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I've had this one bubbling under the surface for a few months and I've decided to hash it in with my degree study's CNC module. The design spec is a slab-bodied (no tummy cut, no forearm contour) P bass more or less in line with the design of a '51 P bass. Unlike '51 P basses this one is a 5-string with specific modernisations, however the visual presentation is to be as clean and '51 P bass-ish as possible. First of all, the CAD plan: Currently this plan shows that I designed in a Hipshot TransTone bridge however this will feature a vintage-style bridge instead. I feel that the TransTone is not in keeping with the vintage aesthetic I am attempting to maintain with this bass. The neck pocket is longer than your standard Fender-style bass and extends through to the pickup cavity. This area is completely covered by the pickguard so to all appearances it resembles the original design. To maintain more of the original's appearance, four wood screws and a neck plate secure the neck from the rear whilst two additional bolts sit at the rear of the neck tenon to provide additional anchoring and neck-to-body coupling. The pickup will be a modified five-string version of the original. No changes are really necessary at the basic level as authenticity is not the aim, only passing appearance. The pickup will be fed into a differential pre-amp which in essence amplifies only the voltage difference between the two ends of the coil. Although this would work better with a dual coil pickup actively bucking hum, it serves to buffer the output of the pickup and lower circuit impedance. Most importantly it performs a ground lift which certainly helps reduce the majority of hum. The pre-amp is powered by 2x batteries which supply a balanced +9v/-9v. As usual with most of my builds, the neck features a zero fret. RestorationAD will hate me for this one. Truss rod access is available via a recess in the body end of the neck. I may modify the pickguard so that access does not require its removal, however I currently like the idea of hiding this design aspect. The nut itself is 45mm with bridge string spacing set at 18mm. The guide nut will be slotted by CNC to dial in perfectly equal string-to-string spacing. The rear neck contour will be relatively fat to give my thumb better guidance rather than how it errs around the bass side of the neck for anchor on thinner necks. The profile taper will run straight to the flat portion of the heel with a concave V style transition. The neck-to-headstock transition is an asymmetrical curve based around the headstock shape.