The Last Bass Outpost
Gear Discussion Forums => Bill's Shop: Projects, Mods & Repairs => Topic started by: Freuds_Cat on August 11, 2008, 08:33:58 PM
-
I guess I should have started this thread a while back but as things are now moving with this here are some details of my SX P/J modifications.
I will use US dollars for costs for convenience. The value of Aussie dollars are probably not that well known to a lot of people.
I bought this bass secondhand for about $70.
(Stock pic)
(http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t253/Freuds_cat/SX%20Sunburst/spjsb1.jpg)
When I got it it was very poorly setup, big bow in the neck, strings looked like they had been dragged through a pigs guts and it had a lot of pick scratches all over it. But the body is Adler the neck is Maple and the fingerboard is Rosewood and it all looked like it was put together with a pretty good understanding of what it was supposed to be and do.
Pulled the thing to bits after I noticed that one of the mini pots (250k) was not working, even after a spray and decided then and there that this was going to be a great bass.
The neck feels excellent, very 1967 P bass. The body is like a MIJ reissue. ie great repro even if its acrylic.
Regardless of price or brand this bass speaks to me.
-
regardless of brand name i could never get into a P with a Jazz pup back there.you just don't need it.
-
Yeah I agree with you SR but I wanted a P bass and this one fell into my lap at a price that meant I had no guilt modifying it. Given the choice I would prefer a straight P setup myself.
Unfortunately for my mate John, the 67 P bass that he owns has had some previous owner route the body and place a Jazz pup in it. Headstock aside the 2 basses look almost identical at a distance.
-
Tuners and ferrules have been replaced with a MIJ Fender Reissue set.
Scratch plate is now Tort instead of black.
Chinese pots have been replaced with 250k CTS and a .047mfd Orange Drop tone capacitor.
Bridge will be a Gotoh 201 (still waiting)
Pickups are custom Brierleys. These have just been installed . This guy basically builds the pups to a standard spec then posts them to you. You play the bass and describe to him what you would like different about the sound and he mods the pups until you get what you want. Then he only charges you what a comparable Seymour Duncan set costs.
At the moment they are incredibly clean and balanced. As my fellow bass playing mate who is also a producer put it. "They are almost too polite, but so balanced that recording with them would be a pleasure".
I will be sending them back and asking that they be changed to be a bit more rude ;)
The resizing of the pics when they go from photobucket to LBO pixilates them :/ Guess I should conform and make the originals a bit smaller.
[Edit] Actually only on the Windows machines at work. ???
(http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t253/Freuds_cat/SX%20Sunburst/SX-Sun298.jpg)
(http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t253/Freuds_cat/SX%20Sunburst/SX-Sun302.jpg)
(http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t253/Freuds_cat/SX%20Sunburst/SX-Sun318.jpg)
-
regardless of brand name i could never get into a P with a Jazz pup back there.you just don't need it.
Not trying to sway anybody, but I like having the J pickup. It's there if you find you need a little snap in the sound, and it gives you a nice thumbrest up where the strings are tight. I use it for ghost notes and quick little runs. Even if you have the pickup turned off, it helps in that regard.
-
i used to be hard core Gibby all the way but lately i have been listening to a lot of Jamerson tracks with the Funk Brothers so...................... i guess i can change my mind about Fenders and learn to appreciate them, their clones and the people that love them.
looking good on the rebuild.
-
I must have ordered the wrong size scratch plate screws (sure I didn't) but either way the ones I have are too small so another order is in the post.
I've spent a bit more time trying different things to get a good handle on the sound of the pups and what changes I want. Running the bass into my rig instead of straight into the desk in the studio is also a much better way for me to compare sounds.
The pups when played together are quite amazing in their clarity and evenness in tonal balance. They have a bright sparkle about them and a lot of air but still have a tight thumping bottom end. Pretty good midrange definition. Will see if this holds true in the real world at Sat night gig. All up so far they are very impressive. I can definitely and clearly hear/feel that classic early 60's P bass sound but its like its a more clean and airy version of it. I know a few guys that would kill for this sound ;)
As good as they currently sound, unless my opinion changes between now and next week after the gig I will be asking Mr Brierley to fatten them up a bit and give them a little dirt.
Still need the frets leveled , a bit of buzzing on from the 3rd to 5th frets on the D and G. The rest is all good. Man I cannot believe how good a non genuine chinese copy of a Fender neck this is. It really does feel bloody great.
-
I have had a number of SX basses and I am very impressed with them, way better than a Squier. I have a SX 75J that is my shop bass. It sits in a stand in my wood shop I don't have to worry about it getting knocked over or dusty. They are fine right out odf the box and a great platform for mods.
-
My lefty SX P/J:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v383/iamthebassman/sxpnew.jpg)
-
About fret leveling. I have bought new basses over 1k and they have needed a proper fret dressing.
