Jazz Bass Build - South Austin Guitar Repair
Andrew

Custom Jazz Bass Build

South Austin Guitar Repair

Jazz Bass Build - South Austin Guitar Repair Jazz Bass Build - South Austin Guitar Repair Jazz Bass Build - South Austin Guitar Repair Jazz Bass Build - South Austin Guitar Repair Jazz Bass Build - South Austin Guitar Repair Jazz Bass Build - South Austin Guitar Repair

 
This project was special, it was a personal project, resurrected from one of the first basses I ever built! This particular project had changed appearances a few times through it’s life. Originally, it was a Jazz bass, then I experimented with a series of different pickup combinations, all of which required routing to the body. Eventually, this bass was set aside and scraped for parts. After using some of the spalted maple for a repair on another build, I sanded the top wood of the bass entirely and set it aside as a future project.

Jazz Bass Build - South Austin Guitar Repair Jazz Bass Build - South Austin Guitar Repair Jazz Bass Build - South Austin Guitar Repair Jazz Bass Build - South Austin Guitar Repair Jazz Bass Build - South Austin Guitar Repair Jazz Bass Build - South Austin Guitar Repair

 
Finally, I had an objective. Build a bass with a sharp attack, broad tonal range, sleek look, light-weighted and elegant aesthetic. Having never built a bass with a graphite neck, I knew that was a necessary component. I had this bookmatched AAAA quilted maple top sitting around for years. Originally, I was planning to build a guitar with it, but things got in the way and the farthest I ever got was gluing the two pieces together until it sat for years. Something funny about working with this this maple top: I don’t currently own a band saw, which is how I typically would cut out wood when building. SO when working with this piece of maple, I cut it by hand, scoring the wood with a straight-edge ruler and a razor. When the top wood was close to shape, I glued it onto the walnut body and rasped the rest of it to fit the shape. Lastly, I beveled the top with a hand router.

Jazz Bass Build - South Austin Guitar Repair Jazz Bass Build - South Austin Guitar Repair Jazz Bass Build - South Austin Guitar Repair Jazz Bass Build - South Austin Guitar Repair Jazz Bass Build - South Austin Guitar Repair Jazz Bass Build - South Austin Guitar Repair

 
For electronics, I was on a mission for a versatile, sharp-attacking growling bass tone. I hadn’t had a jazz bass for a long time. I am always experimenting with different pickup combinations and manufacturers to see what is best, but you can’t the simplicity of the almighty jazz bass. Gritty, tight, balanced; there’s good reason why they are the winning combination for musicians and manufacturers. I am a firm supporter of the Aguliar OBP preamps. I have them installed on each of my 6 basses. This one was an OBP-2, which offers a bass/treble boost and cut. I wired those with a stacked pot to save space. I prefer my pickups to be wired through a 3-way mini toggle switch into to a single volume. I’m all or nothing when it comes to pickup volume and combinations. Now, comes is my ace in the hole. The middle knob on this bass is actually a 5-way rotary switch. It’s a distortion circuit that moves from true bypass and though 4 switchable distortion models that get progressively grittier as you go up. Personally, I prefer the 3rd position for my stylings. Just enough break-up for each note to pierce through the mix while still maintaining clarity and the role of the low end of my band.

Jazz Bass Build - South Austin Guitar Repair Jazz Bass Build - South Austin Guitar Repair Jazz Bass Build - South Austin Guitar Repair Jazz Bass Build - South Austin Guitar Repair Jazz Bass Build - South Austin Guitar Repair Jazz Bass Build - South Austin Guitar Repair
Jazz Bass Build - South Austin Guitar Repair Jazz Bass Build - South Austin Guitar Repair Jazz Bass Build - South Austin Guitar Repair

 
For all your guitar repair needs, contact Andrew of South Austin Guitar Repair – 512-590-1225

2 comments

  1. Hi, I was admiring your building project. It looks fantastic! I ‘m thinking of rebuilding a Fender MIM Precision / Jazz bass Mark Hoppus signature by adding an extra pickup near the bridge. Tje Mark Hoppus has a Precision neck mounted on a JB body and only one pickup. I was wondering what the position of that pickup should be. I guess that the difference in neck-length between Precision and Jazz bass would require a different setting for the bridge pickup. Any thoughts on how to determin that?
    Enjoy your basses!

    • Hi Paul! I would recommend you space the middle of the bridge pickup 2 1/4″ from the G string saddle. That’s a good sweet spot to give your bass some growl. Feel free and share your work when you’re done if you’d like!

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