SX SPJ-ASH Jazz Bass for Jim from Oregon at Buzzard's Bass Guitar Shop

>> Workshop >> Project: SX SPJ-ASH Jazz Bass for Jim S from Oregon

This bass arrived 6PM on February 16th, 2010 - It's being Shipped on Monday, March 8th, 2010
UPS Tracking: 1ZR435200369196950 Delivered: 03/15/2010 1:31 P.M.

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Buzzards Bass endorsement: Tuesday, March 23, 2010 3:55 PM

I recently started playing bass again and happened to stumble upon SX basses. After doing a ton of research, and looking through Rondo, I opted to buy one and have it sent to Brian after reading his website and seeing his talents in regards to upgrading a stock SX . . . and I was not disappointed!!!

My new SX SPJ is nothing short of beautiful. My first night at band practice everyone was blown away on the tone and look of the bass. Brian did a perfect job on the set-up. No buzz, no rattle and the neck plays so nice. This bass puts my other stock basses to shame, and it definitely is much nicer than any MIM Fender and I would even put it up against a Fender Custom Shop bass with no worries - and it cost me a third of the price!

I'm so happy with my purchase and decision. I grabbed another SX Jazz before Rondo changed the look and I can't wait to send it to Buzzards's to get it playing perfect. My SX SPJ has gone to the top of the list as my favorite bass. . . and definitely the best playing bass I've ever owned. ~Jim

SX SPJ Ash Body Body Completed: Monday 3-1

Pre-Disassembly Inspection: Thursday, February 18, 2010 11:00 AM:
I've handled three of these Ash bodied SX basses in the past and find them excellent every time. I don't see any flaws besides there being nothing more on the body but a sealer. View: Front -|- Rear after disassembly.

Body Finish: Natural with Clear sealer. Note: This sealer is not a clear coat poly and will require more maintenance and effort to keep it clean and from drying out. I personally would keep the bass with this stock finish as the grain is very nice and upkeeping the entire instrument is a piece of cake with just one-little-dab-o-the-DUCK~! Dr. Duck's Ax Wax that is . . . which is about $7 a bottle and should last a few years for one bass. You can see in the completed body after AxWax treatment. Before, it was dry. Now it's alive~! I'm sending a bottle, even though Jim didn't buy one, because I feel it's important enough to continue to use it on everything. But READ about it. It's not a wax; it's a treatment, performed routinely, not every day but about once a month, a little dab will go a long way.

Cavities: Copper Shielding is a necessity in my book. This is about an hour to two hour job which I charge $50.00 to do. The rear of the pickguard also gets done. See the details below.

Pickguard: 3-ply SX Wht-Blk-White-Pearl Jazz PG with P-P'up openings.
Friday, February 19th: Applied copper foil shielding to the rear of pickguard.

Finger/Thumb Rests: Installing Thumb Rests is a parts plus labor situation where you choose the part and then comes the decision of where to put it and how it's placed as it doesn't have to conform to where Leo first put it in the finger postion or off the pickguard screw for the thumb position. No labor charge for those two standard positions. But if I have to cut it, or grind it down, this involves time, and we all know where this is headed . . . which sometimes changes someone's mind from a thumb rest into a Ramp, where the edge of the ramp follows the top edge of the pickup and fills the area under the strings, making (for me) an easier fingerability. ( How's that for a word~? )

Jim S: Sunday, February 21, 2010 11:58 PM
I would like a thumb rest. I didn't notice one in white . . . is that an option? If not, the chrome plated plastic would be my next choice.

Buzzard: Monday, February 22, 2010 12:30 PM
I'll look for a white pearl thumbrest but I need to know where you want it installed. For a thumb or finger position? Both positions don't necessarily have to be where Fender puts them. For example, the finger rest doesn't have to be cocked and the thumbrest doesn't have to be off the pickguard screw hole. In other words, you can have it mounted any where you want, perhaps closer and parallel to the strings for either finger or thumb position.

Another thing is the height of the thumb rest. My personal taste, whenever I've installed a thumb rest (only one of my basses as I prefer a ramp) is to have a low (cut down) thumbrest. I find the thumb rest too high when placed near the strings. I'll work up a drawing when the time comes to show you exactly what I mean. It'll be to scale with dimensions so I'll know where you want it.

