WOW! That is one delicious bass! Love it, favourite build video so far. I think the pic guard looks right and in fact sexy with that unique scoring. Can not wait for the next bass build or indeed any build. Thanks for sharing Ben.
I liked the spalting too, and the carving of grooves was interesting. The pickguard treatment was something that I never would have thought of either. But the weirdest thing is the name Ben gave it. Must be Gaelic or something. He said “I’m calling it Dunphornow.”
Like the pickguard, has a brushed stainless look. Nice build. That's almost exactly the bass I have thought of building , except the fretboard, that was unexpected. Thanks. Ben.
I have no problem with the scratch plate. I made a custom telecaster for a friend and I took the base scratch plate, scuffed it to hell, layered on epoxy and put a leather surface sheet on it. The telecaster itself was also not painted but covered in paisley. That leather scratch plate was a perfect look. Very proud of it for my first custom guitar build because it looks exactly like I wanted it to look while also having an adorable amateur scuffed feel.
I'm just getting back into playing the Bass again , after 15 or so years. It's an absolute pleasure playing and watching a build like this, really makes me wonder , why I ever stopped playing... I'm a lefty, SO I think it would Be alot of fun, to watch you do a lefty build. Beautiful instruments,,.. now do that lefty! ;)
Very nice indeed. Will admit I like the scratchplate. Next, we need a production Crimson bass. The closeups of the body really showed the beauty of the spalting.
Oh man, the birdseye works really great on the fretboard and indeed the structured striping on the pick guard is really spot on, now all is in place it really shows! As a (hobby) bass player this would easily go to No 1. spot
Kudos sir, you are a true English Artisan, you have skills and tools that would make you be at home just as equally in the middle ages as well as today. I'll also say that my meager chances aside, ever who gets to own this bass will indeed have a one of a kind instrument. There's a lot of magic in that alone.
Is saying that Ben will 'be at home just as equally in the middle ages as well as today' brown-nosing to say that Ben is 'young', or insulting by meaning that he is 'old' … ? LoL
Nice work - you never let us down! I bought a second hand Fender Jazz Bass (from about 1976) many years ago with the intention of selling it here in Paris to pay for my flight to the states where I bought it. But it's still here and as they say, … to tear it from my cold dying hands ...
First time!? Wow dude, I much admit that Ben's super fancy woodworker-style of building artguitars rather than player's instruments is far from what I would play personally, but given the opportunity I'd absolutely love to own one of them because, again, they're pieces of art more than tools for making music
@@wilhelmtheconquerer6214 Fancy and ornamental is just not my thing, I rather love elegant simplicity. But that doesn't lessen the enjoyment of experiencing the building process, so here we are.
Sweet woodwork!! The reason that soldering is not your forte is that you are soldering improperly. Use a 30 watt iron, solid core Lead(60/40) solder and flux, and before you touch your iron to the joint dip the iron in tinning flux. Your joints will be flawless and you will be happy!! Hope this helps, and thank you immensely for the detailed video. Peace
Three things I would change. 1. using Hipshots bass bridge because it is as close to the Leo Quan Badass II Bridge used on bases in the 80s. 2. I would have selected Crimson Guitars Stunning Stains and concocted a beautiful teal or ocean blue for the body and clear it with a satin finish. Finally I would have mixed up some vintage amber stain for the neck and headstock to give it that old school vibe of the 70s. :-) Awesome bass Ben! Hope you'll do another!
Beautiful bass and wood selection. An alternative fretboard I would have considered, black Bog Oak. 😁 Thanks for sharing, mate. Greetings from San Francisco, California, USA 🇺🇸Cheers!
Just watched this last night. I'm a bass player, which is how i got to here. Then I discover you run bass build courses..... Oh dear, gonna be a long trip to Dorset from the North East. Also, I thought it looked great with the pick guard. See you soon...
Dear Ben, I am absolutely thrilled with the new bass guitar you have built. For many months I have been waiting for exactly that. The bass looks really great and also the pick guard with the strips fits perfectly to the grain of the wood. Should you ever consider selling the bass, raffle it off or get rid of it in any other way, I hope to watch the video in time and have a chance to get the bass. Anyway, thanks for the great instructions, keep up the good work. My favorite luthier :o)
Thankyou for building a bass. I love your channel for a long time and the last few builds especially!! The paduak pointy, the bog oak and this one are the best I have seen (all of them). Basses have always pushed innovation a bit more than guitar electronically and in design aswell. Modern guitar is finally catching on mainly pushed by people like you! The biggest thing that you have taught me is the line between respecting and showing off beautiful woods but also pushing away from the norm and this build is a perfect example of that. Thanks again and look forward to the next bass!!
Something you might want to invent, well adapt or whatever is guitar wrapping, like with cars these days. People bring in the guitar so you can disassemble it and do the wrap, some have t texture to them too and put it back together and for a while, it's like a different guitar that feels like the last one. Hemp, burlap, vinyl and on and on. Plus a way to waterproof fabrics for tons of stuff is just put Mylar over your fabric, (natural fabric!) and brush acetone over it to fuse the Mylar with your fabric, could be nice for some finishes. Anyway just some abstract thoughts, great video and gret job as well so thanks for posting the video.
I'm always amazed by your sustained creativity. Your video builds are a cannon of work that is envious at best and jealousy inducing at worse. Even this simple “P” bass is creative and gorgeous. Thank you so much for these videos!
