We're building an all-mahogany Precision-style bass for Cole with the following specifications:

• All wood parts are made from Honduran mahogany
• The body is two-piece, cut to the classic '51 Precision Bass shape, but with forearm and belly contours
• The bass will have two TV Jones Thundertron single-coil pickups, placed according to Rickenbacker spacing
• The neck will be four-piece quartersawn mahogany with an ebony fingerboard
• The body will be equipped with a Telecaster-style control plate with two volumes, tone, and a 3-way selector switch
• 34" scale
• Chrome or nickel hardware
• Strat-style output jack plate

First, these are the pickups we'll be using in this bass:

The body glued and cut to shape:

The four pieces of mahogany that I'll make the neck from:

The body with the edge routing and body contours done:

The neck completely shaped and ready for carving:

The neck and body together. The neck is carved and fretted, and the body is ready for final sanding:

December 13, 2009: The finishing process has begun on the body and neck. First the body: I'm applying a dark walnut stain directly to the wood - I've done about three coats so far, and with each coat it gets a little darker:

The neck - same procedure, but the interesting thing is that the wood is taking the stain quite a bit darker than the body:

December 22, 2009: The body got several coats of dark walnut stain today - here is the result:

January 2, 2010: I put a couple more coats of oil/poly on the neck, then the body got another coat of dark walnut stain this afternoon, followed a coat of McFadden's pore filler about 3 hours later. When that is dry I will give it another coat of pore filler. After that I will sand it lightly, and then the body will be ready for sanding sealer, then lacquer.

June 26, 2010:

First, the body has been polished and is ready for installation of the hardware and electronics:

This is the control plate - a Telecaster Guitar control plate modified by drilling a hole for a second volume control:

And this is the body with both of the TV Jones Thundertron pickups installed:

July 3, 2010: Assembling the bass: