Description
This DIY guitar kit has everything you need for building your own JB Style Electric Bass Guitar. You will only need some basic tools and finishing supplies. This kit includes all parts and step-by-step instructions to build a complete, playable custom guitar. All challenging wood cutting, drilling and shaping has already been professionally done, as well as fret leveling and dressing.
Recommended tools: Solo Bass Assembly Kit – Bolt-on
Kit includes:
- Mahogany body with a poly sealant
- Unfinished maple neck with Rosewood fingerboard
- Press-fit peghead bushings
- String Retainer
- Tuning Machines (4 pcs, mounting screws included)
- Strings
- Strap Buttons
- Pickguard
- Neck Pickup (mounting screws and height adjustment springs included)
- Bridge Pickup (mounting screws and height adjustment springs included)
- Bridge
- Neck Plate
- Control Plate Assembly
- Full size potentiometers
- Ground Wire
- Cord
- Hex wrench for truss-rod adjustment
- All mounting screws are included
IMPORTANT (in addition to our standard return policy): due to their nature kits can be returned only in virtually untouched condition and in original package.
Glenn Sauve (verified owner) –
I put a relic finish on it and it looks ok, putting it together was real easy. when it came time to tune the bass I was really surprised that the intonation was right on the money. Fluke I dont know lol we will see on the next build. this was a great experience for my first build.
Wayne King (verified owner) –
Good value for the money. The wiring instructions could be clearer – I reversed the connections on one pickup – easy to fix.
I will definitely buy another kit
Dan Mackeigan (verified owner) –
Still in the process of finishing the body with dark walnut aniline dye and Tru oil on the neck. The kit seems pretty good and the parts fit great, I fully assembled the guitar first to ensure neck alignment and string placement, the sound is good but upgraded pick-ups would make a big difference, so for this Jazz Bass kit it’s pretty good for the price paid.
Nick (verified owner) –
This is a fantastic kit for the price. I’ve bought 2 of these JB style kits. The first one I threw together pretty quick for a lark and wasn’t expecting much… but I ended up with a very playable bass after some minor set-up tweaks. Nice low action, great feel. I’ve since bought a 2nd kit and am going to spend more time on the finish etc. I’ve found the neck and body are great with these kits, everything fits together well, the bridge is nice and beefy too. The only negatives are the tuners and the pick-ups, but I think that’s to be expected for the price. With my second kit I am going to replace the tuners with Hipshots and am also going to replace the pickups, likely with some Bartolini’s… I’m expecting to have a sweet machine by the end! Then it will be time to rip the frets out of the first build and get some fretless action in!
Terry (verified owner) –
Ordered mine Jan 31st arrived the next day by UPS ( they didnt get my signature & just left it at my side door outside of my house, *Hint get purolator for better delivery service). Was a few nice boot prints all over the top of the box … but everything was fine on the inside.
My ONLY 4 gripes with the kit I recieved …. 1 … pickguard around the neck pocket not cut well … 2 .. cheap screws that almost stripped off of the heads when putting the tuners in place (of course the metals from where there done are known to be low quality so) 3. the ground wire on the control cavity just BARELY goes into place lucky for me I got some guitar wire around & re-did the ground …. & …… 4 …. The poly sealers on these kits need to be a lil more thinner …. takes a fair amount of efford with 100 grit to get thru it. Sugest you’s get it slightly thinner + diffrent color so peaple can know they are removing the poly & not more of the nessicarly wood.
With that said …. with getting it on the 1st I had the bass stripped, stained, sanded stain away, sealed with wipe on poly & re-assembled into playable form by noon of the 4th & setup by 6 pm that night.
I sold a 2005 Ibanez Sound Gear SGR200 I got used to buy this kit ……. and I must say … this kit has given me a WAY better bass to play around on vs the used Soundgear I had !! The Feel is better, better sustain & also the pickups in this kit are VERY nice !! Im playing mine through a Vypyr VIP2 & it sounds sooo much better then the previous bass through this amp.
