Let's BUILD a FENDER Precision Bass! DIY Fender replacement parts build! - LowEndLobster Builds
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- Опубліковано 12 жов 2024
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Hey everyone! Today we're building a FENDER P-bass using mostly Fender genuine replacement parts. Last year, we did a DIY P-bass build using spare parts I had laying around, but I got a lot of questions about where you guys could get similar parts. This time, we're building a bass that YOU can build too! Let's do this!
See this bass in action in Lobster & Dale's Silk Sonic Leave the Door Open playthrough (with tabs/notation)- • Silk Sonic - Leave the...
Sorry for the mic quality! Had an issue with my mic extension cable which resulted in a TON of hum, had to use a denoiser which messed with my voice a little. Bass audio is NOT impacted.
Also sorry for missing the zelda theme and explosion ;P
Parts list:
P Bass Anodized Pickguard shop.fender.co...
Fender P bass Roasted Maple Neck shop.fender.co...
Fender P bass Body- Sunburst shop.fender.co...
Fender Fluted Bass Tuners shop.fender.co...
Fender Hi Mass Bridge- Brass Saddles shop.fender.co...
Fender Knobs shop.fender.co...
Fender Neck Plate (Mine does not have 5th hole) shop.fender.co...
Fender String Guide/Tree shop.fender.co...
Fender Strap Buttons shop.fender.co...
DiMarzio Split P www.dimarzio.c...
Screw Kit www.amazon.com...
Triple Socket www.amazon.com...
This bass and all my other basses with rounds are strung with MJC Ironworks Nickel Plated Stainless Steel 45-105(125) unless otherwise noted. Check them out at www.mjcironworks.com
Info on my signal chain, setup and more: • FAQ: My Signal Chain, ...
Discord: discord.gg/dzrFMzD
Facebook: LowEndLobster
Twitter: @LowEndLobster
Instagram: LowEndLobster
Reverb Shop: reverb.com/shop/lowendlobster
Probably the greatest into theme song I've ever heard.
Thank you!
Grammy material right here!
He is a legend amongst mere mortal men.
This song is in a league of it's own
🔥
Making it real, working from the couch! This is where I do all my upgrades. That beautiful bass should be in Fenders lineup, a Lobster custom shop special..
Yes, .... I would definitely buy a Custom 🦞 special P
Thanks John! Hopefully they'll see this ;P
It's always fun to build your own bass, and make it yours. I've done 4 so far, and am getting to the point where I'm ready to make my own body from a blank. Wish me luck on that one!
Wooo! Good luck dude, you better show us the result! :)
Pro-level intro sequence - check
Pick guard grounding tip - check
Taco t-shirt - check
P Bass without neck dive - check
Another great video from 🦞. Only thing missing is a close-up of the soldering process.
Thanks Abouc! I'll absolutely make a separate video specifically focusing on soldering and soldering tips.
to me, the roasted neck matchs the pickguard perfectly good job
Thanks Jacob!
FYI, you don't need to add shielding tape to an anodized pickguard. It's already conductive. You just need to adequately shield the body cavities with shielding tape or shielding paint, run ground wires to connect the shielded cavities to the metal pickguard via a potentiometer ground or alternatively, leave some shielding paint or tape up a bit up over the edges of the cavity, and mount the pickguard.
Indeed, but I wanted to demonstrate for those who would be using a regular one. Also.... Shiny! ;P
The body was already shielded with paint BTW
@@LowEndLobster Fair play! Missed your reply, dude. Love the content.
The paint doesn't do much imo
Thank you!
Need a Fender bakeoff! DIY vs. MiA vs. MiM.
Definitely going to do this!
@@LowEndLobster Yeahhhhh!!!!
Good call!!!
Yes, but throw in the upgraded Glarry for good measure... 😉
@@sergioleonardo8837 If you're going to stick with the Fender bakeoff, a Squier would likely fit the mold better. :)
this pbass is sick. my pbass: Mex maple neck, mex sparkle blue body with white pickguard, delano Pickup, black gotoh tuners, black kickass bridge
Thanks Ricardo! Yours sounds sweet! Which delano did you get?
