in the body so I might do a vol-vol-push/pull (active/passive) tone-stacked bass/treb setup in the end.

The Warmoth parts will be here on Monday and I should have it bolted together Monday night.  I'll at least be able to get an idea of the acoustic tone of the instrument.

I'm thinking that I'll tung-oil finish the back of the neck, and I'm thinking about a dark stain/dye on the body.  I'm tossed about gloss or matte finish on the body.  A black dye, with gloss finish and chrome hardware will look somewhat striking but I'm concerned about it being somewhat cheap looking.  I've also been thinking that maybe a red would be nice too.

Oh well...Get there when I get there.  :)

Thanks in advance for any help I get.

James
 
There are not nearly enough bassists on this forum! Welcome!

I do have to inform you of our rules for posting, though:

1. Pics, or no guitar.
2. PICS, or NO GUITAR.
3.  :rock-on:
 
You don't say what Warmoth parts you ordered, but if the neck is maple, you don't want to oil it. In fact, that'll void Warmoth's warranty. Maple needs to be finished, as it's somewhat unstable raw. I know, that hardly seems likely, but I've seen it in other projects I've done with maple where I didn't put an airtight finish on it.
 
knucklehead G said:
There are not nearly enough bassists on this forum! Welcome!

I do have to inform you of our rules for posting, though:

1. Pics, or no guitar.
2. PICS, or NO GUITAR.
3.  :rock-on:

Ha ha!

Well...Pics will be put up as soon as the pieces are in my possession.  UPS has them right now and it's killing me!  Oh well..At least Monday won't suck.

If I like this Z bass enough there will most likely be a matching 5 fretless to go along with it and possibly a backup 5 so there might be a few more to come. :)

Cagey said:
You don't say what Warmoth parts you ordered, but if the neck is maple, you don't want to oil it. In fact, that'll void Warmoth's warranty. Maple needs to be finished, as it's somewhat unstable raw. I know, that hardly seems likely, but I've seen it in other projects I've done with maple where I didn't put an airtight finish on it.

Hmmm....I wonder about that...

This quote from Carvin site leads me to believe this is okay to do...

"The neck of the SB5000 is made from eastern hard rock maple with a tung oil finish for smooth, fast playing."

And this from Ernie Ball about the Stingray (with a maple neck) that I currently play.

"Neck Finish:  Gunstock oil and hand-rubbed special wax blend"

I definitely don't want to put effort into an instrument only to have it tweak out on me because of something stupid that I did or didn't do so advise here will be greatly appreciated.  It seems that these manufacturers have no issues making basses with some sort of an oil finish.

Looking forward to more comments.

Thanks!

James
 
Oil works, it just doesn't validate Warmoth's warranty.
 
I've wondered about it sometimes, too, because maple can hardly be asked to take a stain, so you wouldn't think it could absorb/release moisture. But, I've seen the stuff move. Not much, mind you, and certainly not like some woods, but it does it. For most things, I doubt anyone would notice or care, but guitar/bass necks are persnickety things. A couple thousandths off can mean the difference between a fret buzz and clear note.
 
Cagey said:
You don't say what Warmoth parts you ordered, but if the neck is maple, you don't want to oil it. In fact, that'll void Warmoth's warranty. Maple needs to be finished, as it's somewhat unstable raw.

Yes, using oil as your finish does not meet the requirements for Warmoth's warranty.
However, it does work fine on necks and from the research I have done, there is very little chance of the neck being ruined by this process.
Check out Tonar's maple necks.  He only uses oil...

Good luck and let's be seeing  :glasses9: those pics !
:rock-on:
 
yeah i recently learned that tru oil is considered a "hard finish" by Warmoth and it works with maple
 
tada.jpg


Hmmm...Wonder what this is??
 
Ha ha!  Well...I don't tease for long...

Looks_cool.jpg


Whatcha think??  Neck fits in the pocket soooo snug. :)  I know the hardware isn't on...But the balance felt pretty good. :)  I'm a little concerned since the body was listed as being "light."  I'm hoping I don't have any balance issues.
 
Soo....The mailman showed up and handed me these..

barts.jpg


And of course I had to pop 'em in just to see...

Pickups.jpg


It looks a bit like a bass.    :headbang:
 
Well, that doesn't look like a shotgun at all!

No matter. I'm sure it'll be killer.

Warmoth does keep some tight tolerances, eh? When I got my strat body/neck, I was surprised how tight that fit was. You couldn't fit a stray thought between those pieces of wood. I think in metalworking that's what they call an "interference fit". Fortunately, that's a Good Thing.
 
Tight indeed!  For whatever reason the top three tuning key holes weren't quite large enough from the top down for the tuning key ferules.  They fit fine backwards though.  A little reaming resolved that.

I wired up the bridge pickup straight to the output jack, popped a set of strings on and tuned her up to see how she sounded.

Together.jpg


The neck is a bit heavy...If this were a P or J style I'd have an issue with neck dive.  The neck is a little "chunky" feeling too.  I think I might want to round down the treble side of the neck a little more to make it feel a bit more like a Tobias.  I can tell it's asymmetrical...But it doesn't quite feel as sleek as I'd like it to.  Maybe I just need to play it a bit.

The action is a bit high as well...But I haven't adjusted much either...I'm thinking things need to settle in a bit before I get serious with neck/bridge adjustments.

Off to have some fun. :)

 
Not wasting any time savoring it, are you <grin>

Don't play with it too much if you intend to put a finish on it. Body oils are nasty things, and you could end up with splotches, smears and clouds.
 
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