Yep..the new SX headstock

#121
Reo said:
I'm looking to get an exact copy of the one you picked up; hopefully when my end of year bonus comes through. Question for you (or anyone who is familiar with SX basses). I am not a "serious" player. I have had no lessons/training, I just play along to music by myself as I find it relaxes me. I currently have a cheapo Silvertone jazz bass that came in one of those starter packs, it's about 12 years old. Would the Ursa 1 in PBU be a noticeable step up in playability? My Silvertone requires pretty high action to get rid of fret buzz, doesn't hold it's tune on the E and A strings, etc. Is the Ursa 1 a bit better quality than what I've got? Thanks for any advice.
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I would expect it to be of much better quality, particularly in terms of action and holding tuning.
 
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#122
I just bought one of these Ursa 3's a couple of weeks ago (my first SX). I'm glad they went with this headstock design, I didn't care much for the previous one. Since I've been looking for a PJ I thought this might be a solid modding platform. As long as the weight wasn't too bad and if the neck and fretwork were decent then I was good with replacing everything else.

I got the vintage white with rosewood board. The bass arrived in good condition. It comes with a gig bag, but surprisingly they don't ship the bass in the gig bag. The gig bag is not very good at all, I can't see it lasting more than a few gigs before the zipper breaks. The bass sounded pretty good, the neck was straight, fretwork was better than I expected for a bass in this price range. The output from the pickups was rather weak...I had read before that some people thought the SX pickups were relatively hot sounding. Maybe they've changed pickups over the years, but I wasn't too impressed from the stock pickups. The strings also lacked definition and zing, but I did expect that.

I disassembled the bass after playing it for a few days. I sanded all the gloss off the neck, and sanded the back of the neck down some. This is one of the chunkiest P bass necks I have played. The rosewood fretboard was dry looking and needed some attention. I sanded the fretboard and buffed it with a polishing wheel. I used teak oil on the neck and fretboard...this made a huge difference in feel and appearance.

The stock tuners weren't that great, and one of them was loose at the clover. I replaced them with Hipshot ultralights. I also replaced the stock pickups with the EMG Geezer PJ set. I'll also likely replace the bridge with something a little nicer once I find what I want to go with. After sanding, polishing, and oiling the neck, new strings, new pickups, and new tuners...this bass is really nice! It's definitely a great platform for someone wanting to make a semi-custom bass. I also think it would be a good choice for a newer player, as it was certainly playable and useable right out of the box. The neck is usually a big factor to me for inexpensive basses...the neck on this is really good. No dead spots, no high frets, no sharp ends, and it appears to be pretty straight with no twists.
 
#123
blmeier7 said:
I just bought one of these Ursa 3's a couple of weeks ago (my first SX). I'm glad they went with this headstock design, I didn't care much for the previous one. Since I've been looking for a PJ I thought this might be a solid modding platform. As long as the weight wasn't too bad and if the neck and fretwork were decent then I was good with replacing everything else.

I got the vintage white with rosewood board. The bass arrived in good condition. It comes with a gig bag, but surprisingly they don't ship the bass in the gig bag. The gig bag is not very good at all, I can't see it lasting more than a few gigs before the zipper breaks. The bass sounded pretty good, the neck was straight, fretwork was better than I expected for a bass in this price range. The output from the pickups was rather weak...I had read before that some people thought the SX pickups were relatively hot sounding. Maybe they've changed pickups over the years, but I wasn't too impressed from the stock pickups. The strings also lacked definition and zing, but I did expect that.

I disassembled the bass after playing it for a few days. I sanded all the gloss off the neck, and sanded the back of the neck down some. This is one of the chunkiest P bass necks I have played. The rosewood fretboard was dry looking and needed some attention. I sanded the fretboard and buffed it with a polishing wheel. I used teak oil on the neck and fretboard...this made a huge difference in feel and appearance.

The stock tuners weren't that great, and one of them was loose at the clover. I replaced them with Hipshot ultralights. I also replaced the stock pickups with the EMG Geezer PJ set. I'll also likely replace the bridge with something a little nicer once I find what I want to go with. After sanding, polishing, and oiling the neck, new strings, new pickups, and new tuners...this bass is really nice! It's definitely a great platform for someone wanting to make a semi-custom bass. I also think it would be a good choice for a newer player, as it was certainly playable and useable right out of the box. The neck is usually a big factor to me for inexpensive basses...the neck on this is really good. No dead spots, no high frets, no sharp ends, and it appears to be pretty straight with no twists.
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I can't tell if you did or not, but rule number one in my book on evaluating SX pups is to change the strings first. There have been changes over the years and the pups before they started putting the magnet outside the shell (on the bottom) were my faves. I have replaced a few SX pups but l have quite a few stock SXes that I love, too.

But of course, different strokes for different folks.
 
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#124
blmeier7 said:
I just bought one of these Ursa 3's a couple of weeks ago (my first SX). I'm glad they went with this headstock design, I didn't care much for the previous one. Since I've been looking for a PJ I thought this might be a solid modding platform. As long as the weight wasn't too bad and if the neck and fretwork were decent then I was good with replacing everything else.

