SX Ursa 6-string Jazz bass

[JZQuantum]

Originally Posted by dabbler

Ummm, lte's see, the SJBs with the rosewood blocked neck (or was it just a separate rosewood blocked neck, whatever it was, I snoozed and losed), I missed out on the matching headstock LPB SJBs the first time around, and the natural SJB LTDs. That's all I can remember right now. Why do you ask?

I was just curious about which basses were popular. I snagged one of those SJB-75 BPN NA's and there is no way I'd sell it. I mean for $150 + shipping, it is great. I still can't believe the value I got after all this time.

Only mods I've done were shielding, wiring, input jack, strings and pots. And most of that was not necessary. It holds a tuning and looks better than anything else I own.

I hope this Ursa 6 will make me just as happy.

[dabbler]

Originally Posted by Figbassist75

Dabbler, your posts about the Douglas WOB 826 convinced me that it was a good 6'er and you were right about it. I love that bass, my only mods, if you call them that were a new set of Ernie Ball strings and she was good to go.

I'm considering another 6'er from Rondo. Don't know if it's going to be the SX Ursa or one of the Brices. A bassist really can't lose with Rondo music at all.

Glad to be of help.

If you are considering a Brice Z6, just remember that it has wide spacing. That has taken some getting used to for me.

[bassbenj]

Originally Posted by dabbler

Yeah, every sixer I've had had dual rods (and they all came from Rondo).

DOORBELL! FEDEX GUY! NEW BASS DAY!

It's HERE! Man, that was amazingly fast!

This is not a full review but just a couple of first impressions of the SX 6 string.

1. First of all, Yes, it does have dual truss rods!

2. The String spacing at bridge is 16mm. (almost exactly what I calculated from the image) Center of high string to center of low string at bridge is 3.15"

3. By the way Bridge is VERY, VERY nice! Heavy metal L-shape in snazzy chrome. You won't need to replace this bridge!

4. Tuners are small closed back and excellent. VERY Smooth. Not at all sticky like the usual SX large key open gear ones. Roller or bar type string trees would be better but "mushroom" type are better than none. Just a tad sticky in tuning.

5. Neck is nuclear orange but not severely so, clear coat is heavy but not super-nasty as some are (were?) Ursa headstock is kinda barfy but doesn't look too bad on a 6 string. Frets smooth on edges and seem to be fairly even .

6. My personal preference would be for more curvature in the frets (face of neck seems rather flat to me), but it's not any huge minus.

7. Body finish, wood grain, chrome knobs, panels, all look exceptionally great. I'd prefer some snazzy pearlescent pickguard rather than the plain white but that doesn't really effect anything and it can always be changed later. The fit of the pickguard is excellent.

8. No shielding as usual, but hum is quite low even without shielding and like all SX single coil jazz pickups single coil hum is rather loud. Pots seem entirely adequate as is.

9. Set up was not bad out of the box. Intonation was dead on. Action was not super low but I like a higher action anyway.

10. Strings. These strings that come on the bass just suck plain and simple. They are thin and nasty sounding and are even more clanky than SIT strings. And I don't mean that in a nice way either! These strings MUST go to finish testing this bass.

The Big disappointment:

The big disappointment here is the pickups!

The SX 6 string pickups just fall flat on their face! First off they are VERY weak! I had my Laney combo maxed out in gain and it still wasn't exactly over-the-top loud. And they are very THIN sounding as well. NOTHING like the usual factory SX 5 string pickups.

I did a comparison to my other SX alder body bass (5 string). It was like night and day! The old 5 string was HOT. The sound was fat and full and filled the room! When I flipped the pickups in series the volume was almost over-powering and the deep bass almost overwhelming as well. The 6 string was thin and frail and weak and couldn't be made to sound good. Only with tone totally rolled off did the tone even start to approach a Fenderish sound.

As a second test I compared to my Modulus 6 string. Of course the Modulus has a "modern" kind of sound so it shouldn't be fair but the tone was like night and day. The Modulus was deep and full with little string noise (D' Addario XLs, all EQ flat). The tone was to die for (as well it should for the price). The SX was thin and weak with rolled off deep bass (which is surprising given it's passive with no electronics to roll off anything) So I cranked the EQ on the amp into huge bass boost and guess what? The SX tone STILL didn't match the Modulus tone. Nope. just not doing it. Hey, the Modulus has Barts. Maybe some Bart six string Js would be an answer here? In all the classic SX tone wasn't there. The whole tone of this bass very much reminded me of some of those entry level cheap basses over at Music-go-round with the names you never heard of before. The only difference is those basses are all made out of stamped thin parts and cheap nasty wood. The SX 6 has great quality parts and excellent wood. But they got the no-name tone nuts on!

