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What Happened to all the SX Love?

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#61
NKUSigEp said:
... and the hardware and electronics on both are usually the most suspect parts and would be first to be replaced. ...
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Actually, the sound of the pickups is one of the few things that pleases me about my SX, very full sounding with the tone where I usually keep and nice and growly with the tone full on. I was pleasantly surprised by its tone.

I was trying to figure out what to do with mine because if I sold it I'd net next to nothing after paying for shipping. So I decided to use it as a platform to mod, which is probably the best feature about SX's. You get a very inexpensive bass with some parts that are worth keeping, then you buy other parts to replace what you don't like and for a reasonable amount of money you can end up with a customized frankenstein that you tailored to your own tastes.
 
#62
KingRazor said:
I strongly disagree with this.

Squiers need just as many mods as SX basses do to get up to my standards. I wouldn't even consider buying a CV Squier anyway, not worth nearly what they charge for it.

The amber VM P bass is the only Squier I can think of that is truly better than an SX.
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Maybe YOUR standards, but a lot of people, including myself, find their Squiers to be great instruments that don't need modding at all. I'm kinda finding that with my SX Ursa, too. I am doing some major mods with it, not because I have to, but becuse I want the practice, and an SX is a low risk platform, if I screw it up it's not a big deal. My two Squiers (one of which is the amber VM P) don't need modded at all, the only changes I've made have been purely cosmetic. My SX is definitely not as well made as either one of my two Squiers (I still love my SX, though)
 
#63
vstring3 said:
Just as in your other post, you are doing a LOT of assuming in your conclusion.
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It's an assumption based on facts, and the history of this forum. At one point, there were calls for the main proponent of SX basses here to actually have his own signature bass made!

if you care to take the time, research the old SX posts. You will see some amazing things and even more amazing claims.

And before I get accused of insulting a brand of gear, consider this: Claiming an SX is just as good as high end basses is insulting to every single luthier who has tried to achieve success in the bass building world.

My "assumtions" are correct. I had one person repeat ad nauseum that is is a "Poor craftsman who blames his tools", meaning that if I could not make an SX sound great, i was somehow lacking in talent. Well, I CANNOT make an SX sound good no matter what.

You know what? This REALLY is not about status for me. Most of my electric basses are in the 500-1000 dollar range. Not excessive compared to a Fodera, Alembic or classical uprights that cost more then a car does. I am not rich so I cannot afford these basses, and do have to rely on a mid-level bass which yes, is sufficient for most applications. But I would never gig with an SX unless it was a stage prop to be smashed or set on fire during the act, or bother bringing one into a studio for a session (like posters here claimed they did).


set 3 by Lucas Vigor on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free
 
#64
C.Linton said:
Maybe YOUR standards, but a lot of people, including myself, find their Squiers to be great instruments that don't need modding at all. I'm kinda finding that with my SX Ursa, too. I am doing some major mods with it, not because I have to, but becuse I want the practice, and an SX is a low risk platform, if I screw it up it's not a big deal. My two Squiers (one of which is the amber VM P) don't need modded at all, the only changes I've made have been purely cosmetic. My SX is definitely not as well made as either one of my two Squiers (I still love my SX, though)
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Well of course I would say to MY standards. Your standards are the only one by which you can judge the quality of something.

No one needs to mod any bass, they mod them because they choose to. Not because a bass has objectively inferior parts that must be replaced.

Some people think an SX would require mods to be as good as a Squier. IMO, it's the other way around. I'd have to mod most Squiers for them to be as good as my SX.
 
#65
lucas vigor said:
And before I get accused of insulting a brand of gear, consider this: Claiming an SX is just as good as high end basses is insulting to every single luthier who has tried to achieve success in the bass building world.
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If someone says your competitor's product is better than yours, just make a better product. It's simple, really.

I couldn't care less about the feelings of luthiers when it comes to what I say about basses. I'm not going to praise some luthier's bass just because he worked hard on it. It's either good, or it's not. The amount of effort put into it is absolutely irrelevant.
 
#66
Well, we'll just have to agree to disagree, then. It's all good. I guess it ll comes down to, IME, my Squiers are just better made than my SX. As always, YYMV.
At least you're not a snob like some here who, for some reason, has an obsession with trying to prove that SX's are total crap, and the people who like them are fools and sheep.
 
