Soloshchenko Posted August 27, 2009 Share Posted August 27, 2009 Just ordered this off Rondomusic: I'm thinking off adding a Gold anodized plate as I'm not a huge fan of black/white combo. While I'm at it I may as well spruce up the bridge to a Gotoh 201 unless someone on here has a s/h badass II they want rid of! Should look like this: Any other suggestions? I'm kind of torn on the gold thing, maybe a mirror finish one or a black pearl might be better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul h Posted August 27, 2009 Share Posted August 27, 2009 I think the anodized would be very cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannybuoy Posted August 27, 2009 Share Posted August 27, 2009 I've got a Gotoh 201 in Cosmo Black I was about to list if you want it (although chrome or gold might be a better bet for that bass) also a tort scratchplate (although not sure if it'll for the SX, it's off a Fender). Replacing the nut is easy enough to do, and may give you better tone on the open strings and make tuning smoother and easier. If the pots are cheap you may find that they go scratchy pretty quickly, so you will probably want to upgrade those down the line. While you're under there you could also solder in a new pickup like a Wizard Thumper or something! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soloshchenko Posted August 27, 2009 Author Share Posted August 27, 2009 (edited) [quote name='dannybuoy' post='582741' date='Aug 27 2009, 06:38 PM']I've got a Gotoh 201 in Cosmo Black I was about to list if you want it (although chrome or gold might be a better bet for that bass) also a tort scratchplate (although not sure if it'll for the SX, it's off a Fender). Replacing the nut is easy enough to do, and may give you better tone on the open strings and make tuning smoother and easier. If the pots are cheap you may find that they go scratchy pretty quickly, so you will probably want to upgrade those down the line. While you're under there you could also solder in a new pickup like a Wizard Thumper or something![/quote] Shame it's black mate, I'd of definately taken the Gotoh off your hands. Heard a few negative reports about the volume pots. I've wired guitars but never a bass, am I right in assuming you need 500k pots? I'll test drive the PU and nut at band pratice and see how they hold up, the pickups are meant to be fairly good generally. How do Wizards compare to Fender custom/Seymour Duncan PUs? On Axesrus they have a Fender custon PU for £55 delivered which Ihave my eye on. Edited August 27, 2009 by Soloshchenko Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannybuoy Posted August 27, 2009 Share Posted August 27, 2009 Not too sure on the differences between PUPs... The Wizard Thumper is supposedly loud, 'earthy' and 'dark', the Seymour Duncan 1/4lb is loud, more bass and treble and good for hard rock, the Fender will probably be a replica of the classic designs. I think Fender use 250k pots but you can use 500k for a brighter sound and some pickup manufacturers recommend one or the other. Oh and the 'Cosmos Black' is more of a dark smoky chrome than black if it makes any difference! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soloshchenko Posted September 7, 2009 Author Share Posted September 7, 2009 Thought I would provide an update. Bass was delivered the other day and how did it sound? I couldn't tell. They may as well have put elastic bands on the thing. Truly awful strings. Very sturdy neck, in fact it;s huge with a really big head stock. Feels like a lot of bass for £115. One moan is that the bass wasn't grounded properly (in fact that's inexcusable for a "beginner" bass in my opinion) although as I had intended to gut the thing and rewire it isn't much of a problem for me. In comparison to my Mexican jazz, it feels of a similar quality although "out of the box" the MIM is a clear cut above. I remember using the MIM to audition for my current band the day after it was delievered with a minimum of adjustments. I don't think I could have done as well with the SX, particularly with the grounding issue. Also, changing the pickguard has been, for such a simple job, a bit of a pain. Quite a bit of neck/p[ickup route adjustment is needed but it does look great now it's ready. I certainly feel I've got a bloody good deal for very little money so far but the proof will be during band rehearsal/gigs which I hope to test drive in the coming weeks. Should be rewiring some point this week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musky Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 [quote name='Soloshchenko' post='592369' date='Sep 7 2009, 07:22 PM']Thought I would provide an update. Bass was delivered the other day and how did it sound? I couldn't tell. They may as well have put elastic bands on the thing. Truly awful strings. Very sturdy neck, in fact it;s huge with a really big head stock. Feels like a lot of bass for £115. One moan is that the bass wasn't grounded properly (in fact that's inexcusable for a "beginner" bass in my opinion) although as I had intended to gut the thing and rewire it isn't much of a problem for me. In comparison to my Mexican jazz, it feels of a similar quality although "out of the box" the MIM is a clear cut above. I remember using the MIM to audition for my current band the day after it was delievered with a minimum of adjustments. I don't think I could have done as well with the SX, particularly with the grounding issue. Also, changing the pickguard has been, for such a simple job, a bit of a pain. Quite a bit of neck/p[ickup route adjustment is needed but it does look great now it's ready. I certainly feel I've got a bloody good deal for very little money so far but the proof will be during band rehearsal/gigs which I hope to test drive in the coming weeks. Should be rewiring some point this week.[/quote] £115? Was that the final cost with p+p, or was there any tax on top? I think you've got a very good deal if customs have screwed up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrcrow Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 [quote name='Soloshchenko' post='582637' date='Aug 27 2009, 04:49 PM']Just ordered this off Rondomusic: I'm thinking off adding a Gold anodized plate as I'm not a huge fan of black/white combo. While I'm at it I may as well spruce up the bridge to a Gotoh 201 unless someone on here has a s/h badass II they want rid of! Should look like this: Any other suggestions? I'm kind of torn on the gold thing, maybe a mirror finish one or a black pearl might be better.