>> Workshop >> Jean's SX SPJ-62 3TS Short Scale Bass Project Jean shipped May 25th -|- Bass arrived on June 1st. The box is oversized and damaged. I reworked/remade the box and is an additional charge of $10.00 Bass Completed: Thursday, June 17th, 2010: 8PM. Shipment to New Mexico is on hold until Monday, June 21st. Too many bad things could happen if a bass is left unattended at UPS/Staples terminals over a weekend. Why don't I ship on a Friday? Because the UPS drivers get to the terminals mostly before 5AM and UPS isn't open to the public at this time; so, if I drop off on Friday, it has Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to sit unattended for any bonehead to damage or steal. Shipped: Monday, June 21st: UPS Tracking Number: 1ZR435200303191533

Do You Have A Project Idea For Your Next Bass? Contact me now

SX SPJ-62 Small Body   Body as of June 2nd ~ 4AM Wood Species: Alder       Body Finish: 3-Tone Sunburst Pickguard: SX Black-White-Black ~ black out the white with magic marker per Jean and swap out the chrome pickguard screws for black. Found the pickguard extending into the pocket area, kicking the neck out of alignment. • Trimmed the pickguard flush with the pocket with the pickguard installed and filed the pickup openings after the pickups were moved. Bridge: Upgrade to Gotoh 201 Black Bass Bridge. Jean was told these are the same as the OEM Deluxe bridges but . . . had Jean gone with the OEM Deluxe Black Bass Bridge, he would have saved about $15.00 and got a bridge without that ugly Gotoh logo. The OEM Deluxe IS the same bridge, made by Gotoh also. Let's have a closer look: Gotoh -|- OEM Deluxe . . . by the way, I named the OEM Deluxe because my supplier didn't have the brand name and it is a direct 5 screw Fender replacement bridge upgrade. Do the math . . . use your head. Bridge Rework: At first I thought the misalignment was due to the undersized short scale SX bridge. I thought by installing the new bridge it would bring everything into alignment. I was wrong: A closer look at the new bridge shows the bridge is too far to the left and also cocked about an eighth of an inch to the left. I also think it's too far forward. I was right: I installed the strings and pulled dimension for the 30 inch scale onto the bridge. Everything is misaligned. • Centers are marked at the nut, the 20th fret, and bridge area by lining up the nut center and 20th fret center with a straight-edge like my bright yellow level. See how far off the SX bridge was. See the 30 inch scale mark. Make that 30" scale mark with a tape measure hooked here. Next, place the bridge square at the center like this, then you must move the bridge to just cover the forward holes. HEY, I've got about 20 photos of the procedure for when I did the bridge . If anybody is interested, I'll continue this story. I just want to post the last few showing it installed. It's been a long day and frankly, who gives a shit~? Basically, the bridge is now dead center, the rear pickup looks okay, the alignment with the strings and fretboard is okay. It's the P pickup halves that are in need of getting spread like a . . . well . . . just spread enuf so the strings run through where I want them. It's a fetish of mine. The sound will probably be the same, but they're more cockeyed than I am, and I can't have that~! This is an Extra $50.00 Bridge/Pickup Covers: None Strap Buttons/Locks: Installed black Dunlop Dual Design Strap Locks. Finger/Thumb Rests: No Fingerboard Extension: Also known as a Ramp (stupid name). Typically made from hardwood, it can be made from softwood as well. Jean stated he prefers rosewood but will get whatever hardwood I have available. I always try to match the fingerboard in specie, grain, and color. This would usually be a minimum of $40.00 labor plus material but I'm tossing a bone (see below) to Jean to get this project underway. Brazillian Ebony is planned to be used for the FB extension. • June 5th: Made a preliminary Sketch and then a better Sketch after the pickups were moved. The sketch had to be doctored several times in order to make everything work around the pup ears and against the fretboard. • June 6th: Jean approved this Sketch. Thickness planed the ebony. Glued and clamped three extension pieces but the glue bond didn't hold. Reclamped using two-part epoxy. As of 5 PM I'm still waiting to be sure the epoxy sets up hard. • FB Extension Progression Photos: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 ~ about 8 hours work. Attention to all: I will no longer be doing these FB extensions for cheap money. BONUS Pickguard: I'll be making a second pickguard because the original has been opened up at the pickup opening and it would look like shit if/when the FB extension is removed. This is a $75.00 bonus for Jean at no charge. • June 7th: Photos: PG Template tracing on 1/2" CDX plywood. cut-out - filled and sanded.   June 10th: PG Blank arrived from WD Music this afternoon. Pickguard routed - removed rough - outer edge filed and sanded - PG done. Special PG Note: With the heavier CTS pots installed on a plastic pickguard, there's usually a need to add another screw to anchor that puppy. On this bass there wasn't enough room on the body-to-pg area, so I added a piece of hardwood inside the cavity to catch the added screw. You can see where the first attempt just misses the edge of the body, and where I glued a new piece of wood into the cavity. And yet another view from the top. Another freeebie~! SX SPJ-62 Short Scale Neck     Maple with Rosewood FB Upon removal of the neck from the pocket, discovered the damage created by installation of the neck into the pocket without trimming the pickguard. With the pickguard extending into the pocket, whoever installed the neck made more holes, all of which will have to be filled and redrilled because they are so close together and tightening is not possible. Neck Heel: Damaged: June 2nd: Mounting holes have been drilled freehand and filled with 3/8" hardwood dowel stock. This is an added charge of $30.00 . . . Normally $50.00 or more but with so many extras, I'm trying to give Jean a break. • Sanded the dowels flush with the heel.   