>> Workshop >> Sarah's SX Ursa 4 JR MN 3TS 4-String Jaguar Bass Project front view -|- view two -|- rear view -|- body view 2-17-11: Sarah bought this SX Ursa 4 JR MN Jaguar bass at Rondo Music. UPS Tracking from Rondo: 1Z03A36A0340904601 shows no sign of shipment as of 2PM on 2-18-11 . . . Update 2-19-11: 9PM Scheduled Delivery: Thursday, 02-24-2011, By End of Day Bass Arrived Thursday, 02-24-2011 at 3:20 P.M. ~ Body Work completed by noon on 2-25-11 Bass completed Saturday ~ Shipped UPS on Monday 2-28-11 ~ UPS: 1Z2002W60311893653 March 06, 2011 7:57 PM :

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SX Jaguar Body     Disassembled: Front View - Rear View - Done Body Species & Finish: Alder with 3-Tone Sunburst finish. Body Inspection: Did you know that I may even send your bass back to Rondo if I don't like what I see? Photos will be made available for you to make decisons. I haven't even received the bass and already I do not like what I'm seeing from the existing photo up top. See the control plate~? What's different about that control plate where it meets the pickguard than SX Jags of the past~?????????? There's a page here that might help with the visuals: check out the bass there. Don't like fun? Okay . . . here's the point . . . back when these basses were called SX SJMB. All SX control plates "used to be" had pointed control plates. NOW, I see they no longer use them and the Fender plate is too floggin' big for that area. The thing looks like crapola~! Bass Arrived: 2-24-11 - This photo shows the bass in the box immediately upon opening it (bass baggie removed). Initial testing of the electronics was okay, not that it matters as I'm replacing them, but I wanted to show this photo showing the oddballish factory setup. This Fender Jazz bass control plate fits better. Body Disassembly: 2-24-11 - Removed the Neck to find what is usually in the pocket from the factory: clumpy morphis AKA pocket debris. HOW TF can a company install a neck and send out a bass this messed up~? These freakin' Chinaboys are laughing all the way to the bank and who's reading my pages~!? I wonder how many clowns are sending their SX basses out to have the local meatball set up the bass in this condition. Nothing like paying meatballs your hard earned cash only to waste it by not disassembling and doing all the work that I do. If this shit wasn't necessary, trust me, I wouldn't either. STFU. Get back to work: Cavities: See Copper Foil Shielding Pickguard: Short scale SX Jag Tortoise. Shielded rear of pickguard. Compared the size of the shorty to the full size PG for shits'n'giggles. After reinstalling the pickguard I noticed one of the best fits surrounding a pickup which shocked me. Maybe they got lucky at the factory. It's near perfect~! Finger/Thumb Rests: No   Also see Fboard Extension Bridge: Replaced SX 7-hole bridge with OEM Deluxe - Chrome. Bridge/Pickup Covers: No Strap Buttons/Locks: Replaced Buttons with Grover Strap Locks - Chrome Electronics:   Passive     Guaranteed for Life Pickups: Stock Jazz bass - padded with high density foam for stability. Cavity Shielding: Shielded the cavities. Control Plate: Replaced SX "Fender" plate with a Fender control plate. Control Pots: Three CTS 250KA Short Solid Shaft Capacitor: Sprague Orange Drop Capacitor - .047µF 225P/100V Series Wiring: Diagram Wire: 22awg High Temp PTFE Teflon Silver Plated Stranded Copper Output Jack: Switchcraft - Mono with short threaded bushing. Controls: Volume - Volume - Tone Control Harness: 2-18-11: Completed harness. Side view - Other Side. Control Plate Assembly: Drilled out pot holes for the harness and installed. Closeup photo #1 shows enough wire leads to allow removal without touching and scratching the body. Photo #2 shows what I should have noticed ahead of time ~ my error ~ the assembly is too large for the cavity . . . whoooops~! It's a good thing the wire leads are long enough to be able to remove the assembly without desoldering it. NOW you see why. Enlarging the cavity photos: 1 - 2 - 3 Finally showing the control plate assembly installed and ready for knobbage. Control Knobs: bakelite Jazz bass knobs with set screws for solid shaft pots. SX Ursa SS Neck - 4-String Maple/Maple     30" Scale Without a doubt the most important part of any bass . . . and the most negleted by know-it-alls who think because it LOOKS like a neck it will act like a neck~! Disassembly & Inspection: 2-24-11 - Tuner bushing-posts were all loose, not even finger tight so, on the bright side, I only needed a screwdriver to remove them from the headstock. Disassempled Neck: Front View - Rear View Headstock: SX Ursa - Front View - Rear View Tuning Machines: Removed, disassembled, lubed, reassembled and reinstalled. Note: Upon disassembly I found the nuts were all loose, not even finger tight~! Truss Rod Cover: None Partial Fret Job: with Final Setup ~ WHY is it a fret job when not installing frets? That's a question I get a lot and here's the answer: All factory assembly line basses are a "hit or miss" deal where most come out looking like they're in great shape, ready to play. But are they? Sure, the frets look great and they should because they're brand new off the roll. But there are variations in fret height and fret end length that leaves a lot to be desired, making the Final Setup