What can a Fender do that my SX can't

[dougjwray]

Originally Posted by Eric Moesle

I own both an American Fender and an SX.

I gig the American Fender, but SOMETIMES will gig the SX as a backup, but in order to do so, I:

- swapped quality pickups in it, the SX pickups are a bit raw and unbalanced. I notice this, others might not...

- I sanded and refinished the back of the neck, it was very sticky feeling.

- I do a complete setup on every new bass I get, regardless of whether boutique or cheapie, they all need it after shipping. Also swap with quality strings, regardless...

- I did some fret leveling and recrowning on the SX. Out of the box it was serviceable, but there were definitely some high fret spots..... a few of them extreme that caused buzzing only on certain notes.

I have no qualms about gigging the SX, but despite all of this it still does not play our sound QUITE as good as my american fender . . . . though it does get pretty darn close. Also, the SX is MUCH heavier than my Fender.

I've noticed this... and I've actually considered seeking out used SX pickups, because I like them!

[BlackRiverBlues]

"I think the high end MIJ and MIA Fenders are really good- you are not going to put and SX up against and MIA Deluxe jazz 5.
There's truly nothing inspired about the MIC or MIM Fenders. I'd take a MIC SX over a Chinese Fender any day of the week! MIM? Depends on the specific instrument."

I recently purchased one of the Modern Player Jazz bass (MIC) and it far exceeds my MIM jazz, and the 80'z MIJ jazz. It has the best bridge i've seen on a fender. Great value, and great playability, with HUGE sound.

[mjac28]

[Clef_de_fa]

Originally Posted by SteveHeissner

I'm not a very good bassist so I need a Fender and a Gibson to compensate. If I were as good as, say, Victor Wooten, Steve Harris, or Geddy Lee I'd sound just fine playing an SX.

Well ... Steve and Geddy play Fender basses ... so you aren't too far hahaha

and if you where Victor ... you would play a 15000$ Fodera bass ... I mean, when you are as good as VW why use sub par tools ?

[TRichardsbass]

I'm gonna punt out here, but the OP's subject is "Is there anything a Fender can do that my SX can't?"

Of course not. And all of the arguments, including mine, are more about nuance, not function. They are both basses, they both make bass tones. it comes down to do you like the sound coming out of it.

What is cool about bass in general is that all the instruments sound fundamentally the same, so the differences or nuance is the fun. Aluminum necks ring like a piano, but still sound like basses. Alder bodies have different mids then ash, rosewood warms the sound more then maple, P pickups sound different then J pickups which sound different then humbuckers which sound different then vintage single coils which sound different then Alembic Fatboys, yada yada. But, in the end, we all know, just by hearing them, that they are bass guitars. Even with 7 strings, I can tell who the bass player is.

So, all basses do the same thing, just not in the same way, and not in the same style, and not the same visually.

[bassbully]

In my case tune up. Fenders can, all of my Squiers tuned great. I had 2 SX basses years ago and they had the worse tuners of any bass I have ever owned since then and today.

[BryanM]

Originally Posted by bassbully

In my case tune up. Fenders can, all of my Squiers tuned great. I had 2 SX basses years ago and they had the worse tuners of any bass I have ever owned since then and today.

I did have this problem with my old SX P bass and ended up putting a fretless fender jazz neck and tuners on it. That one's gone to a good friend and is her prized "first bass." The SX that I play now I've had for about 4 years and I've had it (in it's case of course) fall out of the van and land face down and still come out in perfect tune, and because it's so heavy it holds really well even despite temperature shifts from the van to the gig and back.

I think the people who said I like Fenders but not the price are spot on. I've mentioned I can't seem to find fenders I like in stores, but a lot of friends and colleagues have had Fender basses that feel fantastic to me. Soundwise I'm not going to see any difference that I can't achieve by swapping out pickups in the SX.

[seang15]

Originally Posted by bassbully

In my case tune up. Fenders can, all of my Squiers tuned great. I had 2 SX basses years ago and they had the worse tuners of any bass I have ever owned since then and today.

Change the nut. Fifteen bucks later, shazam! Bass tunes.

[seang15]

Originally Posted by TRichardsbass

I'm gonna punt out here, but the OP's subject is "Is there anything a Fender can do that my SX can't?"