Deglossed & Dr. Ducked. • Drilled and installed neck with black plate and screws. This was a temporary installment. I removed the neck to go on to the next steps in the neck work. . . like fretwork and tuner holes and nut work . . . Tuning Machines: SX Vintage Style Chrome Tuning Machines are being swapped out for black ones. But the Black Dr Parts Tuners do not align with the mounting holes. These had to be filled and redrilled. This is an added charge. Normally this job runs at least $75.00 which is the drilling, filling, sanding, aligning, drilling, installing of the new tuners. June 13th: Project was held up until June 17th due to a faulty Tuner Key on Tuning Machines from Rondo Music. Emailed Kurt at Rondo. Kurt replied 6-14 stating he'll handle it. Received replacement Tuner on June 17th: 5PM Headstock: SX SJB-62. Here comes another How-To-Do-It: The tuning machine mounting holes on the rear of the headstock will be filled and redrilled to accept the new black tuning machings. First is to determine if any existing holes line up. But we really don't want that because the tuners that were on there were cocked out of square. But if the two front holes line up I'll go with it. In this 1st photo we see the tuner out of square but with one hole appearing to line up. Next, we want to make sure the tuner is centered within the bushing to see if that one hole lines up. With the tuner installed in the bushing no holes lined up so I'm starting from square one . . . • Drilled existing holes 1/8" diameter for hardwood doweling. • Glue each dowel and twist while inserting dowel into each hole. Each dowel is wiped of the glue before using a new razor blade to spin-cut each dowel. With the razor flat on the wood while cutting, this allows about 2 thousandths to remain for sanding afterwards. Do not use a sawing action. Spin the blade with pressure against the rod. If you saw them off you'll get saw marks on the face. Now WAIT at least a few hours before sanding these tuner hole plugs. • Sanded the dowels flush with the headstock and deglossed per Jean B. • Installed Tuner Bushings, inserted and marked each tuner screw hole. • The G Tuner is squared differently. With all tuner holes marked, see how different the Chromes are from the Blacks. I usually use a compass point as a center punch for the 1/16" drill bit used for the tuner screws; but I don't have one so I made one from a brad and a vise-grip. After drilling each hole with the 1/16" bit and installing each tuning machine, your headstock should now look like this. Neck and Headstock Finish: Dr. Duck's AxWax to existing finish. Partial Fretjob: $100.00 ~ Completed fretwork by noon on June 3rd • Fret Size Medium Jumbo Rolled Fretboard & Fret Ends: $50.00 ~ Only partially rolled the fretboard until I see how the strings run up the length of the board. I don't want to be hugging the edge or the strings will roll off. See Bridge Rework for more details. • The front half and rear half of the Rolled Fretboard and Fret Ends shows a very smooth transition between the fret ends matching the fretboard. Although I normally go for a slightly larger radius I stopped here because of the already narrow short scale neck and the goings-on with the new bridge. We are good to go here and I have provided a bit of a discount as well. Fretboard Refinish: During the cleanup of the frets I resurfaced the fretboard and applied one coat of Minwax Black Polyshade. After all dries for about a day or two (before shipping) I apply Dr. Duck's AxWax to the entire neck again. Strings: Rotosound RS77S Flatwound Jazz Bass Strings: 40-50-75-90 Strings were provided by Jean. String Nut: Slot diameters: .040", .050", .075", .090" June 13th: I wasn't going to do another step by step on making a nut, but I thought I'd share another way of going about arriving at the string slot depth. With the size of the frets being .053" high, I used my .056" string slot file as a gauge to get to the optimum depth instead of the typical flat pencil scribed on the nut routine. All you need do is match the slot depth to the file. String Guide: Hipshot 3-String Retainer - black: $15.00 Neck Plate: SX chrome plate and screws were swapped out for black. Truss Rod Cover: None Setup: Special Specs: Low rider . . . . . Labor: $50.00 Electronics: Passive Cavities: Shielded the cavities and pickguard with copper foil.   Labor: $50.00 Pickups: SX P and J Bridge ~ The alignment of all pickups looks WAY OUT~! Misalignment partially due to the undersize SX bridge. SEE Bridge Rework. Controls: Volume-Volume-Tone Everything that follows, with the exception of the Shielding and Control Knobs, is included in the price of the Control Assembly, which is priced at $50.00 Control Plate: SX Pickguard ~ drill 3 holes to accept 3/8" CTS Bushings. Pickguard is now shielded on the rear. Control Harness: SX mini metric pots are being crushed after removal~! May 26th: Prefabbed the PJ Control Harness. Upgraded with CTS Audio Taper Short Solid Shaft Control Pots, Switchcraft 1/4" Mono Output Jack, Sprague OD .047µF Capacitor, and the finest wire available . . . WBE 22awg Teflon Jacketed High Temp Silver Plated Stranded Copper Wire. Completed Control Assembly on June 2nd. Control Knobs: Black with white Line ~ off-site: Quoted $20.00 for 3 knobs. This company has a $25.00 minimum order. I bought 4 knobs. Extra Cost: $6.00 NOTE: There are two set screws per knob. You will need an Allen Wrench. The Tally Checklist The List contains items you've agreed to go with . . . indicated with a price. The others in the list without a price indicate the need to make a decision. Customers receiving Service on their bass do not pay full price for parts. Customers receiving Service on their bass do not pay shipping on parts. However, all first-time customers must pay for their parts prior to assembly. BODY Dunlop Dual Design Strap Locks - Black: $15.00 Gotoh 201 Bass Bridge - Black: $45.00 NECK Partial Fretjob with Final Setup: $150.00 Rolled Fretboard and Fret Ends: $50.00 FB Extension - Ebony: $50.00 Bonus: $25.00 Nut Job - Material: Graph Tech Black TUSQ: $50.00 Hipshot 3-String Retainer - Black: $15.00 Rotosound RS77S - Jean to Send: $00.00 SX Tuning Machines - Swap for Black: $00.00 The Black Dr Parts Tuner plates do not align at the mounting holes. I had to fill and redrill the headstock. SEE EXTRAS. ELECTRONICS Copper Foil Shielding: Cavs and PG: $50.00 PJ Control Harness: $50.00 3 Control Knobs: $20.00 This company has a $25.00 minimum order. I bought 4 knobs. Total Extra Cost: $6.00 SHIPPING to Albuquerque, New Mexico Lowest Price UPS Estimate: $30.00 Includes $500.00 Insurance SUB-TOTAL: $500.00 Payment Received: 6-1-10: $500.00 EXTRAS & ADD ONS Knob: $6.00 Neck Heel: Fill & Redrill: $30.00 Headstock: Fill & Redrill: $30.00 Bridge Realignment: $50.00 Dr. Duck's Axwax: $7.00 Shipping Box: Resize: $10.00 Total Extras: $133.00 CREDITS - Subtract from Total OEM Deluxe Bridge instead of the Gotoh 201: $15.00 Rolled Fretboard - 1/16" radius instead of 1/8" : $15.00 Total Credits: $30.00 TOTAL Extras: Call it an even $100.00

