Hey guys, I'm new to this site so the first thing I'll do is talk about my basses. First of all I have a blue precision bass with passive pickups as a poor lefty player it was the best I could do lol. Secondly, fingerprint magnet black, I mean polished black rbx 350 (Yamaha) I recently found out about the website rondomusic and considering getting a third bass. I really like sx what are your thoughts?
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
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.
If you do a search you'll find a lot more. Basically, though, they get a lot of love around here, though the frequency of admiring posts seems to have slowed down. They are the cheapest I've seen that you can buy and still get a real instrument and not an unplayable toy. The wood is real wood (not plywood), the components are real components. The electronics are pretty good, the factory strings are crap and should be changed out immediately the quality control - things like fretwork, etc. - can be hit or miss. I've owned two and both were hits.
I've had pretty good luck with SX / Rondo as well. Haven't gotten anything from them lately, though I read on here that their QC has improved of late. (I never had any issues with any of mine.)
Yes, lots of SX love here!
Welcome, and if you use the search tool, you can find pretty much anything you might want to know!
Welcome, and if you use the search tool, you can find pretty much anything you might want to know!
try searching for "essex" bass, here on the forums. I dunno if they've fixed it or not, but it used to be you needed more than two letters to run a search.
anyways, I currently own two - a six-string jazz, and a four-string p/j. the wood is SURPRISINGLY high quality. I've played 70's Gibson's that were three pieces of "probably wood" glued together. SX's stuff is solid, resonant, and a good weight. it's buried under a poly finish, but most everything these days is. the electronics are totally passable, if not a bit quirky, at times. one of my volume pots is notched, which is... odd, but it gets the job done. (I prefer to set everything flat and get my tone from my hands & amp anyways.) the construction quality is amazing, considering the price. fit and finish is fine, and the hardware is solid. however, I did have a tuner that would slip before reaching pitch, but Rondo sent me a replacement for free. for the most part, the fretwork is fine. I still did a level and crown myself, though, as I'm into an ultra-low, buzz-free action.
my biggest niggle would be the nuts. they're ALWAYS cut wrong - either too high, or not radiused properly. and unfortunately, I don't have the skill or equipment to properly cut one myself. my next investment - before I buy another bass - is DEFINITELY going to be having a new nut cut for my six string Ursa. the four-banger plays fine, but the action on the outer strings high up on the neck of the six is nowhere near where I want it
then again, I want it at F-Bass type levels, so yrmv
anyways, I currently own two - a six-string jazz, and a four-string p/j. the wood is SURPRISINGLY high quality. I've played 70's Gibson's that were three pieces of "probably wood" glued together. SX's stuff is solid, resonant, and a good weight. it's buried under a poly finish, but most everything these days is. the electronics are totally passable, if not a bit quirky, at times. one of my volume pots is notched, which is... odd, but it gets the job done. (I prefer to set everything flat and get my tone from my hands & amp anyways.) the construction quality is amazing, considering the price. fit and finish is fine, and the hardware is solid. however, I did have a tuner that would slip before reaching pitch, but Rondo sent me a replacement for free. for the most part, the fretwork is fine. I still did a level and crown myself, though, as I'm into an ultra-low, buzz-free action.
my biggest niggle would be the nuts. they're ALWAYS cut wrong - either too high, or not radiused properly. and unfortunately, I don't have the skill or equipment to properly cut one myself. my next investment - before I buy another bass - is DEFINITELY going to be having a new nut cut for my six string Ursa. the four-banger plays fine, but the action on the outer strings high up on the neck of the six is nowhere near where I want it
then again, I want it at F-Bass type levels, so yrmv
dang! you have a bass for every... two outfits.
LOL! Actually, my stable is a little more diverse:
I have SX guitars too... but this is talkBASS.
Mmmm, I've got a couple of the Bass Maniac clones too. Definitely yummy and a steal for the price.
NICE! and you've done the hipshot string retainer install I've been dying to do. I tried overlapping disc-style string trees, but it didn't work AT ALL.
SX basses that I have seen have all been great! I've owned 5 or 6, and all have been close to perfect.
I've got a 4-string Jazz . I dropped some Dimarzio Area J's in it (or is it the Model J? I can't remember) changed out the pots and jack, and changed the strings. I really like it and it easily stands up to the Fender MIM Jazz I had for a while. They are inexpensive, the necks and bodies are exceptional for the price, and the fretwork is decent. It's not my Lakland and it's not my Carvin, but it's a good solid bass.
I have 2 SX basses, a fiver and a shorty, both jazz style. Both play just fine ... the five string is actually one of the better five strings I've played, as that low B just resonates deep and strong. Great deal for the money, imo. I read they have very good return policies also, which is a bonus. Squier is the other name that gets a lot of love in these parts, another inexpensive bass with a lot of bang for the buck. You can get a fully functional, playable instrument from either of these companies ... the "cheap" stuff seems to be a lot better than it was years ago.
Did I miss the Rondo "Buy One Get Two" sale?
I'm on their email list!
Nice looking basses!
No, but since you asked, when interest wains in a certain model/color rondo will drop the price to get them to move. This apparently happened to my favorite solid color, LPB. So I got many of mine for 99.99. Old headstock and alder bodies!
I have a small horde of black Agile ALs, Les Paul copies, the same way.
Last edited:
Yes, Dabbler is, but he's not the only one.
Worst SX of lot is the gorgeous fretless natural body in the front row. It has dead spot on G string I'm trying to deal with. It's odd that it must be the body because the fretted neck (I have two necks for this bass) ALSO has the same dead spot! The good news for you is that Rondo has a killer return policy. If you find a problem soon enough you can just send it back. In my case I found the dead spot on the fretted neck but never imagined it would carry over to the fretless neck I put on! I'm thinking of putting carbon fiber rods in neck to shift the dead spot out of range.
