Questions about SX basses/I'm ordering mine tomorrow

[tylerrasnakev2]

So, I've finally decided on my new bass from RondoMusic.com!

Link Removed

I've heard nothing but good things about these basses, so I'm really looking forward to getting it. I wish the headstocks were the same as the old ones, but whatever. Anyway, it seems like a solid bass, but does anyone with some experience with SX basses know about the parts on these? I figured there has to be something of lesser-quality on these basses for the price.

Bridge, tuners, electronics? Anything need to be replaced?

 

[Gord_oh]

need to? no.
like to? yes.

basses are pretty well done already. they are easy to upgrade, most parts are a direct drop in.
maybe a proper setup, and in some cases some minor fret work. other than that they are ready to go out of the box.

i had an older SX PJ and i loved that thing. i modded it, trashed it, made it back to stock and sold it.
now i have an older style SX jazz that im currently upgrading.

 

[Musicphan]

I just bought one of the SX Ursa 2 RN QMD 5 RDS 5 String Bass about two months ago. Overall a solid bass, a few quality issues but nothing that isn't easily fixed. I found mine to have a little bit of a grounding issue, slight grounding pop when you moved off the strings. Just got my shielding kit from Stew Mac and used strings here of TB and will hopefully be installing over the weekend. Overall for $200 I have no complaints.

 

[dougjwray]

I've had my eye on that same, all black PJ, too.
You'll probably be very happy with it.
In my limited experience, the only part that really NEEDS to be replaced is the string tree, because it has grooves that could grind against the strings and potentially cause them to break. A standard replacement is under $10 from a place like Allparts.

Aside from that, it's a matter of opinion. On my P Bass, I had the nut slots filed down, and the pots and input jack upgraded. Oh yeah, and the pickups are on springs... that felt weird and flimsy to me, so I had them remounted with the traditional foam underneath.
When I first got mine, the tuning machines were really, *really* stiff, but in the process of restringing, they immediately loosened up and are perfectly good. The bridge does the job, and the pickups actually sound really good.

Remember, if you do happen to get one with a real problem, you can quickly email Kurt, and I'm sure you'll happy with the return/replacement policy.

 

[OldBluesGuy]

I have the lefty version of that bass and just got a 4+1 jazz bass. I always replace the pots, jacks and switches on my SX/Agile/Douglas gear just as a rule, but in most cases you don't have to. Another great bang for buck is to upgrade the plastic nut to bone or one of the high-grade synthetic materials. Stew-Mac has pre-slotted Fender type nuts that just need to be sized and dropped in. Mucho better tone and sustain IMHO.


obg

 

[xuniman]

You should check out this thread - Chunger is doing a lot with the SX bases here. He just hates the new headstock!

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=627147

 

[AgIdoc]

i want that with the maple neck!

 

[j_nition]

I just spent $100 to have 4 loose frets reset and the entire neck fret leveled and dressed. My fault entirely because I knew it had a few dead spots and bad fret buzz right out of the box but decided not to send it back for a different one right away.

The key to these basses is to send it back for a new one right away if it has neck issues or fret buzz that cant be fixed with a simple turn of the truss rod.

Everything else are easy and fun upgrades like adding a shielding kit, swapping for real pots and jack, and down the line swapping out pickups even though I found the stock pickups to be great for a raw grindy sound.

Enjoy it!

 

[stingray69]

Like Gord Oh & others mentioned - check for any high frets that might prevent you from getting the action you want. The Chunger thread someone mentioned is what a lot of SX owners have already done - basically, a very thorough setup (inc. fret level), check the nut work, replace the pots & some shielding. I'd focus on a good setup first - decide on the pickups & hardware later after getting familiar with them. These are great values - a very solid instrument at its core that only requires a nice setup to be on par with almost any similar mass produced bass on the market. Congrats & I hope you love it!

 

[bassbenj]

So, I've finally decided on my new bass from RondoMusic.com!

Link Removed

I've heard nothing but good things about these basses, so I'm really looking forward to getting it. I wish the headstocks were the same as the old ones, but whatever. Anyway, it seems like a solid bass, but does anyone with some experience with SX basses know about the parts on these? I figured there has to be something of lesser-quality on these basses for the price.

Bridge, tuners, electronics? Anything need to be replaced?

Usual thing for an SX would be a shielding kit installed, new strings, and really good setup. Some fork for pickups but quite frankly I love the SX pickup tone. Some get a new bridge, and that's Ok I guess, but I never felt there were problems with my SX bridges. Work just fine. If you had a Jazz bass I'd urge installing a series/parallel switch too, but on a P/J I'm not sure if any mod is needed. Some of the tuners were stiff on mine but nothing I couldn't live with. I put some lithium grease on them.

 

[Gord_oh]

Usual thing for an SX would be a shielding kit installed, new strings, and really good setup. Some fork for pickups but quite frankly I love the SX pickup tone. Some get a new bridge, and that's Ok I guess, but I never felt there were problems with my SX bridges. Work just fine. If you had a Jazz bass I'd urge installing a series/parallel switch too, but on a P/J I'm not sure if any mod is needed. Some of the tuners were stiff on mine but nothing I couldn't live with. I put some lithium grease on them.

i added a series/parallel switch to my jazz. worth it. such an easy mod too. it really brings out the tone i want.