That guy should be careful aswell. "busta bass playing ass" isn't personal? According to Urban Dictionary "busta" means "punk b*tch"
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my new essex.. wow
- Thread starter fenderphil
- Start date
All i am going to say about Essex basses is this, if the actually cost is about $20 to make, where is the wood (alder, etc) coming from? Can U make good music with it, sure, some could with a rubberband and jug, but should you. It just another novelty item in pretty colorsfor model building enthusiast. A starter bass for tweens and past their prime armchair players nostalgic for a bygone era, not professional gigging musicians, you know the ones that pay all their bills by playing. I don't see any of them jocking for an Essex endorsement deals
So how exactly do you square your choice of amplifiers from your profile with this type of attitude?
Ampeg Rocket... ?? Are you an armchair player bieing nostalgic for a bygone ere? Those are about as Retro as the come. Aren't those made in China or Vietnam?
How about that Fender Rumble 100? Indonesia right. Do I even need to say it?
Nice little practice amps
I don't know that I'd be throwing stones if I were you.
Just sayin'
P.S. when the bass only costs $109, do you really think I'd need to chase an endorsement deal?
I am an Advocate for everyone's right to play, as well, as everyone's right to play a proper instrument. And, I do not think an Essex bass is a proper instrument. I don't believe they use the woods they say they use and, if the do they goes our ecology, and I don't shop at Wal Mart for the same reason. It weakness our economy and enslaves us to recent peasant farmers half a world away.
But its okay for you, you are special a true American, sorry I offended your busta bass playing ass
Thank goodness there are fine upstanding Americans like you to protect the rest of us from ourselves.
Once again, :scowl:
My 75 SX Jazz clone plays and sounds great.I've had a few MIJ & MIA Jazzes over the years and the SX does a very admirable job for the $.Compared to my buddies VM Jazz (feels like 2x4 to me) no comparison,plus if you drop it or spill a wobbly pop on it ,no big deal!
butchblack
Life is short. Do good. Find and do what you love.
Since there are a lot of SX players here, perhaps you can answer a question. I've heard that the necks are somewhat chunky, I like thinner necks (fretboard to back of neck not width at nut) First is it true? How do the necks compare to MIM Fender necks and are they interchangeable with Fender necks?
Im sorry to put a negative spin on things, but i just can't see why so many people love essex! My first bass, a red P/J version of the one in this thread, played like a blind cow, couldnt slap to save itself, had a terrible action, hummy pickups, scratchy pots, slow clunky neck...
Thats my experience anyway. Maybe i just dont like fender styled instruments.
Thats my experience anyway. Maybe i just dont like fender styled instruments.
Was it proffesionaly set up?
How much experience with Fender style basses do you have?
Do you have the same issues with Fenders?
Mine certainly isn't a great instrument. My biggest peeve with it is the fact that I have an annoying buzz problem at the first fret position on the two low strings. I don't want the action any higher than it is, so I just live with it. It was never meant as a workhorse, just an inexpensive toe into the fretless pool. I must say though, after an electronics facelift and new bridge (mod experimentation being another reason for getting it), it sounds absolutely sweet.
It is the first bass I reach for when it comes to home practice, as I'm quickly getting addicted to fretless playing.
It is the first bass I reach for when it comes to home practice, as I'm quickly getting addicted to fretless playing.
The SX necks are nothing like Fender necks at all. The P necks are particularly fat at the nut end of the neck, front to back. Very round. The jazz necks are better, but they're wider than a Fender jazz neck, and more like a Warwick neck. I've had several SX's and the necks ruined it for me.
Hmm with the SX necks so wide, you'd think they'dtry making a short-scale six-string, a la bass VI, maybe with the jaguar-esque body
As I was playing my SX Jazz the other day, I was thinking that it just wasn't a proper instrument. I'm pretty sure it was made with lumber from a rare plywood tree that is nearly extinct in China. I think the bookshelves I bought at Wal Mart are made of the same lumber.
Come on, man. An SX is certainly a "proper" instrument, there are people gigging and even recording with these basses, and they are made of the woods that they are advertised to be made from. If you don't like SX basses, that's cool, but let's keep the arguments in the realm of reality.
I find the Black Blocked and bound SX Jazz neck to be the thinnest profile from fretboard to bottom of the radius. It is very comfortable. The Nuclear Orange tinted jazz neck on my P is rahter beefy at the nut, but it also is very comfortable to my hand. The Maple boarded, white bound neck I have is about midway.
Where I notice a difference between the SX and Fender necks is the radius of the fretboard. An SX neck is a wee bit flatter 12 inch radius vs. the Fender/Squier 9.5 inch radius.
