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SX Basses.... Really?
- Thread starter bareass
- Start date
There's a few of those kinds of pix kicking around TB. 
Wow.
I log in here to ask about these things and right here it is.
I'm actually looking at getting a good sounding/playing P-bass and my choices have been narrowed down to SX, J Reynolds which is also a decent playing bass or.... an actual MIM Fender Standard Precision.
I've owned a couple of SX basses in the past and I also like the J Reynolds basses- but I would also like to own the real deal at least once. I'm just wondering if the extra $150 for the MIM would be worth it just to say I own a real Fender.
I log in here to ask about these things and right here it is.
I'm actually looking at getting a good sounding/playing P-bass and my choices have been narrowed down to SX, J Reynolds which is also a decent playing bass or.... an actual MIM Fender Standard Precision.
I've owned a couple of SX basses in the past and I also like the J Reynolds basses- but I would also like to own the real deal at least once. I'm just wondering if the extra $150 for the MIM would be worth it just to say I own a real Fender.
I recently ordered a lake placid blue short scale p-bass with intent to use it as a project for a rattle can refinish. I ended up sending it back though becuase the neck was in terrible shape.
The truss rod was tweaked inside the neck so you couldn't get a wrench into the socket, and there were some small chunks missing from the edges of the fretboard.
The body looked great, as well as the finish. As expected, the pickup and strings were the cheapest I've ever seen.
The other day I spent an extra hundred and ordered the Dano '63 short scale instead (I'm not going to refinish it).
The truss rod was tweaked inside the neck so you couldn't get a wrench into the socket, and there were some small chunks missing from the edges of the fretboard.
The body looked great, as well as the finish. As expected, the pickup and strings were the cheapest I've ever seen.
The other day I spent an extra hundred and ordered the Dano '63 short scale instead (I'm not going to refinish it).
Only you can answer that question.
My SX does the exact same job my MIA Fenders do (only a lot more frequently) . Something to consider.
They are popular because they are a great value.
Yes,you do have to work on them out of the box usually.
I didn't like the strings on mine(Jazz model) & it needed some side fret sprout filing(it wasn't bad).
I used it stock for a good 6 months.I changed the pickups only because I had some Di Marzio's lying around.The tuners & bridge are OK & function fine.The lake placid blue finish is very well done(I added a tort pickguard).Sure,I liked my Fender Jazz 72 reissue(Japan.Got lost by the airlines) neck better but I'd be hard pressed to say it sounded better.The Fender might be but I'd bet it's marginal.
These instruments allow players on a budget to have a decent collection for little cost.More & more pro's are popping up with them.I want to get another this year.
I haven't been this enthused over a budget brand since the old Danelectro's.
Yes,you do have to work on them out of the box usually.
I didn't like the strings on mine(Jazz model) & it needed some side fret sprout filing(it wasn't bad).
I used it stock for a good 6 months.I changed the pickups only because I had some Di Marzio's lying around.The tuners & bridge are OK & function fine.The lake placid blue finish is very well done(I added a tort pickguard).Sure,I liked my Fender Jazz 72 reissue(Japan.Got lost by the airlines) neck better but I'd be hard pressed to say it sounded better.The Fender might be but I'd bet it's marginal.
These instruments allow players on a budget to have a decent collection for little cost.More & more pro's are popping up with them.I want to get another this year.
I haven't been this enthused over a budget brand since the old Danelectro's.
YES! I just got mine, I love it. The P-Bass PU are smooth and jazzy, and the Jazz PU growls.
This things sounds and looks amazing! And you can't beat the price!
Out of the box it was fine. I still want a pro setup, but I tuned it and plugged it in out of the box and it was fine.
This things sounds and looks amazing! And you can't beat the price!
Out of the box it was fine. I still want a pro setup, but I tuned it and plugged it in out of the box and it was fine.
I've had my 4+1 Jazz for a little over a month now. The only complaints; the strings were terrible but Ernie Ball handled that problem and the finish seems a little thin or it wasn't properly sanded in a few spots. But, what do you expect for $149 after shipping? I think I got a lot more than I paid for. If only they would make other body shapes (I want a thunderbird really bad!).
Yeah I agree with this. They're so cheap, for the price of a nice dinner you get decent a new bass! That's actually the problem for me -- the SX basses are good enough and cheap enough that I'm always tempted (daily almost) to buy another!
Yes, SX basses are a great value but .............
A. It ain't a Fender (or other true quality instrument)
B. The bridge sucks
C. The neck finish is too sticky
D. The tuners ain't that great
E. I've run out of truss rod adjustment already
F. It's made in China
and I love mine cause:
F. It's so light
G. I can mod it like crazy and not care too much about what happens.
I. It sounds great!
J. It looks great!
A. It ain't a Fender (or other true quality instrument)
B. The bridge sucks
C. The neck finish is too sticky
D. The tuners ain't that great
E. I've run out of truss rod adjustment already
F. It's made in China
and I love mine cause:
F. It's so light
G. I can mod it like crazy and not care too much about what happens.
I. It sounds great!
J. It looks great!
IMO no matter what do you do to an SX it still feels like an SX. In no way, shape or form does it feel just like a Fender. The bodies are slightly bigger, the necks are bigger, the hardware is usable but that's about it. Change all the hardware and pickups and it still feels the same. People like these because they're cheap and fun to mod, but to compare them to a Fender? No way.