While what you get in this kit stock may not be “perfect” …. taking your time & following instructions & having any kinda work on guitars previously … this kit is a snap to throw together & a great beginner / intermediate bass for if everything goes right. Further bonus to me was the bass strings included, without me knowing I’d swear it was a new set of ernie ball bass slinky strings !!
I will be posting the images of the bass on the facebook page & also links to my few video’s of it on my utube channel.
Must buy of these low tiered bass kits !! But be warned that this is as heavy as a les paul in weight !! 😀
Pascal Jalbert (verified owner) –
My wife ordered me this kit a few weeks ago.I couldn’t expect that much from a diy bass kit! all parts fits perfectly. I thought that it would be ok for the price as the comments says but you got to buy one to believe it. No need for fancy expensive tools. All i needed was some sanding paper, a screw driver and some paint. I can’t explain the joy of playing on an instrument this good and be able to tell that i ‘ve built it by myself. I’m planning on buying a telecaster style kit as soon as the kit will be available and also a strat . Incredible quick and free shipping .if you’re that kind of guy like me who like building things and want a good instrument for so much less, buy one of these kits, you won’t be disapointed. Stop paying for overpriced brands instruments. Build your own! Solo music gear, you rules!!
Mike C Chessman (verified owner) –
Absolutley thrilled with my bass. The kit was well thought out and complete. I had one tiny problem with a pick gaurd and Solo went above and beyond to make it right. Fantastic service and product!!
I did a ” Fender ” recreation with logos and a real world looking vintage finish and my god Im so pleased. The entire project took less than a week and I was playing it on stage. Everyone including many pro bass players think its the real deal. It looks and plays perfectly.
VERY VERY HAPPY.
Ill be building more instruments very soon.
Stephen (verified owner) –
Great bangs for bucks.
I have had suprisingly good results with this bass, although there were a couple of issues.
The scratch plate didn’t quite fit the neck pocket, I had to sand it down a bit, not a big deal.
The bridge pick up isn’t quite aligned with the strings (can’t hear the difference).
And there’s a slight hump at the 10th or 11th fret area that I can’t seem to get rid of.
Apart from that, great product.
I also love the fact that this is a Canadian companie, witch means super fast delivery, no custom hassles and the price you see is the price you pay.
Not my last project.
Allen Maher (verified owner) –
Really simple build with respectable components. It turned out really well, plays well, looks nice. It needed a fret leveling, but only a minor one.
mckushner (verified owner) –
So, I’ve been looking at getting a kit for a while, but had to decide on the vendor, and after doing some research I selected the Solo Music Gear JBK-1 ( I always wanted a Fender Jazz style in my collection).
For me the top selling point was the quality of the neck. I didn’t want to mess around with doing a bunch of fretwork like you have to do with other kits. Let me just say it was ready to go, just need to put a finish on it, install it, and tweak to your specs.
The mahogany body was solid and had a nice “look” to it. You either keep it natural or or stain it, but don’t paint over the beauty of the wood.
The hardware is fine, don’t let people scare you with the “cheap” Chinese parts. They’re perfectly fine for this build and to get you playing. Now that doesn’t mean I won’t upgrade in the future, but for now the hardware works exactly as it should. It’s solid.
The only downside was there wasn’t a pre-drilled hole for the bridge ground wire to the wiring cavity. I had to do this myself with an 8″ long, 1\8th drill bit. Missed a few times, lol, but fixed the holes and if anything it adds character and is just part of it’s story.
Overall it was a great project and fun build, just take your time and really make it your own.
Oh and I’m already thinking about getting another, maybe a MMK-10 for Christmas.