[/quote] what does it sound like...as it is i may buy one ...dont mind a pup switch but anything else ....maybe a badass II Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soloshchenko Posted September 7, 2009 Author Share Posted September 7, 2009 [quote name='Musky' post='592385' date='Sep 7 2009, 07:35 PM']£115? Was that the final cost with p+p, or was there any tax on top? I think you've got a very good deal if customs have screwed up. [/quote] $187 delivered so just under £115 but I'm fairly sure that is without tax or duty or whatever so I'll probabaly get invoiced for that soon. I'll let you know. MrCrow: The actual sound is excellent when I changed the strings. The pickup certainly isn't getting changed as it sounds very good quality. The only reason I didn't like it stock is because there is a problem with the grounding wire (think it is the connection between the bridge and the wire_) I'm not sure how common this is, not heard it mentioned but a lot of people on Talkbass have said they have re wired theres and as it's something I fancied doing anyway it's not problem to me. All things considered I would recommend this to any UK bass players. Without getting into the rather dull talkbass argument of whether they are better than MIM fender, you're getting a very good bass that (in most cases) will just need a set up/re string. Badass would be great, a bit pricey for a budget project though. The original bridge is actually very good though (better than on my MIM jazz which actually NEEDED changing). Might still go Gotoh 201 depending on how much I use the bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassix Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 Sweet, I've been considering this for a little while and the choice from the Ebay Belgium shop is limited to say the least.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutToPlayJazz Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 As said above, the anodized gold looks really good. Go for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soloshchenko Posted September 8, 2009 Author Share Posted September 8, 2009 Cheers mate, it's already been purchased and cut to shape. SX and Fender dimensions are VERY different. Just need a few spare hours to get the electronics sorted this week and I'm done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SickPuppy Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 (edited) Mines in the workshop in the garage at the moment, sanded down the neck and gave it a more realistic glossing, and spray painted the pickguard black, and replaced the bridge and nut. You'll love it, its a nice sterdy bass and Ill go out on a limb and say its up there or slightly better than a Fender MIM, IMO of course. Edited September 8, 2009 by SickPuppy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdwardMarlowe Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 [quote name='Soloshchenko' post='592543' date='Sep 7 2009, 11:06 PM']$187 delivered so just under £115 but I'm fairly sure that is without tax or duty or whatever so I'll probabaly get invoiced for that soon. I'll let you know.[/quote] Tax works like this: they'll charge you VAT on the total price (including the shipping, which annoys me), then on top of that total you'll pay 4.5% import tax. You also have to watch out for the fact that often they take the dollar figure - in this case the 187 - and treat that as if it was [i]pounds[/i] in calculating the tax. Worth challenging, I think, if they do that. You could just be lucky, though - I've seen it happen. Any time I've had to pay duty before, Parcelforce have paid it all upfront, and then they won't hand over to me before I pay out for the cost (including, of course, some rip-off "handling fee" of about £15). That they haven't charged you this and you have it to hand means you may have been lucky - customs don't pick up just everything. Maybe the folks at Rondo er, wrote something on the package which, you know, led customs to think it was a gift orf commercial sample or other non taxable? not that I'd ever suggest an upstanding company would do anything naughty like that. Happens occasionally, though! Looks like a really nice bass.... have to admit, I'd bed tempted if they do a lefty. I really love the look of the Squier CV P Bass, but no dice on the left handed front, alas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soloshchenko Posted September 10, 2009 Author Share Posted September 10, 2009 Well got the duty invoice today for £16.80! I'm made up, this bass has cost me £130 stock! That's brilliant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tischbein Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 I´d keep the strings and throw everything else away... Just kiddin´. Pimp the hell outta it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musky Posted September 11, 2009 Share Posted September 11, 2009 [quote name='Soloshchenko' post='594905' date='Sep 10 2009, 05:06 PM']Well got the duty invoice today for £16.80! I'm made up, this bass has cost me £130 stock! That's brilliant.[/quote] £16.80! That's a result - their calculator must have been on the fritz that day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdwardMarlowe Posted September 11, 2009 Share Posted September 11, 2009 [quote name='Soloshchenko' post='594905' date='Sep 10 2009, 05:06 PM']Well got the duty invoice today for £16.80! I'm made up, this bass has cost me £130 stock! That's brilliant.[/quote] Score! That's a superb price, makes it even more tempting.... It's the maple board that really does it for me, as I don't remember the last time I saw a bass at that entry-price-point that had anything other than rosewood... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickH Posted September 12, 2009 Share Posted September 12, 2009 [quote]How do Wizards compare to Fender custom/Seymour Duncan PUs? On Axesrus they have a Fender custon PU for £55 delivered which Ihave my eye on.[/quote] I'm a sucker for Seymour Duncan pickups. There's a lot of variety, they're good value for money, easy to obtain and the sound is always good. The best bit is that it's one of the most searched-for names on eBay, so if you want to try something and don't like it they're very easy to move on again to minimise your loss Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted September 16, 2009 Share Posted September 16, 2009 [quote name='EdwardMarlowe' post='594810' date='Sep 10 2009, 03:34 PM']have to admit, I'd bed tempted if they do a lefty.[/quote] Be careful what you wish for [url="http://www.rondomusic.com/BassLeft.html"]Rondo Basses Left Handed page [/url] Did you screen the cavity? Worth the effort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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