I got one of the last few from Rondo since the announcement that they won't carry SX anymore. I got it with the intention of modding. The first two things it needs are some nut work (too high) and lighter tuners. Pretty good neck dive stock. Hipshot Ultralites are the obvious first choice, but randomly I found these from Allparts that are the same weight and about half the price. I just can't find any reviews for them. Anyone try them? They're half the weight of the stock tuners on this bass, and when I remove two of the stock tuners, it's perfectly balanced, so either way I go I'll be in good shape.
Next I'll upgrade the pickups with Fralin split coils, and convert the electronics for dual output, with the bridge pickup being switchable between outputs on the fly, and the 2nd output will have a high pass filter. This is a simpler (and I think more usable) version of Rickenbacker 4003 wiring. Here's the wiring diagram:

If I use concentric stacked V/T pots, I won't have to rout anything and can make it all fit on a new Jazz shaped control plate. I'll probably relocate the cable plug to the side.
Next I'll upgrade the pickups with Fralin split coils, and convert the electronics for dual output, with the bridge pickup being switchable between outputs on the fly, and the 2nd output will have a high pass filter. This is a simpler (and I think more usable) version of Rickenbacker 4003 wiring. Here's the wiring diagram:

If I use concentric stacked V/T pots, I won't have to rout anything and can make it all fit on a new Jazz shaped control plate. I'll probably relocate the cable plug to the side.
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