Wicked thought for the pickguard... Carve down to the white layer and make it look like the inverse of the spalting in the Ash body. Make the spalt lines meet up from the body to the pickguard and carry through. Just a thought for a future build, or a secondary pickguard.
My favourite build so far just because it is a bass hahaha I love the pickguard, although I thought I wouldn't, but I would like it better without the carving of the body
There now, that wasn’t so bad now, was it? I dare say you actually enjoyed building a bass after all! I’m sure your next one will be even better. If you want a challenge, how about a double neck with the bass at the bottom and a six-string guitar at the top? You could even make it with mirrored headstocks and get really creative. How about a watch theme and incorporate old clock/watch movements in the body, fingerboard, and/or headstock? I must say I’m surprised by how restrained you were on the whole; it made for a very classy looking instrument. I was also surprised (and pleased) to see you use a bolt-on neck. I don’t understand why they don’t appear to be as popular as glued necks; seems like it would make repairs much easier. Well done you! We always knew you could do it!
Oh my she is beautiful.... As a bass player there is nothing like a good old P bass can't beat it .... Great build looks good ...so ok on my phone , but would really have to hear lt in person to really tell. Great job from start to finish ... Wondering what a build like that would cost... lot of time and work ... Thanks for sharing that build with us..
Due to the beauty of the wood, a transparent pick guard (OK, scratch plate) would be a possible choice. I discovered some on Amazon. Either that or cut away the bulk of it and only retain enough to cover the control cavity. That is an absolutely beautiful bass. Well done. Although, I expected nothing else. JRR
Absolutely wonderful Ben!! I thoroughly enjoyed the videos of the birth of this beautiful bass. Now I know who I would love to have build my next bass. You're an absolute legend!! Warmest wishes, and blessings from Ireland.
It's a lovely instrument- understated but with closer inspection the details make it special, much like bass players in general! Great finish on the scratchplate- another inspired idea from the maestro. The video's only been up for three hours and the bass is already sold. I'm not at all surprised.
Really beautiful job on this one. If it was me, I would have left it au naturale with no pick guard at all, but I know I'm different that way. However, the way you lightly scratched the guard did give it a unique look that ultimately went well with the contrasting spalting on the rest of the body. I enjoyed this series thoroughly, and while my own J-bass build will not be nearly this dramatic, I'm still taking a bunch of tips from watching this series. Thanks for sharing!
Loved watching the entire process of the build. You sir are a true craftsman. I don't usually like the spalted look but really like what you've done with it. And when you sanded the scratplate I thought NOOOO !!! but it looks fantastic. Whoever gets the bass , they are getting a quality instrument. Looking forward to another bass build. Maybe a jazz with super funky block and bound neck. Thanks for keeping me entertained during lockdown .
Too hard to hear for us old guys Ben. You have such a clear speaking voice it's nice to hear all your side comments. If you only knew how hard it is to type on a tablet after 40 yrs using a keyboard you would give e me a break! Beautiful bass. When will a kit be available?
Love it. Nice to see a bass build for a change. Building my first bass atm. Building the bass I always wanted but couldn't afford - 6 string fretless, so vids like this give me ideas and inspiration. Would love to see more bass builds in the future.
Wow , what a delightfull looking instrument . That fret board is such a thing of beauty . Inspired scratch plate was a great fresh option. Overall its a keeper mate . Id never be letting that un go either . Great build and not to much gab .Overall a success mate . keeep em comming , yeah.
Damn!!! Was shocked to see the pickguard. 1. It works nicely. 2. Excellent p/u choice 3. Beautiful wood, especially the sycamore and fretboard.....and body. Ha 4. Sounds like an awesome P bass. Great bass build. Even better than Frederic Von Warwick's (cnc machine) builds accompanied by sexy bass music. Wonderful job sir. P.S bridge was......ample. 🤨
When you pulled out that pick guard and said you were putting it on that bass, I jammed my finger trying to reach through the screen to choke you out. Then you put it on there and it brought the whole thing together and looks fantastic. I deserved the jammed finger.
Thank you so much for watching to the end to see it come together, it's always a risk and sometimes I really do deserve a jammed finger through screen choke...😅
Bravo! Ben you are fantastic! Some time in the future.....how about a short scale bass with electric-acoustic pickups? I KNOW you can do it and it would be another masterpiece! Thanxz, oh stay safe and healthy!
Great. Love the woods used. I especially like the spalding and where you chose to have it. That is to say oriented on the upper horn, Scratched scratch plate looks good.
Don't worry about the scratch board, when you first fit it up I thought it was some form of template and thought, "damn that would look good" and it does. My only suggestion if you can, use some brown stain on it to give it a slight brown tint and no it doesn't take away from all that beautiful wood, it accentuates it.
Quite simply a beautiful build. Great sounding Bass, whoever ends up with it is a very lucky individual. For your next Bass you should build a completely original design.
One of the cutiest p- basses I have seen in my entire life. Looking forward to see more builds like this. And I'm steeling the pickguard sanding trick ;) Thanks so much for being there and sharing all that magic with us.
I really like the entire instrument. The pickguard is a very clever idea. I would have opted for a tortoiseshell guard, myself. However, nobody asked me what I'd have done so feel free to ignore me.
This bass is incredible the wood on the body and on the neck , its a piece of art and i realy like the body guard use by sandpaper make it so unique . Awsome bass ^^