impossible. Did you read about the debris left in the neck pocket by the assemblers~? Neck Jig: I do not show my proprietary neck jig due to various reasons, but the partial fret job procedure, in short, goes like this . . . with the neck and it's components removed it's installed in the jig and adjusted so the Fboard can be made perfectly level AND square. SQUARE~? What's that~? It's the job of the dial indicators of the jig to show if and where there are any twists in the neck not easily seen by the eye. There's always some and it's up to me to correct this before going any further with the bass. This is the FIRST thing I do when I receive the bass. If the neck is not within MY specifications then the whole bass is returned for exchange. All wood has a natural twist and bow; my jig ascertains whether it's acceptable or not. If so, I move on to inspecting every fret . . . Fret Size: .110" wide x .057" high Sometimes there are loose frets that have to be removed and replaced. This neck was actually in great shape where none of them had to be removed, but there were 16 fret ends that had to be pressed down within +/- .002" specification. After each fret is brought within specs with each other by filing and recrowning it's time to make sure the Fret Ends aren't going to rip your fingers to shreds . . . Fret Ends: Flush 30° Trimming OR Radiusing AKA Edge Rolling~? Flush trimming of the fret ends is the standard treatment while radiusing (rolling) the ends leaves a very comfortable more rounded fingerboard and fret end edge. Rolling involves about 4 more hours by hand rounding out the fingerboard and frets to a point that's about double that of simple fret edge dressing. This is an additional $50.00 labor but is money well spent because a regular fret end job typically leaves the feeling of the frets which slows your fretting hand down like speed bumps and a rolled Fboard is like stroking your . . uh . . it's smooth as silk. Fret Finishing involves polishing and buffing before and after the removal of a ton of tape that was layered onto the Fboard for protection prior to starting this endeavor. Many people are under the impression that polishing is a liquid jism smeared where you want shit to shine . . . WRONG . . . Polish is an abrasive used to remove scratches and Buffing is ALSO an abrasive process . . . a process that moves through ever finer grains until the surface arrives at the desired shiny perfection, like a floor you can eat off~! Neck Deglossing is a desirable option that breaks down the rear surface of the neck so that gooey looking finish doesn't snag and slow down your hand while doing what the bass was designed for . . . ease of playing. There is no charge for this. It takes about 5 minutes with a worn, non-new, Scotch-brite green pad. The surface is lightly gone over; it's not meant to remove any finish depth. You just want it to not be a sticky neck . . . and again, it's a choice for those of us that don't just hang the bass on the wall to look at. It makes your brand new bass look back at you like an old friend . . . not an old lover . . . an old   F R I E N D Fretboard Finish: Sealed with Dr. Duck's AxWax Dr. Duck's is a cleaner sealer application. I use this on my basses. On everything, body, hardware, neck, strings. If your board is to remain uncoated (poly or epoxy) there is no charge for this unless you buy a bottle, which I recommend, and is $7.00 Fboard Extension: Also known by the name "ramps" originated by Gary Willis. These can be either a short and thin piece similar to the thumb rest, only lower. A full extension would go completely under all strings and tend to make it easier to play the strings using a lighter touch. A narrow extension is cool when you want a low thumb rest to run from the end of your fboard to the neck pickup. It runs parallel to and in line with the fboard edge. An example of a narrow extension is here while an excellent description of "ramps" is on Bryan Tyler's site. String Nut: White Bone. Slot sizes: .045", .060", .085", .100" Oboy . . . here we go again . . . take a look at this piece of garbage I removed from the bass. The bottom of the slot is flat yet the factory meatheads provided an essentially non-working piece of hollow plastic. That's the number one reason for removal of plastic nuts. They should be banned from the market and meatballs should be fired. I regress however because, if it weren't for shoddy workmanship, I would be building things I may not enjoy as much. Needless to talk about again, nor show any more photos of really, is the nut making procedure other than the following blurry one showing the flat bottomed nut made to rest firmly to the sides and bottom of the FLAT bottomed nut slot: enjoy if you can. And the only other photo I have of the finished nut is blurry too, but it's beautiful, sexy, and works. BONUS: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh . . . another freebie . . . SEE the photos of the neck on the right? Well, take a look up top again at what the factory sent for a finished fretboard end. What is it~? It's an unfinished fretboard, that's what~!!   It's as straight and unsexy looking as it gets. I'd say it sticks out like a sore thumb but a thumb is rounded, NOT SQUARE. Squared off wood does not belong on a bass guitar when every other surface edge is rounded. YOU decide . . . which do you prefer . . . what the factory sent or what I made from it . . . ? ? ? ? ? ? Strings: D'Addarrio????   