-
The frets are no probs and yes I too have bought basses expensive and less that after a fret dress and a proper setup were all great instruments. I guess its hard to account totally for settling on a wooden instrument. The fretboard did need quite a bit (more than i have come to expect) of oiling. It was so dry that I honestly was getting concerned that it was going to start to split.
I used some Fret Doctor Bore oil
http://www.beafifer.com/boredoctor.htm (http://www.beafifer.com/boredoctor.htm)
Pretty impressed with this stuff.
-
How's the SX coming along now Mr Freuds cat??? I got a SX P that I've put old 80's Ibanez pups in, & a Gotoh bridge-string thru I made it into a string-thru bass! Sounds GREAT with the flats on!
-
I've been intending an update for the past few days few days. Its currently on loan to an ex student while I await the arrival of the new and modified Brierley pups. He tells me that his new teacher was quite intrigued with how good the SX felt and sounded.
It still needs to go into my Luthier Brian West and have a new nut and full setup done. Brian is doing some work on the ex students EB-0 so when thats done I will book the SX in.
I'm still debating with myself weather or not to go with a Gotoh 201 bridge or just leave the one thats on there. I will have a chat with Brian when I take it in. His usual line if there is no technical reason to say otherwise is, "Do you like the sound?" ...yes "then leave it". Common sense I suppose.
-
ha, your luthier is a genius! if it ain't broke don't fix it. i very simple but hard to digest axiom for many players. ;)
btw i have never found anything wrong with the stamped steel fender type bridges that everyone seems so eager to replace. ??? surprised the sx has no routing for wires. looks like an old fender body. wonder if they are all like that.
-
I don't have a problem with stamped steel bridges in general. I did put a Gotoh 201 on my MIM P b/c the saddles on the stock one kept vibrating and moving. The Gotoh didn't change the sound but it doesn't vibrate. Problem solved.
-
Just an update on this Bass. The pickups have been modified and are now sounding a bit fatter with more mids although I am finding that it sounds best with the Jazz pup turned off or at least down. Its getting close to what I hear as that 70's classic rock P bass sound. I still need to organise to get a new bone nut done and I'm still debating with myself about weather to get a Gotoh 201 bridge (probably will :rolleyes:). All the pots are now CTS and the wiring is waxed etc. New scratch plate has the correct zinc screws now. She is coming along niicely.
-
Current state of play:
Brierley pups have been modded and are sounding great.
(http://www.users.on.net/~telfers/Ampfest09/_DSC2325.JPG)
I have changed to modern wiring because it sounds slightly sweeter to my ears.
Pups have had the level of magnetism (dont know the correct terminology) modified. The poles around the E and G strings have been given a higher dose than the A and D strings. This has made the bass sound very balanced across the strings. Another option was to use longer poles for the E and G poles but it very good atm so I'm gonna leave it.
@ Dave, I know what you mean about the movement in the bridge. the Gotoh is looking likely when I finally get the frets and nut done.
Soonish hopefully.
-
For the true classic 60's sound, install Labella Deep Talkin' flats and you're home! Looks pretty.
-
Cheers Al, I might try that. Its a great player, lovely neck, quite chunky (wellcompared to my Jazz at least) but comfy.
-
Well, I finally managed to get this little project finished after trying a few different things and as usual the things that you stumble over are sometimes the best.
I really liked the sound of the Brierley pups and have to say they do have that genuine vintage tone about them however, I tend more towards a hotter sound and have opted for a second hand set of Seymour Duncan Quarter pounder split P's. In the bridge position I used an old SD Active J pup that I had lying around. The one with the 3 little rocker switches on it.
(http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t253/Freuds_cat/SX%20Sunburst/SX_0011.jpg)
The mods ended up thus:
S/H MIJ Fender tuners & ferrules
Fender string tree
Fender nut
S/H Tort Pickguard
Gotoh 203 Bridge
Fender knobs
Gotoh 250kPots for Neck Vol and Tone
Dyna 100k minipot for the Bridge vol
Sprague Orange drop 200v cap
Switchcraft jack input
I had to extend the routing under the pickguard to accomodate a 9v battery for the Active J pup.
(http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t253/Freuds_cat/SX%20Sunburst/SX_0013.jpg)
First time I've done a nut. I didnt file the string slots but got the bottom sanding to the right height.
(http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t253/Freuds_cat/SX%20Sunburst/SX_0010.jpg)
(http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t253/Freuds_cat/SX%20Sunburst/SX_0004.jpg)
(http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t253/Freuds_cat/SX%20Sunburst/SX_0008.jpg)
The bass sounds great and has a large variety of sounds available to the player. It feels amazingly close to the genuine article in my estimation. I cant stop playing it atm. I was using it at practice last tuesday and a fellow musician that knew of but didnt know personally popped his head in the room and commented that it was "a sweet bass sound". I've had one guy offer to buy it and another ask me to put one together for him. The whole project including the cost of the original bass ended up at $240