I got the vintage white with rosewood board. The bass arrived in good condition. It comes with a gig bag, but surprisingly they don't ship the bass in the gig bag. The gig bag is not very good at all, I can't see it lasting more than a few gigs before the zipper breaks. The bass sounded pretty good, the neck was straight, fretwork was better than I expected for a bass in this price range. The output from the pickups was rather weak...I had read before that some people thought the SX pickups were relatively hot sounding. Maybe they've changed pickups over the years, but I wasn't too impressed from the stock pickups. The strings also lacked definition and zing, but I did expect that.

I disassembled the bass after playing it for a few days. I sanded all the gloss off the neck, and sanded the back of the neck down some. This is one of the chunkiest P bass necks I have played. The rosewood fretboard was dry looking and needed some attention. I sanded the fretboard and buffed it with a polishing wheel. I used teak oil on the neck and fretboard...this made a huge difference in feel and appearance.

The stock tuners weren't that great, and one of them was loose at the clover. I replaced them with Hipshot ultralights. I also replaced the stock pickups with the EMG Geezer PJ set. I'll also likely replace the bridge with something a little nicer once I find what I want to go with. After sanding, polishing, and oiling the neck, new strings, new pickups, and new tuners...this bass is really nice! It's definitely a great platform for someone wanting to make a semi-custom bass. I also think it would be a good choice for a newer player, as it was certainly playable and useable right out of the box. The neck is usually a big factor to me for inexpensive basses...the neck on this is really good. No dead spots, no high frets, no sharp ends, and it appears to be pretty straight with no twists.
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Well, one of those YMMV thing I guess. My experience, and mind you was the Ursa 1 with the pointy headstock.

#1. Totally agree on the Rosewood fretboard. Quite dry. I use a bees wax / lemon oil furniture moisturizer I think they call it Amish oil or something like that. No sanding at all done on mine, but I did use a polishing wheel on my Dremel set to low speed to polish the finger board and frets although the frets didn't need it...
#2. The output from my P pickup is anything but low. It sounds exactly how I expect a P bass to sound. Not super impressed with the pots though. I have heard that SX not only changes pickups through the years, they sometimes seem to change pickup suppliers mid week it would appear. Don't ever count on great, but the quality / sound seems to range from good serviceable pickups, to get them out of this thing as soon as you can.
#3. The tuners on mine have been solid as a rock since day one, but the leave a LOT to be desired finish wise. They work great, look good, but feel funky.
#4. The setup, and fretwork were great right out of the box.
#5. The gig bag I agree, is marginal at best, although with reasonable care and handling has lasted now for about a year of frequent in / out zip, unzip etc... I don't expect it to provide much protection and it doesn't disappoint.
#6. I was concerned about the neck on my Ursa 1. Now, I absolutely LOVE it.
#7. I actually have the SX High Mass bridge that I bought for this, although the hole lineup isn't the same, so I have hesitated to upgrade. The bridge as basic as it is, has been very serviceable and reliable. No real complaints there...

Now I happen to actually like the Basswood body of my Ursa 1. I know basswood doesn't get a lot of love here, but hey, whatever...
So let's say I wanted to pick up the Ursa 3 basswood in RN 3TS.

That goes for $125.00 + S&H, and includes a body shape and build as well as a neck I am super comfortable with.

To that, if you get unlucky and get the dud tuners, upgrade to Hipshot Ultralite cloverleaf, I think they are the 1/2" tuners. $80.00 from Bassstringsonline.com
You don't like the bridge? Gotoh 201 in Chrome. $38.99 from Warmoth.
CTS 250K caps with orange drop cap. $25.00 Amazon.com (There are cheaper, but I would be concerned about fakes).
Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound PJ set. $135.00 (MANY outlets to get them at this price!).

Some time, effort, and you have a grand total of...
$403.99

Not exactly a low end price tag any more. BUT, you get the instrument you want, with MUCH higher end features than could be had with a higher end bass at a similar, or close price...

With my experience with my SXes though...

$125.00 + Shipping for the Ursa 3 RN 3TS assuming they still sell at that price.
Don't futz with the electronics until it needs it.
Keep the tuners dead stock, but use a Dremel, polishing wheel and polishing compound to make the edges of the tuners buttery smooth.
Change the strings. The OE strings are beyond awful. But that is almost all new instruments. Not going to count this into cost, because, well, you ought to change strings on any new to you instrument anyway...
I have no concerns whatsoever about the bridge. Literally none. All of my SX bridges do what they are supposed to, how they are supposed to.

So you have a grand total of... $125.00 + shipping, leaving funds left over for an $89.00 Gator GL Bass case, a tuner, and LOTS of beer.
 
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#126
ogiebb said:
just ordered this yesterday thank you....

anyone know which hipshot ultra lites tuners I need to order for this bass? Thanks !!!!
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Looks like a great bass, let us know what the weight is like. Getting an 11 lb bass would be my only concern, everything else looks great.

If the tuner holes are 9/16" like the Ursa 3's are then you'll need the 3/8" Hipshot Ultralights.
 
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#127
blmeier7 said:
Looks like a great bass, let us know what the weight is like. Getting an 11 lb bass would be my only concern, everything else looks great.

