What can a Fender do that my SX can't

[Munjibunga]

Originally Posted by dougjwray

Excellent points, but I must reiterate: My SX P-Bass copies have pickups and a neck shape that are somewhat different from any off-the-shelf Fenders, and I like them for what they are. It might have been a accident, but yes-- the builders came up with a different animal. And I like it. Now, why would I pay the Fender Custom Shop lots of money to try to recreate this bass when I can spend $99 (plus shipping) at Rondo Music and have one delivered to my door in a day or so? Of course, the QC will be better at the Fender Custom Shop. And the logo will be cooler. But I've had GOOD ENOUGH luck with the SXs I've purchased (batting .1000 on the necks, and every other component is perfectly good), and, frankly, I don't care about the logo.

Sounds to me like the SX is the bass for you. It is for many other people, too. That's how they stay in business. As I said, I have no issues with SX basses. But they're not for me and they're not for lots of other people. As someone once said, "Why don't we all play Carvins?"

[Munjibunga]

Originally Posted by nostatic

I'm confused by talk of "investments" and resale price being better for Fender. Assuming that someone buys a new Fender (of any type), if they turned around and sold it the next day they'd be looking at getting 50-75% of their "investment" back. An SX might be the same, but when you consider the original purchase amount, the argument of the Fender having "better resale" is pretty weak.

Example - buy a new Am Std. P for $1200. Sell for $800 (pretty typical prices). That is a 33% depreciation. Buy a new SX for $120 and sell for $80. Same percent depreciation. But in one case you lost $40 (SX) and in the other case you lost $400 (Fender). So the the resale argument is a red herring.

If you're willing to wait 30-40 years until someone considers your Fender "vintage" then it might be worth more than you paid for it.

This reminds me of when Captain Kirk used his overwhelming logic to cause Landru to go into overload and explode.

[dougjwray]

Originally Posted by Munjibunga

Sounds to me like the SX is the bass for you. It is for many other people, too. That's how they stay in business. As I said, I have no issues with SX basses. But they're not for me and they're not for lots of other people. As someone once said, "Why don't we all play Carvins?"

I agree.
I really should also mention that I love Fenders, too. I have two spectacular MIMs: a 2005 P and a 2002 J, and I also have a wonderful '71 P, which I bought used in '76.
I just like to have different sounds and feels at my disposal, for different situations. For example, the MIM J has been great in jazz and singer/songwriter situations, the MIM P is perfect for Southern rock/classic rock and my SX Ps have been great in grunge/metal situations.
Now, I subscribe to the philosophy that pretty much any bass can be used for anything (there is no fabled "bass for metal"); but I do enjoy having a choice of different feeling and sounding instruments.

[dougjwray]

Originally Posted by Munjibunga

This reminds me of when Captain Kirk used his overwhelming logic to cause Landru to go into overload and explode.

Are you thinking of Nomad?

[mongo2]

Originally Posted by dougjwray

Are you thinking of Nomad?

Sterilize...sterilize imperfection...sterilize...

[dougjwray]

Originally Posted by mongo2

Sterilize...sterilize imperfection...sterilize...

Every single time I pull something like a computer or other electrical device out of its cardboard box, and encounter those molded, white styrofoam things that cushion it, they remind me of the clamps that Kirk and Spock used to hustle Nomad to the transporter.
(I know, I know... too much Star Trek for me...)

[Zoomie]

Originally Posted by BIGEJ2

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

I have sat here and read through post after post besmirching my beloved Fenders. And I have taken it like a man.

Now, F around and say something about Morton's and I'll put my foot square in your SX !

Best meal that I have ever had. Second most expensive meal that I ever had. Worth every penny...........kind of like some (but not all) basses.

Did that sound (Fender) snobbish? It was meant to be.

Everybody Dance !

Seriously, I don't know why people continue to post threads about taking an economy instrument and attempting to justify that's it's just as good as a higher priced bass. Play what you love and give everyone else the finger !

[VWbug08']

Originally Posted by nostatic

I'm confused by talk of "investments" and resale price being better for Fender. Assuming that someone buys a new Fender (of any type), if they turned around and sold it the next day they'd be looking at getting 50-75% of their "investment" back. An SX might be the same, but when you consider the original purchase amount, the argument of the Fender having "better resale" is pretty weak.

