Essex Bass Club - Part 14

[eli]

Exclusive distributor contracts being what they are, I would be fascinated to know whether Kurt actually even *can* sell a bass to the UK! It's possible you *have to* go to that distributor in Spain...

[etechstan]

My latest project, yet to be named;

SX neck, Squier Jazz body and electronics, no named high mass bridge, Fender Highway One tuners, Warmoth pickguard. Likes to be slapped and has a funky vibe none of my others have.

[Laklandlover]

Can I get into your exclusive club, I recently purchased ones on ebay. I took it straight ok the box I retuned it to ADGCFBb no action adjustments at all. There were no fret sprouts, the intonaton is really close of just a little, and the acton is pretty good too. This bass sounds great for under $200 bucks. Better than any Ibanez I had too. The only thing I may change is adding a preamp.

[heb9_28]

Originally Posted by Laklandlover

Can I get into your exclusive club, I recently purchased ones on ebay. I took it straight ok the box I retuned it to ADGCFBb no action adjustments at all. There were no fret sprouts, the intonaton is really close of just a little, and the acton is pretty good too. This bass sounds great for under $200 bucks. Better than any Ibanez I had too. The only thing I may change is adding a preamp.

Attachment 310709

I did the super simple magnet-pickup mod and put an Audere Pro-JZ in mine and it is one of the best basses I've ever heard. Period.

[gjbassist]

Originally Posted by etechstan

My latest project, yet to be named;

SX neck, Squier Jazz body and electronics, no named high mass bridge, Fender Highway One tuners, Warmoth pickguard. Likes to be slapped and has a funky vibe none of my others have.

Nice! I see you also snagged one of the black block SX necks with the hook headstock.

[etechstan]

Originally Posted by gjbassist

Nice! I see you also snagged one of the black block SX necks with the hook headstock.

I refuse to buy one with the latest headstock. The hook gives it a more custom look where the new one is just too generic.

[fourstringbliss]

I know what you mean but my MM/J plays and sounds so good - new headstock or not!

[etechstan]

I am not knocking the basses, just the headstock. Why would a new headstock bass play or sound any differently? Just an aesthetic preference.

[fourstringbliss]

I defretted and epoxied the fretboard on this bass:








I'm not a fretless player and don't know if I'm ever going to be. I'm trying to sell the bass but the truth is I just need a different neck.

Would anybody here be interested in trading me their SX Jazz neck for this maple fretless one? I'd prefer rosewood or blocked maple if possible. The inserts are made of styrene plastic and won't compress. The nut has been replaced with a Tusq one and it was epoxied using Envirotex Lite. It's been radiused sanded with a 14" radius sanding block to 2400 grit. We'd each keep our tuners. This is from one of the SX American Alder J's and is made of Canadian Maple. The truss rod adjusts at the heel.

I know this should probably be in the classifieds, but I figured I'd get the best results by going right to the club members, you know?

[BillyB_from_LZ]

Originally Posted by fourstringbliss

I defretted and epoxied the fretboard on this bass:
...




... The inserts are made of styrene plastic and won't compress. The nut has been replaced with a Tusq one and it was epoxied using Envirotex Lite. It's been radiused sanded with a 14" radius sanding block to 2400 grit. ...

Looks great!

I presume you had to sand the polystyrene lines smooth, did you take the whole fingerboard down to bare wood?

If so, did you sand the original black dots off?

I ask because I'm thinking of doing this on a five or six string and fancy a blank Maple fingerboard. Based on what's available, I can live with lines, but don't want dots (except on the side or I'd be totally lost).

Your thoughts/comments/guidance are appreciated!

[fourstringbliss]

Originally Posted by BillyB_from_LZ

Looks great!

I presume you had to sand the polystyrene lines smooth, did you take the whole fingerboard down to bare wood?

If so, did you sand the original black dots off?

I ask because I'm thinking of doing this on a five or six string and fancy a blank Maple fingerboard. Based on what's available, I can live with lines, but don't want dots (except on the side or I'd be totally lost).

Your thoughts/comments/guidance are appreciated!

Thanks! I sanded the original Polyurethane off to the wood, scraped the glue out of the slots, radiused the styrene strips before I inserted them, trimmed and sanded them flush with the board, epoxied, and you know the rest.

I didn't sand off the dots because I don't know how deep they go or what they're made of. I didn't want to take a lot of wood off sanding this thing either.

Some things I've learned:

• Epoxy is a PITA! If you're going to do it pour it thin! I poured too much because I didn't trust it to level if I poured it thin, and ended up sanding a lot.
• If I ever do this again I'm going to use wood inserts. Styrene plastic doesn't like super glue and is melted by sanding surfboard resin. I didn't know this until after I bought the resin. Anybody want to buy some resin?
• I really wish I had gone to GC and tried out a bunch of fretless basses. I would never have gone to the trouble of fretlessifying this neck if I had. I'm not a fretless player.

