How to Build a Bass Guitar

Best Bass Gear wants you to learn how to build a bass guitar, so we have developed the How to build a bass guitar series of articles.

Each article takes a look at the different areas of building a bass, and includes not only useful information but also useful tips and tricks.

Please note: This is a work in progress. Not every step is listed just yet, but we are releasing one article per week until every build step is covered.

Remember, each step has a comment area, so if you have a question, feel free to ask and we'll answer as soon as we can.

  1. The full scale drawing
  2. Routing the truss rod channel (need a truss rod?)
  3. Gluing a fretboard
  4. Cutting the fret slots
  5. Cutting a two-dimensional profile of a neck
  6. Smoothing the neck
  7. Radiusing the fingerboard
  8. Inlay and side marker installation
  9. Scalloping the headstock
  10. Fret installation
  11. Fret dressing
  12. Neck carving
  13. The body layout
  14. Neck pocket template fabrication
    1. Part 1
    1. Part 2
    1. Part 3
    1. Part 4
  15. Routing the neck pocket into the body
    1. Part 1
    1. Part 2
  16. Fabricating a control cavity routing template
    1. Part 1
    1. Part 2
  17. Routing the control cavity
    1. Part 1
    1. Part 2
    1. Part 3
  18. Routing the pickup cavity
  19. Drilling Pickup and Ground Wire Holes
  20. Mounting the Neck
    1. Part 1
    1. Part 2
  21. Making a P Bass picking routing template for the pick guard (need pickups?)
    1. Part 1 
    1. Part 2
  22. Routing the pickup opening in the pick guard
    1. Part 1
    1. Part 2
  23. Drilling holes and cutting out the pick guard
    1. Part 1
    1. Part 2
  24. Pick guard edge beveling
  25. Pick guard neck cutout
  26. Cutting out the body
    1. Part 1
    1. Part 2
  27. Taking down the treble side rib
  28. Spindle sanding the body
  29. Carving the rear body contour, i.e. the "tummy cut"
  30. The forearm contour
  31. Body edge roundover
  32. Finalizing the body shape
    1. Part 1
    1. Part 2
    1. Part 3
    1. Part 4
    1. Part 5
    1. Part 6
  33. Cutting the nut slot and prepping the nut blank
    1. Part 1
    1. Part 2
  34. Laying out the nut slots and trimming the nut blank
    1. Part 1
    1. Part 2
  35. Rough slotting the nut
  36. Finish sanding the neck
    1. Part 1
    2. Part 2
  37. Oil finishing the neck