BexGearsDIY Electric Guitar Kits For 5 String bass Guitar.Okoume Body

I got the Bex Gears 5-String Kit for Christmas from my girls. They gave it to me early, knowing I had some time off before and after the holiday. You all know how to put a kit together, so I thought I would list the highlights and pros/cons of the actual kit.Actual neck width: 45mmFinal weight: 7 lbs, 14 oz.I had a full bottle of boiled linseed oil from another project, so I decided to use that as the only finish. I may put some poly on it after a while, but I am happy with how it turned out. The bass itself reminds me of a Schecter Stiletto body and headstock. It’s even got the triangle/v style inlays on the fingerboard. However, the headstock doesn’t have the little notch in the top that makes it look like a Gibson headstock could fit into it. I thought the headstock was ugly, so I rounded it off to make a sort of Ibanez SR/Fake looking Fodera type of thing. Again, I was pretty happy with how it turned out.Pros of this kit:-The neck and frets were actually pretty good. I had to dress the fret ends a little, but the fret sprout was not drastic. The fingerboard was really dry, but that was to be expected. There was a light finish on the back of the neck, but I sanded it off and started over. I know how I like my necks and I am thrilled with the result.-The wood of the body is light, but it is not cheap feeling like I expected. I wished they would have matched the tones of the wood a little better, but for what was paid, I’m not upset. The body sanded well and took the oil nicely.-The neck fit the pocket exceptionally well. The numbers written in sharpie matched, so you can tell they made sure to match necks and bodies.-Everything was packed nice and snug. I’ve seen some kits that are just thrown in a box. Good attention to detail.-The bridge is stout! I was expecting a simple, bent metal bridge. This thing has some heft to it and adjusts really well.-The truss rod turned like a dream.-The pickups are actually really nice. They have a relatively low output, which I was expecting compared to my active basses. The tone is really nice and pickups are quiet. I thought for sure I would be replacing pickups soon, but I will be leaving them in for the time being.-The prewired harness was really nice. I can solder, but this was foolproof and went in very quickly.Cons of this kit (or things that I encountered along the way):-Some of the predrilled holes are not straight. This is especially noticeable on the strap buttons and the input jack plate. Speaking of that…-The output jack plate was not curved to the same radius as the body of the bass. When I gently bent the plate to the correct shape, the holes no longer lined up. Add this to the fact that there is no recess for the plate and it sort of sticks out now. It is secured, but I am afraid to do any more with it for risk of stripping out the wood or breaking the prewired jack.-The nut is plastic, which doesn’t bother me. What did bother me was that the glue they used to secure the nut got all over the nut itself. I tried cleaning it with naphtha, but I eventually had to use a razor to scrape it off which dug into the nut. I made the best of it, but a new nut will be needed at some point.-The tuners are…ok. They are move around quite a bit. This is going to be the first upgrade over what came stock. This is also the most pressing upgrade because…-Although the bass is pretty light for a 5 string, I swear that 5 1/2 lbs of the weight is in the headstock. The neck dive is pretty bad. I know why and I know what I need to do.-The routing for the pickups was too small. Of course, I should have checked that before I put in the copper shielding. I was more annoyed at myself for not checking and then having to redo the shielding after I sanded. 3 minutes with some 600 grit sandpaper was enough. It is still snug, but it was a minor setback.-The pots turn really hard. I mean, it takes a lot of effort to turn them. The whole thing was prewired, which meant I had pots and pickups done in about 15 minutes. However, the pots are rough.-The strings are terrible. That is certainly not a surprise to anyone. I am a flats guy anyway, so new strings are on the way.-One last one: the instructions that were sent for this kit was not correct. It was for a 4 string jazz bass. This is no big deal. I wasn’t going to read the instructions anyway!Overall, I was thrilled to get the gift and am excited to play it. I think my wife caught it on sale, because it is no longer $159. I think, at that price, it is a great kit for the money.

The Quality, Appearance, and Value for the price are all excellent. I rated it a “4” because the wrong user manual was included. I emailed the company same day I received my shipment (5 days ago), but have not received a reply.

Didn't use any of the supplied hardware, modified the shape of the body. These guys provide a nice kit (neck pocket was a bit oversized), but I did a table top epoxy finish and varnish, so I ended up chasing the pickup and pocket with tooling and was able to close the gap. Wood is crazy soft, light. I love a light bass with no neck dive and this fits that bill. I used 19mm bridge and EMG active pickups (sounds amazing). Intonation is right on the money as well as every other gap measurement, so the neck was good. The nut is probably not the greatest but it works fine, needs filing for final setup. Measurements for bridge placement should accommodate string preference, so the pre drilled holes are a suggestion. If you want an easier build, and something that can be upgraded, this is a great start.

Why did I buy this kit, well It wasn't so much for the kit project as it was for a set of "Fodera Light with Hich-C bass Stings" which I was going to change out on my Ibanez Bass Guitar, of which I changed my mind in doing so. So I took the extreme route and decided to test the Fodera String on this five-string bass kit. There were no instructions included in the kit build, but I have a lot of guitar setup experience. The truss rod cover was oversized but don't really need it and the predrilled truss rod holes were in the wrong position. The neck seemed a bit lose and very short for its fit into the body but it all came together very well, nice and tight, but the predrilled feral holes were a bit oversized. All and all everything pulled together really nicely and with a few slight adjustments after installing my Fodera Bass Strings my test was complete. And the project was very satisfying! The neck and the action are perfect, it vibrates very nicely and the tonal quality for those particular strings proves that this is a dynamic kit for your money. Thank you. MD