So I can see where the next steps are going. First I'll have to get some other strings, maybe my usual D'addario XLs or maybe some half-rounds or maybe even try some flats (the 5 string has GHS flats on it). After all I'm trying for an old school tone here. I've got plenty of uber-bright modern 6 string basses! And if that doesn't bring it round (I doubt it will change the gain) I'll have to start thinking about what pickup replacements to use. Maybe Norstrand. Dunno. I don't know if the rout size is standard or not. It's obviously bigger than the usual J pickup size. And the pickups fit the routs on mine VERY tight making pickup adjustment a chore. I can see that is going be a whole 'nother issue to deal with.

Until this tone/pickup thing gets sorted out, the second fretless version will have to wait. It seems that instead of going with the tone that made SX famous they decided to try to come up with a "modern" kind of 6 string sound out of a fender clone 6 string bass. I really don't think that was such a good idea.

So that's the first look, guys!


PS. By the way. That tweed Douglas case they sell for this bass is the cat's meow! That thing looks like a million. Is strong and protective and costs a tad over $50. Hey a decent Gig bag is $30. How can you go wrong?

[Starflyer59]

This very tempting.....Thank you so much for the initial review.

[Figbassist75]

Originally Posted by dabbler

Glad to be of help.

If you are considering a Brice Z6, just remember that it has wide spacing. That has taken some getting used to for me.

Thank you for the warning on the Brice Z6 and I am seriously considering the one in blue. Wider string spacing is something I will have to get used to on a six string bass however I play four stringers enough that I'm used to wide spacing.

Having large hands helps with that too. When I do order a Z6, I'll let you know my first impressions on it. Thanks again.

[Justice]

Originally Posted by bassbenj

DOORBELL! FEDEX GUY! NEW BASS DAY!

It's HERE! Man, that was amazingly fast!

This is not a full review but just a couple of first impressions of the SX 6 string.

1. First of all, Yes, it does have dual truss rods!

2. The String spacing at bridge is 16mm. (almost exactly what I calculated from the image) Center of high string to center of low string at bridge is 3.15"

3. By the way Bridge is VERY, VERY nice! Heavy metal L-shape in snazzy chrome. You won't need to replace this bridge!

4. Tuners are small closed back and excellent. VERY Smooth. Not at all sticky like the usual SX large key open gear ones. Roller or bar type string trees would be better but "mushroom" type are better than none. Just a tad sticky in tuning.

5. Neck is nuclear orange but not severely so, clear coat is heavy but not super-nasty as some are (were?) Ursa headstock is kinda barfy but doesn't look too bad on a 6 string. Frets smooth on edges and seem to be fairly even .

6. My personal preference would be for more curvature in the frets (face of neck seems rather flat to me), but it's not any huge minus.

7. Body finish, wood grain, chrome knobs, panels, all look exceptionally great. I'd prefer some snazzy pearlescent pickguard rather than the plain white but that doesn't really effect anything and it can always be changed later. The fit of the pickguard is excellent.

8. No shielding as usual, but hum is quite low even without shielding and like all SX single coil jazz pickups single coil hum is rather loud. Pots seem entirely adequate as is.

9. Set up was not bad out of the box. Intonation was dead on. Action was not super low but I like a higher action anyway.

10. Strings. These strings that come on the bass just suck plain and simple. They are thin and nasty sounding and are even more clanky than SIT strings. And I don't mean that in a nice way either! These strings MUST go to finish testing this bass.

The Big disappointment:

The big disappointment here is the pickups!

The SX 6 string pickups just fall flat on their face! First off they are VERY weak! I had my Laney combo maxed out in gain and it still wasn't exactly over-the-top loud. And they are very THIN sounding as well. NOTHING like the usual factory SX 5 string pickups.

I did a comparison to my other SX alder body bass (5 string). It was like night and day! The old 5 string was HOT. The sound was fat and full and filled the room! When I flipped the pickups in series the volume was almost over-powering and the deep bass almost overwhelming as well. The 6 string was thin and frail and weak and couldn't be made to sound good. Only with tone totally rolled off did the tone even start to approach a Fenderish sound.

As a second test I compared to my Modulus 6 string. Of course the Modulus has a "modern" kind of sound so it shouldn't be fair but the tone was like night and day. The Modulus was deep and full with little string noise (D' Addario XLs, all EQ flat). The tone was to die for (as well it should for the price). The SX was thin and weak with rolled off deep bass (which is surprising given it's passive with no electronics to roll off anything) So I cranked the EQ on the amp into huge bass boost and guess what? The SX tone STILL didn't match the Modulus tone. Nope. just not doing it. Hey, the Modulus has Barts. Maybe some Bart six string Js would be an answer here? In all the classic SX tone wasn't there. The whole tone of this bass very much reminded me of some of those entry level cheap basses over at Music-go-round with the names you never heard of before. The only difference is those basses are all made out of stamped thin parts and cheap nasty wood. The SX 6 has great quality parts and excellent wood. But they got the no-name tone nuts on!

