Saving cash for a budget bass build doesn’t necessarily mean buying parts and components that are less in price, but rather just shopping smarter.
Yeah, I know, “shopping smarter” is a very cliché phrase, but when it comes to budget bass builds, it totally applies.
Shopping smarter simply means this:
1. Avoid needless cost.
2. Use a short list of sources.
3. Know your limitations.
Whenever you can, get your parts, components and whatever else you need from as few sources as possible just to make it easier.
If for example you decided to buy a used complete (keyword there) Squier bass as your budget build/upgrade project, you can grab one of those from any number of places. That’s your first source.
Using ourselves as an example source, we have free US shipping for all the stuff you need.
At the end of it all, the total number of sources is just two, and that’s very easy to deal with.
Now if you flip that around and decided to source your body, neck, electronics, bridge, tuning machines and whatever else you can think of all from separate sources, you’re going to add in a whole bunch of cost for shipping plus any fuel spent driving to places to get all your stuff together. And of course there’s the time factor where everything will arrive at separate times.
At the end of that scenario, it’s very likely you probably will have spent way more than you wanted to – all for something that should have been a nice, easy budget build…
…and that’s not fun at all.
For more intricate builds that require custom woods, specialized parts and so on, sure, you’ll probably have to utilize several sources just to get all the stuff you need. But for the budget build there is really no good reason to do that.
And speaking of which, another thing to avoid in order to save hassle is to not take on anything you’re not sure about.
A classic example of this is installing a preamp system into a bass that currently has a passive system in it. As bass builders who have done this before are well aware, with some preamp installations you can run out of space real quick. While true there are some preamps that feature true drop-in installation, buying a system like that no longer makes it a budget build at that point. And if you decide to go with a low-cost preamp that isn’t true drop-in, that’s where space issues can become a nightmare to deal with.
In the end, for budget builds, follow the 3 tips above. Avoid needless cost (a bunch of little costs end up turning into a big cost later), keep your resource list short to make it easier concerning your instrument and parts/components acquisitions, and know your own limitations so you don’t end up wrecking not only your project bass but the parts you put in it as well.
Remember, budget builds should be simple not only in the build process itself but also in the instrument and parts acquisition buying process.
On a final note, I’ll answer this question:
When is a separated-parts budget build better?
Answer: When you can get the stuff you need easily for next to nothing or free. If a friend has an old bass clunking around he’s willing to give you or sell for real cheap, and there’s another bass at the local guitar store for real cheap you can get, which when combined along using parts you already have can be a “Frankenstein build” of sorts, then yes, that’s about as budget-build as you can get.
But the probability of all that stuff coming together easily usually isn’t likely. You’re better off to buy a complete instrument first and then source the parts new.
Also, if you have one of those “Franken-builds”, feel free to send a few photos along with a short story of the build to featureme@bestbassgear.com, as we’re more than happy to feature them.
Some very good points here similar to comments I recently made in a talkbass thread. Another reason to start with something like a Squier – the neck will fit the body. Warmoth or Allparts would not have fit issues, but they can run into some serious $. For a budget project, a cheap neck from source A may not fit the cheap body from source B. Solving that problem (if its even possible) can be a big challenge and a good body/neck fit is critical to a good setup.
Interesting article. I’m rather tempted to start with a $150 bass from Rondo, and upgrade from there.
Great article, I am currently building a short scale 5 string. Like our friend in the 1st note points out, I have a very nice body with a standard pocket and a inexpensive neck.
I am very capable of doing the work, but do i cut the expensive body pocket to fit the neck or do I trim the neck to fit the pocket ??
Cutting the neck pocket on the body makes a lot more sense, you can align the neck easier and don’t have to re-finish any paint job if you work carefully.