#67
lucas vigor said:
It's an assumption based on facts, and the history of this forum. At one point, there were calls for the main proponent of SX basses here to actually have his own signature bass made!
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Quoting some of your assumptions:

"A way of saying 'I am such a red hot bassist that I can take ANY bass, even a 130 dollar beginner bass, and make it sound great BECAUSE I am so good!'"

"That's what I think the whole SX thing was really about. A way of bragging, a way of crowing. It had nothing to do with the actual bass. This was just massive Kool-aid drinking, and you know what? It really was only on this forum!"

"You probably have not spent time with a fine quality instrument, so your opinion is unfortunately biased when it comes to SX basses."

"my theory that SX is all about proving that the SX kool-aid drinkers are just trying to prove how great on the bass they are."

"I know that you really want your SX to be as good as the Pedulla...."
 
#68
C.Linton said:
Well, we'll just have to agree to disagree, then. It's all good. I guess it ll comes down to, IME, my Squiers are just better made than my SX. As always, YYMV.
At least you're not a snob like some here who, for some reason, has an obsession with trying to prove that SX's are total crap, and the people who like them are fools and sheep.
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Yeah.

I would never try to defend my SX if I didn't love it. Is it the perfect bass? No, definitely not. Not nearly as comfortable as an Ibanez SR and while it sounds very good, it's still doesn't sound quite as good as the MIA Fender Ps I've played (despite the expensive Nordstrand pickup I installed).

I don't play junk though. If I didn't like this bass, I wouldn't still have it. Or, I'd change what I didn't like about it until I did like it.
 
#71
vstring3 said:
Hey Lucas, did you ever think that maybe some might simply have purchased a really nice bass for the price and are excited to share their experience? Could it really be that simple?
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Maybe for some that was true.

But I have found that in life, you basically get exactly what you pay for and it is very rare to find great deals on things, really. Yeah, it happens. You get lucky some times, but generally speaking, a Corvette is better then a Honda Civic, in a lot of performance areas. A good restaurant is better then jack in the box or McDonalds. Good wine, beer or booze is better then rotgut.

it just seems in the whole world out there, good quality stuff almost always trumps lesser quality stuff....everywhere but in the world of basses and SX is the main exception?

Like I said, go back and read the posts. We talked about things such as professional drivers driving great cars, not Hyundais. But still everyone on those SX threads insisted that the SX was just as good as everything else.

Yeah, some might have just been amazed at what they thought was a great deal or great score for the money....but there were even more posters who made ridiculous claims about there legendary instruments. read on.

My main beef was that people said I could not play the bass if I could not make an SX sound great. I repeat: I can't. They sound like mud to me, and I am not inspired at all. Would I recommend them to a beginning bassist? Yes. Are they better then the beginning basses that were made 30-40 years ago? Yes. Are they indistinguishable from a high quality bass in both feel and tone? No. And that is exactly what was claimed right here on this forum by more then one person.


F ride by Lucas Vigor on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free
 
#72
lucas vigor said:
I give them credit for that at least....but they don't hold a candle to my MIA or MIJ fenders, nor my Carvin, not even to the cheap-ass Ibanez I played on 25 years ago.
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Exactly.

I found a mint condition SX used at GC about a year ago and thought I would give it a try due to all of the hype surrounding the brand. The bass was great for its price point and if I was a beginner or looking for something to mess with, I would have seriously considered one.

With that being said, I doubt anyone here would say that a Kia rides better than a Mercedes and the quality of a Huffy far exceeds a Trek. Yet that is what's being said about SX basses when compared to... ...just about anything.

(Disclaimer: I am not a hater of Kia or Huffy nor do I endorse Mercedes or Trek. All four name brands were used only for comparison purposes.)
 
#74
The bass doesn't make the player, it's the other way around.

Jaco made beautiful music on a ratty old Jazz bass with the frets ripped out. Jamerson played a ragged out old P bass with a warped neck, hideous action, and dead flatwound strings.

I'd venture to say that any SX bass made on a modern assembly line is a better bass than what Jaco or Jamerson had.

It's sort of like the folks who look back with adoration at the old 60's muscle cars. In comparison to even a modest family sedan today, those cars were underperforming slugs.