@@LowEndLobster PMVC 4AL/M2, sounds fat. specially with some labella flats, wanna get the roasted maple neck tho :3
I see I’m not the only one who ignored playing with a pick for way too long 🤣😂 not laughing at ya brother, I’m right there with you, although I’m making an active effort to use picks more! New bass is a beauty, I may go this same route!
Thank you Nathan! Indeed I'm trying to use it more! A new challenge indeed :)
My name is Stacy and I am a late bass pick user. Welcome to pick users anonymous
I have the same HiMass bridge in a sunburst Johnson PBass copy - it added loads of sustain and it's now my "go to" (no pun) bridge for all my projects
Thanks Chris! It is quite a solid bridge
I put the roasted maple neck on my '75 P last summer! It also has a Kickass bridge on it with "80's vintage EMG PJ combo meaning they were installed in the '80s. The only original items are the body and the registration plate and grommet underneath ti! Gold tuners and string tensioner as well as the bridge. It plays better than the original neck.
Nice job. Love the look and the sound! The Dimarzio's make perfect the look!
Awesome! Great to hear :)
I can say that's one of the best looking and sounding PBasses I've ever seen, if not THE best itself. Great job!
Thanks! I looooooooove it!
The bass really sings. Nice job. Pickups are full and even sounding. Cool
Thanks Rich!
Best p bass tone I've ever heard. Love the color scheme. Great content lobster 🦞
Thanks Trevor!
A little late to the party here, but thank you for uploading this! I've been looking for a demo of that specific pickup for a few years now.
Nice looking and great sounding P Bass you made here. I have made one myself some years ago. I have an old '68 genuine P Bass that I usually have strung with Thomastic Infeld flatwounds. In my younger days I often used round wound RotoSounds for the grittyer sound for hard and symphonic rock. I wanted a second bass, so I didn't have to change strings so often, so some years ago I bought a Harley Benton DIY P Bass kit and replaced everything little by little to genuine Fender parts, all except the body that I found very good looking and has kept in natural finish. The neck is a '70's maple neck, the tuners are '70's big "F" and the pickups are Fender Custom Shop '60's.
I have mounted a Fender bridge with "String through body", which have given much more sustain, at least to my ears. I have mounted the "ashtray" over the bridge and the shield over the pickup. I have used CTS pots and old school wiring and made the cavity copper insulation as you. It is a fantastic bass that I mostly use when playing gigs and jam sessions.
The quality of the Harley Benton parts are surprisingly good and precisely made and the body is a bit lighter in weight, which will be good for all the people that think the originals are too heavy.
I have finished a Fender Telecaster as well with all Fender parts and Fender DeLuxe Tele pickups and I am in progress with finishing a Fender Jazz Bass. I just need the '70's American neck that is out of stock for the moment. Living in Denmark i buy my parts at Thomann in Germany and they deliver in a couple of days, their service is excellent in case of spoiled or missing parts in delivery and for good advice and service along the building process.
I am also in the process of making a Stratocaster emerge from a HB kit. I have an original 1973 American Fender Stratocaster so I have a good comparison object.
Thanks for sharing Johnny! Your Parts/HB P-bass sounds killer!
I have what used to be P-Bass by Vintage guitars. The neck was bent beyond repair and had to be replaced with a cheap Chinese version bough on e-bay. I had it re-wired with DiMarzio Split-P. I have it strung with DR DDT 55-115 (stainless steel) and tuned to D standard. The overall sound is quite similar - rather warm and dark. Quite usable for playing metal with a hard pick.
A long straightedge is handy. Like a yardstick. After you initially bolt the neck on, run the stick from the 1st fret to the bridge saddle. Now you know if you need to shim the neck or not.
I NEVER use micro tilt. Shim or sand the pocket.
Thanks Jeff! Amen on the micro tilt, glad that stuff is in the past haha
this is the prettiest bass i have seen. when i'll have the money to build a custom one, i'll get this exact one
Greatest intro ever
It deserves a grammy
Thank you XD
This is how I should have built my J bass clone, mine came with el-cheapo tuners, bridge, pickups and pots which I've changed out. Aguilar AG 4J-HC pickups, CTS 250kk pots, Fender high mass bridge, and Hipshot tuners. Thanks Lobster 🦞
Hell yeah! Thanks Sparks :)
I just built the same bass only with a tortoise shell guard, Fender '62 pickups and Labella flats. I wanted a "blues brothers" Duck Dunn-ish bass as I play in a 6 piece horn rock/r&b band. It turned out really well and for the money I am really happy.