Example - buy a new Am Std. P for $1200. Sell for $800 (pretty typical prices). That is a 33% depreciation. Buy a new SX for $120 and sell for $80. Same percent depreciation. But in one case you lost $40 (SX) and in the other case you lost $400 (Fender). So the the resale argument is a red herring.

If you're willing to wait 30-40 years until someone considers your Fender "vintage" then it might be worth more than you paid for it.

I had wondered this too over the years........


* Play whatever you like and feels good and inspires you.

[NKUSigEp]

What can a Fender do that your SX can't?

Appreciate in value after 30 years.

...I like my SX though. A lot.

[NKUSigEp]

Originally Posted by Munjibunga

...As someone once said, "Why don't we all play Carvins?"

Because they are that in which we are disappoint!

[NCD]

I just finished shimming the neck on my SX last night to correct an action issue down by the body (way to high) that was caused by the neck being angled forward. One full setup later, here's the result:

It plays better than anything I've played in any music store, in four states.

- I don't press the string to the fret, I just touch the string gently at any fret and get a clean note.

- Before the shim I had to pluck the strings with authority. Now I can brush them with just enough pressure to wipe dust away and get a soft, sustained note.

- The sustain is sick, in a good way.

- Intonation is spot on perfect, to the cent.

Only custom made basses are perfect when you first get them, that's part of the price. But if you put a couple hours of effort into a Rondo to ensure the neck is at the right height and angle, then set her up, you'll have a bass that plays like silky butter.

Anything else is just a name... If you were to put a MIA Fender in a gun safe as an investment, you're investing in the name not the bass. Everything else is about feel and sound.

[bassbully]

Might have been already said but the Fender will have/hold value the SX..nope!

[awilkie84]

Originally Posted by bassbully

Might have been already said but the Fender will have/hold value the SX..nope!

This only holds true if you wait an absurd amount of time. Most Fenders, right out the gate, lose about 30% of their value after sale.

30-40 years from now? Sure! There's a reason why a $1200 MIA goes for $800ish used, and a $500 MIM goes for around $200.

Your argument, sir, is invalid.

The SX, you pay $1-200. The resale value on this will be anywhere from $80-180, ALWAYS. That, my friend, is holding value without breaking the banks.

[bassbully]

Originally Posted by awilkie84

This only holds true if you wait an absurd amount of time. Most Fenders, right out the gate, lose about 30% of their value after sale.

30-40 years from now? Sure! There's a reason why a $1200 MIA goes for $800ish used, and a $500 MIM goes for around $200.

Your argument, sir, is invalid.

The SX, you pay $1-200. The resale value on this will be anywhere from $80-180, ALWAYS. That, my friend, is holding value without breaking the banks.

This is all in your case. I have never lost money on a Fender I have bought and most cases always made money.

On my two SX I has some years back I was informed by the shop I used to use to sell them to remove the mods since he could not get much more for an SX then I paid.

I took his advice on one and it sold quick to a punker kid for less then I paid for it. The second hung in the shop with mods for a month or more at a higher price to cover the mods...never sold. I took it down removed mods put back to original and it sold to another kid for a $20.00 loss.

I never by new Fenders and know how to deal so your argument is invalid IMO

I have seen SX basses on my local CL from $75-100 in the last few months...no thanks.

[gjbassist]

What can a Fender do that my SX can't?
In my case nothing. I have owned USA, Japan and Mexican Fender basses. I currently own two modded SX basses, one Jazz and one P/J. Both are extremely good basses, especially for what I paid for them. I did do some upgrades to the electronics and put a different neck on the P/J. I have in them about what a Squier would cost but have exactly the basses I want.

[dabbler]

Originally Posted by bassbully

This is all in your case. I have never lost money on a Fender I have bought and most cases always made money.

On my two SX I has some years back I was informed by the shop I used to use to sell them to remove the mods since he could not get much more for an SX then I paid.

I took his advice on one and it sold quick to a punker kid for less then I paid for it. The second hung in the shop with mods for a month or more at a higher price to cover the mods...never sold. I took it down removed mods put back to original and it sold to another kid for a $20.00 loss.

I never by new Fenders and know how to deal so your argument is invalid IMO

I have seen SX basses on my local CL from $75-100 in the last few months...no thanks.

