I have a Squier PJ 5er in agathis and that is my main whine about it. If it were alder it'd be PERFECT. But hey, tonewood is a minor effect. I also own an IBBY SR206. I positively love that bass! Mine is older with 2 band and the pickups have just a tiny bit of trouble covering the B and C strings (a bit of EQ fixes it) And it doesn't have 24 frets. But I don't want to give a negative impression. I've also got an SR506 but I love the SR206 so much I never converted it to fretless like my original plan. I had never even played one before I wandered into Music go round and pulled it down from the wall. I KNEW I had to leave the store with it! I can't say if they are all as good as mine but clearly SOME of them are!
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SX Ursa 6-string Jazz bass
- Thread starter Figbassist75
- Start date
I have a Squier PJ 5er in agathis and that is my main whine about it. If it were alder it'd be PERFECT. But hey, tonewood is a minor effect. I also own an IBBY SR206. I positively love that bass! Mine is older with 2 band and the pickups have just a tiny bit of trouble covering the B and C strings (a bit of EQ fixes it) And it doesn't have 24 frets. But I don't want to give a negative impression. I've also got an SR506 but I love the SR206 so much I never converted it to fretless like my original plan. I had never even played one before I wandered into Music go round and pulled it down from the wall. I KNEW I had to leave the store with it! I can't say if they are all as good as mine but clearly SOME of them are!
Thanks benj, I think I'm gonna try one, or maybe go $50 more and get the spalted top with mahogany body. I really like the Ibby necks. Had a 406 but sold it, kinda wish I hadn't, but couldn't pass on the profit I got from the turnover, (greed) lol. What you think???
I'd get the mahogany spalted maple! I've got an ESP LTD B20SM that I had to leave Sam Ash with. It's a killer six string bass (got it because it's a dead ringer for my Bass Mods 7 string bass and I wanted a sort of matching pair) but it's spalted maple over ash and it weighs a TON! I still like my SR x06 basses better. The mahogany version of my ESP costs like 3X more than mine did!
It's interesting the difference in character of these 6 strings. The SX is of course a Fender clone and hence sort of old school. The ESP LTD is sort of your standard Hi Fi active 6 string and the soundgears simply rock the house! All these lower priced basses can find places in music where they work really well in my opinion.
UPDATE: So last night I finished my typical SX Ursa 2 mods; shielding, series/parallel, straplocks and guides (I replaced the black guides I put on initially with chrome ones of the same type). So after putting it back to gether and doing a straight up comparo with my first Ursa 2 6 (the maple boarded one in my pics above):
The pups in the new one are significantly weaker than the ones in my first one! I didn't measure the coil resistance, but I did do a rough comparison of the magnet strength (I slowly pulled an allen wrench off of the front of the pup) and YES, it has LESS magnetic pull! This is undoubtedly also contributing to the mellower tone of the new one. I don't remember what the bottom of the pups in my first one looked like, but the new one has magnets stuck on the bottom (what a strange way to make a pickup). Does anybody else have any input on the strength of Ursa 2 6 pups?
Soooo, the bass that I initially bought simply to swap necks with an Ursa 2 6 Ash (because I wanted block inlays with a sunburst body) has become a keeper. I probably never will make that sunburst/block 2 6.
The pups in the new one are significantly weaker than the ones in my first one! I didn't measure the coil resistance, but I did do a rough comparison of the magnet strength (I slowly pulled an allen wrench off of the front of the pup) and YES, it has LESS magnetic pull! This is undoubtedly also contributing to the mellower tone of the new one. I don't remember what the bottom of the pups in my first one looked like, but the new one has magnets stuck on the bottom (what a strange way to make a pickup). Does anybody else have any input on the strength of Ursa 2 6 pups?
Soooo, the bass that I initially bought simply to swap necks with an Ursa 2 6 Ash (because I wanted block inlays with a sunburst body) has become a keeper. I probably never will make that sunburst/block 2 6.
Stupid me! Bassbenj already documented all of this here: http://www.talkbass.com/threads/ultimate-essex-6er-neo-pickup-mod.931050/#post-13419951
I can't help but think, though, that somebody goofed on the specs for those pups with the magnet on the bottom. The magnet SHOULD be inside! I wish I had a spare one to take apart to find out why it's not.
I can't help but think, though, that somebody goofed on the specs for those pups with the magnet on the bottom. The magnet SHOULD be inside! I wish I had a spare one to take apart to find out why it's not.
As it turns out I CAN tell you what is inside because the bass body I bought from Chuck Norris had one of the pickups (bridge) with the cover loose. The pickups with the magnet on the bottom seem significantly underwound. The design is that the poles are not magnets but soft iron rods. The older ones (I have some of those too) seem to be different with the poles being alnico magnets and no magnet on the bottom.
I've clomped the neo's on the bottom of the ceramic magnet and it really makes a nice difference. Underwinding gives the pickup clarity and the booster gives it the output you need to keep single coil hum from being too loud. The Alnico pickups don't seem to change much if you clomp a magnet on the bottom so I've left them as is and they seem fine.
