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SX Ursa 6-string Jazz bass

#543
I bought one of these basses last December, and it was a great deal for the money. The pickups are noisy because they're single coils, but they still have very good tone quality. This bass sounds very similar to a 70s Fender Jazz. I'm currently using D'Addario ProSteels strings, gauges 30-130. A friend of mine put some copper shielding tape in the control plate cavity, under the control plate , and under the bridge to reduce the noise when I take my hands off the strings. It did reduce some noise, but it didn't eliminate all of it. I asked my luthier about shielding the pickup cavities, but he didn't think it would make much difference because the pickups are still noisy. I just had him install a preamp in it, and the bass sounds punchier than it did when it was passive. The preamp is a Ming 2 band EQ, made in China. I bought it on eBay for $18.99 plus $6.00 shipping, so it was $25 total. I heard about this preamp on YouTube from watching videos by maxproud and 11coopbass. They have a lot of SX basses, and many of them have these preamps in them. This is a great option for people who can't afford to buy more expensive preamps, but still want good sound quality. I have videos with me playing my basses on www.youtube.com/dflow1985
 
#544
dflow1985 said:
I bought one of these basses last December, and it was a great deal for the money. The pickups are noisy because they're single coils, but they still have very good tone quality. This bass sounds very similar to a 70s Fender Jazz. I'm currently using D'Addario ProSteels strings, gauges 30-130. A friend of mine put some copper shielding tape in the control plate cavity, under the control plate , and under the bridge to reduce the noise when I take my hands off the strings. It did reduce some noise, but it didn't eliminate all of it. I asked my luthier about shielding the pickup cavities, but he didn't think it would make much difference because the pickups are still noisy. I just had him install a preamp in it, and the bass sounds punchier than it did when is was passive. The preamp is a Ming 2 band EQ, made in China. I bought it on eBay for $18.99 plus $6.00 shipping, so it was $25 total. I heard about this preamp on YouTube from watching videos by maxproud and 11coopbass. They have a lot of SX basses, and many of them have these preamps in them. This is a great option for people who can't afford to buy more expensive preamps, but still want good sound quality. I have videos with me playing my basses on www.youtube.com/dflow1985
Click to expand...

These things ARE amazing for the money and given the price of other 6 string basses out there just MAY be worth $650. I say that because you can pick up a 6 string Ibanez for $300 that is killer (got a used one for $200), but it's "modern". If you want the Old School Fender thing in a 6 string options are pretty limited. A Steve Bailey or Low End is really some coin.

I've 3 of these SX 6ers. Mods include copper shielded (pickup cavites and main cavity) threaded inserts in neck joint, a fret leveling on the one that needed it, and new tort pickguard for looks. Of course I have flats to go with tort guard but also have rounds because they sound so different too! Hence final plan is three SX-6 basses with flats, rounds and fretless (with ground wounds). I can't even wrap my head around what three Low End basses like that would cost! I may try a $20 preamp on the rounds one. (Don't want to invest too much money..tee hee)


Bottom line on pickups is they are single coil and hum even with shielding unless both are on full. Like most single coils, however, they do sound great. You can get replacement pickups and these are the only ones that fit the weird size cavity that I've found.

http://www.pure-tone.com/hippo-6-string-bass-pickups/

But they apparently are also single coil and don't even come in Bridge and neck which means they'll hum even when BOTH pickups are on! But price is right. People say they sound great. But I think the SX ones sound great and I hate hum.

So current mod underway is to install a dummy coil to kill the single coil hum. This is not so simple to do. It's taking a while to get kinks worked out. But trials just using an old 4 string Jazz pickup as the dummy worked out quite well. So I ordered a big roll of pickup wire. I've yet to figure out the turns etc. needed. But I really think this is going to work out well!

When I get that working these basses will REALLY be "Booteek"! And it goes without saying that a post to TB will keep all SXers informed as to how to do it if it works.
 
#546
JZQuantum said:
My CAR Ursa 6 already has fret sprout. A setup will fix it I know. Anyone else having this issue? How do you prevent it?
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When you say "fret sprout" do you mean the frets are extending beyond the edge of the fingerboard wood? Usually that is the result of the fingerboard wood drying out. And an oil treatment is needed. But the Ursa 6 basses have varnished fretboards so they are sealed and that isn't the story.

Basically I'd just take a fret file and Dremel tool to smooth and round the fret ends and that'd be it. ...Unless the problem is different from this.
 
#547
bassbenj said:
When you say "fret sprout" do you mean the frets are extending beyond the edge of the fingerboard wood? Usually that is the result of the fingerboard wood drying out. And an oil treatment is needed. But the Ursa 6 basses have varnished fretboards so they are sealed and that isn't the story.

Basically I'd just take a fret file and Dremel tool to smooth and round the fret ends and that'd be it. ...Unless the problem is different from this.
Click to expand...

Yes, that's right. Wood shrunk, varnish on fret ends broke loose, and frets are now mini razors. I'm pretty good with power tools, but somehow I have not mastered fret end smoothing. I will take it to my setup guy.

Besides keeping my house on 70 percent humidity, how would one prevent this? My other SX basses have not sprouted, and they've been with me since 2008.
 
