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SX Ursa 6-string Jazz bass
- Thread starter Figbassist75
- Start date
Even though I ordered mine with a hardcase, it came with the gig bag stuffed in the box anyway.
I've been working on mine and it's turning into a truly fine bass! Shielding, fret leveling, Dixiecup headstock and electronic mods.
Get this: I'm working up a mod with the Stew-Mac 5 position rotary switch. Replace two volumes with volume/switch. The switch goes: mute, neck only, both series, both parallel, bridge only. But the cool part is I'm experimenting with a dummy coil. The switch connects the dummy coil for neck only and bridge only positions. Don't have the coil wound yet so just wired in an old jazz pickup as the dummy for grins and it REALLY worked well! Singled positions were as quiet as series or parallel with no coil. I think I'm gonna love this! I'll post all wiring details in pickups forum once I get it all worked out!
SX-6 the ULTIMATE booteek bass!
To answer an earlier question, the Dingwall B Booster was developed for Dingwall Combustion basses that had issues with the B string being quieter/ weaker than the E-G. The mod involved, I think, a magnet placed on the underside of the pickup, B string end, to help boost the pickups ability to sense the B.
For right now the dummy J is just sort off taped off to the side to test things. (it actually seemed to work pretty well just like that!) Anyway the big plan (we are now getting ahead of where I am) is I have a new Tort pickguard on order from Pickguardian and the idea is to wind a special large diameter dummy coil (keeps impedance low for minimum change in tone) that will be fitted in a groove routed in the bass under the pickguard just above the neck pickup. I can't promise anything yet because that part hasn't been tried!
But I CAN say that the switch is working great and the 5-way thing from StewMac does fit the SX rout under the control plate and I think I'm really digging the additional "mute" position on it! Most of my other SX basses were modded with 4 way switches (neck, ser, par, bridge) with no mute pos.
Pardon me for going a little off topic but I have a quick question, did you have to send your pickguard in to pickguardian for the SX six string or did they already have a template? Also how long is the wait time? I'm contemplating getting one made from them as well, thanks in advance!!!
Can you post a wiring diagram for that switch? I want to put the exact same on a bass of mine, but don't know how to wire it.
Actually Pickguardian is in town so I just took the old one over there and told him to copy it. He has a way of making an exact copy of a pickguard if you send him the old one. And this is important on an SX because the pickguards are all slightly different. Apparently they put the pickguards on the bass and rout around the neck pocket to make it fit so each one is slightly different. Holes seem hand-drilled and they are slightly different from guard to guard as well. Best method is just to say "copy this".
Tony can also make slight adjustments too if you need them. I had one SX guard that I wanted copied but I'd re-installed the pickup and it had moved slightly (original pickguard was never quite right either) So I just said "copy this, but move pickup hole 1/8 inch this way." and he did.
Wait time is usually quite short (often he does it while I stand there!) but he was on vacation for a while and got orders backed up which is why I'm waiting for mine right now. I presume he'll catch up soon.
Can you post a wiring diagram for that switch? I want to put the exact same on a bass of mine, but don't know how to wire it.
Remember these are preliminary diagrams although the switch wiring was confirmed by me in wiring my bass. To use without dummy coil simply short leads to dummy coil. Note that the diagram for the switch is drawn like a 4 position switch with three sections all on one wafer. On the Stew-mac switch two sections are as shown but the third is down on the second wafer. It can take a bit of head-scratching to figure out where wires go.
As I said the Stew-mac switch fits but it's a TIGHT fit so I'd advise carefully bending the lugs that stick out, down close to switch wafer before you solder wires to give more clearance. Some insulating tape on cavity sidewalls is probably in order too. (Especially with copper foil shielding).
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Good luck. (Once I get it all tried and tested I'll post final details to Pickups forum. My next step is to determine the size/number of turns on dummy coil)
OK, the sixer is in the house. I've had it for a week, and I'm finding it's not as hard to adapt to as I thought it would be, given I've been playing 4's for 45 years.
Interesting side note - if you read the Citristrip thread from a couple of years ago, you know that I stripped all 5 of my 4 string SXs with good luck. This neck isn't quite as orange, but I still wanted the natural maple look. Went after it with Citristrip this afternoon - after 4 hours, the finish didn't budge. Not one single place where it bubbled. I decided I didn't mind the color after all!!!
Blooz
Interesting side note - if you read the Citristrip thread from a couple of years ago, you know that I stripped all 5 of my 4 string SXs with good luck. This neck isn't quite as orange, but I still wanted the natural maple look. Went after it with Citristrip this afternoon - after 4 hours, the finish didn't budge. Not one single place where it bubbled. I decided I didn't mind the color after all!!!
Blooz
Since i have decided to get rid of my 5 strings and look for a 6 ,This bass wont get out of my head. I hope the traben 5 string tribal sun that i am selling at a local music store sellls fast. I love the look of this bass
just got mine today. other than a little fret buzz and a really sharp nut, its solid. definitely needs a new PG. white on black body is just too plain. thoroughly amazed by how light it is. havent decided if i want to strip the neck. i normally like plain maple, but its growing on me. headstock doesnt bother me much. considering throwing some dual coil pickups in there for versatility. why not?
I have an SX Ursa fiver, and like many others I first thought that the headstock was hideous, but now it's starting to grow on me. Instead of a bass pretending to be something else, there's something to be said about being proud of your uniqueness. Maybe the day will come when bassists the world over will see that headstock and say, "Ah, an SX."
Plus, if an intruder breaks in, I can use it for home defense.
Plus, if an intruder breaks in, I can use it for home defense.
I have an SX Ursa fiver, and like many others I first thought that the headstock was hideous, but now it's starting to grow on me. Instead of a bass pretending to be something else, there's something to be said about being proud of your uniqueness. Maybe the day will come when bassists the world over will see that headstock and say, "Ah, an SX."
Plus, if an intruder breaks in, I can use it for home defense.
Couldn't have said of better myself!
