I've heard stories about guys who buy an SX and luck out. Now they use their SX as their primary player because of the sound and feel.
Anybody here do that?
Anybody here do that?
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Anybody here use an SX bass as their primary player?
- Thread starter fourstringbliss
- Start date
I do. I have a couple other dandy basses but there's something about the first SX I bought, a P/J. The weight and feel (now that I scrubbed some varnish off the neck) are hard to beat. It's a solid instrument that holds its tune and fits into the Hawiian music I play.
Yes! I am now playing the SX Scorpion exclusively. Admittedly, the only other decent bass I own is a '97 MIM Fender. Note that neither the Scorpion nor the Fender have undergone any significant mods (shielding & nut only).
What kind do you have, and why do you like it so much? You've got some other good basses, but you choose the SX instead - why?savit260 said:
Bass said:
Yeah, I have one of those too and I'm thrilled with it. I have over 20 basses, Carvins to Fenders to Steinbergers. If all those but my SX Scorpion was to be burned in a fire, I'd have NO problem using my Scorpion for ALL my 4-string needs, and that is with zero mods. The sound is supreme for a passive bass. Certainly as good as any of my Fenders, and that includes a MIM P, MIM P Special and a '78 Jazz. I actually like this bass more than some $1,000 basses I've played. That's probably why I just ordered two more SXs.
Now you guys are driving me nuts! I have an Ibanez BTB555 - an excellent bass - but I find that, with all of it's preamp versatility, there are only two sounds it makes that I ever use. I'm drawn to the idea of getting a good bass at a cheap price and I like modding. I'm also being drawn back to the idea of simplicity. No preamp, just change your sound with the tone and your amp. I have a Zoom B2.1U, so I can make multiple amp patches with different EQ settings that I can switch between.
Any of you here used an SX 5-string? I'm really liking the look of this one:
Any of you here used an SX 5-string? I'm really liking the look of this one:
fourstringbliss said:
the highest value to price ratio of any bass (high end included) that I have played. Good sound, good solid build, best platform for upgrades out there (do you really want to swap pickups in a $1000 bass?)
Did you modify this one at all? That's one of the one's I had been looking at. I had figured I'd swap out the pots, install Dimarzio Model P/J pups, and put some SIT Powerflats on it.sheepdog said:
the highest value to price ratio of any bass (high end included) that I have played. Good sound, good solid build, best platform for upgrades out there (do you really want to swap pickups in a $1000 bass?)
You play this one a lot?
fourstringbliss said:
Well, it has the neck profile that I like. It feels somewhat similar to my pre CBS Precision ( my previous main gigging bass). The construction is very similar to my Precision ie. 3 piece alder body, maple neck w/ rosewood board. Fantasticly low action(it's had some fret work done to it). The neck is stable as a rock. The body is nice and resonant. With the Fender 62 RI pickup installed, it's a total Tone Machine. Plays like butter. Looks great in Lake Placid Blue with tortoise guard. What's not to like?
fourstringbliss said:
Although I am a huge SX fan now, I would not order an SX 5-stringer. Reason being is that I've never played a budget priced bass where I liked the B string. That is a hard string to get a good sound out of, and cheapo basses don't do it for me. However, from my experience you can get lucky and find cheap 4-stringers (like the SX line) that do sound great. For my 5s and 6s I seek a higher quality instrument. Also the fact that I think (IMO) to get a really good and deep sound out of a B string you need active electronics. I would consider an SX Fender clone 5-string if it came with the active electronics, but none do.
fourstringbliss said:
sounds like similar upgrades that I have planned: Fralin PJ, swap out pots (vol/blend/tone). Only thing I have done so far is a $30 Gotoh bridge (for the money, an excellent 1st upgrade). You won't be dissappointed.
and it is my only bass right now, so yes..it gets played a lot.
I wouldn't say the B string on the SX 5 string is crappy.It works as well as most of the Fender 5 strings I've tried which is not the best out there but certainly workable.Quite a few of the songs my band play need some rumble below E and my SX 5 has done that well for almost 2 years.The main thing is the bass sounds like a good jazz bass and the tone cuts through with the two volumes up and the tone knob up.What I like is that the bass doesn't need active electronics to work,changing position and how you hit the strings changes the tone enough for every thing I do.I have the series/parallel switch but I rarely use it,most of the time I use it parallel like they are stock.My SX five took over as my main bass from my old 86 Guild Pilot five just because of the stock tone.I have two of the SX 5s now and a SX PJ.
I figured it would just be a 34" scale 5-string, and they tend to be a bit floppy. I would just put a .135 B and play with a lighter touch.Blues Bass 2 said:
What pups do you have on them? You mentioned a series/parallel switch, so I figured you had changed the pups.
I have the stock pickups in my SX.I have a push-pull switch on my neck volume control that changes the pair of pickups from parallel to series.I heard about the mod on Talkbass and since I was sheilding it and changing out the pots and jack I decided to do the mod too.Do a search and you can find the thread about it.It turns out that I liked the original tone better but a lot of the guys that have done it liked series better.I think Smash started that thread.
The B string isn't as good as the 35" scale Cirrus,MTD or Milleniums I've had but it works.I use DR Fatbeams or LoRiders and get a pretty well defined B.
The B string isn't as good as the 35" scale Cirrus,MTD or Milleniums I've had but it works.I use DR Fatbeams or LoRiders and get a pretty well defined B.
How do you like the stock tone of the pups? How's the hum when in single-coil mode? I didn't figure that a 34" scale B would be as good as a 35" B, but I won't be using it that much anyway. What does the switch do when you're soloing a pup? How do you like the neck? How were the frets? How's the hardware? How was the finish? The G isn't lined up with the bridge pup pole pieces - how does the G-string sound?Blues Bass 2 said:
