well citrus strip would probably not effect a body like a johnson those things are basically painted with plastic.
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It's Here! SX (Essex)
- Thread starter RH434
- Start date
well citrus strip would probably not effect a body like a johnson those things are basically painted with plastic.
What is cool about Citristrip is... it removed all of the pumpkin finish and left the logo intact on the headstock
Here's a pic from when I took down the orange on my 5'er...sanded the old fashioned way FTW..lol
Before/During:
After w/traditional tuners installed:
Before/During:
After w/traditional tuners installed:
Yeah it takes off the cheetos layer but will not harm the waterslides portected by the poly layer. There is a whole thread on this somewhere here on TB.
Oh no! :scowl:
You lost all the resale value when you cleaned out the sawdust! That's what gives it the authentic sound...
Congratulations; looks great!
You lost all the resale value when you cleaned out the sawdust! That's what gives it the authentic sound...
Congratulations; looks great!
Every noob ought to take their bass and have it proffesionaly set up regardless of where it comes from. (required IMO)
I would think any decent tech would have caught and corrected those minor issues.
That would be my recomendation to any noob, regardless of the brand name on the headstock.
That may, in fact, be one of the main reasons why they sound as good as they do. I have a pair of SX basses with Allparts Alnicos in them, a pair with GFS Alnicos in the neck and one with a set of Fender Original Jazz pups in them. But I will always have a pair (fretted and fretless) with the stock pups. Alnico is good for warmth, but none of my other pups has the punch of the stock SXers.
Lots of useful info on CitriStrip here: http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=553831&highlight=citristrip
Several summarized tips:
1. Do not get any CitriStrip on the plastic nut (tape it off or remove it first) - prolonged exposure will soften & damage it.
2. Tape off a rosewood fingerboard - Citristrip has been proven to cause green-ish staining after prolonged contact with it.
3. While 99% of the people in that thread did not lose their logos, there is no guarantee that you will not. Best not to leave it on longer than 1 hour - even if it means having to do 2 or more coats.
To the OP - Nice looking bass BTW! Congrats!
SX nuts definitely need to be replaced. It made a huge difference in both sound and feel on mine.
Since this is my first SX, I wasn't sure what to expect. I've been noodling with it today after letting it settle in a bit and I'm going to replace it asap. Just don't have one on hand yet.
Excellent thread, excellent pics.
I have enjoyed SXs very much, and I was never a fan of the nuclear orange. I love they way they look after the strip.
I have enjoyed SXs very much, and I was never a fan of the nuclear orange. I love they way they look after the strip.
i have the same bass only mine is the vintage white. only problem i have is the bridge cover was really digging into the body, so now i have to keep it on unless i want to see the dent in the shape of the cover.
my pots were all covered in plastic and was a pain to take it all off.
the action was perfect, the frets are to. i even liked the strings
my pots were all covered in plastic and was a pain to take it all off.
the action was perfect, the frets are to. i even liked the strings
So, with the SX headstock being changed to the Ursa style, I had to grab one of the old ones while they are still around. Not knowing what to expect form a cheap bass, I figured I'd share my experience.
Out of the box:
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Not too bad. There's reports on TB with everything from being in great shape to being assembled by Chineese drunken monkeys. There's a few chips that were painted over in the routing of the pickups, but the alignment seems good and the neck seems pretty nice.
Body Closeup:
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Headstock:
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A few were complaining about the string tree on the head. Maybe the fact that it is routed out for the strings? I don't know, but I had ordered a replacement from StewMac just in case it was junk. Really no complaints, but I changed it out anyway while changing the strings.
Holy High Saddles Batman!
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When I plugged it in, something didn't sound right on the neck pickup (aside from not being set up and needing strings) Upon inspection, I could see something under the pickup and it wasn't foam. Pulled it out:
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Aha! The bottom of the pickup was broken out, and the magnets were out of it. Cleaned it up, glued back together and... well it works now.While the glue was drying, I cleaned up the rough edges on the pick guard with a razor knife.
While I had it partially apart, pulled the cover off the control cavity:
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A little dirt and sawdust. Nothing too bad. Checked the solder joints and they looked good. I was considering replacing the pots, but I'll wait and see if they actually need it. Same with the pickups.
While the pickups are out:
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Dropped in some shielding and soldered in the grounds.
Installed new strings Ernie Ball Roundwounds .055-.110. Much Better.
Finished with some polish, good couple hour setup and wipe down.
Finished:
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Overall? What do you expect for a $139 bass? Not bad. I like the look. Some don't like the vintage orange-ish color. It's not as bright in person, but I like it. Helps stand out from my other basses. The sound is much better now with the repairs and no humming discernible even with headphones on, thanks to the shielding.
I'm going to have a lot of fun with this one!
Man thanks to you I just fixed my SX which had the same problem with the pickups, the two magnets were stacked on one side. Easy fixed. by the way I emailed kurt about this problem and he quickly offered me to send me a replacement pickup, great service of his part.
Nice SX. Good job on the changes you made! I might try buying one one of these days to have a cheap 4 banger that I can work on and enjoy too.
R...
R...
I was thinking every noob should buy one of these and practice seting it up themselves. Its a cheap way to not be a noob anymore. If someone else sets it up how will they ever learn. I say play it as is . Go to the store play some real good ones. Compare the feel and start reading and adjust the cheap one to play like the expensive ones.
A quick online {youtube} training video on general setup is essential along with a small tool kit, otherwise it's like giving a crossbow to a blind guy and telling him to hit the moon. SX can't be beat for affordability and value for the price!
Glad to be of help! Kurt seems like a real stand-up guy, and I thank him for it. I didn't bother him for this since it was an easy fix but its nice to know he's there if you need him.
I failed to mention before that I added foam under the pickups to keep it from happening again.
If someone knowledgeable hasn't set it up propperly for them, how are they going to know what a propper set up feels like? If you are brand new, you proably aren't going to be able to distinguish a GOOD ONE from a Mediocre one from a GREAT one.
I'm of the opinion that when you are BRAND NEW to the instrument, that having a pro set up will give you a base line understanding of what it's supposed to be like.
When you are new to the instrument, you want to be playing on an instrument that isn't going to frustrate you and turn you off from playing.
Once you have the basics of playing down on a reasonably well set up instrument.... THEN I would recomend learning to do your own set ups.
(requried IMO)
When I plugged it in, something didn't sound right on the neck pickup (aside from not being set up and needing strings) Upon inspection, I could see something under the pickup and it wasn't foam. Pulled it out:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Aha! The bottom of the pickup was broken out, and the magnets were out of it. Cleaned it up, glued back together and... well it works now.
I found the same thing on the neck pickup on a short scale I bought for my son. I heard it rattle when I took it out of the box. It was microphonic too. Once I glued it back togehter it was fine. This must be more common than I thought.