Awesome! That's great!
Nice work Lobster! I like to use shielding paint for my basses. You can get either carbon or nickel based paint, although the carbon based paint usually takes a couple of coats. The nickel paint doesn't usually. Still - been there, done that on building, although if I had a couch like you have in the background - it would probably take me twice as long to get the job done (naps!). Cheers
Thanks Chris! I like shiny things :P
There has been a gritty P bass sound playing in my head over the last couple months. Now I don't know how to get one without my wife finding out. Great video, but it's going to get me in trouble
Thanks Joe! Best of luck staying out of trouble ;P
the golden pickguard matches the sunburst body so nicely.
the sunburst body white pickguard combo has been done to death and it's been done to death mostly by cheap clones and now it feels cheap seeing it even on an ultra deluxe special professional custom shop (whatever the big word fender is using for their top of the line products nowadays).
but this, this is just so pretty. probably the fact that the pickup is white also plays a part.
When done, tone wise, it was your finest sounding bass to date. You could pretty much sell all the others and use this for gigging.
Thanks Grant! It really came out so solid. The best Fender P you can get for the money is the one that you assemble yourself! Seriously, a hair under $1000 and you get so much more than the $849 player plus precision. Better pickup, better neck, better bridge (though if I wasn't doing the 'all Fender' thing, I would have gone with a different one), better tuners, and a better pickup. I recently lent this out to a friend who makes youtube videos on basses as well (Kevin Johnson, check out his channel!), excited to see his vid on it :)
Wow! That's a great custom build!
Thanks Luigi!
Nice, old-school grooves. Thanks for everything.
Thanks Terry :)
I love the Fender replacement necks.
Indeed they're nice!
You became easily my fav. Bass-UA-camr
Thank you :)
That tone is badass. That DiMarzio DP127 is really kicking it in your face. You could do some good Billy Idol songs with that. Like white wedding. Good job Lobster.
Thanks Rick!
No expense spared title card :) Love this!
XD Thank you!
Best sounding p bass I've ever heard. Well done lobster. 👍
Great job Lobster! Keep up the good work. Big fan talking here...
I'm glad you used that model of the Dimarzio pickup. I'm doing a China parts PBass. Those pickups looked very interesting on their website and you have now proved the Sonic portion. That's a very nice P pickup
Awesome video Lobster. That bass is "Smackin"!
Thanks James!
Fantastic result! And, oh, that neck
Thank you!
Amazing project. That roasted maple neck is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen 😎
Thanks Mark! Glad you liked it!
You are a legend amongst men Lobster!
Thanks Zachary!
We need more builds, lobster!
Thank you Dez! This was a lot of fun, and definitely not our last build :)
Another useful tool is a multimeter to check the continuity of the shielding as well as troubleshooting any grounding issues you may have.
Thanks Thomas! I have one around here somewhere that I use from time to time
@@LowEndLobsteryeah I figured you probably did 🙂. Just a handy tip for any potential viewers, keep up the great work!
Awesome build! This is my favorite bass channel,..always have the best demos and information.
Thank you! :)
This looks like something i would buy for myself. I love the pickguard color. Excellent choises in this build man.
Thank you Georgie! I'm super happy with how it came out as well!
@@LowEndLobster Actually the more i listen to it and look at it it seems like a dream bass in my book. So yeah! I am a total sucker for a classic p-bass.
Earlier this year I found a 1968 tele bass body on reverb. I gave that some love, then I completed my task with Fender parts. A short video of still shots is on my channel.
Nice! Came out great, well done
@@LowEndLobster Thanks all mighty Lobster.
Epic Video! Amazing sound on that P BASS! WOW
I'm glad to see you are doing some more techie stuff. I have had the burning need to build a P bass, either a kit or preferably an old Japanese P bass like a Fresher, Greco or Fernandez that I can strip done and hot rod. However that project is on hold for a minute, while I was browsing the marketplace a stray Yamaha Super Bass 500S caught my eye and begged me to take it home with me. Anyway, good stuff to know and keep in mind when I get that project going.