Jason Picard –
I finally got around to building this jazz bass. As with other kits I would recommend putting it together first unfinished just to make sure all parts fit and the guitar is structurally sound. The neck pocket was nice and snug as it should be and even though I hadn’t wired the pickups etc. in yet, it had a nice acoustic resonance to it (very good sign). I used wet/dry sanding sponges to sand the body and neck, finished the body with a few coats of Min Wax Polyurethane and sanded each down so it has a nice smooth finish (not overly glossy). Instead of Poly on the neck I used Tung oil which I will use on my kit guitar necks from now on. I am very pleased with the end product. The pickups sound very good for the overall cost of the kit and unless you are a bit of a bass snob I don’t see how you couldn’t dial in excellent bass tones.
Cornfed (verified owner) –
Hey, if you got this far to read this review, you’re heading in the right direction. I bought the JBK-1 kit for my 13 year old son because he’s got the bass bug and is all nuts about making his own. I thought an all-in-one kit would be a good introduction to that. At $190 for an instrument that’s a fun, hands-on, ready to assemble project, the decision was easy.
Assembly was a snap: Instructions were good, some sanding here, soldering there, the critical holes in the body were pre-drilled, neck and bridge are aligned perfectly, all went well. We used boiled linseed oil for the natural mahogany body, looks good.
The best part is that it plays. The kid spends time on it and it sounds good. Upgrade pickups? No. Harmonics come easy. Keys hold their tuning. Neck’s straight. I’m impressed.
Nut needs little filing but it’s close. And that’s a personal choice that Solo allows the buyer to make.
Nice work Solo, and thanks!
anthonyvesco (verified owner) –
Had to fix some nicks and chips in the headstock and routing cavity for the bridge pickup and there is a big noticeable split in the fretboard that doesn’t affect playability but sticks out like a giant sore thumb.
However the biggest headache of all is whatever industrial strength, military grade, “could plug a hole in a submarine” poly sealant. The wood grain is beautiful, but BE WARNED, if you plan to stain or use a finish that takes advantage of the wood grain in any way, shape or form, the sealant will be your waking nightmare.
There is no amount of sanding that you can do to fix it… I’ve been trying for days and no matter what I do, the wood will not accept a stain. Unfortunately I’ve had to ditch this kit because I can’t do the finish I want.
Paulo (verified owner) –
I was scared by Anthonyvesco’s review regarding the sealant. I had bought mine the day before and though mine wouldn’t work as I wanted, but I had a much better experience with the sanding. 120/220/320/400 grit and it was smooth like a baby’s butt.
I had issues with SamaN stuff though. Their varnish removed the stain, so I had to seal it with Shellac, and the varnish was drying really fast, even diluted with water. Had to go back to the staining part twice in order to make it work as expected
Mine was not a beginner build, as I had to do adjustments to make it playable the way I wanted. Neck was lower than the decked pickups and needed a shim, the pickguard, was tighter than the neck pocket and had to be sanded. Can’t comment about the frets, as I converted mine to fretless
Electronics was the expected from a cheap kit. The pots looked more like switches, the metal parts had sharp corners, machine heads are scratchy (after a drop of bike chain lube they improved a lot though) .. . Tried to swap with a Squier Jazz guts I had around, but the pickup size is different, ended up changing only the pots.
I didn’t find any nightmarish stuff, like a twisted neck or misaligned bridge. If you want to put some work, it will end up like a good instrument, with very good playability.
Would I buy it again? Of course. I’m planning on a semi-hollow jazz guitar for Christmas. But you shouldn’t think of these kits as some kind of money saving opportunity. Unless you already have all the stuff needed to make it a good instrument (and it’s possible, trust me), it’s better looking for Squiers and Harley Bentons. It is a hobby and a way to make an instrument your own.
You can check my whole experience at Talkbass, search for “First Kit Build – Solo Music Jazz Bass”, with pictures and bonus video of Jaco’s Continuum being assassinated.
Thanks Solo!
James Derksen (verified owner) –
Finally got this kit completed after waiting 4 years, turned out well, finished in Nitro Antique White with Nitro Vintage Amber on neck ,wish I could post a pic, thanks Solo👍
electropiecescowansville (verified owner) –
No issues with this build. Everything fit perfectly. The wood grain was very nice with a semi transparent stain, and it plays well.