Electric bass, plans, and ease of assembly

[Adam Cruea]

I've wanted an electric bass since high school, but unfortunately, I'm too cheap to go out an buy one. Now that I have some woodworking tools, I know I can make one.

The big problem is I have no idea where to search for plans, tutorials, and resources for things like what woods give what type of tone, what pick-ups work best, all that stuff.

I'd like to make a couple of basses. I want a bass that could be used to play rock/heavy metal, and then a bass that can do funk/soul (or slap bass).

Does anyone have suggestions for web resources, books, stuff like that?

Thanks!

[Jim Creech]

Google bass guitar plans. There is a ton of info out there. You may also want to consider designing your own. Also look at active and passive pick-ups. Active for your funk/slap.

[Adam Cruea]

Awesome, thanks!

[Chuck Raudonis]

If you have never built a guitar before I would suggest that you might want to start with a kit. The Saga kits are a decent starting place. The JB-10 kit can be had for $139 and gives you everything you need to see if building is for you. Ultimately you will want to change out the electronics, but everything else is pretty decent! Even the neck plays well. I played around with a 5 string kit and it was good.

http://www.instrumentalley.com/Saga-...it-p/jb-10.htm

[Adam Cruea]

Oh sweet. Thanks, Chuck!

[Julie Moriarty]

For all kinds of plans go to GitarreBassBau.de. You should find something to fit your needs.

As far as building a guitar being cheaper than buying one, that depends. There's a lot of specialty tools you'll need, some you'll want and others that will make the build a lot easier. With what I've paid so far for tools, materials and wood combined, I could have bought a pretty nice Fender Strat. But for me, owning a nice Strat didn't mean nearly as much as owning a guitar I built from scratch. And since I plan to build more, the overall cost per guitar will drop.

If you want to get an idea what tools might cost, go to Stewart MacDonald (StewMac). They have just about everything. For a good tutorial on how to build a Strat-type guitar, check out the tutorial Ron Kirn did. Google his name for the website. A great video series on YouTube was done by Fletcher Guitars.

I haven't yet delved into the world of bass guitars but I plan to and when I do I'll tap into the world of YouTube to get help.

And of course, you have some very knowledgeable luthiers here who may be kind enough to help you along the way, as they have me.

Best of luck!