*edit*
Oh yeah, try the black pick guard.
Thanks Quincy! Oooh, congrats on your Super Bass! Those things look cool, and I've always been curious about em! I think the black one might go on my regular MIM P as I need to fix the jack on that one before doing a comparo :)
Dude, I'd definitely go with a Greco or other vintage Japanese P replica. Those have good bones. And mad mojo. I have 3 Grecos from the 70's and early 80's. I like the original pickups so much that I had one rewound at the ESP factory custom shop. Can't recommend them enough. And here's a link to a modded Greco P: ua-cam.com/video/QXrMPRtQ7Z4/v-deo.html. Pretty mean sounding. Good luck whatever you choose!
Beautiful! Great playing too! Just built one almost identical but a regular Fender maple board instead of roasted, Hipshot Kickass bridge and a 1996 Fender USA pickup - oh, cream colored pickguard.
Thanks Lobster, that gives me some excellent intel for my own P bass build. Looks Fab!
Thanks Philip! Best of luck with your build :)
Funny that you should post this, because I just did a parts P-Bass build this week, down to the anodized pickguard and Fender High-Mass Bridge.
Suhweet! There was something in the air! How'd yours turn out?
Lobster strikes again with an amazing vid, and badass bass build.
this is still one of the nicest basses in your channel for me, at least tone wise
Thank you Dr. Lobster, for the most educational video. I'm waiting for my own Frankenbass, a jazz clone with dual "bumhuckers". Waiting on the pups to arrive.
Awesome! That sounds like a fun project, Martin!
This is just great. I have been waiting for you to do this again. Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it :)
That's no space station... That's a P Bass! :) Fantastic video LEL! :) Very informative. Makes me wish I wasn't the least handy man. Best wishes-Brent
Thanks Brent! :)
Lovely job, love that neck, looks like a quality workhorse you've created there.
Thank you Darren!
The bass came out awesome as well!
Thanks! Super pleased with the result!
There's a shortage of bass parts too, we're just not buying them up as fast!
Beautiful bass. I thought it sounded surprisingly vintage. Maybe it's just the colour scheme getting me though. Looks like a great player!
Thank you Brock :)
@@LowEndLobster No problem, Lobster. :)
Gonna finish this after dinner but I'm excited for you Lobster!
I did this with my Fender PJ because I wanted to make my not a Fender more Fendery than some Fenders.
Too bad they didn't do the roasted necks back then though. Good choices!
Thanks Brock! Indeed, these new roasted maple necks definitely have me thinking 'what if' for some past builds hahaha
@@LowEndLobster No problem! Sounds like we might see more projects in the future.
That thing sounds awesome. Excellent work on putting that beast together.
Thank you Skank!
I've been refurbishing a 1972 Horner P bass which had a broken neck. I replaced the neck no problem. Changed the paint to seafoam green but I've had alot of trouble with a bad batch of polyurethane which just will not dry. It's been over six months now and it will still mark if left on any surface. Looks like I'm going to have to strip it all off and start again....aaaahhhh.
Well done!! One point I would love you to film that would be VERY helpful for me, is how you addressed the frets. You mentioned it only took about 15 min... with tools from StewMac(?) This is something I need to learn how to do. Now off with me to price what a parts bass would cost me... Thanks again!
Thank you Monahan! I think that's a great idea! :)
Digging the Grade A vibes on the “intro”
Thank you :)
Sounds great!
Very inspiring. I’m gathering courage and gear to refurbish/ refinish my old Washburn MB4.
You’re giving me hope!
The biggest hurdle is getting started! I believe :). Thank you my friend!
Those blade p'ups sound great. Only ever heard them before on the Wattplower by Reverend. But they are fantastic. Nice twist on the classic for a custom bass.
Thank you!
Looks like a custom shop made
All of it sounds sick 🤘🏽🤘🏽
Thanks Ivan!
Lobster 🦞... That's a very cool and comfortable workshop 😉 great sound... 💙👊😎
Thank you! This was a lot of fun and I LOVE the end result
Not bad, not bad at all! I love those split p's
Just a suggestion.....you are really good at coming up with groove lines off the cuff. Maybe the occasional lesson on how to do this. Just a thought.