Jim S: Monday, February 22, 2010 12:40 PM
I am a finger-style player, so placing for finger position is what I want. I like your idea of placing it closer and parallel to the strings. On my five string I rest my thumb on the top edge of the neck pup . . . and mounting it more parallel to the strings would be optimal. I will take your word that filing down the thumb rest is probably the best option as well if you feel they are normally too high. I have never used one, so I will defer to you on that idea.

Jim Called on the phone CHANGING DIRECTION to make a RAMP instead of messing with a thumbrest.

Finger Ramp: Gary Willis introduced his Ramp to the public several years ago.
I don't know why he called it a ramp. Before Gary made it known (before the web) I had made one for 4 of my basses. To me I always found it easier to finger on top of my "finger board", but the tone I like was further back, so . . . hey . . . why don't I extend the fingerboard all the way back to the pickup~? And that's what I did, but I called it a fingerboard extension, not a ramp. None of that matters. It works great for fingering and many other great reasons too deep for this discussion. What is involved here is the making of, and setup of, the Willis-style ramp because it is not attached permanently to the bass (although it could be). It is made to be adjustable by YOU, if you ever need to, and the way it's adjusted is described here if, after you receive your bass, you may want to raise or lower it to your preference. I don't like the idea of tape though. My ramps were attached with 4 pickguard screws and I never needed to use tape for shims. I simply surfaced the underside of the extension to be where I liked it . . . done deal. But I can relate to sending off a product that could be adjustable by the owner. For this I would use brass shim stock . . . none of that sticky stuff~!

Bridge: The stock SX 4-String 7-Hole Vintage-Style Bass Bridge quite often is upgraded with the OEM Deluxe Fender-Style Bridge which is located over yonder; not just for the higher mass (for sustain) but more importantly for the saddle screw grooves in the lower plate which helps prevent "string-spread" over time due to over-zealous playing, which is common with most bass players . . .
Although not considered a "necessity", this is graded as a 9 out of 10 upgrade.
Installed the Bridge after polishing and here's a close-up. . . oooh. . . ahhhh.

Jim S: Thursday, February 18, 2010 12:00 AM
Having DR black beauties with black knobs and a black bridge would be a nice look but sound comes over aesthetics. Now, I'm not completely sold on the Black Beauties, and . . .

Buzzard: Thursday, February 18, 2010 1:20 PM
If this were my bass, thinking about black hardware also would have to include the tuning machines and maybe a black pearl pickguard, but then there's the off-white neck binding which always brings me back to the white pearl of the pickguard and white pearl inlayed chrome dome knobs with a chrome OEM Deluxe bridge . . . sweeeeeeeet. But who am I~? What do I know~? Yer tha boss~!

Jim S: Sunday, February 21, 2010 10:58 PM
I would like the OEM Deluxe Fender style bridge in Chrome.

Bridge/Pickup Covers: None came with it . . . I like 'em though. Do you~?

Strap Buttons/Locks: SX chrome buttons, which are basic as they come and not my choice for strap attachment. At the very least, if not going for Strap Locks, would be a larger headed button.

Project Parts and Labor Checklist

SX SPJ Jazz BodyFront -|- Rear

� Finish: Natural

� Treatment: AxWax

� Bridge: OEM DLX

� Bridge Cover: No

� Pickup Cover: No

� Pickguard: Wht-Pearl

� PG Screws: Chrome

� Strap Buttons: SX Chr

� Strap Locks: No

� Finger Rest: No

� Thumb Rest: No

� Finger Ramp: Okay

Fingerboard Ramp
Layout Patterns

Body Layout Pattern
For a very large photo of the body pattern, click here.

And then we have the
Pickguard Pattern

I worked on 3 designs. The 1st design was one piece to wrap around the neck and bridge pickups like a smaller PG but at the height of the pickups. Didn't like it. The second was a straight shot from the neck to the p'ups, NFG. The third was my choice. Sorry Jim, couldn't wait . . .

