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Are SX Basses Any Good?
- Thread starter rimmry
- Start date
Great for the money. Their electronics aren't really good but the bodies and necks are nice. The fretwork is hit or miss. You could end up with one that has perfect action and frets or one that needs a complete fret level/dressing.
You get what you pay for. So for $99, you get a $99 bass.
many long threads about 'em on TB already, well worth searching through.
i own 3: 2 6s and a lawsuit fretless, and they're all great, not only for the price but as marketplace-competitive instruments.
i own 3: 2 6s and a lawsuit fretless, and they're all great, not only for the price but as marketplace-competitive instruments.
I bought one about 5-6 years ago on a lark just to see what all the talk was about.
Jazz copy, older style Fender-ish headstock shape.
Didn't like it. Poor electronics, baseball bat neck.
Gifted it to a friend.
Saw it in a pawnshop window 3 months later.
Don't think I'll do another, although the trans red Andromeda looks nice...
Jazz copy, older style Fender-ish headstock shape.
Didn't like it. Poor electronics, baseball bat neck.
Gifted it to a friend.
Saw it in a pawnshop window 3 months later.
Don't think I'll do another, although the trans red Andromeda looks nice...
The Andromeda is the p bass? Because I was thinking about buying it for my friend's birthday (he just started playing bass, influenced by me
)
they aren't bad for the money. everything is decent but not perfect. you will need to give it a proper setup too...
I only have a SX Furrian Guitar (P-90 pickup telecaster-clone). Fretwork has nasty edges, but it does sound good to me.
I bought the Douglas six-string fretless bass from Rondo. Electronics look like a wreck, but again, it sounds good enough for me. The B-string Saddle is borked (doesn't raise or lower), but I'm not particularly concerned about it. All I did was replace the garbage strings with flatwounds from Carvin, and a minor set-up.
I bought the Douglas six-string fretless bass from Rondo. Electronics look like a wreck, but again, it sounds good enough for me. The B-string Saddle is borked (doesn't raise or lower), but I'm not particularly concerned about it. All I did was replace the garbage strings with flatwounds from Carvin, and a minor set-up.
In my limited experience (2 SXs), you get decent-to-good wood, surprisingly playable necks, so-so hardware and frets, and weak electronics. Some fit & finish details might be sloppily done (i.e., next time, fellas, try squaring the guard pocket fully against the neck heel before you start drilling away). On the other hand, I modified my Ursa 2 Jr. (short-scale jazz type) with Duncan Quarter Pounders, a Schaller 3D roller bridge, and tapewounds, and now it's a great little player with rich, pure, punchy tone.
I bought a used one from CL awhile back, 32" jazz.
For a $50 well worn bass, I have no complaints. The neck feels like a baseball bat, albeit a well constructed bat. The prior owner's setup is on point, I've got no fret buzz at all. There's not a lick of shielding to be seen, and those single coils hum loudly when not turned up together, but being that I'm unfamilar with the j bass sound, I don't know if it's worse than to be expected for single coils.
I liked it enough that I'll jump on a 30" P if I ever see one on CL, that's for sure.
For a $50 well worn bass, I have no complaints. The neck feels like a baseball bat, albeit a well constructed bat. The prior owner's setup is on point, I've got no fret buzz at all. There's not a lick of shielding to be seen, and those single coils hum loudly when not turned up together, but being that I'm unfamilar with the j bass sound, I don't know if it's worse than to be expected for single coils.
I liked it enough that I'll jump on a 30" P if I ever see one on CL, that's for sure.
I would go VM or CV Squier all the way before an SX.
Over 15,000 posts about their quality: http://www.talkbass.com/threads/essex-bass-club-part-15.993808/
i might've gotten lucky with the electronics in mine, but they all sound suprisingly great!
compared to my 20 year-old fodera AJ6 or my jimmy copollo? no, but definitely gig and studio worthy. i have a young japanese roommate who wanted to try bass, we ordered a rondo j-bass last year and it sounded and played great out of the box.. straight neck, good burst finish, slightly buzzy singlecoil pups but very workable. i set it up for her and it's a keeper. granted, all of them can be upgraded to a more "pro" vibe, but i think the working basics are very much there at the start.
compared to my 20 year-old fodera AJ6 or my jimmy copollo? no, but definitely gig and studio worthy. i have a young japanese roommate who wanted to try bass, we ordered a rondo j-bass last year and it sounded and played great out of the box.. straight neck, good burst finish, slightly buzzy singlecoil pups but very workable. i set it up for her and it's a keeper. granted, all of them can be upgraded to a more "pro" vibe, but i think the working basics are very much there at the start.
- Jan 12, 2011
- 4,578
- 2,460
- Disclosures
- Artist, Trickfish Amplification Bartolini Emerging Artist, MTD Kingston Emerging Artist. Artist, Tsunami Cables
I have one that I bought new roughly 14 years ago and mine sounds very good. I had some fretwork done and a decent setup. Mine is so old it has a serial number on the neck plate. I'm keeping it. I may have been lucky because I actually got a good one with no issues.
You get what you pay for up to a point. I think over 1500 you're paying for pretty.