Project Parts and Labor Checklist SX SPJ SS Body • Finish: 3TS • Bridge: OEM Deluxe • Bridge Cover: No • Pickup Cover: No • Pickguards: 2 Blk • PG Screws: Black • Thumb Rest: No • Finger Rest: No • FB Extension: BZD • Strap Buttons: No • Strap Locks: Dunlop • Bridge Setup Bridge & Rear Pickup are aligned but the Front Pickup is still out. Everything is now aligned Ramp installed with Epoxy SX SPJ SS Neck • Deglossed Rear • Heel D&F: Done • Headstock D&F: 2X • Neck Finish: Dr. D • Tuners: SX Black • Tuner Screws: Black • Fretboard: Partial • Fret Size: MJ • FB & Ends: Rolled 1/16" • FB Refinish: Black • STR Guide: Hipshot 3 • Strings: RS77S Flats • Nut R&R: GT TUSQ Blk • Truss Rod Cover: None • Neck Plate: Black • Plate Screws: Black • Neck Setup As of 6-3-10 Electronics • Standard PJ Wiring • Control Plate: PG • Control Pots: CTS • Control Knobs: Black • Capacitor: .047 O.D. • Output Jack: SWCFT • Copper Foil Shielding • Pickups: SX P & J • Pickup Screws: Black • Pickup Springs: 8 • Pickup Foam Pads: 3 • Pickup Setup