[TheAnalogKid]

Originally Posted by fourstringbliss

Thanks! I sanded the original Polyurethane off to the wood, scraped the glue out of the slots, radiused the styrene strips before I inserted them, trimmed and sanded them flush with the board, epoxied, and you know the rest.

I didn't sand off the dots because I don't know how deep they go or what they're made of. I didn't want to take a lot of wood off sanding this thing either.

Some things I've learned:

• Epoxy is a PITA! If you're going to do it pour it thin! I poured too much because I didn't trust it to level if I poured it thin, and ended up sanding a lot.
• If I ever do this again I'm going to use wood inserts. Styrene plastic doesn't like super glue and is melted by sanding surfboard resin. I didn't know this until after I bought the resin. Anybody want to buy some resin?
• I really wish I had gone to GC and tried out a bunch of fretless basses. I would never have gone to the trouble of fretlessifying this neck if I had. I'm not a fretless player.

I suggest: get thee a new, fretted neck of your choice! That body is killer, IMO. Surely, someone can use the neck for whatever project or build!

[fourstringbliss]

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. The only issue is that these have a wider heel than a lot of replacement necks so I've got to go with an SX neck and he only has them.in maple right now. I want to either put a rosewood or blocked maple one on there. The body is really nice and pretty light.

[jasonbraatz]

Originally Posted by fourstringbliss

I'm not a fretless player.

No one is to start.

[fourstringbliss]

Originally Posted by jasonbraatz

No one is to start.

Yup. I just don't have time right now to learn it. I need to get better at fretted first I think.

[THand]

Originally Posted by fourstringbliss

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. The only issue is that these have a wider heel than a lot of replacement necks so I've got to go with an SX neck and he only has them.in maple right now. I want to either put a rosewood or blocked maple one on there. The body is really nice and pretty light.

?...that model has a wider heel, or SX in general? FWIW, I have a Mighty-mite maple jazz neck on my SX body and it is VERY tight...as in, so tight I can take the screws out and the neck won't budge (with strings loosened or off, or course).

Being SX has QC all over the place, I can't guarantee you'll have the same results, but that is my experience.

Remember vintage Fenders had really loose neck joints and gaps in the fit were very common, so I would go for what ever I could afford, and try to upgrade the neck...but some SX necks are great, some not...so you are back to rolling the dice with them...my two cents

[fourstringbliss]

Originally Posted by THand

?...that model has a wider heel, or SX in general? FWIW, I have a Mighty-mite maple jazz neck on my SX body and it is VERY tight...as in, so tight I can take the screws out and the neck won't budge (with strings loosened or off, or course).

Being SX has QC all over the place, I can't guarantee you'll have the same results, but that is my experience.

Remember vintage Fenders had really loose neck joints and gaps in the fit were very common, so I would go for what ever I could afford, and try to upgrade the neck...but some SX necks are great, some not...so you are back to rolling the dice with them...my two cents

I'm realizing that it's not the neck, but that it's that the neck pocket on the SX body that is too wide. This neck is pretty nice. I think I'll just stick with SX necks. I really like the fretboard radius and the neck profile. I just need to wait until Kurt gets either a rosewood or blocked maple one in stock and then I'm set. I've got the tools I need to level and dress the frets if neccessary.

[THand]

Originally Posted by fourstringbliss

I'm realizing that it's not the neck, but that it's that the neck pocket on the SX body that is too wide. This neck is pretty nice. I think I'll just stick with SX necks. I really like the fretboard radius and the neck profile. I just need to wait until Kurt gets either a rosewood or blocked maple one in stock and then I'm set. I've got the tools I need to level and dress the frets if neccessary.

Cool. Like I said, some are very nice, some not...I really, really like the one on my Ursa ash P. I also have an older one laying around that isn't good that I use to chase off dogs, lol. FWIW, I leveled the frets on my MM neck too...I like low action, so I do that on most anything I've had.

[fourstringbliss]

Originally Posted by THand

Cool. Like I said, some are very nice, some not...I really, really like the one on my Ursa ash P. I also have an older one laying around that isn't good that I use to chase off dogs, lol. FWIW, I leveled the frets on my MM neck too...I like low action, so I do that on most anything I've had.

I'm really glad I invested in the fret leveling tools I did. I was able to get the frets on my MM/J all leveled out and I can have the action nice and low as well. Now it plays as nicely as any bass I've ever owned.

[THand]

Originally Posted by fourstringbliss

I'm really glad I invested in the fret leveling tools I did. I was able to get the frets on my MM/J all leveled out and I can have the action nice and low as well. Now it plays as nicely as any bass I've ever owned.

Yep. I don't doubt that a bit. Knowing how to level frets and slot a nut makes all the difference in the world.