Tele P-Bass Build

[VonBaffle]

Here are the beginnings of my Tele P-Bass project. Basic, simple. Sort of.

I'm leaning toward the white pickguard at the moment, but... you know

Active EMGs. I'll need to drill an extra hole in or make a custon Control plate for 3 knobs.

Vintage White alder body. I think the flash on my phone "bleached" the color a little in this shot.

 

[Axkoa]

Damn that's nice. I prefer the white pickguard. Is that satin as well?

 

[Verne Bunsen]

I would have thought I'd prefer the black pickguard, I generally lean towards contrast, but looking at them both I also like the white one better. Either way it'll be a sharp bass!

 

[amigarobbo]

I'm another with the 'I would have thought the black would have worked better, but I prefer the white' camp.

Do those Pickups screw straight into the wood then? You going for the simple roll off only tone or the BTC active Bass/treble controls?

 

[VonBaffle]

Thanks for all the positive feedback!

Damn that's nice. I prefer the white pickguard. Is that satin as well?

It's a gloss finish

I'm another with the 'I would have thought the black would have worked better, but I prefer the white' camp.

Do those Pickups screw straight into the wood then? You going for the simple roll off only tone or the BTC active Bass/treble controls?

Yes the pickups screw directly in and yes, the tone will be a simple roll-off type. The bass/treble control is tempting. I'm not sure how much room I'm going to have for active electronics (like pots with circuit boards attached) particularly since I'm going to be drilling an extra hole in a stock control plate, but if I have room, I don't see why I wouldn't upgrade. The back is routed for double 9v.

 

[rgand]

I like both the black and white. You can't go wrong with either one.

 

[bagman67]

I'm leaning toward white, but not by a huge margin.  Great choice either way.  I'd lean toward black with a darker fretboard, but maple pushes me toward white.

 

[Cagey]

I agree. Looking at the body alone, black looks best. But with a light body and neck, the pickguard is too big to be an accent, and too small to be a balancing contrast, while white provides a nice overall blend. Here's a similar body with a w/b/w sandwich 'guard.

I'm gonna match up a Pau Ferro/Pau Ferro neck to this tomorrow, which is breaking my own rule, but they're just gonna be a temporary fling anyway  :laughing7:

 

[amigarobbo]

I take it the PX is going in the neck position and the Humbucking DC in the Bridge?

Any reason for the eXtended version on the P but not the D?

 

[ghotiphry]

Love all the basses coming in these days.  Beautiful choice.  I agree on the white.

But isn't that a 50s Precision?  Below is a Tele, right?

 

[amigarobbo]

No, this is a Fender Telebass:

Fender never made a single cutaway bass back in the day, as far as I know.

G&L did make a ASAT Bass though,

Which appears to be the, *cough* *cough* inspiration for the Warmoth Custom-T.  :icon_tongue:

 

[Logrinn]

According to Wikipedia - this is a -56 Precision Bass:

 

[Fat Pete]

Fender first used the name 'Telecaster Bass' in 1968. It was basically a re-issue of the original Precision.

Fun fact, in case anybody doesn't already know it: it was called 'precision' because it had frets, so it was easier to play more precisely than a double bass (which was the only other game in town back then).

 

[Cagey]

Interesting. I did not know either of those things.

 

[VonBaffle]

I refered to the project in the title as "tele" because of the neck I chose. Not sure what Fender called them but I see most on here refer to theirs as '54's.

I take it the PX is going in the neck position and the Humbucking DC in the Bridge?

Any reason for the eXtended version on the P but not the D?

Yes the PX is going in the neck and the DC was a whopping $10 cheaper than the DCX, thats just where I happened to cut costs, no reason really. Earlier you asked me about tone controls and since then I've sprung for the BTC (FYI a stacked bass and treble control/preamp). When you buy the BTC they give you the EMG knobs for the stack PLUS 2 more for the neck/bridge volumes!

I had to dremel a top-to-bottom slot in the control cavity so the BTC circuit board would fit. Was also nervous about getting all that wiring to fit as well:

In back is a double battery box...

Amazingly everything fits! Plugged in, all the controls work for the "screwdriver tap" test. Now I'm waiting for the long and arduous "headstock decal burial-in-nitro" process, which I plan to do over several weekends. 

 

[Logrinn]

Looking good! ccasion14:

 

[ghotiphry]

I've built 4 basses now, 2 with Audere preamps and 2 with John East.  Didn't consider the EMG.  I like it.  Nice, small modular package.  Going to have to research this a bit.  You have a battery box?  Or did you use the passive modules?

 

[amigarobbo]

I take it the PX is going in the neck position and the Humbucking DC in the Bridge?

Any reason for the eXtended version on the P but not the D?

Yes the PX is going in the neck and the DC was a whopping $10 cheaper than the DCX, thats just where I happened to cut costs, no reason really.

I noticed there was a difference in the tone pots between the standard and X versions, the X needs a powered tone pot, but having looked into it they're both 25k, so I think it'll be fine, I think.  Apparenty the X need the active tone control as the pickups are so 'active' they're not as effected (affected :dontknow: ) by the standard tone control.  :dontknow:

But as you're going for the BTC control it's all academic anyway.

I've just got some EMGs on order, quite looking forward to playing with the solderless connectors, and not having to shield the control cavity. Or put an earthwire to the bridge.  :evil4: