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Just order a SX 6 String Fretless Bass

Nighthound

Nighthound

Guest
Dec 18, 2015
203
29
NYC
www.rosieledet.net
#1
Link Removed

also ordered these strings for it:Invalid Link Removed

What do y'all think about it? I don't think I could go wrong with it at the price range, but just curious if anyone else has one and what they think about it? How are the pickups? Ordered the Labella tape wounds to get that real warm bass sound. Thoughts?
 
#2
I don't have the fretless, but I have 4.5 fretted ones, I like 'em! I'm not good enough on fretless to go for the sixer, I do have a fretless 6er though, a Brice, so I have no need for another.

The pups have changed over time and my first one has the pups withOUT an external magnet, which is what they changed to. Both sets are fine by me, but I think the original ones are a little stronger.

I think they are a great value. Change the strings(you were already planning to), shield it and get a guide that doesn't chew up strings on it and you're got a player! I also lookout strap locks and a series parallel mod on mine.

ENJOY!
 
#3
dabbler said:
I don't have the fretless, but I have 4.5 fretted ones, I like 'em! I'm not good enough on fretless to go for the sixer, I do have a fretless 6er though, a Brice, so I have no need for another.

The pups have changed over time and my first one has the pups withOUT an external magnet, which is what they changed to. Both sets are fine by me, but I think the original ones are a little stronger.

I think they are a great value. Change the strings(you were already planning to), shield it and get a guide that doesn't chew up strings on it and you're got a player! I also lookout strap locks and a series parallel mod on mine.

ENJOY!
Click to expand...
Cool! That's a good idea about the series parallel switch!
 
#5
Dual truss rods in that neck...get it nice and straight and set those tapes low! Be sure to check the string height at the nut -- a lot of fretless SX basses ship with a nut cut for a fretted bass. Might have to file the slots a bit to get the right string height.
 
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#7
I used to have a Rondo 5 string fretless, also with an Ash body and bound maple fingerboard like yours. It was built well, however the board was unlined and they put the side dots in the same place as if it had been fretted (in between frets, not on them) and that threw me off. I think it was a Bryce branded bass, pretty much identical to yours sans blocks and lines. I remember it being bright sounding too, so flats are a good call.
 
#8
dabbler said:
I don't have the fretless, but I have 4.5 fretted ones, I like 'em! I'm not good enough on fretless to go for the sixer, I do have a fretless 6er though, a Brice, so I have no need for another.

The pups have changed over time and my first one has the pups withOUT an external magnet, which is what they changed to. Both sets are fine by me, but I think the original ones are a little stronger.

I think they are a great value. Change the strings(you were already planning to), shield it and get a guide that doesn't chew up strings on it and you're got a player! I also lookout strap locks and a series parallel mod on mine.

ENJOY!
Click to expand...

Dabbler and I have gone hog wild. I've got 3.5 SX 6 ers. I originally wanted a fretted-fretless pair and they didn't sell a fretless one at the time so I ordered two and ripped the maple fretted fingerboard off of one of them and installed an ebony fingerboard (in avatar). CRIPES! Is that ever one KILLER bass. Very much like a Steve Bailey at a fraction of the cost. The first two had the what I call "better" pickups without the external magnet. Anyway, in playing around I discovered that the difference strings make is huge and that flats and rounds make it like two different instruments. So I bought another one for rounds. Now I have fretless, rounds and flats versions of SX-6. I love tape wounds too, but not on these 6 ers. I have them on my Carvin semihollow body and they are great! Be sure to do the upgrades. I add straplocks too. And the bass sounds great with most strings (except, of course the factory strings which are terrible!) I also boosted the newer external magnet pickup with a neo mod (thread about it somewhere here in TB) to get the output up a tad. Somehow the neo mod doesn't do anything for the internal magnet pickups.

Hint. LaBella tape wound strings are available from Carvin (Carvin strings are LaBella) DIRT CHEAP. You have to buy the C strings from the place online that sells separate strings but savings is HUGE. Carvin only sells 5 string sets for their AC50 (like I have). I also have those Carvin tapes on my "Harmonia" Chinese fretless ABG which oddly is also a 6 string. They are just killer on that. Love the feel and the sound. Not bad for a $100 Chinese cheapo. Back in the day I used to string my Carvin with High C and the C strings La Bella sold me were WAY too small a diameter and the tone of the strings did NOT match at all! I ended up using Fender nylon wrapped G strings for a C string! But now that problem seems fixed. I think .040s are about right.

I really don't like the Standard Vol/vol/tone thing at all so typically I mod all my SX with a rotary switch that goes Neck only, both neck and bridge series, both neck and bridge parallel, bridge only, mute. I put the rotary switch in the second volume hole. I have a couple set up with vol/blend/tone and series/parallel is push-pull on the volume. The problem with that is that it works pretty well for parallel, but the blend doesn't work well in series. I've never figured out how to get the blend to work equally well in both series and parallel modes. So usually I just wire the switch thing.

And oh yeah, that 0.5 SX 6er? That was a deal I made with a TBer who ordered an Ash body SX 6er but only wanted the neck so we split the cost and I got the body. Plan was to replace the alder body on my SX with rounds for a brighter sound but the new body isn't burst so I haven't changed it out yet, but I'm sure I will.

ENJOY!
 
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#9
I got the fretless bass today and I set it up as good as I can for now. The truss rods turned smooth. I brought down the relief and I also lowered the saddles. I got it nice and low. I have to file the nut down and reshape the slots of the nut as they are v shaped. The pots are really tight to the turn, except for the tone pot. The pickups sound really good to my ears, I had to change the heights and bring the bass side up and treble side down and now the bass sounds very balanced the way I like it. They are super noisy when not in parallel mode. Someone mentioned to shield the pickgaurd? Pickups are not compressed are keepers for me. I was surprised it came with flat wounds. I have the Labella tape wounds coming. The wood work on this guitar is great! The finish feels real slippery. The body is one piece beautiful ash. The neck profile is very very nice! I feel some slight waves in the back on the neck but its very slight and don't bother me. Very happy with this guitar.
 
#10
Body can't be one piece ash (as far as I know only the Andromeda 4 strings are one piece bodies...and one piece neck). However, since it looks like one piece that means you clearly lucked out in the wood grain department. The Ash SX-6 body I have is like that too. I mean you REALLY have to look close to see where the pieces are joined. It doesn't get any better than that!

Congrats!
 
#11
bassbenj said:
Body can't be one piece ash (as far as I know only the Andromeda 4 strings are one piece bodies...and one piece neck). However, since it looks like one piece that means you clearly lucked out in the wood grain department. The Ash SX-6 body I have is like that too. I mean you REALLY have to look close to see where the pieces are joined. It doesn't get any better than that!

Congrats!
Click to expand...
Thanks!! :) Wow you are correct the body is a two piece!! It really fooled me LOL!! The finger board has some nice figuration to it like almost like splated. I'm looking really hard at the neck and it appears to be a one piece neck. With the two walnut inlays, (i think its walnut or rosewood), for the truss rod.
 
#13
Nighthound said:
Thanks!! :) Wow you are correct the body is a two piece!! It really fooled me LOL!! The finger board has some nice figuration to it like almost like splated. I'm looking really hard at the neck and it appears to be a one piece neck. With the two walnut inlays, (i think its walnut or rosewood), for the truss rod.
Click to expand...

Don't think its a one piece neck either. As I understand it the one piece necks don't have a glued on maple fingerboard but the neck is just one piece of wood. However, the complaint as I recall from people who have bought it is that you have to take the neck off to adjust the truss rod so I don't think that is yours. But the SX-6 necks can be really nice if luck is with you. Some have some amazing figuring. All my 6er necks play just fine though figured or not.

And factory flats on an SX is a new one. Usually their factory strings are nasty though. Personally I like the sound of these SX 6ers with ANY high end string! As I said I have three of them. One has GHS flats (my favorite flatwounds), one has DiAddarrio nickel XLs (my favorite roundwounds) and the fretless has GHS groundwounds (they call them brite flats) in order to keep the neck from being chewed. Although I don't have nylon wrapped on my SX don't be surprised if you really love them. I can say I especially REALLY love the feel of nylon wrapped strings on a fretless.
 
#15
bassbenj said:
Don't think its a one piece neck either. As I understand it the one piece necks don't have a glued on maple fingerboard but the neck is just one piece of wood. However, the complaint as I recall from people who have bought it is that you have to take the neck off to adjust the truss rod so I don't think that is yours. But the SX-6 necks can be really nice if luck is with you. Some have some amazing figuring. All my 6er necks play just fine though figured or not.

And factory flats on an SX is a new one. Usually their factory strings are nasty though. Personally I like the sound of these SX 6ers with ANY high end string! As I said I have three of them. One has GHS flats (my favorite flatwounds), one has DiAddarrio nickel XLs (my favorite roundwounds) and the fretless has GHS groundwounds (they call them brite flats) in order to keep the neck from being chewed. Although I don't have nylon wrapped on my SX don't be surprised if you really love them. I can say I especially REALLY love the feel of nylon wrapped strings on a fretless.
Click to expand...

Yes the fretboard is a separate piece. The dual truss rods are exposed at top with no dumb truss rod cover! :)

IMG_7404.JPG
 
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#16
Yup. That's the standard neck. Isn't that one positively booteek bass? Just gorgeous!

By the way, I think a new pickguard in something fancy (like colored mop etc.) really brings out the looks (Of course that's up to your opinion as lots of folks like the plain black pickguards.)

I would also mention that most of us with 6ers found that mushroom string trees supplied (at least ours did) tend to stick and tear up the strings (I went with roller trees from stewmac. Surprisingly cheap.) Also for some strings you may need to drill out the B string hole in the bridge if they are fatter. For me I was taking strings on and off a lot and noticed that stuffing the strings through the holes tended to result in scratches in the finish by the bridge. So I bought a top-loader that is just the shiznit! (seen in avatar)

This one:
NEW Quick Release 6-String Modern Bass Bridge, CHROME

With a bass that cool for those few $$$ plus a room with conga drums how can you NOT be in hog heaven? drool
 
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#18
bassbenj said:
Yup. That's the standard neck. Isn't that one positively booteek bass? Just gorgeous!

By the way, I think a new pickguard in something fancy (like colored mop etc.) really brings out the looks (Of course that's up to your opinion as lots of folks like the plain black pickguards.)

I would also mention that most of us with 6ers found that mushroom string trees supplied (at least ours did) tend to stick and tear up the strings (I went with roller trees from stewmac. Surprisingly cheap.) Also for some strings you may need to drill out the B string hole in the bridge if they are fatter. For me I was taking strings on and off a lot and noticed that stuffing the strings through the holes tended to result in scratches in the finish by the bridge. So I bought a top-loader that is just the shiznit! (seen in avatar)

This one:
NEW Quick Release 6-String Modern Bass Bridge, CHROME

With a bass that cool for those few $$$ plus a room with conga drums how can you NOT be in hog heaven? drool
Click to expand...
That bridge pops right in? I have that bridge on a affinity 5 string jazz.
 
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#19
Nighthound said:
That bridge pops right in? I have that bridge on a affinity 5 string jazz.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say "pops right in". The screw holes are different and you have to sort of move it around to find the right position for it but other than that, it works fine. To find the right position I used some elastic in place of B and C strings to center everything on fingerboard and had marked the line of the saddle positions with tape on the body with the bass properly intonated so I could mount the new bridge with the saddle adjustments having the right range of movement. I do love the top loading feature!
 

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