#548
Just use any fine metal file to smooth them out a bit. I use the one of my Leatherman. Takes a little finesse and maybe 15 minutes to finish An entire bass without scraping up the side of the fingerboard.
 
#552
BootzillaSun said:
I think you realllly only need 2 6ers Hint Hint:bassist:
Click to expand...

Heh. I hear what you are saying! I started with just two. The plan was to have a fretted/fretless pair. But when I got them as I was doing the usual shielding, string tree, etc. mods, I ended up temporarily with one bass with flats and one with rounds. The difference between them was so striking I knew I just HAD to leave them that way!

So then I had to order one more for fretless. (once Rondo got them back in stock again) Original plan was to defret it, but then I noticed Luthiers Merchantile International supply had a "last chance" on Madagascar Ebony fingerboard blanks with no more expected for years when those were gone. So I ordered several in various widths (can't get them now). So as a "test" I redid the spare fretless neck for my Ursa SX 5er and it came out GREAT! So now down on the bench is the third 6er with new blank plank Ebony fingerboard in the process of being installed! I am expecting wonderful things.

Photos of my "SX collection" to follow as soon as I get the 6er fretless conversion done! And I see Rondo has 15 in stock again! Hmmm. I wonder if there is any way I can justify MORE than three???? :hiding:
 
#559
Hi. Yesterday I received my new SX (Essex) Ursa 6 in sunburst (middle one in attached photo).

I will start by just saying: "Wow!"

First, the bad.
  1. The nut is plastic; it does the job, but I'll change that to a bone nut.
  2. The A-D string guide looks like it wants to eat strings. I took it out and filed it a bit to dull the sharp edges, but I didn't put it back so the slots are parallel to the strings... they are now perpendicular to the strings, which just run across them (IOW, the strings, and the A one in particular) do not run through the slot. I'll buy a couple of un-slotted string guides for a couple of bucks each and be done with it.
  3. The tone pot was a bit scratchy when I first took it out of the box and connected it to the amp... it seems to have quiet down... but it really doesn't matter because it'll come out as part of my regular mods.
  4. The frets aren't perfect, but they aren't sharp nor are you going to cut yourself either; they just aren't even when you look at the neck from the side.
  5. The tuners. Not as smooth as on my CV60J or Affinity V. As long as they hold tune for the time being I'm ok, but I can see them being replaced.
  6. The strings. This is not really a bad thing as I would expect most people change them immediately after they buy a new bass. But you must be forewarned: the stock ones suck, big time.
Now, the good.
  1. Only $169.95!!!
  2. Nice fit and finish.
  3. The bridge does its job very well.
  4. The neck has dual rods (although I read somewhere that they are not rods per se). Anyway, right now it looks like I don't have to adjust neck relief at all.
  5. I solo each pickup, and I get no hum (knock on wood). However, I'll still shield the pick up and control cavities.
  6. I have read reports of weak pups on these basses. These are certainly not as hot as the ones on my CV60J and Affinity JV, but so far I don't see anything wrong with them. I have my Ampeg PF-350's master on 3-4 and they sound fine volume-wise compared to my other basses. (But I'm aware of the magnets mod posted by someone here.)
Upon receiving it, here's what I did.
  1. I changed the strings to D'Addario EXL 170-6 (.032, .045, .065, .080, .100, .130). Although D'Addario nickels are not my cup of tea they do sound MUCH nicer than the stock ones. However, I do hear the DR Fatbeams calling my name... (these are on my Affinity V... my search for strings on that bass is over.) Only time will tell what I'll like on this bass.
  2. Even though the D'Addario B is thicker than the stock B, I didn't have to drill the bridge B hole to make it bigger; string went through just fine... however, I had to move the saddle all the way forward to let the string pass and then re-intonate. All went well.
  3. I put Schaller strap locks in, with the long(er) screw. I have these on my other basses and I've very happy with them.
  4. I "schallerized" Invalid Link Removed; it's what I'm using with this bass; looks like I'll be very happy with it as this bass tips the scale at around 10 lbs.
  5. I'll lower the action a bit, but right now it's not that much higher from my other basses. I used to be a low action super-freak, but I discovered that I want the strings to be able to move a bit more as that's how I was able to get the full sound that I was after with the strings I've been using. Still, I set up my basses with reasonably low action per Roger Sadowsky's standards (as discussed in Bass Notes article, BPM, September 1996).
  6. Adjusted the pickup height per "Ultimate Guide to The Perfect Bass Setup".
I won't trample on sacred ground by claiming that this bass is anything super-special bordering on high-end bass territory, etc., etc., ad naseum.


I'll just look at the price tag one more time... $169.95, and say, one more time: "Wow!"
 

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#560
Prieto,

Congrats. Allow me to make a few comments:

1. These Link Removed guides will cost a bit more than what you are considering, but I think the ursa 2 6 deserves them (it's what I put on all my SX J's.

2. Consider doing a series/parallel mod by putting a switch pot in the tone position, it will expand your tonal palette.

Congrats again, and welcome to the Ursa 2 6 club!
 

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