Beautiful bass 🦞 love the aesthetics, colour scheme, neck, and it sounds real good 👍
Thank you Ryan!
Absolutely awesome stuff!!! I’ve been thinking about doing this. I was leaning towards Warmonth (spelling?). Thanks! 😎
Body wise, yeah warmoth is cool if you want custom. But for necks, it's hard to beat the fender roasted maple necks in terms of value especially if you can snag em on sale
Had to watch this beauty come alive again!! I really enjoy watching you build and mod I want to learn to solder and mod so bad!!
Those shorts surely were a bold choice.
Hey my eyes are up here! yeah upon editing I realized hahahahaha
Great job . Love the neck and the sound of that pickup . I'm trying to learn how to swap pickups myself but I'm in trouble if I destroy something . Because I don't know how to repair shot out wires . Lol
Thanks Dane! All it takes is baby steps. Just don't cut the wires too short and you're good ;P
Where's the kaboom? There was supposed to be an earth shattering kaboom!
Great tone and looks good too! That's a really nice build!
Haha I knew I missed something. Thanks!
Cool! You know, you can actually buy re wired harnesses with great components relatively inexpensively. Cuts down on soldering. Didn't realize that the neck and bridge line up without lots of additional steps. I may definitely try this. Mine would be very similar to the one you did-classic color scheme with roasted maple. Great video! I think the bass looks and sounds outstanding.
Thanks! Indeed, but I like to solder ;P. I find it very relaxing haha. Honestly, doing this whole video was super zen and relaxing. Just focusing on the build at hand was nice
@@LowEndLobster I am getting better at it, but it is definitely an acquired skill? For me. it's worth the $30 or so for a pre-wired harness with CTS pots, great wiring, Orange Drop cap and a Switchcraft jack. I love the fact that P basses are so easy to work on.
Very informative. I've been playing around with doing a DIY build for a bass, and it's good to see other examples.
Thanks Clint! Glad you found this helpful. What kind of bass were you thinking about building?
@@LowEndLobster Looking at doing a P-Bass (my collection is currently an Ibanez SR870, Ibanez EDB400, and a Fender Jaco Fretless J-Bass). I may end up buying a Tagima or a Harley-Benton and modding it (looking at throwing in a DiMarzio Relentless P-pickup). Part of me also wants to work with a friend at a local maker station and build out a custom body to do a BC Rich style double P-pickup set-up.
Man that pbass looks and sounds sharp🤩 you have good taste!
Thank you Oscar!
Good old hot rails, they sound amazing!
Thanks Hector! I agree, I'm very happy with the tone of this bass and the finished product overall :)
I have a pj bass that I built many years ago from a Warmoth body and Mighty Mite jazz bass neck. Emg pickups before the solderless connectors. I have thought about doing another build or maybe replacing the neck with a roasted maple one. Your bass looks and sounds great! I really like the sunburst and gold pickguard combo.👍
Thank you Marks5s! Parts builds are so much fun :)
The only additional tool I would recommend would be a multimeter which could use to test the shielding for continuity
Ah yes! Great tip. I had mine handy too.
Pretty cool Low! I love your little " Building a bass with Lobster" tune! Hey, isn't split P soup!?!?
Thanks Jeff! I can't believe I missed a soup pun opportunity XD
@@LowEndLobster Must have been an "off day" for ya!
Hey lobster, another route worth mentioning is the fender mod shop where you spec out a bass or guitar on the website and they build it and ship it to you.
Thanks Allen! Indeed the mod shop is another route, but total price comes out to nearly $700 higher... but it's also made in USA as opposed to MIM parts. Definitely a viable option, thank you for sharing!
@@LowEndLobster Wow I didn't realise it was $700 higher to go mod shop. I guess I assumed it was comparable. Thanks for clearing that up.
Indeed, though for made in USA and built for you (and it looks like it comes with a case), it seems like the price difference is definitely justified and not the worst value out that for someone who values customization but not necessarily tinkering or DIY.
That takes away all the fun of building one
this is my dream to do. I would love a Black P bass Black pickguard with maple jazz neck. Wish fender would offer that combination from the factory but I am not opposed to building my own!
