paul h

My first real bass....same colour and everything. In fact, seeing as I part ex'd it in a shop in West Brom it might even be the same bass! It had a lovely neck and I was fool to part with it. Paul.

Nice choice sir. Fairly awful timing on my part however. Due the the delivery of my latest bass I now have a spare box. And with a weeks holiday coming, I was going to bump my 614 for sale thread back up but with a postage option! The only reason I didn't want to post before is that with the shifts I work it's really hard for me to be available for a courier. But that's all in the past, it's time to put it behind us and move on! Enjoy the bass, if it's anything like mine it will be a good 'un! Paul H.

After a sticking a set of Roberts Growlers on it, and using a full 2mm neck shim I have got to say this thing is awesome. Possibly the second best playing bass I have ever owned (MTD Kingston please step forward!) Ok, so it's not perfect, it's a little bit buzzy here and there...but that's how I like it anyway! Here is a quick sound sample. I absolutely hate recording myself playing bass so apologies for the shortness/dirtyness/rubbishness but at least it shows what a stock SX can sound like. Slap part with both pickups on full, fingerstyle with bridge only. [attachment=10411:sxj_Rendered.mp3] I am not 100% sure what this has recorded like. I have monitoring issues with the LCD TV I use as a PC monitor. It seems to be loud enough with AVI files etc. but with anything I record myself I have to crank the volume right up to hear it. Oh btw Eude...I wholeheartedly recommend these, but it did need some serious fettling including wedging 2 x 1mm plectrums in the neck pocket as a shim. Saying that, my P didn't need anything like as drastic so it's all a matter of luck. Paul.

Duty bill is in! £32.47 So that means I have spent a grand total of somewhere around £170. Not bad methinks. Paul H.

I have a speakon to speakon you can have Fudge. I might be up there in a couple of weeks. I might not though. P.

I haven't had the customs bill yet but hoping it will be around the £40/£50 mark. It was about £26 for my $109.99 57 P. P. EDIT: Actually that's a lie. I am hoping it will in the £30/£40 mark. £50 seems a bit steep.

Tesco. From the Tesco Value "Tone" range. Paul H.

Nice looking bass. I like the split scratchplate thing going on! It looks like the 6 string represents pretty good value, just being 15 squid more than the 4. I would be tempted if I wasn't in the middle of trying to kick an SX habit. Maybe there should be some kind of BC review? P.

That looks the nuts mate! You must be chuffed...well done. Paul.

Frets are nicely finished...none of the sharp ends SX gets accused of. I won't know how good they are until I put the new strings on and complete the set up. The bridge is nice, it has open "J" channels so you don't have to feed the strings right through, just slip the ball end in. Here are a couple more pics. Still not the best, I am photographically challenged. I also apologise for the bass being dirty already! I have had my grubby hands over it none stop. It will get a nice polish off when the strings come off. You will see that the pole pieces don't line up with the strings properly. This seems to be a common problem with Sx's. I for one don't care! Paul.

A more pressing question for me would be how long before a UK distributor appears! Right, after a bit more time with the bass, I have decided it looks best with my white shirt. And don't pretend you don't do the same!!! Paul.

Got it! Not so good out of the box as my P...but a beautiful looking bass. It is in dire need of a set up and I have given the truss rod a quick tweak already. I will let that settle before I do anything drastic but I think it might need a neck shim. I will order some new strings for it and then sort it out properly. The only slightly annoying thing is that the SX scratchplate I ordered didn't actually fit. On closer inspection the original plate had been altered also. A few minutes with a craft knife and some sandpaper soon got it sorted out though. The neck is lovely. It could be mistaken for a Fender neck quite easily. It is somewhere between a P and a J and feels very comfortable. The body, believe it or not appears to be a single piece of ash with quite a nice grain. It sounds and plays terrible at the moment, but I can definitely hear a good bass in there somewhere. I just need to tease it out. This quick snap does not do it justice in anyway...it really is a stunning looking bass. [attachment=10063:SN850056.JPG] As soon as I get the duty bill I will let you know the total cost. Paul.

Would you believe Fedex tried to deliver it today while I was at work! Ordered Sunday, delivered Wednesday. That's quicker than most UK shops. I have arrange for it to be delivered to another address...hopefully tomorrow. There will be duty to pay, but they can't tell me how much yet. Paul.

It would have to be fully shielded too of course, that would probably cost a bit.

Mine will have to be sold off to pay for the spalted maple coffin with purple heartwood and ebony accent stripes, and mother of pearl inlays. P.

Only ordered it Sunday guys...I reckon it will be here Thursday or Friday if I am lucky with courier. Full report and final price once the dust settles. I hate waiting. P.

Hi Warpig, This is actually a new Ltd. version. The one pictured in my post above never came back in stock. Luckily they now do a black replacement pg! So I get the look I was after..plus the high mass bridge and improved tuners/fret job/pickups. P.

Why isn't it here yet??? Oh yeah, only ordered it yesterday. It will look a bit like this once I have the black plate on it. Nice innit?

1 gig = 100 rehearsals! There is nothing like a bit of fear to ingrain those songs! In my experience gigging songs regulary is the only way to get them tight. Too much rehearshal can be counterproductive and sap the all the energy out of your performance. When you write down your set list, write the chords next to the tracks. That will take a bit of the pressure off. Paul.

[quote]Paul......Wizards are great. But the stock PUPS were/are OK, bit too strong for my liking.[/quote] Hopefully the "improved" Ltd. pickups are not actually just "ruined". My stock P pickup is great. Loud and punchy. Just like me on a night out! [quote]BTW: great website & portfolio Paul H. Impressive stuff.[/quote] Ta muchly.

Bedroom player only I'm afraid so I can't say. I would be pretty confidant gigging with my SX P though if the need ever arose. P.

I bought two ES-175 copies off the Strativarius seller....top bloke to deal with. Great after sales service. The build quality is a bit ropey in places but they are both good, usable g*****s. I had a problem with the bridge on the first one I bought and he sent me out a replacement immediately. Paul.

Cheers guys. How are you getting on with the Wizards in your Sx's Neil? I am planning on keeping this one stock apart from the pickguard but I am curious. P.

Just "pulled the trigger" on this.... [url="http://www.rondomusic.com/sjb-75ltd3ts.html"]http://www.rondomusic.com/sjb-75ltd3ts.html[/url] and a black scratchplate to go with it. £140 plus whatever I get stung for by customs. Around £30/40 I imagine. The next 2-5 days will be hell! Paul.

I love RIM build diaries, Robbie does great work. If ever I manage to find a way to afford a custom bass, it will definitely be a RIM. He did a set up on one of my basses a few years ago and he is a good guy to deal with as well as a top luthier. My current fantasy is to have a 6 string and a matching short scale 3 string made by him! Of course some kind of lottery win will have to involved I'm afraid! Looking forward to this one. Paul.