I ordered a pile
of different species of thin stock lumber but the guy had to cancel his shipment for a long story reason so I had to procure my hardwood locally, and that was a chore . . . but the job is moving forward:

Finger Ramp Work Ramp In Progress

From the beginning:
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5
6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10

Ramp Still In Progress

I dislike how the ramp looks betwwen the p'ups. It would look better if it terminated after the bridge p'up. It' is
too square looking . . . and do you see how the bridge looks too small compared against the second ramp?

I'm thinking a Jazz Bridge Cover would round it out and terminate the end nicely but I only have a Pbass bridge cover to show.

Too much thinking~!

I jumped ahead and here it is . . . below

SX SJB Jazz Neck - Blond Binding and Offset Dot Markers

Maple Neck & Fretboard: Bound necks are pretty much a done deal allowing no option to "roll" (radius) the edges. They also require additional time on the fret ends. I do these by hand and YES, this neck needs the fret ends radiused and the ends with no sharp factory edges. Comfort is a key issue.

Partial Fretjob & Setup: A Setup by itself (no other work performed) is $100.00 plus shipping. When a partial fretjob is done the final setup cost is reduced to $50.00 for first timers, and usually nonexistent for future bass work. So, the cost for this stretch will be $150.00 . . . Completed frets and fret ends.

Setup includes installation of strings, adjustments of neck relief, tuning, string height, intonation, and pickup height for maximum output.

Jim S: Thursday, February 18, 2010 12:00 AM
I definitely want the partial fretjob and set-up . . . so important in my opinion and worth every penny. SX basses definitely need it to be playable.

Buzzard: Thursday, February 18, 2010
You don't have to take my word alone for it. There are others with testimonials, the latest testimonial was from Bob on the 15th of February,

Headstock: Stock SX - on the back of the headstock are three stickers that are an eyesore. I usually remove these, at no added cost, but I have to ask just in case you may wish to leave them . . . Do you want the stickers gone~?

Tuners: SX chrome die-cast open-geared clovers. These get removed for neck work, then reassembled after the neck is reinstalled onto the body.

Truss Rod Cover: None

String Nut: SX plastic. . . . bleh . . . Replacing the nut will be a good move.
Bone is used for a traditional "mellow" tone, while material like Graph Tech TUSQ is a consistent graphite/platique product. The Graph Tech provides a medium to high tone. For a bell-like tone I usually advocate brass. Labor for doing the bone or brass nut will be $50.00 and includes the material. The Graph Tech requires an additional $10.00 for the part. However, when doing the nut work in accordance with the partial fretwork, the charge is a flat rate of $40.00 across the board for first timers. Nut Job: Underway . . . bone nut thinned to fit the slot . . .

Jim S: Sunday, February 21, 2010 10:58 PM : I would like the bone nut.

Strings: Jim initially wanted DR Black Beauties but that was then . . .
DR BB Gauges: .045", .065", .085", .105" and run $36 delivered at zZounds.
The Rotosound RS 66M - Medium Bass Strings run $22 delivered at zZounds.

Buzzard: Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Stock strings for most SX basses are usually lights: .040 to .90 . . . most replace. I have had my best results (opinion) with Rotosound RS66 Roundwounds on fretted SX basses, which have these String Diameters: .045 .065 .080 .105 . . . . and Rotosound RS77 flats for fretless. I find the Rotos have a tighter "feel" and this helps reduce slap and buzz which is A#1 in my book. But these existing "light" strings that are on the SX have gotta go~!

Jim S: Thursday, February 18, 2010 12:00 AM
So, first off, I want to replace the factory strings with DR black beauties - I like the idea of going with .045, .065, .080 and .105. Having those with black knobs and a black bridge would be a nice look. . . but sound comes over aesthetics. Now, I'm not completely sold on the Black Beauties, and I noticed you like the Rotosounds?? If the Rotosounds are the best of this bass, we can talk over that decision.

Buzzard: Thursday, February 18, 2010 1:20 PM
I've been mainly using Rotos since the early '70s and have tried others, including the DRs and many others, including the big-buck TI-Flats, but have always returned to the RS66 RWs or RS77 FWs for many reasons. I'm even known to run RWs on my fretlesses for a brighter tone. The black on the DRs looks good for about a month or if you want to hang the bass on the wall, forever. As far as tone, I find the DRs fail in comparison. As far as longevity, the Rotos have always won.

Jim S: Sunday, February 21, 2010 10:58 PM : I'll go with the Rotosound strings.