Basically made the same bass with OBL rails and Emerson Custom P wiring. Prefer the classic Fender bridge though for that good ole THUD! Very similar vibes all around. A+
Hey Lobster, very happy to see you back. ❤
Question on this bass project. I’m considering my own build, and I remember being impressed with the sound of this one. Curious, is there anything you would change or do differently with it?
That sounds amazing!! Great demo and playing!👌🤘
Thank you!
I guess I need to build a P Bass! Awesome video
Thanks Kitsune :)
You are the man. Your reviews are great and this is exactly what I was trying to find! Thank you good sir!
Wow! Good job! Awesome bass tone as well 😍
Thank you Ej!
Wow, sounds really good, and looks *great*!
Thanks dude!
Great job Lobster. That bass sounds amazing. I wonder if a creme pickup cover would look even nicer than the white one (if it’s an option). How about some pickup covers and a tug bar? It looks like the pickup cover has some of the holes already.
Thanks Billy! I actually installed the tug bar yesterday in white. I wish they had cream for the covers but it is only white and black with these
Hey Lobster,
I figured u were from New England, I didn't realize you were a fellow Masshole! Reverb page says Lawrence MA. Im from Quincy MA, born and baked...
Ahoy fellow Masshole!
0:07 High quality photoshop skills haha. Loving that claw with the hammer man!
Hahaha thank you!
Nice video Lobster. Nice choice of pick ups as well, love the tone on them. I am still in the middle of my set up. Need a all maple neck as the one i currently have is a little rough (squier neck with rosewood fretboard)., the neck bass had been badly treated prior to my purchase. Hope to be up and running with new bass by summer. Keep up the good work as always.
Timely video and given that I am currently gathering parts to do a P bass build only exception being that a very talented friend is making the body and neck himself. Totally digging the tone that you got and want to go with that Dmarzio instead of the Seymour Duncan pickup I was leaning towards. Great sounding bass; I'd gig with that any day.
Thank Keith! I am also very happy with how it came out :)
The thing about Precisions you have to roll off most of the tone to get rid of that nasally sound. Thats why I play Stingrays
Thanks Tall Guy!
That neck is a thing of beauty... I would have chosen the black pickguard with those pickups, but is ok. I wonder how much this costs compared to a factory one with similar specs.
Thank you! I don't think they have ones with truly similar specs, but the artist models that have the same bridge but heavier tuners come in at around $1200 USD new. Definite savings here!
Thanks for this video, man! I was thinking of building my own partscaster out of Fender parts, but hearing that the $300+ neck had sprout issues is making me reconsider cheaper brands. If I'm gonna deal with sprout issues no matter what, I might as well save a few bucks.
Thanks Timothy! Sprout is definitely more of an environmental/storage issue than a QC/production issue, especially in dry climates. It's pretty much a one and done fix.
I can tell your very happy. I want to build one now.
Thanks Strat! Indeed I am :)
Lobster: the one thumbs down is from someone who got the wires backwards when soldering I bet. 🤣 Nice build! I would like to try it out one day. Until we groove again. BTW the monk/chior sound was missing when your claw changed to a hand.🤷♂️
Thanks! Had audio issues with this vid and forgot to put em back! Doh!
@@LowEndLobster 🤣🤣🤣🤣
I'll admit I skipped around a bit in the video, but it looks to me like you didn't need to do anything with the nut, or did I just miss it? A couple years ago I made my own "Frankenstein" bass by putting a stock Fender fretless Jazz Bass neck onto a Squier Classic Vibe Jazz Bass. (I wanted a Daphne Blue fretless and this was the easiest/cheapest way to make it happen!) My biggest issue, with a lack of proper tools, was the fact that the nut just had little pilot grooves but needed to actually be filed down to properly hold the strings. Since it's kind of soft plastic, I managed to fake it by "filing" the grooves down with an old set of roundwound strings! (Don't try this at home.) I don't think I filed them quite deep enough, but it's playable. (The other big issue I had was that the Squier pickup routing wasn't deep enough for the set of DiMarzio's I wanted to install, and I don't own a router, so I just faked it with a drill and huge drill bit. It's a godawful mess and I haven't dealt with the shielding yet, but at least it's hidden by the pickguard.)
I did have to file the nut, I did it after the fact lol. I bought nut files and ended up doing it. I initially thought the grooves would suffice but I was wrong