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For you SX haters!!!
- Thread starter etechstan
- Start date
One more reason to hate those POS SX's...
Just a kid having fun and not doing that bad, lighten up a bit
Here's the funny thing...................
When I first came to Talkbass I saw all of these SX threads and I thought they were a boutique bass company or a Sadowsky rival or something like that. That's why I used to skip those SX threads completely. I have no interest in that stuff.
I'm a working man and I want to play a working mans bass. Not some fancy schmancy bass that I have worry about if it's sitting in the back of my truck after a gig.
Then I ended up clicking on one of those "Modified My SX" threads and I found out what all the talk was about.
I still don't own one, but I will soon.
I'm thinking about getting the black on black Precision with P/J pickup configuration.
When I first came to Talkbass I saw all of these SX threads and I thought they were a boutique bass company or a Sadowsky rival or something like that. That's why I used to skip those SX threads completely. I have no interest in that stuff.
I'm a working man and I want to play a working mans bass. Not some fancy schmancy bass that I have worry about if it's sitting in the back of my truck after a gig.
Then I ended up clicking on one of those "Modified My SX" threads and I found out what all the talk was about.
I still don't own one, but I will soon.
I'm thinking about getting the black on black Precision with P/J pickup configuration.
I've owned SX, MIA and MIM Fenders and a Squier VM. The SX basses that I've owned (both standard and LTD models bought within the past year) have equaled and exceeded the Squier in every respect (I had a Squier Telebass bought in early 2008.) The LTD models equal most MIM Fenders I've played. The SX however, does not equal a MIA Fender in sound quality or build. Even at it's lowest point, I think a MIA Fender is still a notch or two above SX in playability and sound.
Again, this is from my personal experience with specific models of each bass. They may not be representative of the entire line of basses (or maybe they are).
But just because SX basses aren't equal to Fender MIAs does not make them total crap. They are inexpensive basses that cost at least a third and sometimes more than a MIA Fender. Still, they are solid, useable, well put together basses for little money. I would hope the MIA would feel and sound better than an SX for three-times the money. If they don't, why waste your money? It doesn't make sense to spend anywhere from $400 to $1,000 more for a waterslide decal that starts with an "F" instead of an "S."
Don't get me wrong. My SX I recently purchased hasn't had a thing done to it yet, except for tapping a couple of frets in. It's fun to play now, but will be even more so I suppose when i get around to the mods.
That fact that people can even make such an argument considering the price differential between an MIA and an SX speaks volumes, don'tcha think?
That fact that people can even make such an argument considering the price differential between an MIA and an SX speaks volumes, don'tcha think?
It does speak volumes. Fender is still the Gold Standard, no matter how bad their quality is or isn't. And the quality of SX is better now than it's ever been. I don't think they can compete with the likes of Fender head-to-head (nor do I think they want to). Unfortunately, a price differential doesn't always coincide with quality differential.
It's also unfair to compare a company like Fender -- which has to take marketing, R&D, advertising, tooling, sourcing parts, woods, labor, unions, etc, etc, etc, into its costs -- with a company like SX -- which does little advertising and marketing, shares tooling and parts with other companies in a factory, doesn't have to deal with unions and has much lower costs to contend with.
More like ten-times (that is 1000%) the money.
And at ten-times (1000%) the money it better play ten-times (1000%) better.
I don't think many people will claim that an MIA plays ten-times (1000%) better than an SX.
It is all about value for the dollar.
By the way, if anyone has extra money, and they don't know what to do with it, I will take it
.
Just a kid having fun and not doing that bad, lighten up a bit
It was a joke, dude.
I think the kid is terrific and have been subscribed to his videos for quite awhile...
Okay, I know it's off the original subject - but this makes no sense. No, I do not dispute your observation, but given that Squier is Fenders "intro" line, does it make *any sense at all* that they would allow them to be in any way better than their basic "pro" line bass?
And yet... The few MIM J basses I've played left me cold - but I was impressed by the MII "vintage" Squier fretless I played that goes for $279...
Sometimes, I have *no* clue what Fender is thinking - and I know a bit about business....!
anyone make an attempt at reshaping the bat-thick neck? I don't have an SX but would probably take a swing at a reshape , maybe go for the 59-P wide/flat thing.
If it is the same one I'm thinking about, I have to agree that they are nice. They play great, and they sound good.
The neck on my SX is thinner than most other 5-strings I have played; thinner than the 5-string Squier I recently tried out for sure.