Buy the tale of the tape measure, my SX Jazz necks spec out to be the same width at the heel and a wee bit wider at the nut than a Fender Jazz neck. Otherwise they are very similar.
Yes an SX neck will fit a Fender pocket, so I have read here.
As to the neck killing the SX deal for some folks, to each their own. Not every bass player will like every bass. If Fender was the ONLY bass we would have no choice. But since Fender is not the ONLY bass, we do have a choice.
Every brand feels different to every bass player. The SX has the nod of being a very good quality instrument for a very low price, IMHO.
If you have an SX, or some such brand bass, where you don't like the fret ends or it has a buzzy fret, that's why Luthiers and Tech's do fret jobs. I would not ever sell or get rid of a bass because a 109 dollar instrument has a buzzy fret. Get a fret job done, if you still don't like it, then get a different bass.
BTW, I know a fellow who had a Turser, it buzzed badly. He did the setup, he never tried getting a pro level setup, never had a fret job done, he sold the bass and basically bad mouths Turser. He now has an Ibanez, paid about 4x what he paid for the SX. He still has all manner of buzzing and issues with the bass, but will never admit that the problem is his technique.
The difference between the Turser and the Ibanez? It is easy for him to bad mouth a "Low end, cheap, Chinese bass" (his words) and blame it for all his issues...but to blame a 500 + dollar bass? He just doesn't play it often anymore. Says he is '"Too busy."
The problems are not always the bass, or are sometimes easily fixed. As I have said many times I have handled and played MIM Fenders that needed more attention than any of my SX basses. Same goes for a few Peavey's and ESP's I have played.
And I like all of them as basses, but have learned that setup and an inexpensive fret job can go a long way to curing these types of issues.
If you don't want to take the chance of a buzzy fret, semi rough ends and the like, pry open the wallet and pay 1000 + for that privilege.
Jeez, I wandered a bit.....I'll get off my soapbox now.....
Where I notice a difference between the SX and Fender necks is the radius of the fretboard. An SX neck is a wee bit flatter 12 inch radius vs. the Fender/Squier 9.5 inch radius.
Buy the tale of the tape measure, my SX Jazz necks spec out to be the same width at the heel and a wee bit wider at the nut than a Fender Jazz neck. Otherwise they are very similar.
Yes an SX neck will fit a Fender pocket, so I have read here.
As to the neck killing the SX deal for some folks, to each their own. Not every bass player will like every bass. If Fender was the ONLY bass we would have no choice. But since Fender is not the ONLY bass, we do have a choice.
Every brand feels different to every bass player. The SX has the nod of being a very good quality instrument for a very low price, IMHO.
If you have an SX, or some such brand bass, where you don't like the fret ends or it has a buzzy fret, that's why Luthiers and Tech's do fret jobs. I would not ever sell or get rid of a bass because a 109 dollar instrument has a buzzy fret. Get a fret job done, if you still don't like it, then get a different bass.
BTW, I know a fellow who had a Turser, it buzzed badly. He did the setup, he never tried getting a pro level setup, never had a fret job done, he sold the bass and basically bad mouths Turser. He now has an Ibanez, paid about 4x what he paid for the SX. He still has all manner of buzzing and issues with the bass, but will never admit that the problem is his technique.
The difference between the Turser and the Ibanez? It is easy for him to bad mouth a "Low end, cheap, Chinese bass" (his words) and blame it for all his issues...but to blame a 500 + dollar bass? He just doesn't play it often anymore. Says he is '"Too busy."
The problems are not always the bass, or are sometimes easily fixed. As I have said many times I have handled and played MIM Fenders that needed more attention than any of my SX basses. Same goes for a few Peavey's and ESP's I have played.
And I like all of them as basses, but have learned that setup and an inexpensive fret job can go a long way to curing these types of issues.
If you don't want to take the chance of a buzzy fret, semi rough ends and the like, pry open the wallet and pay 1000 + for that privilege.
Jeez, I wandered a bit.....I'll get off my soapbox now.....
You people make me laugh.All i am going to say about Essex basses is this, if the actually cost is about $20 to make, where is the wood (alder, etc) coming from? Can U make good music with it, sure, some could with a rubberband and jug, but should you. It just another novelty item in pretty colors
Here's my two SX basses surrounding my custom Conklin. All three of those are my main gigging basses. If I wanted to be condescending like you obviously are, I'd tell you that Conklin is worth over double anything you own, but I won't stoop to that level...
Some interesting posts here. I never tire in my amusement of all the SX-bashers out there who diss away, most likely never had ever even PLAYED an SX, but making assumptions about country of origon, price point, how cheapo basses always equal crap, etc.