They're not what's typically provided. Actual string diameters: .045", .060", .085", .100" Ran into a slight mishap with the D string whilst prestretching . . . she popped at the bridge and had to replace it with the only one I had handy; a used one from my ol' short scale Hamer Slammer. You can see it in the photo at the top. Remember to stay with these diameter strings. .045", .060", .085", .100" ANY CHANGE and you'll have to have the truss rod reset because any change in string tension will alter the pressure on the truss rod. Also, temperature changes will affect the strings and truss rod setting. HOPEFULLY you won't have to do anything with the bass once you get it due to temps. If you have any trouble you may have to pay someone or start learning yourself. It's relatively simple to change strings and maintain truss rod and bridge saddle settings. Contact me if you need help. String Guide: Replaced button with a Hipshot 3-String Retainer - Chrome Special Setup Specs: Requests by customers for ultra-low action is typical . . . However, one must take into consideration the action intended . . . as in with your style of playing; how do you intend to play this bass? Do you jam hard? Play smooth jazz? These things help determine how low we can go. How do I go about this when a customer doen't provide this input? I set everything to its lowest point and begin to raise the saddles until the string stop buzzing at the end of the board and then I raise them more to provide a "moderately low" action which also allows some "digging" in while jamming. Setting action "as low as it can go" is not something that works for all styles, but can be set there and YOU can raise the saddles to your own liking. I would like a low action set up for easy playability. ~ Sarah One thing about short scale basses that I always looked at as a detriment to playability is the low string tension that interferes with the ability to get the strings as low as a 34" scale bass. They're just too floppy in general. Like everything else it will take some time to get accustomed to the bass. Every bass is different, even two identical looking ones. In a short time you'll get an idea of where it lacks and the directions you might take to hopefully make improvements. Experimentation with strings might help the tension issue for example . . . . but in the long run many who think they need a shorty gravitate to longer scales . . . and many who think they can have everything coming from only one bass will soon learn why MANY or most us players have in excess of 10 basses. Each and every bass guitar has a character all it's own. Understand it. Deal with it. I'll be here for this bass and your next ten~! 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 Grover Strap Locks: Chrome freebie: $00.00 OEM Deluxe Bridge - Chrome: $20.00 NECK Partial Fretjob & Setup: $150.00 White Bone Nut Job: $50.00 Hipshot 3-String Retainer with Installation: $20.00 ELECTRONICS Control Harness Assembly: $50.00 Copper Foil Shielding: $50.00 Jazz Bass Knobs with set screws: $5.00 ACCESSORIES Dr. Duck's AxWax: ? No Big Bends Microfiber Cloth: ? No Grover Instrument Cable: ? No SHIPPING to New York $25.00 Includes $500 Insurance SUB-Total: $370.00 BUDGET payments require a minimum of $100 upfront on any postponed bass work. I can work with budgets but this forces me to charge higher for the additional time. In order to save yourself the additional 10% charge, payment must be made in full. Minimum Deposit Due ASAP: $100.00 Budget Fee 10%: $37.00 No Budget Fee: PAID in FULL: $370.00 To Everyone: Payment by Personal Check is unacceptable unless I tell you. EXTRAS: Unforeseen issues that pop up after the initial payment is made. None

Project Parts and Labor Checklist SX Ursa Jag Body • Body Disassembly • Body Reassembly • Finish: Dr. Duck's • Bridge: OEM DLX • Bridge: R&R • Bridge Cover: No • Pickup Cover: No • Pickguard: Tort • PG Screws: Chrome • Finger Rest: No • Thumb Rest: No • Strap Buttons: No • Strap Locks: Grover Electronics • Standard Jazz Wiring • Copper Foil Shielding • Pickups: SX Jazz • Pup Screws: 8 Chrome • Pup Pads: No Springs • Control Plate: Fender • Control Pots: 3 CTS • Control Knobs: Jazz • Capacitor: OD .047µF • Output Jack: Switchcraft • Harness: Jazz bass • Pickups: Setup/Output SX Ursa SS Neck • Headstock: SX Ursa • Neck Disassembly • Truss Rod Cover: No • Fboard: R&R • FB Finish: AxWax • FB Edge Roll: No • FB Extension: No • Fret Size: .110 x .057 • Frets: R&R 3 • Nut R&R: Bone - White • Tuners: R&R • Tuner Screws: R&R • String Guide: Hipshot • Strings: D'Addario: ? Want to see a much larger photo of the finished neck? I would have already put access to it but Sarah chose not to have the fretboard and fret ends ROLLED so it's your basic boring neck to look at. Oh, it's still LEAPS forward from what was sent from the factory, but not worth a HUGE photo unless I could show off the rolled surfaces so you could go ahhhhhhhhhhhh~! I rolled some edges over here though~!

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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.

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