Pimp my instrument

[Optimus_prime]

I got a tad board in photoshop
so I did what all cool guys do
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v142/ ... l1copy.jpg
It's pretty shitty
but I'm a shitty kinda guy

[Polar Bear]

whats that furry little thing doing down there?!!

Carpet normally covers the floor...

[Tsuken]

now thats what i call PimpED!

whats that furry little thing doing down there?!!

Furry little thing? You mean the little white weird-looking rabbit thing? That's Mashimaro: http://www.mashimaro.com/gallery/flash_opening.asp
http://www.bictody.com/mashimaro.html

You probably shouldn't have asked, right?

[Tsuken]

I got a tad board in photoshop
so I did what all cool guys do
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v142/ ... l1copy.jpg
It's pretty shitty
but I'm a shitty kinda guy

That's a lot of colours

[Rog]

I received my new Probe bass last night and the upgrade is nearly done.

When the bass arrived, it was actually very playable for a $199 brand new MIC bass - far better than I expected. The neck is very nice, a tad thinner than a Fender P, quite fast and the tuners very stable. The body finish is a bit thin in one place and the pups were fine - quite strong, although maybe lacking a bit of definition. The pots operated smoothly and no scratching. The tone roll-off was perfect for a P. All in all, it was well set up and perfectly playable. As far as I'm concerned, I would've been happy to gig with it as was.

However, the object was to FrankenP it, so I stripped it and found out that the body is solid wood (basswood apparently), not plywood like some other Chinese instruments. As I pulled out the pups, two of the wires just fell off - this was repeated as soon as I moved the scratchplate - two wires fell of the controls. This was a clear indication of poor factory soldering, so I resoldered all joints.

I thought the instrument looked quite nice in red with the white plastic scratchplate, but I wanted to re-use my old solid brass plate, so off it went.

The pups came out easily and I re-used the foam padding for my DiMarzios. I replaced the pups in the same screw holes as the original, but I noticed they didn't line up perfectly under the strings (I didn't actually check this with the original pups), so I had to adjust their position a little.

I wired the pups with a series/parallel switch, as I've found that allows for a bit more bite on some songs and a more bass on others.

The neck pocket fit with my new neck was very tight - in fact I had to slap it into place (that'll larn it).

The screw holes for the brass scratchplate didn't line up overly well, but I expected that also.

At this stage I've left the factory strings on, being my only bass with rounds.

I assembled it all, plugged it in had a thrash - it is a very nice playing bass. I can gig with this no worries and when I play bass again, it'll become my everyday P bass when I need a red P with rounds. My other P is purple with flats & my Jazz is white with flats.

Next step is to get a bridge cover (I don't like bare bridges) and a thumb rest (I never use them, other than for a place to put my pick, but a Fender bass just doesn't look right without one), since my scratchplate has the holes for one.

When they're fitted, it will be completed.

The object of my little exercise was to make it look and play like a real Fender P Bass - I think that'll be quite achievable. Funnily enough, the thing weighs about the same as my real Fender - I expected it to be lighter.

If I had to buy all the bits and do this process, it would have been a stupid upgrade and cost more than a MIM P bass, but since I had the major bits lying around, it was a great upgrade. Of course, I could have made my own P body and gone through all of that, but I just couldn't be bothered - its only money.

I'll post pics when I've got all the parts and its finished.

[stewbaby]

I received my new Probe bass last night and the upgrade is nearly done.

When the bass arrived, it was actually very playable for a $199 brand new MIC bass - far better than I expected. The neck is very nice, a tad thinner than a Fender P, quite fast and the tuners very stable. The body finish is a bit thin in one place and the pups were fine - quite strong, although maybe lacking a bit of definition. The pots operated smoothly and no scratching. The tone roll-off was perfect for a P. All in all, it was well set up and perfectly playable. As far as I'm concerned, I would've been happy to gig with it as was.

The first Bass I bought my son was a Probe... and no-one here had heard of them. I now have the Probe and he has a Squier 5 string P-bass Special.

The Probe is mine now, and is likely to be all that I ever need.

[Tehhaxorr]

Tsuken, your pimped guitar rules

[tasty]

hey rog did you get ure probe bass from trademe?

man i would really want to build my own guitar... can even picture it in my mind right now.... maybe ash could put tgt a guitar building class
will definitely start of my dream guitar after this year when i have nothing to really worry about

[Tehhaxorr]

I have an ond neck and pups + hardware to use, i just need the tools to shape a body.

I think i will need a band saw or something... Ash?

[Bg]

you can use a jigsaw if you're very careful, and a rasp, files, sandpaper (or belt sander). One thing you can't really get away from is a router - well you can but I wouldn't try it without.

The biggest thing you need though is patience.

[ash]

A $30 jigsaw, a power drill,a forstner bit and a sharp chisel is about all the technology you need if you want to keep it simple. You still have to know some woodworking skills, perhaps more this way, but its all do-able. Plenty of resources on the internet to show the steps. If you want to skip some of the hard parts and avoid spending $100 on tools, PM me and I'll see what we can come up with. Polar Bear's breadboard guitar was made without much fancy gear, but a little of my handiwork in the difficult stages.

[Rog]

Yes, when I used to make my own guitars, all I had was a sawbench (which is why I only have three useable fingers on my left hand - LOL), a hand jigsaw, a planer, hammer and chisels, electric drill and sandpaper.

For the routing, I used the drill, with a bit of tape wrapped around the bit to give me the depth to basically honeycomb the area, then chiselled it out smooth. I've never owned or operated a router.

That's lo tech, but one can go high tech just as easily.

[Rog]

Jloo - yes TM.

Stewbaby, I know what you mean - if I wasn't so shallow I needed to have Fenders, I'd be happy to gig with a Probe too - they're damn good value, the neck is very nice to play.

[Polar Bear]

A $30 jigsaw, a power drill,a forstner bit and a sharp chisel is about all the technology you need if you want to keep it simple. You still have to know some woodworking skills, perhaps more this way, but its all do-able. Plenty of resources on the internet to show the steps. If you want to skip some of the hard parts and avoid spending $100 on tools, PM me and I'll see what we can come up with. Polar Bear's breadboard guitar was made without much fancy gear, but a little of my handiwork in the difficult stages.

Indeed, it's playing a lot nicer now that I've actually set it up a little too. The body is fantastic, however don't be a spud when it comes to the wiring, it can really let the side down.

[Red Fred]

So tell me about these Probe guitars. There is one a trademe that looks like it could fit what I'm looking for. I'm going to make a frankenstrat.

Where are they made? What wood do they use?