Essex Bass Club - Part 13

[Ninet1gt]

Originally Posted by JPrinos

Just picked up this SX Jazz from a Craigslist ad. Any idea how much Rondo was charging for a bass with this grain and whether or not the pearl pickguard was stock?

It's a neat looking combo. I have the four string version with Duncan designed pups and a series parallel switch. Just wish I was more of a jazz bass guy.

[CnB77]

Originally Posted by Rip Topaz

Don't do that. You could split the wood.

Is it safe to do just for marking the place? Wouldn't even use a hammer, just a bit of pressure

[fourstringbliss]

Originally Posted by CnB77

I was thinking about using a small nail to make a tiny indent where the screws belong and then I had an idea:
What if I lay the pickups in where they'll go, use the nail to mark the spot for each screw, then drive the nail in a bit to make the actual hole for the screw? It seems like it'd be a bit easier than drilling.

You can use the nail to mark the drilling place and to give the drill bit a depression to start in, but use the drill to make the pilot hole for the screws.

[BillyB_from_LZ]

Originally Posted by Rip Topaz

Don't do that. You could split the wood.

That's true. In addition, pickup mounting screws are small and the heads are easily stripped (I'll give you one guess how I know that). You want a proper pilot hole from them to thread in to.

[Diesel Kilgore]

I see on the Rondo site that they have a Music Man-esque Ursa 5 and a bunch of new things like the Jag knockoff. Lots of Jr's and med scales. Still dig the Douglas Pisces. But I keep looking at the Natural Ash Jazz bass with black pickguard. Very yummy looking. Want one, anyone have more light to shed on the Ursa Jazzers? They look great, and would be a cheap way to get a Jazz bass and not care if I dont like it. But maybe I will?

[fourstringbliss]

Originally Posted by Diesel Kilgore

I see on the Rondo site that they have a Music Man-esque Ursa 5 and a bunch of new things like the Jag knockoff. Lots of Jr's and med scales. Still dig the Douglas Pisces. But I keep looking at the Natural Ash Jazz bass with black pickguard. Very yummy looking. Want one, anyone have more light to shed on the Ursa Jazzers? They look great, and would be a cheap way to get a Jazz bass and not care if I dont like it. But maybe I will?

Their J-basses are great, but there are some real differences between them and Fender J's. The necks are the same width but are chunkier (in a good way). The pickups are great, but they're ceramic and come with 500k pots. It's more of an aggressive tone. They do make great modding platforms and you could replace the pups with Fender stuff if that's the sound you're going for. I would suggest buying one and trying it for a month or so before you decide to mess with the pickups.

They also seem to have upped their game with the woods! I just bought this SX body from a TB'er and the body is American Swamp Ash - not the typical northern ash they've been using for years.




The super cool thing about SX, though, is that most basses in this price range have crappy wood or plywood - this is the real stuff!

[mtandrews]

Originally Posted by bearplayingbass

before and after
Attachment 300834Attachment 300835

are those Kent Armstrong pickups?

[jasonbraatz]

Yeah, I was pretty surprised how nice that body was. It's definitely better overall than the PJ body I kept - the J pickup route in that thing looks like it was done with a chisel. Or a grenade. Or a beaver.

Sounds great, though.

[fourstringbliss]

Originally Posted by jasonbraatz

Yeah, I was pretty surprised how nice that body was. It's definitely better overall than the PJ body I kept - the J pickup route looks like it was done with a chisel. Or a grenade. Or a beaver.

Sounds great, though.

I don't really need another SX J but I couldn't pass up grain like that for $100 loaded. I've got one of their $139 American Alder basses which have really nice necks, so I'm going to swap the bodies (and sell the alder one) and have a natural Swamp Ash/maple fretboard J. Granted, my other SX J is Swamp Ash/maple fretboard, but that's okay. I might buy a P pup and put a P routed J pickguard on their for a Jazz P/J. It looks like this one has 60's spacing - is that right?

[richntiff]

Fourstringbliss - just pm'ed you about the alder body. If you sell it - I'm interested :-)

[BillyB_from_LZ]

Originally Posted by Diesel Kilgore

I see on the Rondo site that they have a Music Man-esque Ursa 5 ...

I can't find it... When you look is it still there?

[JPrinos]

I'll probably replace the tone knob with a smaller diameter knob and put in a Series/Parallel mini-switch between it and the jack. Circuit looks easy enough to do.

Originally Posted by Ninet1gt

It's a neat looking combo. I have the four string version with Duncan designed pups and a series parallel switch. Just wish I was more of a jazz bass guy.

[dabbler]

Originally Posted by JPrinos

I'll probably replace the tone knob with a smaller diameter knob and put in a Series/Parallel mini-switch between it and the jack. Circuit looks easy enough to do.

Why not just put a push-pull switch pot in for the tone pot, instead? That's the way I do my series- parallel mods.

[JPrinos]

Thanks for the advice. I'll check the depth of he cavity!

Originally Posted by dabbler

Why not just put a push-pull switch pot in for the tone pot, instead? That's the way I do my series- parallel mods.

[fourstringbliss]

Originally Posted by JPrinos

Thanks for the advice. I'll check the depth of he cavity!

The cavity should be deep enough, you just don't want anything under the switch when you put the control panel back on. The cavity was just deep enough on my J when I did it.

[Diesel Kilgore]

Originally Posted by fourstringbliss

Their J-basses are great, but there are some real differences between them and Fender J's. The necks are the same width but are chunkier (in a good way). The pickups are great, but they're ceramic and come with 500k pots. It's more of an aggressive tone. They do make great modding platforms and you could replace the pups with Fender stuff if that's the sound you're going for. I would suggest buying one and trying it for a month or so before you decide to mess with the pickups.

They also seem to have upped their game with the woods! I just bought this SX body from a TB'er and the body is American Swamp Ash - not the typical northern ash they've been using for years.




The super cool thing about SX, though, is that most basses in this price range have crappy wood or plywood - this is the real stuff!

That actually sounds really cool. 500k pots. I like that.

[fourstringbliss]

Originally Posted by Diesel Kilgore

That actually sounds really cool. 500k pots. I like that.

I don't know how it would sound with 250k pots, but they sound really good to me with the 500k pots. I use Sadowsky Flats on my SX J right now and plan on using D'Addario Chromes on the one I've got coming soon.

[Diesel Kilgore]

Nice. This is the way I plan on setting up this bass. With some flats. I really love that flatwound on a jazz sound and the more aggressive 500k pot tone would be perfect!

[Basshappi]

I left the stock pickups in mine but changed out the pots and cap. Keep it strung with Chromes and it sounds great.

[fourstringbliss]

Originally Posted by Basshappi

I left the stock pickups in mine but changed out the pots and cap. Keep it strung with Chromes and it sounds great.

Did you use 250k pots? What cap value did you use?