This week’s selection is from Jason at Willis Guitars. An amateur builder. Here’s his story:
About a year ago I set out to build my first bass guitar. As an amateur builder, I have built a couple acoustics and electric 6 string guitars in the past couple years but I began playing bass and wanted something to inspire me every time I picked it up. I was influenced by my favorite bass manufactures such as Fodera and many others. I didn’t use any templates at all and just went to town with rasps, routers and sanders to shape the whole thing. Bass electronics were new to me so Bestbassgear.com was a godsend by allowing me to research the best stuff all in one place and they were very helpful with talking me through some troubleshooting with the wiringIt sounds and plays better than I could have hoped. The whole thing weighs under 8lbs. I feel like this was really successful for my first bass build. Inspiration has taken hold of me. I hope it inspires other people too.
It features the following:
Swamp ash body (light) w/ buckeye burl top
5 piece maple and mahogany neck (set)
Maple fretboard with abalone inlay
Fiber optic illuminating side markers
18VDC active Mike Pope preamp w/4 band EQ (including bass, treble, hi mid/low mid with frequency switches) and an active/passive switch
Delano SBC HE/S dual coil pickups with grain matching covers
Hipshot ultralight tuners with bass extender
Hipshot A style bridge
Copper shielded cavities
Cavity covers and truss rod cover are all matching surrounding woods and fastened with magnets.
I stabilized the top with epoxy and finished the whole guitar with Tru-oil
Well done!
Want YOUR bass to be featured for Bass of the Week?
Submit yours now using our easy web form
Beautiful. I like it when the builder takes a lot of nice closeup pictures of their work. Well done Jason.
Thank you Ron.
What does “5er fretted 4-string” mean? Why isn’t it just a five-string?
haha. It was too early in the morning for me. It’s a 5 string.
It’s a 5 string, which is why I called it the 5er.
Hey Jason – Yep. I know. It was 5am when i wrote this article. Apparently i need more coffee before writing articles 😉
Well done i note .apply better technique in shielding applying i painstakingly cut my diagram and slowy roll using a tool i made to flatten shield exra smooth
Thanks Gary. I’ll take that as good constructive advice. I’m new to working with foil tape. I’ve used the conductive paint in the past but I read that the foil provides better shielding. Can you give me some guidance on how to fashion the tool you mentioned?
Gorgeous Bass. Hand carving is the only way to create the perfect feel for your hands. Everything is done to perfection. I’m a huge fan of natural wood, Love the covered pickups and No Screw covers. The lighted markers are a beautiful touch. Very impressive and beyond inspirational. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for the kind words Tom.
Very well craft Jason, not bad for an amateur,lol ,and very wise done,thanks from Paris,Fr.
Just two things: too bad for the pick up cover screw,it would be better with allen screw,
and why the Xtender Hipshot is on the E peg?
Anyway as i’ve allready said this bass is marvelous, bravo!
Hello, thank you for the compliments and the criticism. It didn’t occur to me to use Allen hardware but I agree that it would look better here. I assume that would necessitate the use of machine inserts. I’ve been looking into that sort of hardware for neck attachments. I chose to put the extender on the E string post because I cover a couple songs that use drop D tuning and found that the easiest way to duplicate and finger. I have heard debate in the past on the need for an extender with a 5 string but I just went with it. I admit that my biggest weakness is my ability to edit myself and sometimes less is more. On the other hand since I’m still learning how to build, I like to try new things and push my limits and what is “normal”.
Pretty amazing for a first bass! I like your styling and craftsmanship. I usually prefer a satin finish, but your gloss finish is gorgeous!
Thank you Ric
Yea I’d like to play that bass at the casino
Because of the illuminated side markers? Not a necessity but it was fun and challenging to accomplish. Especially since I don’t have a CNC and routed the channels by hand. The first night I had it finished, I turned out the lights in a closed room and cranked it up. What an exhilarating and inspiring feeling.
This base is just beautiful I hope it sells as well as it looks great job