I think you are giving Fender a bit too much credit for R&D and tooling. What have they done recently that is not based on the pre-existing Jazz or Precision bodies?
They just keep making different combinations of existing bodies, necks, pickups and bridges, then paint them different colors and attach someones name to them.
As for dealing with unions, Fender is not dealing with unions in Mexico, or in any of the places they outsource Squier production.
For marketing and rest, Fender works with a lot higher margins than does Rondo.
Jim
I've got a J neck that I've done some re-shaping on. It's on the back burner right now. There's some discussion of reshaping in this thread:
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=513676
One more reason to hate those POS SX's...
wow, I had never actually heard an SX before this video (though I was planning on ordering one soon) and I'm thoroughly impressed! It sounds pretty darn good, especially for the price. All the more reason for me to get one I guess
These threads are all great fun.
I actually hated Fender style basses when I first started playing. As such I ended up with mid grade Ibanez, Washburn, and ESP basses that I mostly bought used and turned for about the same cash looking for "the" bass. They were all good basses, but not what I felt was right for me.
Eventually I gave in and started trying Fender, bought a MIM P for $200 used, played it for a while. Ended up selling it for $300 later, and using the $100 profit to buy an SX P. This was a few years ago, when SX wasn't even as good as it is now. Going from one to the other was pretty seamless. They were both your average black bass with maple/rosewood necks. Fretwork on the Fender was a little better, sound was pretty similar. I didn't feel like I had lost anything going from one to the other.
After I purchased my '85 Fender Jazz Special (which is a P/J bass) from a TB'er, I realized I liked P/Js and sold that SX P (also here on TB) and got an SX P/J which I modified the heck out of to be my Fender's backup. I replaced everything on it. Dropped about $250 onto the $110 I got it for, and had everything exactly how I wanted it cosmetically, electronically, and mechanically. And I learned a heck of a lot along the way. The SX became my main bass when I realized I like the SX neck profile better, and with upgraded electronics it actually sounded better than my Fender Jazz Special and the Fender MIM Jazz I had at the time.
My other SX I currently own is this one
Link Removed
I went a different route on that one. I sent it over to Brian at Buzzard's Bass Shop who has extensive experience working with SX basses, and I'd heard good things about his work here on TB before. I had it sent to him before I ever touched it and paid for a fretjob, setup, and bridge replacement. I thought I had my other SX tweaked fairly well, but it had nothing on this one when I pulled it out of the box. My MIM Jazz was sold the following week as I had little use for it anymore.
Good lucking getting a bound and blocked neck on a bass for less than $900 on a Fender these days. Spend $100 on a fret job and $50 for a setup and an SX will play every bit as good as a $1k bass for 1/4 the cost. Replace everything else for $200 and have one that's probably better, and custom. Unless you get one that's flawed in construction, SX basses use materials that are just fine for whatever you want to do with it. It uses better wood than most other cheap basses, which is probably the biggest reason people like them here. They also usually have less pieces than a MIM Fender does. But believe the Fender is still somehow better if you want, it doesn't hurt me any.
I practice with these basses, gig with them, and have yet to be disappointed with it or be insulted by anyone for playing a cheap bass, besides from gear snobs on here who most of the time can't even tell the difference in a blind test between these cheap pieces and the prestigious vintage Fenders. I would be a very unhappy person if I actually cared what anyone else says about my gear just because of what brand it is. Victor Wooten could come tell me it sucks and I wouldn't care one bit. I play what I like and what the people who listen to me play like to hear. Since I'm still getting shows and my band loves my sound, that's good enough for me.
I own Fenders, I like and play Fenders, but I play my SX's just as much, if not more. And to be quite honest, the neck profile on SX J style necks is the best feeling neck to my hands I've ever found. If I was going to get a custom bass made I'd have it made to exactly the same specs. It just works out that I can buy these things incredibly cheap. Those of you who say people who like SX basses just don't know what a "good instrument" feels like are so delusional it's incredibly funny to constantly read those posts. Just because you're happy with your bass after spending $1500 doesn't mean someone else can't be just as happy with a $150 instrument. Play what you like, but don't act like you somehow have some special authority to tell anyone else what they can or can't like.
I actually hated Fender style basses when I first started playing. As such I ended up with mid grade Ibanez, Washburn, and ESP basses that I mostly bought used and turned for about the same cash looking for "the" bass. They were all good basses, but not what I felt was right for me.