Cheapo basses have come a long way with CNC technology. (If someone doesn't even know what CNC is, please shut up.) Some are offended that a Fender design is 'ripped off' (many USA makers also rip off Fenders, few criticise them for that). My hunch is that people who pay over a grand for a bolt-on fender-style bass just can't stand the thought that they may have overpaid, and need to justify it. Yes, an SX needs some work to get it in prime playing condition, but pretty much any bass is going to need a set-up, and if someone can save hundreds of dollars by getting a comparatively low-cost fret levelling job on an SX (if needed), more power to them. I don't think Rondo has a huge markup, they just sell in quantity, sort of an opposite business model from a local luthier. Slave labor? The jury's out on this, depending on your personal world trade beliefs...almost everything available in American mega-marts is from from China... that's where the cost savings come into play. Even if something proudly states "made in USA", that's not saying where they sourced their parts. Some products will be printed with "proudly assembled and packaged in USA"...meaning most likely all the rest of the manufacturing proccess was done overseas--they'd state it otherwise, pride being a good marketing tool.
+1 on the comment of pricing psychology... wine is a good analogy, since if you are in the know about wine, for example, you know the exact same wine is packaged under different labels and price points. Perhaps that "american made" guitar was made overseas and simply screwed together in the US. Taking assurance of patriotism off a label is iffy stuff in this worldwide economy.
The SX necks are chunkier than the Fender counterparts, but no one is stopping anyone from sanding them down to their personal specs. It's not rocket science. De-gloss the shiny neck varnish with fine steel wool if that's what one prefers.
There's no better candidate for a Nordstrand pickup than an SX, IMO. The pickup costing as much as the bass?!? Who give a rat's A**...all of the sudden a cheap bass sounds boutique. A pickup can always be swapped or resold. That's the beauty of dolling up a parts bass... those parts will always come in handy for your next love.
Cheapo basses have come a long way with CNC technology. (If someone doesn't even know what CNC is, please shut up.) Some are offended that a Fender design is 'ripped off' (many USA makers also rip off Fenders, few criticise them for that). My hunch is that people who pay over a grand for a bolt-on fender-style bass just can't stand the thought that they may have overpaid, and need to justify it. Yes, an SX needs some work to get it in prime playing condition, but pretty much any bass is going to need a set-up, and if someone can save hundreds of dollars by getting a comparatively low-cost fret levelling job on an SX (if needed), more power to them. I don't think Rondo has a huge markup, they just sell in quantity, sort of an opposite business model from a local luthier. Slave labor? The jury's out on this, depending on your personal world trade beliefs...almost everything available in American mega-marts is from from China... that's where the cost savings come into play. Even if something proudly states "made in USA", that's not saying where they sourced their parts. Some products will be printed with "proudly assembled and packaged in USA"...meaning most likely all the rest of the manufacturing proccess was done overseas--they'd state it otherwise, pride being a good marketing tool.
+1 on the comment of pricing psychology... wine is a good analogy, since if you are in the know about wine, for example, you know the exact same wine is packaged under different labels and price points. Perhaps that "american made" guitar was made overseas and simply screwed together in the US. Taking assurance of patriotism off a label is iffy stuff in this worldwide economy.
The SX necks are chunkier than the Fender counterparts, but no one is stopping anyone from sanding them down to their personal specs. It's not rocket science. De-gloss the shiny neck varnish with fine steel wool if that's what one prefers.
There's no better candidate for a Nordstrand pickup than an SX, IMO. The pickup costing as much as the bass?!? Who give a rat's A**...all of the sudden a cheap bass sounds boutique. A pickup can always be swapped or resold. That's the beauty of dolling up a parts bass... those parts will always come in handy for your next love.
You make me laugh...what amendment to the Constitution gives you the right to play a "proper" instrument? Also, I believe you have some third world equipment that Savit pointed out to us. Your understanding of rights is only exceeded by your understanding of world economy. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go get some sleep before my flight to Nevada to play my SX in front of about 1000 people.
Boy, those 1000 folks will be really pissed off when they see that you aren't playing a "proper instrument," Jimmy. !
Have a good gig!
- Apr 1, 2000
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- Endorsing Artist: Roscoe Guitars, DR Strings, Aguilar Amplification
You people make me laugh.
Here's my two SX basses surrounding my custom Conklin. All three of those are my main gigging basses. If I wanted to be condescending like you obviously are, I'd tell you that Conklin is worth over double anything you own, but I won't stoop to that level...
Eric, does that 5 string have 70's style spacing? I've been toying with the idea of getting one of these, and I'm not sure....
