Fretless 5-String Electric Bass Kit

This is a really good kit. With a couple quality control fixes it could be an amazing kit. So here are my pros and cons.

Lets get the cons out of the way first.

The screws are an issue. Others have said the same and they were right. I didn't even attempt to use the bridge screws. They were hardly bigger then the holes in the bridge, at first i thought they were the screws for the back plate. I also broke one of the pickup mounting screws halfway into the body, even though it was predrilled and I was putting them in by hand.

The output jack hole was too small. This is better then too big, but I didn't expect to need a 1/2" drill bit.

The nut was all kinds of wrong. First, there's a gap between the nut and neck on the bass side. Second, it is slotted for super light strings. The strings sat on top of the nut, not in the slots.

The last con is the electronics. It uses audio taper pots for the tone knobs but not the volume. Thats not a big thing, but just weird. The three tone pots is extra wierd. They are all active no matter which pickup is on, so the all just compound on each other. I plan on redoing all the wiring to have individual pickup volumes and a master volume along with a G&L style passive treble and bass controls.

On to the pros. This may seem like a shorter list but they are worth it.

The wood is great. The ash body is carved very nicly. I did a little extra shaping to thin the top horn and make the body ever so slightly offset, but it started off great. The…

I am not a luthier, and this is the first guitar I ever built, but this kit made making this guitar very straightforward. It was really about decorating and adding style, not making sure the bridge was at the right spot of the tolerances for the neck were correct. All the pre drilled holes lined up, all the angles were correct, and the fretboard finish was flawless.

Everything fit... everything was included... everything was high quality... it was really just about paint, details, and assembly.

If you are looking for a kit and never built a guitar before, you cannot go wrong with a Combine kit.

Hey Connors

I thought you would like to get this update. Since he got the fretless, my son has barely played his Yamaha TRBX 305. He has spent countless hours playing your instrument and by now masters the fretless technique and many new expressive possibilities. It's a joy for me to hear him practice every afternoon.

I must say I'm surprised. I was expecting the kit to produce an average result at most. Something that my son would keep as a secondary option. But the fact is that the "Combine" has ousted the Yamaha with no way back. I hope it last for a long time.

Again, thanks.

Dan

I've done my research and homework before I committed to this product for what I wanted this is by far the best option to get and make a one of a kind bass without dropping stupidly high 3-4 figure if not more on the same product. The weight ratio is great once you get it all put together after finishing however you want. The neck dive you would get on some basses is not here with this. The body itself and neck weight are perfectly matched for me and yes I would recommend buying a second set of strings from wherever I did unfortunately snap a string tuning it but it happens the strings that came with it are the ones on it currently I bought Ernie Ball super slinky for replacements, personal preference on heavier gauge wire for the tone I play at, did break some screws but hey it happens and they can easily be replaced without breaking bank only down sides are those two things, screws and strings but overall must give credit where credit is due. I live in the Rocky mountains and USPS is not how it was way back in the day but I reached out to Connors and he was extremely helpful for doing his part and helping with Canada Post and CP contacting USPS to help me get my package and the tone and overall quality is the best you can get. Great product Connors and thank you for all the help and answering questions I had for you through the entire process!

When my son asked for a 5 string fretless bass (Thanks Pedro Aznar) I made some quick math. A low end budget bass like that is around Cad$ 700 + tx in Amazon. If you want something better, think beyond Cad$ 1K.

Combine guitars found a niche here. They offer a kit for 270 + tx including everything you need. Quality of the materials was better than expected. In particular the swamp ash wood have great sound and helped to create an instrument that is alive and breathes. The cuts were perfect and precise, and I found no issue assembling the different parts. Electrically , the mics and the rest of components also worked well, no noise at all if you are careful with shielding. Only issue found was the quality of the bridge fixation screws. After breaking a couple of them, I decided to replace then with some other screws, not big deal really.

The resulting instrument is much cheaper and better than what you can get for $700+Tx from China. Just need a bit of your time and dedication.

And by the way, support the Canadian enterprises!