---

Shipping is paid on the delivery of the completed bass from Bradenton, Florida to wherever the customer is located. An average weight of 15 pounds is used to calculate the shipping charges at UPS. The box size is pre-calculated (when providing estimates) at 48" x 14" x 4" and is re-adjusted upon receipt of the bass. When providing quick estimates to customers, it is standard practice for me to quote a worst case scenario of $35.00 which has been the average cost to ship a bass from the east coast to the west coast. ALL basses shipped must also include INSURANCE for full value of the instrument. I don't want to hear about, "Oh, but it's only a cheap SX bass."   Bullshit~! If that's the way a person feels, chances are good I won't even be servicing their bass. Nine out of ten people who ask about prices never even buy anything, parts or otherwise.

IF you are having your bass delivered to me in anything other than the stock shipping box, such as when you ship it to me in a hardshell case or gig bag, these boxes are usually oversized and will incur much higher shipping charges due to weight and size. The average cost of shipping these oversized containers usually doubles the price and is not usually necessary except for the most valuable bass guitars for protection. In all the years of shipping there has been only one loss due to damage, and that damage occured from the driver at the airport driving over it in a tug~! My point being, yes, take extra precautions when shipping a bass, but lets be reasonable; if you have a value of the bass under $2,000.00, insure it and if it gets destroyed, buy a new bass.

---

>>> The Workshop >> Jean's SX SPJ-62 3TS Short Scale Bass Project