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SX vs American and MIM Fender...
- Thread starter ProfGumby
- Start date
i'm exactly the opposite...if I had $1400 for a new bass, needed a P bass, and the choices were Fender and SX...
SX everytime baby. Even if I have to throw another $100 at the SX its still the better choice (for me)
That's all good. I wouldnt spend 1400 on a new p bass. I could easily pick up a mint or near mint 08 for about 800 bucks. For me that would be all good.
Well, in my experiences with new basses and guitars, the first year or so, EVERY bass/guitar is going to need the neck adjusted more than one that's five , ten or twenty+ years old.
The wood is still fairly "green" in the first year, and IF a neck is going to warp, it's probaby going to happen in the first year or two. After that (IME) you're probably going to be o.k. .
As it stands right now, my graphite reinforced MIA Fender neck needs to be adjusted more frequently than my non reinforced 4 1/2 year old SX.
The SX needed more frequent adjustments in the first year or so than it does now. As of the past two years, just a seasonal tweak is all it needs now. I'd imagine in another year the Fender will be the same. The Fender is less than a year old right now.
My 45 year old non reinforced Fender has a neck that's seems to be made of granite. I've probably put less than a sixteenth of a turn on that neck in the past ten plus years.
I haven't heard any reports of SX's having problems with twising or warping necks. I've seen a few twisted Squiers though.
That's what I paid for my American Standard brand spankin' new with the case and accessories less than a year ago.
I am a player who ,I would say, is your average gigging bassplayer. I am not great ,but I am not bad. As far as fans go, they think I am fabulous. I know better. I am average at best. That being said, I could care less what logo is on my headstock. I have owned Peaveys, Schecters, and Fenders(MIM). I will say that EVERY Schecter I have played was very good and consistent. I have played dozens of MIA Fenders in stores and frankly was not impressed. I am very good at setting up a bass myself and when playing a bass I can see past setup flaws. I played 50+ MIM jazzes before I bought my main gigging bass, and I will say with total confidence that this particular MIM Jazz is better by far than any of the dozens of MIA Jazzes I have played. Fender QC sucks, there, I said it. Now, today I bought an SX from a fellow TB'er. and when it gets here I will tell you exactly , without bias, what I think of it. I bought it just to see what the buzz is all about. I am not Victor Wooten nor do I have a ton of $ to spend on basses, but I thought if I set up the SX to my liking and it performs near as well as my MIM, then this would be a good bass to drag to practice and even gig with. Especially if the gig, might be a place where I wouldnt want to take my best bass. I will keep you posted when the SX gets here. That is all.
I played a number (but not a large number) of MIM's and MIA Fender basses before I bought my brand new 2002 off the rack at: Guitar Center!
I wanted that Fender sound, and the MIM's I did compare just lacked clarity. I did not want to spend the money but the expense, when compared to the other basses I played, seemed worth it...to me.
I did not want to get the Fender sound through another bass, and I don't have the patience to tweak another instrument in pursuit of that 'tone'.
FWIW, the 3-tone burst P I bought seems to be of very good fit & finish. The tone & play-ability have always kept coming back to this instrument.
I wanted that Fender sound, and the MIM's I did compare just lacked clarity. I did not want to spend the money but the expense, when compared to the other basses I played, seemed worth it...to me.
I did not want to get the Fender sound through another bass, and I don't have the patience to tweak another instrument in pursuit of that 'tone'.
FWIW, the 3-tone burst P I bought seems to be of very good fit & finish. The tone & play-ability have always kept coming back to this instrument.
I haven't really looked at other makes, probably because I am the generic, lazy, typical American boozer sittin' in front of my computer rather than applying greater effort to my other occupation.
Ahhh, you speak of THE bass....the one bass you know like you know yourself. I am surprised so few players really develop that relationship with one particular bass. I am getting that again with one of my basses but it is still not THE bass, you know what I mean?
But I have to cry foul! I merely meant three basses of the wall in a blindfolded comparison.....
And like I said, I have no issue with anyone's basses. Buy what you like. But I was surprised at how much better the QC was on the MIM vs the MIA Fender. And I know it is not an indictment of all MIA Fenders, but I have seen more than a few with these issues. It would not stop me from buying an MIA Fender, but I'd probably buy an MIM first....
And I have no issue with spending $$$ for a bass. I want a Valenti one day and am currently striving for my Rickenbacker, so the cash itself is not the issue.
But for the average bass player, I am still amazed at what many companies put out in the sub 700 dollar range and even more amazed at what kind of player a guy can get for under 300! Someone here said Schecter, I am always blown away by the fit and finish on those basses, every one, every time. As I have said before, why don't I own one of them?
I agree with what else has been said, when you top the $1000 mark, some things one should not have to deal with on a new bass. But to the flip side of that point, as I said, not one of the "flaws" in the MIA made it a bad player or sound bad. It was a nice bass. But I found it funny that it's $900 dollar cheaper Mexican cousin had none of these issues!
It's more like ten times as much with current Fender/SX prices.
And that's what it's all about, personal choice. To you it's worth spending a lot more money to get the bass that suits you best. I'm that way with cameras. I've got to have a Nikon!
It isn't, and it doesn't
I won't and it don't
It even ain't
I told him no no no
He told me yes yes yes
I do it all the time
Ain't this boogie a mess?
The answer my friend should be easy to see
The crux of the biscuit is the apostrophe
I've heard opinions that the "graphite rods" in Fender's necks take up so much space in the neck that a large amount of wood has to be removed, which results in a far less stable neck than if it were just solid wood.
If that's indeed true, and I believe it may be, fail. Granted, I play with a much lower action than most Precision users probably ever will, so the slightest neck movements are noticeable, but still...
Edit: to give some credit to my poor ol' Precision, the new tuners and bridge are pretty nice...
That empty space is being 'displaced' by much denser and stiffer carbon tubes. They're not stuffing the neck with marshmellows. I bought my 08 P last november, The neck moved a bit during the winter, while I experimented with alot of different strings. Now that the neck has settled, and even strung with stiff flats, it hasnt budged for 2 months. According to laws of physics, hollow cylinder is stiffer than a solid rod.
So how are the graphite rods fit... that is to say, what are the tolerances and are the rods bonded into place? What is used to bond them if that is the case?
Are you suggesting that a .5" tube is stiffer than a .5" rod of the same length and composition?
True that. But I will repeat what I said the last time I responded in a long one of these threads:
WHAT we NEED is a round of DOUBLE BLIND testing. Have a TB meet and greet, bring some J and P or PJ basses and let people play them blindfolded and RATE them for tone and playability. ALSO while the blindfolded person is playing them, have EVERYONE not behind the curtain with the blindfolded player (so they can't see what bass is being played) RATE the TONE.
But NO ONE took me up on my suggestion before, and I really don't expect them to now. Why is that, I wonder?
That's 7 SX basses. I can get every color in P and J! And have scratch left over for modding!!!!!
You have to make you suggestion at the monthly committee meeting, making sure to pre-file your request at the local administrative offices, in triplicate. Be sure to use black ink and send in your $400 dollar filing fee. All request must be in 2 weeks before the meeting. All decisions are no binding.
I've had my '08' MIA Jazz V for 11 months now and have barely had to adjust the neck in that time, it's a rock solid stick. I've got a Squier FVM Fretless that has to have the neck adjusted every 3 months because it bows easily. I'm probably going to buy an SX 5'er just to see how it compares to an American Fender, I'm just flat out curious.
I have yet to attend a GTG where someone had an SX (I've been to five in two years), so that might have something to do with it. I wish they had, 'cause I'd like to try one out in person.
Why don't you host one and conduct the test yourself?
