Bass build from spare parts

[FarToMany]

Alright, here is the deal, i have had this Squire strat body kicking around awhile. I also need a new bass because while i love my Epi EB-3, the shear length, and top heaviness due to the short SG body kills my shoulder. Soooo, what if we make a Stratobass. I picked up a Squire P bass neck (34" scale) from a fellow forumite, and had a bass bridge.

 

So far my thinking is to get sometype of pickup that'll cover up the trem hole, and recut a blank pickgaurd. I'd really like this the be a 2 pickup model (so i'll need another pickup of some type) and use a three way switch and some strat style knobs, but what do you guys think? I want to keep the vibe of the strat, but be playing bass.

 

I really like the neck pickup tone in the EB-3, but i think that pickup would look too far out of place in this build, and i'd like something thats got some brightness somewhere in a bridge position. Also, being on a blue body, what do you think for pickgaurd color?-- these items is where i need help without breaking the bank.

 

I have strapped it up and it seems comfortable enough and much more balanced, so i am happy with that part at least. I dont think i have ever seen anyone do a build like this, i got the idea off the Tele forum where someone did a tele body short scale build, so i thought why not with a strat.

 

While i love the blue on the body, it has to come off. This is one of those factory repaints, and its red underneath. And unfortunatly while handleing the body doing the reroute in the neck pocket, it slipped onto the floor and suffered major paint chips. So i have been thinking of stripping and doing blue stain. However, while more work, i could fill the trem hole up which would let me put the pickups anywhere and just repaint it with a solid color.

 

[fretless]

I am not a Luthier but the first thing that comes to mind is scale length , will it intonate properly so just for kicks measure it from nut to bridge . I couldn't tell you if it will work but I am interested I personally wouldn't do a refin , I like that color an a beater is always cool . If you were going to have a custom pickguard made , perhaps you could bring it down to cover the bridge hole ?

[Bryan316]

According to this picture, where you have the bridge, will lead to EPIC FAILURE. You're not even CLOSE to the proper scale length for the neck.

[Rippin' Robin]

measure the scale length.

 

Though it looks alright from the picture.

[solderjunkie]

I went in my room and stretched a tape on my Precision vs my Strat, taking into account that the neck begins at the Strat neck pickup.

 

If you use very short intonation screws and very short springs you can get it to intonate. Put the bridge as far back as possible and the saddles will be directly over the bridge hold-down screws.

 

Your measurements may vary, since I can't actually measure your project.

 

If you are refinishing it, you could plug all the unnecessary routes.

 

If you are not refinishing, you could use a surface-mount pickup ring and put a big humbucker or a Rickenbacker pickup there.

 

Keep us updated with your project... I spare-parts builds (I have a few)

 

BTW... if you don't want that eight-hole pickguard, I have a project in-need

[FarToMany]

Ok, i should have mentioned, what you see mocked up so far was measured to 34" scale. It does look off by just looking at it, i do agree, but it is correct for 34" scale and neck. I had my resevations of it being able to work myself untill i had all parts in hand, but it does indeed work. The neck ends about midway through the first pickup area. Oddly enough, the original holes in the neck were used and did not have to be plugged and redrilled as i originally anticipated.

 

The new pickgaurd will be cut straight across so it covers the original bridge mount holes. Sorry, Solderjunkie , i ended up rendering this pickgaurd useless when i cut it to fit the bass neck.

 

Still undecided about the electronics and what to use, thats why i was hoping to get ideas.