So I can see where the next steps are going. First I'll have to get some other strings, maybe my usual D'addario XLs or maybe some half-rounds or maybe even try some flats (the 5 string has GHS flats on it). After all I'm trying for an old school tone here. I've got plenty of uber-bright modern 6 string basses! And if that doesn't bring it round (I doubt it will change the gain) I'll have to start thinking about what pickup replacements to use. Maybe Norstrand. Dunno. I don't know if the rout size is standard or not. It's obviously bigger than the usual J pickup size. And the pickups fit the routs on mine VERY tight making pickup adjustment a chore. I can see that is going be a whole 'nother issue to deal with.

Until this tone/pickup thing gets sorted out, the second fretless version will have to wait. It seems that instead of going with the tone that made SX famous they decided to try to come up with a "modern" kind of 6 string sound out of a fender clone 6 string bass. I really don't think that was such a good idea.

So that's the first look, guys!


PS. By the way. That tweed Douglas case they sell for this bass is the cat's meow! That thing looks like a million. Is strong and protective and costs a tad over $50. Hey a decent Gig bag is $30. How can you go wrong?

Before replacing the pickups, see if the sound is improved by bypassing the pots and wiring the pickups straight to the output jack.

[Tommygunn]

I'm stuck between the lefty pbass (flip it righty) for $89, and this bass. Tough decision.

[dabbler]

Originally Posted by bassbenj

DOORBELL! FEDEX GUY! NEW BASS DAY!

It's HERE! Man, that was amazingly fast!

...

The Big disappointment:

The big disappointment here is the pickups!

The SX 6 string pickups just fall flat on their face! First off they are VERY weak! I had my Laney combo maxed out in gain and it still wasn't exactly over-the-top loud. And they are very THIN sounding as well. NOTHING like the usual factory SX 5 string pickups.

Congrats and thanks for the review. I'm glad that the string spacing is as you calculated!

Your information about the pups, however, is not good news. However, there is some more information that you can give us that will help us understand just how things are.

1. What is your string to pup distance?

2. What are the widths of the pups?

3. Let us know how/if anything changes when you change the strings.

I see a few more of them have been sold. Maybe some of the other TBers will add info when they get theirs.

(and I'm sure you know that you owe us pics, right? )

[bassbenj]

Originally Posted by dabbler

Congrats and thanks for the review. I'm glad that the string spacing is as you calculated!

Your information about the pups, however, is not good news. However, there is some more information that you can give us that will help us understand just how things are.

1. What is your string to pup distance?

2. What are the widths of the pups?

3. Let us know how/if anything changes when you change the strings.

I see a few more of them have been sold. Maybe some of the other TBers will add info when they get theirs.

(and I'm sure you know that you owe us pics, right? )

1. String to pup distance is 5 mm. To make it any closer I'd have to fool with the setup. As it is that is about as close as you can get and still have some clearance when you press down the high frets. I tried it closer and it was louder but not much.

2. Info on pups as follows Length = 4.07" or 103mm, width is .76" or 19.2 mm. center to center on ears is 45mm or 1.77" And max width of strings over pickups is about 79.6mm or 3.13". Bridge and Neck pups are the same size.

I was looking into other pup makers and nobody seems to have something in quite this size. Even the ear spacing on some of the longer ones doesn't match up.

I sure hope that it doesn't turn out that I just got a bad set of pickups! And then miss out waiting while very one else is raving about the tone of the bass they got!

As for the pic, I WISH it was sounding and looking great with a new fancy pick guard and all the rest, but as for now it still is factory like the Rondo pic. I was looking and pondering Q tuners. Their 5 string J type is rated for 75 mm max string width which is close enough it may work with 79. They don't make a 6 string J. Downside is it's a bright much more modern pickup and I'm trying to go in the other direction! But with those red coils and a fancy pick guard this bass would really have the looks! Tone is another question!

I'll have to go see what strings the local store has in 6 string sets... and now you learn the downside of a 6 string bass! The six string stock over there is pretty sparse!

[Roy Vogt]

Just a thought-will the Carvin stack humbuckers fit? Even more intriguing, do the Alnico Vs they are using in the Sekou Bunch 5s have dimensions that will work? Of course, the Alnicos wouldn't work if they have individual pole pieces instead of blade magnets.+1 on checking the wiring, a rewiring with decent pots totally saved my Squier Jazz.

[JZQuantum]

Nice review, thanks bassbenj. We'll see if mine is the same when I get it.

[Billy Low]

Thanks for the info bassbenj! Question for ya: how is the neck thickness overall. I really prefer a ultraslim profile on all of my instruments. The necks on my 5's are thinner than most 6's. I hope you have good news for me...I am SOOOO ready to pull the trigger!