-I gigged with the stock bridge on my SX for well over 2 years. Never had an issue with it. It's not the highest quality bridge ever, but it's not really any different than the stock MIM Fender bridges of most the past 10 years. Basic and functional.
-The neck finish is the same style of finish (minus the vintage tint) as a 70's or early 80's Fender. If you are comfy with those (I certainly am, 'cause that's what I grew up plyaying) then you will be fine with the finish. They aren't "sticky" , they're just not the modern satin that newer players are accustomed to these days. It's not the same finish as a MODERN Fender. (thankfuly, I personaly dislike the MIM satin finished necks. Very cheap feeling IMO)
This is one of those things where I think people feel with their eyes. Old Nitro finishes CAN react with sweat and get sticky. The gloss poly finish LOOKS like the old gloss laquer nitro finishes, but does not get sticky. Feel differnt,..yes, sticky, no. I play in a high sweat enviornment, and don't stick to the neck ever. The neck finish is basicly the same as the much loved Geddy Lee Sig. but with a vintage tint.
-Tuners do their job as designed. Over four years of gigging on the stock tuners, on countless shows. Never a tuning issue ever. The stock tuners work just fine.
-Neck size. I have no idea what people are comparing these to , but the SX's P necks are a touch SMALLER and SKINNIER than my American Fenders. A friend was over who was also a long time Precision player and commented on the necks being smaller, so this isn't just me. WHile far from a J neck, mine are slightly smaller than their American Precision counterparts.
The J necks are slightly bigger than the Fenders, but not much.
-Body's are just a whisker bigger, but still fit just fine in my Fender form fitted cases, so any difference in size is truely small.
-These are more similar to older Fenders than modern ones.
-The neck finish is the same style of finish (minus the vintage tint) as a 70's or early 80's Fender. If you are comfy with those (I certainly am, 'cause that's what I grew up plyaying) then you will be fine with the finish. They aren't "sticky" , they're just not the modern satin that newer players are accustomed to these days. It's not the same finish as a MODERN Fender. (thankfuly, I personaly dislike the MIM satin finished necks. Very cheap feeling IMO)
This is one of those things where I think people feel with their eyes. Old Nitro finishes CAN react with sweat and get sticky. The gloss poly finish LOOKS like the old gloss laquer nitro finishes, but does not get sticky. Feel differnt,..yes, sticky, no. I play in a high sweat enviornment, and don't stick to the neck ever. The neck finish is basicly the same as the much loved Geddy Lee Sig. but with a vintage tint.
-Tuners do their job as designed. Over four years of gigging on the stock tuners, on countless shows. Never a tuning issue ever. The stock tuners work just fine.
-Neck size. I have no idea what people are comparing these to , but the SX's P necks are a touch SMALLER and SKINNIER than my American Fenders. A friend was over who was also a long time Precision player and commented on the necks being smaller, so this isn't just me. WHile far from a J neck, mine are slightly smaller than their American Precision counterparts.
The J necks are slightly bigger than the Fenders, but not much.
-Body's are just a whisker bigger, but still fit just fine in my Fender form fitted cases, so any difference in size is truely small.
-These are more similar to older Fenders than modern ones.
I just picked up a p/j here - impressed with the Bass for the cost - sounds good and plays fine. Nice thing is I can leave in the Living Room and if the kids happen to knock it over - I don't have to freak. Mine is going to be my hanging in the Living Room watching TV Bass. I have not tried to adjust the action - but it needs to come down some. The pots and bridge were swapped before I bought it. Nice thump.
A: thats too bad, i wish I could get new Fenders for $100
B: Its practically identical to a stock Fender bridge - unless you get a defective one, there are no problems with the bridge.
C: maybe its your hands? The finish on my 3 SX necks is definitly not sticky.
D: they keep my basses in tune, what more do you want?
E: That happens to other brands of basses as well.
F: so is my bass rig, my tv, my dvd player, my scooter.. Its the way things are in the world today. GO try to buy an american flag thats not made it China, it will be pretty difficult.
Today I stopped in GC to get a gig bag for one of my basses and decided to try out a few basses through this little GK amp (tiny amp, 500 watts into 4ohms)
Anyway, I tried a MIA Fender Jazz, MIA Fender P and a Lakland Skyline. Both of the Fenders had worse setups than my all of my SX's did out of the box and the P bass was suffering from sharp fret ends and fret sprout (and this is a NEW MIA P bass - none of my SX basses have had this problem) The Lakland was setup pretty well and played pretty nice but.. (you knew there was a but coming right?)
None of these three basses sounded any better than any of my SX basses, and all of my SX basses were as playable as the Lakland, easily. AND, if you add up all that I have spent on the 3 SX basses (including gig bags, but not strings) I still have less $$ invested in 3 giggable basses (that play and sound good) than any one of the 3 basses I checked out would have cost alone.