You have funny financial logic. if the goal is to have the use of your money, what would you rather me do:

1. Take $800 from you now, give you a bass to play for 2 years, then give you$820 when you give it back. OR

2. Take $100 now, leaving you with $700, and give you $80 back in 2 years when I take the bass back?

Yes, you have more cash with option 1, but you gave up the use of 700... for 2 years!

[Mastermold]

Originally Posted by Zoomie

...

Seriously, I don't know why people continue to post threads about taking an economy instrument and attempting to justify that's it's just as good as a higher priced bass. Play what you love and give everyone else the finger !

+1

[Tupac]

I don't know about you guys, but quality instruments really are much easier to play. I don't care about the sound, I'll be honest, I can't tell the difference. It's just that it's so much more comfortable to play. You won't notice playing roots in a bar band though, obviously.

-Better neck. I can really fly on American Fenders, Squiers I have to work a little harder.
-Better components. Holds a tuning better, ect.
-Balance! VERY important factor for me. I cannot play an instrument that isn't balanced in a skilled manner, since my right arm floats, and my left hand can't hold it up.
-Just plain better quality. Not worrying about sharp fret edges, no bad wood marks, ect.

[bassbenj]

Originally Posted by Zoomie

Everybody Dance !

Seriously, I don't know why people continue to post threads about taking an economy instrument and attempting to justify that's it's just as good as a higher priced bass. Play what you love and give everyone else the finger !

So in saying "attempting to justify" you make the assumption that an economy instrument can't be as good as a higher priced one? I'm think that this idea is problem that keeps people posting threads like these. You've all heard it here before a thousand times: "You get what you pay for"... well yeah, I guess you do, but obviously what they mean is that if you pay a lot of money you get a lot more bass.

And this is where the trouble starts. What does "a lot" mean? We will ignore the fact that due to trees and quality control and the rest on occasion an economy bass IS better than an expensive "dud". We will accept the argument that ON AVERAGE paying more insures a better bass. And we all sort of agree that's true. But what does "better" mean?
That's as bad a "a lot more bass". Sure wood will probably be better and better selected. Hardware will be better built and more precise. and fit and finish will be better. But is that "a lot"?

Truth is there is a lot wrong with the "get what you pay for" idea. First off, just because a bass is expensive doesn't mean you'll love it. Nor does it being cheap mean you won't. Now add to that the fact that very small improvements in bass construction add VERY large amounts of cash to the price. So are they worth it, people cry? Well, to the person who insists on having them, obviously they are. And to the person who doesn't care about them, they are nothing but wasted money.

So sift through all this and what do you get? Tiny improvements in instruments can cost lots of cash. And if those improvements are thing that are very important to YOU, then the cash is more than well spent. But if you could give a rat's behind about them, then it's nothing but a waste of hard earned cash that could be used on a new amp or something.

So clearly the only rule is as Zoomie says, it all depends on YOU. You try them all and the one you love is the one to play. What it cost is just what you had to pay to get exactly what you wanted. That's all. There is no other meaning beyond that. What someone else paid or plays is irrelevant to YOU.

[fourstringbliss]

Originally Posted by NCD

I just finished shimming the neck on my SX last night to correct an action issue down by the body (way to high) that was caused by the neck being angled forward. One full setup later, here's the result:

It plays better than anything I've played in any music store, in four states.

- I don't press the string to the fret, I just touch the string gently at any fret and get a clean note.

- Before the shim I had to pluck the strings with authority. Now I can brush them with just enough pressure to wipe dust away and get a soft, sustained note.

- The sustain is sick, in a good way.

- Intonation is spot on perfect, to the cent.

Only custom made basses are perfect when you first get them, that's part of the price. But if you put a couple hours of effort into a Rondo to ensure the neck is at the right height and angle, then set her up, you'll have a bass that plays like silky butter.

Anything else is just a name... If you were to put a MIA Fender in a gun safe as an investment, you're investing in the name not the bass. Everything else is about feel and sound.

I'd have to agree with this. I paid $200 for my SX MM/J (with shipping). I leveled the frets, filed the fret edges smooth, and shimmed the neck with some painters tape - now I have a bass that plays easier than anything else I've ever owned or played at GC. If someone offered to trade me an MIA Fender Jazz for it I'd only be getting a better name - not a better bass.

I have done some mods to it. I replaced the bridge with a high mass/brass saddle model, shielded the cavities, redid the wiring, etc, but I'm still only into it about $270.

I've even considered getting a "better" bass sometime down the line but it would be tough to justify the expense.