String Guide: The SX button is good for the D & G strings but the A remains a tad high for my personal taste. I suggest the Hipshot 3-String Retainer.

Jim S: Sunday, February 21, 2010 10:58 PM : I would like the Hipshot Retainer.

Setup: Haulted on Friday, March 5th due to unperceived electrical problem.
Completed Setup: March 7th, 2010

SX SJB Jazz Neck

� Fretboard R&R: Done

� Tuning Machines: SX

� Tuner Screws: Chrome

� String Guide: Hipshot 3

� Strings: RS 66M RW

� Nut Job: Bone

� Truss Rod Cover: No

� Setup: Intonation PLUS
Neck bending animation

Nut Job Underway

2 -|- 3 -|- 4 -|- 5
The nut still has final slot height adjustments to make. The strings are approx three thousandths higher than they will ultimately be upon setup completion. It's better to have extra meat than chance being too low and have to redo it~!

Neck Shot

I installed the strings using the button retainer while I
was waiting for the Hipshot
3-string guide to arrive~!

Without a 3-string retainer, the A usually always rattles around on top of the nut.

Well, here it is:
Hipshot 3-string retainer installed

Electronics: Passive . . . oh boy oh boy oh boy

Pre-Disassembly Inspection: Thursday, February 18, 2010 12:00 Noon:
Plugged her in, tuned her up, and this is what I did not like: the pickups rattle due to no padding and not being setup properly at the factory. They were basically too high to provide pressure on the springs. This is common with these basses due to the strings being set to high due to an improperly setup relief via the t-rod.

Cavities: Copper Shielding is a necessity in my book. This is about an hour to two hour job which I charge $50.00 to do. The rear of the pickguard also gets done.
Friday, February 19th: Applied copper foil shielding to the cavs and pickguard.

Jim S: Thursday, February 18, 2010 12:00 AM - Copper shielding for sure.

Pickups: SX P and J . . . Pickups do not produce sound . . . they process it.
I always recommend keeping these pickups. Of course there are pickups that are a definite upgrade, but I don't suggest simply going by someone elses opinion on what is the "best". It's all conjecture. I always suggest a person spend time with an existing set of pups and, in this way, should you decide to upgrade after a reasonable time period, then you have a basis to go by. IF you want to upgrade immediately, I suggest going for a brand of pickup that has a minimum of 10K ohms or higher output.

Jim S: Thursday, February 18, 2010 12:00 AM
I will be sticking with the stock pups for now, just as you recommended.

Control Plate Assembly: The Control Plate Assembly is $50.00 when coupled with other bass work, so you'll save at least 10 bucks here. Control Knobs are extra as there are so many choices. See my suggestion(s) below.

And by the way, if you price the cost of the Control Plate Assembly anywhere else on the planet you'll see that the price I charge is about one-half the price that I should charge . . . but I like to do the complete bass so I try to keep the prices as low as possible so folks gets the best deal possible. Most are lucky if they can afford a tuning, never mind the work I do on these basses.

Control Plate: SX plate should be drilled out to accept the 1/4" shaft of the CTS Control Pots . . . you know . . . these are what are the upgrades to the cheapo China pots. Drilling of the plate is included in the upgrade.

Wednesday, February 24th - Completed soldering of the wiring; installed pickup foam rubber pads; and took a photo. Here's a close-up of the harness after the pickups and pickguard were installed. Drilled out the control plate holes to 3/8" and installed the control harness and control plate assembly.

Control Pots: China-made mini metric V-V-T. Here's where I suggest a definite upgrade to a heavy-duty American pot that won't shit the bed 2 or 3 months down the road. This bass being for your son is not an excuse, it's a need for a more sturdy product. The stock pots that come with these basses will be junk in a short matter of time; the shaft are too easy to turn past their stop. And the output jack is also a weak point, lacking the ability to adequately hold the male end of the cord after about 6 months; then you'll be opening up the control plate to get at the jack to tweak and tighten.

� CTS Audio Taper Short Solid Shaft Control Pots
� Switchcraft 1/4" Mono Output Jack � Sprague OD .047�F Capacitor

Jim S: Thursday, February 18, 2010 12:00 AM
Your price of $50.00 for the Control Pots is very reasonable.