[JZQuantum]

3 more people bought the bass...you think all were influenced by this thread?

[mobis.fr]

@bassbenj;
can you check the wireing? maybe they put the pu out-of-phase.

[dabbler]

Originally Posted by bassbenj

1. String to pup distance is 5 mm. To make it any closer I'd have to fool with the setup. As it is that is about as close as you can get and still have some clearance when you press down the high frets. I tried it closer and it was louder but not much.

2. Info on pups as follows Length = 4.07" or 103mm, width is .76" or 19.2 mm. center to center on ears is 45mm or 1.77" And max width of strings over pickups is about 79.6mm or 3.13". Bridge and Neck pups are the same size.

I was looking into other pup makers and nobody seems to have something in quite this size. Even the ear spacing on some of the longer ones doesn't match up.

I sure hope that it doesn't turn out that I just got a bad set of pickups! And then miss out waiting while very one else is raving about the tone of the bass they got!

As for the pic, I WISH it was sounding and looking great with a new fancy pick guard and all the rest, but as for now it still is factory like the Rondo pic. I was looking and pondering Q tuners. Their 5 string J type is rated for 75 mm max string width which is close enough it may work with 79. They don't make a 6 string J. Downside is it's a bright much more modern pickup and I'm trying to go in the other direction! But with those red coils and a fancy pick guard this bass would really have the looks! Tone is another question!

I'll have to go see what strings the local store has in 6 string sets... and now you learn the downside of a 6 string bass! The six string stock over there is pretty sparse!

thanks for the answers! We'll figure something out. I am committed now... As I wait for mine to arrive. Just look at the scarcity of solutions this way. When we finally get a solution we will have a rare breed of bass indeed!

[bassbenj]

Originally Posted by Billy Low

Thanks for the info bassbenj! Question for ya: how is the neck thickness overall. I really prefer a ultraslim profile on all of my instruments. The necks on my 5's are thinner than most 6's. I hope you have good news for me...I am SOOOO ready to pull the trigger!

Sorry didn't notice your question!

I'd rate the neck as average 6 string. Maybe tad toward the thick rather than thin side. Nothing much unusual about it.

SX neck thickness at 1st fret = 24.1mm (wood only, not including frets)
Thickness at 12th fret = 25.5 mm.

For comparison.

Modulus 6 (graphite) = 22.1mm at 12th
Ken Smith 6 = 23.7 mm at 12th
Fender V (5 string) = 25 mm at 12th

Seems like a reasonably decent 6 string neck to me. But then, I'm not very fussy about neck thickness, or string spacing.

Boy, my Harbor Freight Digital Caliper sure is getting a workout! A truly cool gizmo!

[Tony-bobs]

I have a Brice 6er that seems to be out of its case less and less lately, but for some reason I think I need this...must...resist...

[bassbenj]

Originally Posted by Roy Vogt

Just a thought-will the Carvin stack humbuckers fit? Even more intriguing, do the Alnico Vs they are using in the Sekou Bunch 5s have dimensions that will work? Of course, the Alnicos wouldn't work if they have individual pole pieces instead of blade magnets.+1 on checking the wiring, a rewiring with decent pots totally saved my Squier Jazz.

Carvin! Yeah. Decent idea. I used to have a set of Carvin stacked coils and I hated them! But that was way back when and these days people rave about the pickups they sell.

And of course they cover string width up to 3.2 which is enough to do the 3.1" here!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4w28N...eature=related

Carvin Single coils on SX! (Plus Audere preamp)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDGJxfWAvJU

Amazing! And Carvin price doesn't break the bank either!

Only problem. It seems the standard ear spacing is 40 mm. on J pickups. Naturally the SX pickups are 45mm! Of course a new pick guard covers the neck pickup so no problem, but the bridge routing will have to be expanded a tad to deal with the different ear placement! Feh!

Great suggestion!

[dabbler]

Originally Posted by bassbenj

I'll have to go see what strings the local store has in 6 string sets... and now you learn the downside of a 6 string bass! The six string stock over there is pretty sparse!

Forgot to respond to this, I use Webstrings on all of my roundwound 34" basses Actually, I use them on everythingI can except flatwound basses (Labella).

One more thing, I had assumed that you did compare the pups soloed also, 'cause if you were always playing them together then I would agree that one being wired backwards could be the problem. Since you didn't really say, let me ask now Did you play them separately?

[frankz]

How about making it a super wide 5 string....
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=330449170913

that is the kahler usa hybrid bridge that you can adjust way way wide... 5 strings always feel cramped to me anyhow

bridge is like 60 bucks... and stretches to 3.5" i think they also make a 6 string one that you could remove one of the bridge peices.... i have no idea if that would cause intonation or neck tension problems would be kinda cool though