If the tuner holes are 9/16" like the Ursa 3's are then you'll need the 3/8" Hipshot Ultralights.
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Uh, isn't the sizing on the tuners the bore size (the hole through the headstock)? If so, then you would need the 1/2" size if the bore is 9/16 which is 1/16" over 1/2"...
 
#128
Big Hoss said:
Uh, isn't the sizing on the tuners the bore size (the hole through the headstock)? If so, then you would need the 1/2" size if the bore is 9/16 which is 1/16" over 1/2"...
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That's what I would have thought too. I had to do a little research myself because it was kind of confusing on which size I needed.

Best Bass Gear has this posted on their site:

A 3/8″ or 1/2″ Tuner?
September 26, 2012September 26, 2012 by Justin
So you’re looking to pick up a new tuning machine to install you bass, right? And so you’ve settle on some Ultralite tuners from Hipshot. Now the question is whether you need a 3/8″ or 1/2″ Tuner.

There’s nothing worse than picking up a great new piece of gear for your bass only to discover that you accidently got the wrong size.

So the first method to determine your sizing is remvoing the tuner currently installed on your bass, and measure the hole drilled into the headstock.

If the hole is 9/16″ in diameter you’ll need a 3/8″ tuner.

If the hole is 11/16″ in diameter you’ll need a 1/2″ tuner.

But maybe you aren’t quite ready to take your tuners off yet. That’s when you can use the second method, which is measuring the nut that secures the tuner to the headstock. Make sure you are measuring from one side of the nut to the other parallel side.

If the nut measures 9/16″ across you’ll need a 3/8″ tuner.

If the nut measures 3/4″ across you’ll need a 1/2″ tuner.
 
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#129
blmeier7 said:
That's what I would have thought too. I had to do a little research myself because it was kind of confusing on which size I needed.

Best Bass Gear has this posted on their site:

A 3/8″ or 1/2″ Tuner?
September 26, 2012September 26, 2012 by Justin
So you’re looking to pick up a new tuning machine to install you bass, right? And so you’ve settle on some Ultralite tuners from Hipshot. Now the question is whether you need a 3/8″ or 1/2″ Tuner.

There’s nothing worse than picking up a great new piece of gear for your bass only to discover that you accidently got the wrong size.

So the first method to determine your sizing is remvoing the tuner currently installed on your bass, and measure the hole drilled into the headstock.

If the hole is 9/16″ in diameter you’ll need a 3/8″ tuner.

If the hole is 11/16″ in diameter you’ll need a 1/2″ tuner.

But maybe you aren’t quite ready to take your tuners off yet. That’s when you can use the second method, which is measuring the nut that secures the tuner to the headstock. Make sure you are measuring from one side of the nut to the other parallel side.

If the nut measures 9/16″ across you’ll need a 3/8″ tuner.

If the nut measures 3/4″ across you’ll need a 1/2″ tuner.
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This is really good stuff. Changing or installing tuners can be a huge hassle. It's more than just the standard holes listed above because some holes aren't quite the same. This can pose a problem because larger tuners have a bushing that is pressed into headstock wood. If the hole is too large or the bushing too small it falls out and is loose. If the hole is too small or the bushing too large you can crack the headstock wood pressing it in. And the worst thing about all this is that few of the online sellers of tuners seem to think that accurate measurements of holes, bushing and the like is of any importance at all to the builder. Often they don't even say if it's larger or small holes. I guess the idea is that you are supposed to keep ordering parts until you finally happen on the right sizes. I remember trying to get tuners for an SX neck I had. The holes were just a tiny bit too small for any of the bushings I bought. I eventually needed to take precision reamers to the holes to get them to work right.
 
#130
Check out the 6 string! I just noticed this one. Looks sweet and only $170! :) Only comes in this finish currently. Would love to see it in ivory with a maple neck.
ursa2rn6aldbk1.jpg
 
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#133
Temcat said:
Holy whatever! I like it. Very well done with the new headstock.
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Different strokes for different folks, but I like the pointy 6 string headstock better than the new windblown one.

For 4 string Js, I agree, the pointy headstock doesn't really work. But the 6 string J is a different beast, and the different style headstock on it works, for me.

I'm curious to see how I'll feel about the new style headstock on the fiver.
 
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#139
Decided to install some old parts i have lying around on my SX Andromeda. will be replacing the PUPs to Aguilar HC's and use diff pots 250 with push pull parallel. while at it i just copper shield them as well

One of the tuners was damaged during shipping but Rondo sent a replacement right away. Still installing Hipshot Licensed HB6C 3/8 tuners and 3 string retainers to replace them. I was blown away how nice this bass felt right of the box I could have used the stock electronics out of the box but I had spare parts so hey this bass is worthy enough to throw money in it.
 

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#140
ERIC31 said:
I've just noticed this bass. Great shape and color. First thing I would do is yank off that hideous tort pickguard and send it to Tony at Pickguardian to make me a white pearloid one. Then it would be perfect! :)
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I was looking at that bass yesterday and thinking the same thing. The tort doesn't match. A white or pearloid pickguard would look much better with the inlays.
 
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