General
Model Number
SL-GT-PBK-0
Series
PB Style
Body Information
Body Material
Basswood
Body Shape
PB Style
Body Finish
Unfinished
Neck Information
Neck Material
Maple
Neck Finish
Unfinished
Scale Length
34" - 864mm
Fingerboard Material
Maple
Number of Frets
22
Frets
Medium Jumbo, Nickel Silver
Nut Material
Plastic
Position Inlays
Dot
Truss Rod
2-Way-Action
Truss Rod Nut
4 mm Hex
Hardware & Electronics
Finish
Chrome
Pickup Configuration
1 x HB
Pickups
Ceramic Pickups
Pickguard
3-Ply White Pearl
Controls
1V, 1T
Bridge
Fixed bridge
Tuning Machines
Gotoh Style
Potentiometers
Mini Potentiometers
Misc
Includes all mounting screws, strap buttons, and plates
Accessories
Includes
Hex Adjustment Keys & Instrument Cable
DWIGHT FREGIA (verified buyer) –
I’ve always loved the way the ’51 P-Bass had an old-school look and vibe about it. This kit wasn’t the first I’ve done, but it was the first from Solo. I did the usual parts upgrades and fretwork. There are only a couple of things that I would like to see improved; the frets (like a cheese grater on the ends) and the fit of the neck in the joint (a little too loose and wiggly). Other than that, it’s been a treat working on this, and I will buy another style of kit from Solo!
sailorguy50 (verified buyer) –
This is my 3rd kit from Solo. I have been completely satisfied with the first two and wanted to add a P-Bass to my collection. The kit arrived complete and ready for finishing. Like the other reviewer, there are only a couple of things that could use some work. My first 2 kits (a Tele and a Strat) had great frets and tight necks. The bass frets need work to smooth the ends and the neck is loose on the body. Overall, another great kit from Solo and I’ll be looking to another build soon!
Denis Tremblay (verified buyer) –
This is my first kit from solo and surely not my last. I’m very pleased with it. Everything fit perfectly. It sounds great and plays well. They responded very quickly (same day) at my question concerning the wiring. I had to smooth the ends of the frets.
m c (verified buyer) –
Awesome kit ! Ordered this for my Dad so he could do a custom artwork on the body . As always customer support was first class . Thanks again !
Matt
Bob Cirone (verified buyer) –
Overall this is a nice kit. It was easy to put together, but I have built several basses and guitars, some from scratch, so if you don’t have that experience it may be a little bit of a challenge, but it is relatively easy to build. Putting a finish on the neck and body is the hardest part. There are a few things that I thought should be changed on the kit. The first thing I found to be strange is that they didn’t put a 51 P bass type pickup on the kit. The pickup is a Music Man type pickup. I have to admit that the pickup sounds pretty good, but why not use the original? The tuning gears are not the typical Fender type. Why didn’t they use the Fender type gears? The tuning gears that come with it do work fine. The neck is 22 frets instead of the standard 20 fret neck that most basses use. The 2 extra high notes that you get are not worth the extra length of the neck. The extra length causes the bass to be about an inch or more longer than a standard Fender bass which may cause you to have problems fitting it in a gig bag, and if you are used to a 20 fret neck, then that extra length makes reaching for that 1st fret seem like it’s a mile away. The neck does have that classic C profile and is beefy like the original. The longer neck makes the bridge fit further up on the body. I may alter the bridge to have the strings go through the body like the original 50’s P bass. The neck fits tightly into the neck pocket but the neck had a slight back tilt when screwed into the body which caused some buzzing. I had to shim the neck pocket to make it level. The neck truss rod responds properly to adjustment. I trimmed the head stock to the standard Telecaster bass profile and used an amber lacquer finish on it. I built up the bass as it was designed and it plays and sounds pretty good and my classic off white finish gives it that classic look, but I just wish that they designed it more closely to the original as it wouldn’t be hard to do and would give it that fifth star.
peterrasmussen4321 –
I just finished this kit and am very pleased with the whole process. I plan on replacing the machine heads and pickup with Fender style items that are more appropriate for a 1954 p bass. I finished mine with a natural stain with a number of clear coats and got a decent finish. The soldering was a first for me and presented no problems. I did have a buddy with soldering experience give me some pointer though. The final product plays well and sounds good, and I have a 1954 p bass in my collection that didn’t cost me thousands of dollars to get. I definitely will be getting another kit in the future!
blairthorne709 –
I just finished the kit. It was easy to assemble thought the wiring diagram could use an update to show the correct pickup (2 wire vs 4 humbucker) and the hole for the bridge ground. The pots are large sized which was nice to see. I stained my bass with several layers of a vinegar/steel wool mix along with tea which gave the bass a dark grey look. The only real issue I had was some small areas on the back of the body that would not take the stain, even though I sanded the body thoroughly, I assume some glue may have penetrated deeply. I would definitely buy another kit once I get all my other projects done.