The main problem is the added depth of the magnet on the bottom of the ceramic ones. I found that if I put an 1/4" thick neo on the bridge pickup and a 1/8" one on neck pickup they just barely fit under the strings without routing. And the thicker bridge magnet gives a better balance of the bridge output too. BUT I'm wondering if it's possible to actually remove the ceramic magnets? I wonder what they are glued on with? I'm thinking a hammer and some single edged razor blades and I may be able to slice the magnets off. That would be great if it works so that no deepening of the cavities would be needed.
But anyway, the main point is the pups with the magnets on the bottom have iron poles while the ones without use magnets (probably alnico) for poles. Two different designs and not a "goof".
My SX Ursa sixer has quite a low output too (it arrived just before Christmas). But I also noticed the pickups were really low in their routed pocket. So I raised them to be a lot closer to the strings and now the output is a lot higher and more defined. Although it still has a warm / softer tone than I was expecting for a maple fingerboard Jazzer. I have a new set of strings on order because the stock ones are pretty lifeless. The other thing I noticed is the the E string sounds really dead compared to the other strings....looking at the string T buttons on the headstock...the E string's path isn't that good compared to the other strings which have a higher break angle from the nut. This bass REALLY needs a better string Tee solution. Probably a 5 string bar so the E-C strings can get have the same break angle from the nut applied to even out the string down force.
I'm also considering dropping in a John East circuit into this bass and performing the usual shielding upgrades at some point. But that'll have to wait for a bit...I'm skint after Christmas!
I'm also considering dropping in a John East circuit into this bass and performing the usual shielding upgrades at some point. But that'll have to wait for a bit...I'm skint after Christmas!
Yeah, changing the strings should be the first thing you do on an SX bass (or guitar for that matter).
The difference in output of the later versions, like yours, and the earlier ones (I have 1 later and 2 earlier) is pretty significant, so I'm pretty confident that you will find a ceramic magnet on the bottom of yours. Thing is, I actually like the mellow tone of the weaker ones! So each of mine will get used for different things.
Oh yeah, so do the ones from Guitarfetish. I actually like the look of the Hipshot ones better, but they do require drilling of 2 holes per guide.
A new set of strings and a new string tee which also works with the E string have made a world of difference. I've lowered the string height to improve the low output. but I can't take them down any low or they will start to clank off the strings when I play. The pickups are now the weakest point of the bass, and the difference between this bass and my sixer which i'm building with Nordstand pickups is quite apparent. My Nordy equipped bass has a lot more presence, lows are more solid and there's a lot more treble too. In fact the whole tone is a lot more clearer and more defined. I put my SX through a MXR preamp which has helped a lot with the out put level, the pedal has input and output gain levels which work well. But I think the best answer is a new set of custom pickups for her. I'm thinking of contacting Arron Armstrong for a set of customs. I can send him these shells and get him to custom make a set of replacements which will drop in directly and they will probably about the same as a set of Nordy's.
Just wondering about the basic stuff, weight, playability, sound, neck feel, just a sort of basic review. I got an SX CAR 6'er when they were $99.99 w/alder body. I lucked up on an excellent one, string change and a little action tweaking and it's a great bass.
The Douglas WOB826 was my first 6 string bass. I bought it back around 2006 back when Rondo still had a brick and mortar, which is where I got mine (cost me $169.99). It was well worth the money! It is comfy, and not too wide-spaced, which made it perfect for a first 6er. The pre is OK, I have since learned that I prefer a 3 band, but it is fairly transparent, which kind also like. I used to have an HXB 6er, but got rid of it, because I liked my WOB better.
He's a pic of mine with his brothers:
But my SX Ursa 2 6ers are my fav 6ers. I'm more of a passive J kinda player. I got one of those CAR $99 Ursa 2 6especially too! Best $99 deal I've ever had on a bass!
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Thanks for the info. Fine lookin' family you got there. I'm kinda teetering between an Ibanez SR 206 or a Douglas. I do like the $100.00 difference, and, like you said, the CAR 6'er was the best $100.00+ I have spent.The Douglas WOB826 was my first 6 string bass. I bought it back around 2006 back when Rondo still had a brick and mortar, which is where I got mine (cost me $169.99). It was well worth the money! It is comfy, and not too wide-spaced, which made it perfect for a first 6er. The pre is OK, I have since learned that I prefer a 3 band, but it is fairly transparent, which kind also like. I used to have an HXB 6er, but got rid of it, because I liked my WOB better.
He's a pic of mine with his brothers:
But my SX Ursa 2 6ers are my fav 6ers. I'm more of a passive J kinda player. I got one of those CAR $99 Ursa 2 6especially too! Best $99 deal I've ever had on a bass!
Hey benj, I went for a 206 with spalted maple...got a demo from Sweetwater for $314 shipped!!! These are some of the pics they sent. They sent several pics. First time using them...seems to be a great place, easy returns, send pics of actual instrument, even called and thanked me personally for my order. Likin' so far!!!