Advantage = SX
And now, the obligitory pic of me playing one of my SX basses at a gig.
Agreed. The problem I have with SX basses is the headstock and the fact that the pickguard rarely fits well, there's often too much of a gap between the edge of the guard and the edge of the body, so it just ends up looking ugly.
YES! I just got mine, I love it. The P-Bass PU are smooth and jazzy, and the Jazz PU growls.
This things sounds and looks amazing! And you can't beat the price!
Out of the box it was fine. I still want a pro setup, but I tuned it and plugged it in out of the box and it was fine.
+1 Gord Oh!
I have the exact same bass. (Christmas gift from my wife!)
I love the sound from the p. I like the sound from the J not quite as much as the P.
This is going to be my platform for learning how to do a shielding job.
isnt it great?
nice.
yeah i want to mod this puppy out.
right now, stock, is working wonders.
knowing me i will get bored with it and do something.
make it my own.
Can you see it from 3 feet away? And you don't like the current headstock? Hmm, lately the buzz here is SX fans not liking the new one that no one has actually seen yet......
I'm not comin at ya, just making an observation. On a 100 dollar bass they cut corners somewhere. And it is really not too complicated or expensive to get a new pickguard fitted to your bass.
And I will put any of my SX basses where I had the fretwork done and a good setup up against ANY MIM Fender, anyday. Factory stock I'd compare them with any Squier. But to keep this in perspective, I will also put my SX basses with the fret job up against the VM or CV Squiers and the CV and VM Squiers are also equal to or better than the MIM stuff. It is a flat out bargain with both SX and the CV and VM lines, how can you go wrong?
Cheap hardware? I dunno, maybe. But it cost like 12 bucks to put on a Stock Fender bent tin bridge, and about 30 for a decent no name higher mass bridge. Aint gonna break the bank. I went the Gotoh and BAII route on 3 of my basses, same money many have spent to swap out the stock Fender Bridge on their Stock MIM/Hwy 1/MIA Fenders....money well spent in any fashion, and still won't break the bank.
Cheap tuners? Where? They hold, they are smooth and fairly precise. I have yet to have an issue with any SX Tuner or Squier tuners on my VM. In fact the crappiest tuners I own in terms of smoothness and feel are the CIJ Fenders on my Geddy Clone! In fact, with these Fender tuners, with no string tension the shafts are loose and will wobble if you try to wiggle them from side to side. To be fair, they are well used and have a lot of life on them, but they hold tune just fine. Do I come one here and complain of Fender using cheap tuners on the CIJ basses? Of course not, that would be absurd. I have a replacement set off either a Fender or Squier clover leaf tuners waiting. But no need to change them yet.
Also, I don't get the brand being all that thing. Like I said, I love my Squier, and I have no issue with Fender, not even their current price structure. However, I can take you, right now to the local shop and show you a MIM Fender P Bass with a couple of frets that are dodgy and has very uncomfortable fret ends. The shop owner knows his stuff, the bass is set up just fine, aside from being a wee bit higher action than some like due to the 6th and 7th frets.
Now if I was gonna buy that bass, I'd either have the frets done or see if he would do the high frets, then I would dress the ends myself. Then guess what? I'd have a P Bass that played like my SX P.....for a whole lot more than I have into the SX. Strings included!
Why can't people accept the fact that many of us actually like the SX basses and don't care that the headstock doesn't say Fender? Owning a Fender does not make you a better bass player, a better person and chicks aren't gonna throw their panties at you because of the name on the headstock! And I can name dozens and dozens of bass players, who have huge recording contracts and are in well known touring bands and they dont *gasp* play a Fender!
Outside of TalkBass no one has had a bad thing to say about my basses. I recently took my Geddy Clone down to Milwaukee and my buddy is now considering buying one! He has 4 Rickenbackers my old T 40 and a few other basses in between, and a bunch of guitars, and he liked the SX. That bass has the stock bound and blocked replacement neck, nothing done to it. Well, short of me putting it on the bass and installing the tuners. And the action is low!
The guys at the shop I frequent also liked the bass and what I had done to it. To be fair, it has a BAII bridge and Fender tuners and a Fender string button, but the pots and pups are stock, they loved the tone, it killed through a Peavey Tour 450 head and a tour 410 cabt! And the guys were commenting on the half rounds being so crisp. Well one guy said he'd prefer rounds on it....there's always one! And you should have seen their faces when I told them they could get the stock black Jazz right now for 89 bucks!
My next trip I'm taking down my Ash SX Jazz, and that one is stock aside from the DR Flatwounds and the BAII bridge.....I'll report their opinions of that ball buster!
I was drawn to the SX because of TalkBass and the fact that I want to start building from parts and progress into full bulds someday. If I mucked up my 119 dollar Jazz, what am I really out?
My first SX was bought to be my player, my bass. And to a very great extent it is still one of my favorites that I have ever owned! If I wanted a Fender, I'd buy one. And yes there are a couple I do want, just not right now.
If Fender did have the perfect bass, everyone would own one and no one would have another brand as no one would want anything but their prized Fender.
Different strokes for different folks.....Peace Out YA'LL!!!