Eventually I gave in and started trying Fender, bought a MIM P for $200 used, played it for a while. Ended up selling it for $300 later, and using the $100 profit to buy an SX P. This was a few years ago, when SX wasn't even as good as it is now. Going from one to the other was pretty seamless. They were both your average black bass with maple/rosewood necks. Fretwork on the Fender was a little better, sound was pretty similar. I didn't feel like I had lost anything going from one to the other.
After I purchased my '85 Fender Jazz Special (which is a P/J bass) from a TB'er, I realized I liked P/Js and sold that SX P (also here on TB) and got an SX P/J which I modified the heck out of to be my Fender's backup. I replaced everything on it. Dropped about $250 onto the $110 I got it for, and had everything exactly how I wanted it cosmetically, electronically, and mechanically. And I learned a heck of a lot along the way. The SX became my main bass when I realized I like the SX neck profile better, and with upgraded electronics it actually sounded better than my Fender Jazz Special and the Fender MIM Jazz I had at the time.
My other SX I currently own is this one
Link Removed
I went a different route on that one. I sent it over to Brian at Buzzard's Bass Shop who has extensive experience working with SX basses, and I'd heard good things about his work here on TB before. I had it sent to him before I ever touched it and paid for a fretjob, setup, and bridge replacement. I thought I had my other SX tweaked fairly well, but it had nothing on this one when I pulled it out of the box. My MIM Jazz was sold the following week as I had little use for it anymore.
Good lucking getting a bound and blocked neck on a bass for less than $900 on a Fender these days. Spend $100 on a fret job and $50 for a setup and an SX will play every bit as good as a $1k bass for 1/4 the cost. Replace everything else for $200 and have one that's probably better, and custom. Unless you get one that's flawed in construction, SX basses use materials that are just fine for whatever you want to do with it. It uses better wood than most other cheap basses, which is probably the biggest reason people like them here. They also usually have less pieces than a MIM Fender does. But believe the Fender is still somehow better if you want, it doesn't hurt me any.
I practice with these basses, gig with them, and have yet to be disappointed with it or be insulted by anyone for playing a cheap bass, besides from gear snobs on here who most of the time can't even tell the difference in a blind test between these cheap pieces and the prestigious vintage Fenders. I would be a very unhappy person if I actually cared what anyone else says about my gear just because of what brand it is. Victor Wooten could come tell me it sucks and I wouldn't care one bit. I play what I like and what the people who listen to me play like to hear. Since I'm still getting shows and my band loves my sound, that's good enough for me.
I own Fenders, I like and play Fenders, but I play my SX's just as much, if not more. And to be quite honest, the neck profile on SX J style necks is the best feeling neck to my hands I've ever found. If I was going to get a custom bass made I'd have it made to exactly the same specs. It just works out that I can buy these things incredibly cheap. Those of you who say people who like SX basses just don't know what a "good instrument" feels like are so delusional it's incredibly funny to constantly read those posts. Just because you're happy with your bass after spending $1500 doesn't mean someone else can't be just as happy with a $150 instrument. Play what you like, but don't act like you somehow have some special authority to tell anyone else what they can or can't like.
lowtide
Commercial User
Hello, my name is Brian and I'm an addict . . . and I hate them just as much as I hate all bass guitars. I'm addicted to SX bass guitars mainly because of their overall quality, which is on par with the BEST that Fender has to offer. Call them clones as you will thinking it is insulting to SX. But HEY~! EVERY bass is a Fender clone. Every electric bass guitar in the world is a direct descendent of Leo's and ALL should bow to the god of thunder.
I also hate SX (ALL) basses because they force me to stay home and work on these basses. I don't get out of the house because people from all over the country send me their basses to be worked on. Imagine the JOY I would have if I could get out of the house to the gas station and kneel before their god: the gas pump, and then have to travel to a job I hate because it keeps me from my first love . . . all bass guitars~!
Yes, I'm addicted to SX and all bass guitars . . .
and I hate them all . . .
ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK~!
=o)
I also hate SX (ALL) basses because they force me to stay home and work on these basses. I don't get out of the house because people from all over the country send me their basses to be worked on. Imagine the JOY I would have if I could get out of the house to the gas station and kneel before their god: the gas pump, and then have to travel to a job I hate because it keeps me from my first love . . . all bass guitars~!
Yes, I'm addicted to SX and all bass guitars . . .
and I hate them all . . .
ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK~!
=o)
lowtide
Commercial User
