• 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.

Is it worth it?

KingRazor

KingRazor

Jun 4, 2010
6,747
415
37
Beaverton, Oregon USA
#1
I bought an SX bass a while back to be my project bass. It has since become my main bass.

As I've owned it longer and compared it to higher end basses, I've become aware of all of its shortcomings.

Now, I kind of knew what I was getting into going that route, but to be honest, those "shortcomings" are not that big of a deal. I'm actually pretty amazed at how nice this bass is and how few problems it has for how much I paid.

But anyway, to get to the point:

One of the biggest things I don't like about this bass are the frets. I don't like these big jumbo frets. I'd rather have something smaller. So, if I want to fix this, I have two options: 1. buy a new neck or 2. re-fret.

New neck is going to cost a good bit of money. I'm guessing at least $200, especially if I want vintage frets.

So, I could buy some fret-wire and re-fret the bass. One good thing about doing that is that I would get the experience of learning how to re-fret a bass. Which seems like a valuable skill to have.

But I have my doubts that I'll be able to do a satisfactory job of re-fretting.

Or, I could just, you know, deal with the jumbo frets.

Does it seem worth it to re-fret?
 
#2
If you've never re-fretted a neck before, you're almost certain to muck up the job. Plus, it will take a lot of time for you to do it. If you have a lot of time to kill, and you're dying to try a re-fret, then carry on. The only thing you'll lose is many hours of your time and a $100 bass.

Re. installing a new neck - Sinking any money into a cheap intrument is folly.
 
#4
Yeah, sinking money into a cheap bass is useless. You could get a better bass right off the bat for not much more than repairing the SX and, even WITH the refret, it'll have zero resale value. I know you don't want to sell it but whatever that bass is doing for you, another modestly priced bass can also do for you without you having to worry about the frets or finding a guy to fix the frets for you.

I hate to say "I told you so" but this is how it goes so often with SX buyers. I maintain what I've always said: They are often good basses relative to the money but they are RARELY the tremendous find people make them out to be, at least not without major work being done. Sorry the honeymoon's over but I think it's better to move on.
 
#5
KingRazor said:
I like the bass, and I don't ever plan on selling it (it's practically worthless, virtually no resale value, absolutely no point in ever selling it).

So, unless I can get a bass that's closer to what I want than this one, I'm might as well work on making it better.
Click to expand...

Sinking $200 into a bass with no resale value will end up giving you a bass that still has no resale value. I'd look around and put the $200 into a bass that gave me what I wanted right off the bat.
 
#7
smcd said:
Sinking $200 into a bass with no resale value will end up giving you a bass that still has no resale value. I'd look around and put the $200 into a bass that gave me what I wanted right off the bat.
Click to expand...

There isn't another bass that will give me what I want right off the bat.

There are no fender-style necks that have both a 15" (or higher) radius and vintage (or smaller) frets.

That's the reason I said my options were "buy a new neck or re-fret" and not "buy a new bass" there isn't one out there that has what I want.
 
#10
Wow, you are picky. OK, I change my answer and agree with joeyl: Go with a Warmoth. Save up if you have to. There's just not a good reason in the world to put that much time and money into an SX when you're doing so much work you could actually just go custom from the ground up and be happier in the long run. Less risk of something going wrong that way, too.
 
#13
KingRazor said:
There isn't another bass that will give me what I want right off the bat.

There are no fender-style necks that have both a 15" (or higher) radius and vintage (or smaller) frets.

That's the reason I said my options were "buy a new neck or re-fret" and not "buy a new bass" there isn't one out there that has what I want.
Click to expand...

I assume you've looked into it, but I find it very surprising that no manufacturer builds a bass that you find suitable.

As others have said, Warmouth is your best route.
 
#15
If you like the neck you have but not the frets spend your money on the frets. If you are thinking $200, that is about right for either a good fret job or a neck. At least if you all ready like the feel of the neck, the fret job will keep your neck and put the frets you think you feel more comfortable with. However, if you end up putting the frets in and now don't like something else, then you are putting more and more money into a bass that you could have just upgraded to a "better" bass and been done with it..
This is all a matter of personal choice.
 
#16
Who cares about resale value if you have no plans to sell it? I say get it professionally refretted. Sure you'll dump more money into the thing than it's worth, but if you like the instrument I say make it better and don't run the risk of destroying it.
 
#17
Kermit1845 said:
Who cares about resale value if you have no plans to sell it? I say get it professionally refretted. Sure you'll dump more money into the thing than it's worth, but if you like the instrument I say make it better and don't run the risk of destroying it.
Click to expand...

I never said I cared about resale value, and I don't. I just wanted to make sure people knew I had no plans to sell this bass.

6 feet of fret wire = $30

Refret at my local guitar shop = $250-$300

Refretting bass myself = price of any tools I need and any extra fretwire if I muck it up.

Either way is cheaper than getting a warmoth or USACG neck and much, much cheaper than getting any bass that would have similar features (and it wouldn't be a fender or fender-style bass either)
 
#18
KingRazor said:
I never said I cared about resale value, and I don't. I just wanted to make sure people knew I had no plans to sell this bass.

6 feet of fret wire = $30

Refret at my local guitar shop = $250-$300

Refretting bass myself = price of any tools I need and any extra fretwire if I muck it up.

Either way is cheaper than getting a warmoth or USACG neck and much, much cheaper than getting any bass that would have similar features (and it wouldn't be a fender or fender-style bass either)
Click to expand...


Not sure if this is possible but what about reshaping the existing frets down to the size you are wanting?
 
#20
KingRazor said:
It's a curse, I tell ya. Why can't I just like what everyone else does? :scowl:
Click to expand...

Join the club. Life as an outlier is never easy!

This is what I would do - mind you, I don't do what normal people do, ever. First step is to attempt the refret. If it works, great. If not, I learned something. Then it's time go buy a new neck for the bass. Or, because the refret is going to take time and have the real possibility of foulups, get the neck and install it so there's a bass to play while doing the refret.

As far as putting a whole lot of money into something with no resale value is concerned, I say value to who? If you can't sell it, that just means you are the one person who likes it and puts a value on it. If you don't plan to sell it, why spend the same amount on another bass which may or may not be any better anyway? Market value is different from use value. Putting a dollar sign on everything is a mistake we all make sometimes, but there's good reason to keep market and use values as separate thoughts. It allows the freedom to pursue things which others wouldn't.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back