Of course not. And all of the arguments, including mine, are more about nuance, not function. They are both basses, they both make bass tones. it comes down to do you like the sound coming out of it.

What is cool about bass in general is that all the instruments sound fundamentally the same, so the differences or nuance is the fun. Aluminum necks ring like a piano, but still sound like basses. Alder bodies have different mids then ash, rosewood warms the sound more then maple, P pickups sound different then J pickups which sound different then humbuckers which sound different then vintage single coils which sound different then Alembic Fatboys, yada yada. But, in the end, we all know, just by hearing them, that they are bass guitars. Even with 7 strings, I can tell who the bass player is.

So, all basses do the same thing, just not in the same way, and not in the same style, and not the same visually.

This.

[Stewie26]

Originally Posted by TRichardsbass

I'm gonna punt out here, but the OP's subject is "Is there anything a Fender can do that my SX can't?"

Mmmm....give you self esteem???

[tastybasslines]

Come on guys, we all know that SX is the best bass available and no one should play anything else...

[DwaynieAD]

my fender makes kick butt burritos, has a environmental engineering degree, and doubles as a boogie board.

[old mark]

I was looking at the different SX basses at Rondo the other day...They are made of better wood than a Fender, and IMO what you would be losing is re-sale value and prestige, not much else.

I played a Fender Telecaster Bass for many years starting in the 1970's, and I found that my old Peavey Foundation is a better player with as good or better neck and more variety of sounds.

Of course, the Fender costs about 5 times what I paid for that Peavey when I found it in a pawn shop...

I started playing in the early 60's and used a Danelectro Longhorn bass I bought used for $125...played that bass in bar bands till I bought the Tele in the early 70's.
I DON'T dislike Fenders or those who play them, but if a bass feels and sounds good to me, I'll play it...( I even played an Aria Pro II for a few years there...O M G !!!!)


mark

[dougjwray]

Originally Posted by Stewie26

Mmmm....give you self esteem???

I think we have a winner!

[BIGEJ2]

I'm hungry for steak. No reason to go to Morton's when the steak at Taco Bell is a lot less.

[Troph]

"What can a Toyota do that my Kia can't do?"

(No, I don't have a Kia, but I have driven a rental, and I won't be getting rid of my WRX to get one, even though both get you from point A to point B.)

[bassbully]

Originally Posted by seang15

Change the nut. Fifteen bucks later, shazam! Bass tunes.

MMMMMM....no its was the tuners that popped/slipped and did not work really at all (metal on metal) and they would not hardly turn or hold tune.

I was new to bass then and just got rid of them for Fenders...end of story.

[ransombass]

Originally Posted by BryanM

While I appreciate that approach, I'm primarily a working musician. Whatever I get will be going with me to smoky, dirty bars and clubs between one and four nights a week, spend time in it's case in a van and probably be beat to hell. I have a 1992 Gibson Les Paul that I do the same with and it's not winning any beauty pageants, so I don't look at my basses as investments insofar as resale value as much as return from use.

That said, I've disliked every American Fender I've ever played, but loved the feel of just about every Japanese Fender and a lot of the Mexican Fenders. I've just had it drummed into my head for a long time that $100-$200 instruments are backups and have no place on a pro stage and I can't for the life of me think of a reason why whenever I play my bass.

If you take a look at the vintage Fender market you will see that "beat to hell" instruments fetch as much if not more than mint instruments. Why? IMHO it's because an instrument that is "beat to hell" got that way because it plays and sounds great as well as being built well enough to stand the rigors of four nights a week bar gigs and long road trips in the back of the van. I own to two American P-Basses and they have never failed me, ever. I love them and so will my grand kids!

[Scott in Dallas]

I'd just like to point out that I deserve to be commended for refusing to read or thereby reply to any posts in this thread. I'm sure the obligatory popcorn posts that surely exist at the beginning of this thread will be disappointed.

[IzzyHag]

As an analogy, my wife feels that it is a waste of money for me to have expensive golf clubs instead of cheaper knockoff ones. For the record I own a Fender P and an SX Jazz. Both medium scale. I like them both. I prefer the Fender but that's because it's a P and not a J.