Buzzard: Thursday, February 18, 2010 - The $50.00 covers the drilling of the plate, the pots, the capacitor, the output jack, the wiring, and the soldering. You still need to choose which typoe of wire you would like. I'll keepo that simple by only providing three choices (see WIRING below). You also still need to choose the Contol Knobs/

Control Knobs: SX push-ons should be replaced with 3 knobs that'll mount onto the 1/4" solid shaft. Estimated at another $15.00 if you go with my suggestion for three Dome Top Control Knobs with Set Screw for USA SAE Shaft Pots to match the existing bass look. Or you could choose any control knobs you like, that's why I left this out of the price. You may want knobs with white pearl inlays, which I like alot, but they're 6mm and would have to be drilled out to go onto the 1/4" shaft . . . but at least you have something to ponder about.
Correction: the pearl inlay knobs are 6mm with a brass sleeve inside. The sleeve
is removable without drilling. Thank you Q-Parts. At least sombody is thinking~!

Jim S: Sunday, February 21, 2010 10:58 PM
I would like the knobs with the white pearl tops to match the pickguard.

Wiring: Included in the price of the Assembly. Three choices :

WBE 22awg PVC Covered Stranded Copper Wire
Vintage Cloth Covered 22awg Stranded Copper Wire
WBE PTFE 22awg Teflon High Temp Silver Plated Wire

Jim S: Sunday, February 21, 2010 10:58 PM : I'll go with the WBE 22awg PVC .

Electrical Problem: Upon installation of the control plate assembly I had some problems, namely there was little to no output. The pots were acting like linear tapers where the volume was only coming on at about half open throttle. After double-checking the wiring several times I began to think they were linear taper but in an audio taper pot case.

So I called my supplier and, after laughing a bit, told me "No way, man~! You musta done sumpthin' wrong" . . . okay . . . that's possible after a few hundred assemblies, I could be the culprit so I started from scratch by soldering up a new assembly. . . . again NFG . . . this time with no sound at all.

I then plugged her in with the assembly hanging off the side of the body and she worked great . . . Hhmmmnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn . . . I know what it is now . . . the first time the control pots were making a ground loop because one or all of them were touching the copper in the cavity, and this made the pots seem like linears. The second time it had to be a short to ground causing no sound. It didn't seem like a tight fit but I slithered some plastic tape around the pots and that fixed her. The alternative is/was to free-hand rout the cavity wider. At this stage of the game, fugedaboutit . . . the unit is solid, sounds great, and as long as everybody (Jim) leaves it alone . . . she'll be just fine.

Bottom Line: Once we hash things back and forth a few times, when we arrive at the portion you'll be paying, you will be paying by money order as I don't share my labor with any credit card company that dips deep into my money with their fees. All Parts and Labor are considered ONE in the service end of my business. I hope you'll appreciate what I will do for your bass. And I want you to know I appreciate your business.

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

Strap Buttons/Strap Locks: $$$???
OEM Deluxe 4-String Chrome Bridge: $25.00
Custom Hardwood Fingerboard Extension: $20,000.00

NECK

Bone String Nut Job: $40.00
Partial Fretjob with Final Setup: $150.00
Hipshot Chrome 3-String Retainer.: $12.00
Rotosound RS 66M RW - Medium Bass Strings: $22.00

ELECTRONICS

Shielded Cavities: $50.00
Control Plate Assembly: $50.00
3 Control Knobs with White Pearl Inlays: $24.00

EXTRAS - Accessories

Dr. Duck's Axwax: $7.00 ??????

SHIPPING

Lowest Price UPS Estimate: $30.00
Includes $400 Insurance

TOTAL: $453.00

Electronics

� Standard PJ Bass Wiring

� Pickups: SX PJ

� Copper Foil Shielding

� Pup Screws: Chrome

� Pup Springs: Yup

� Pup Pads: Rubber

� Control Plate: SX Chr

� Control Pots: CTS 250K

� Knobs: Chrome Dome

� Capacitor: OD .047�F

� Output Jack: Switchcraft

� Wire: WBE 22awg PVC

� Setup; Pickup Height

Three of these
Chrome Dome Knobs with White Pearl Inlay

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.

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