Make no mistake. If you buy a "real" bass, you are paying a good sum of money for the name. I can tell a difference in materials. I have a Squier CV Jazz and without even playing it, I can hold my G&L US L-2500 and tell you which bass is better. Just the fret work alone is a huge difference.

That said, my G&L cost me $1300, my Squier was substantially cheaper. I added $100 worth of pickups, and a $300 Warmoth P neck, and now I have $700 in a bass that I believe is better than a $1500 Fender. Better pickups. Better neck. Custom tailored to the sound I like.

Yes, it's the proverbial "turd", but it sounds really nice. I more than likely won't sell it, because to anyone who would buy it, it's a Squier. To me, it's a custom Jazz bass that I had a large hand in building.
 
#76
lucas vigor said:
Maybe for some that was true.

But I have found that in life, you basically get exactly what you pay for and it is very rare to find great deals on things, really. Yeah, it happens. You get lucky some times, but generally speaking, a Corvette is better then a Honda Civic, in a lot of performance areas. A good restaurant is better then jack in the box or McDonalds. Good wine, beer or booze is better then rotgut.

it just seems in the whole world out there, good quality stuff almost always trumps lesser quality stuff....everywhere but in the world of basses and SX is the main exception?

Like I said, go back and read the posts. We talked about things such as professional drivers driving great cars, not Hyundais. But still everyone on those SX threads insisted that the SX was just as good as everything else.

Yeah, some might have just been amazed at what they thought was a great deal or great score for the money....but there were even more posters who made ridiculous claims about there legendary instruments. read on.

My main beef was that people said I could not play the bass if I could not make an SX sound great. I repeat: I can't. They sound like mud to me, and I am not inspired at all. Would I recommend them to a beginning bassist? Yes. Are they better then the beginning basses that were made 30-40 years ago? Yes. Are they indistinguishable from a high quality bass in both feel and tone? No. And that is exactly what was claimed right here on this forum by more then one person.


F ride by Lucas Vigor on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free
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Basses are not cars.

A higher price does not mean higher quality.

A respected brand name does not mean higher quality.

I've heard of multi-thousand dollar cars that were extremely uncomfortable to drive, looked like garbage, and had some of the least "user-friendly" onboard electronics.
 
#77
lucas vigor said:
Maybe for some that was true.

But I have found that in life, you basically get exactly what you pay for and it is very rare to find great deals on things, really. Yeah, it happens. You get lucky some times, but generally speaking, a Corvette is better then a Honda Civic, in a lot of performance areas. A good restaurant is better then jack in the box or McDonalds. Good wine, beer or booze is better then rotgut.

it just seems in the whole world out there, good quality stuff almost always trumps lesser quality stuff....everywhere but in the world of basses and SX is the main exception?

Like I said, go back and read the posts. We talked about things such as professional drivers driving great cars, not Hyundais. But still everyone on those SX threads insisted that the SX was just as good as everything else.

Yeah, some might have just been amazed at what they thought was a great deal or great score for the money....but there were even more posters who made ridiculous claims about there legendary instruments. read on.

My main beef was that people said I could not play the bass if I could not make an SX sound great. I repeat: I can't. They sound like mud to me, and I am not inspired at all. Would I recommend them to a beginning bassist? Yes. Are they better then the beginning basses that were made 30-40 years ago? Yes. Are they indistinguishable from a high quality bass in both feel and tone? No. And that is exactly what was claimed right here on this forum by more then one person.
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Here's a wild claim, and it's not even from TalkBass:
SX Bass - maxproud review

You know, it's either a nice bass for the price or it's not. Some SXs are, some aren't. Same goes with Squiers...with any bass.
 
#79
Anybody remember these head stocks?
PICT0106.gif

PICT0105.gif


That is some old school, old SX stuff right there.
 
#80
chadhargis said:
Jaco made beautiful music on a ratty old Jazz bass with the frets ripped out. Jamerson played a ragged out old P bass with a warped neck, hideous action, and dead flatwound strings.

I'd venture to say that any SX bass made on a modern assembly line is a better bass than what Jaco or Jamerson had.

It's sort of like the folks who look back with adoration at the o
Click to expand...


This is exactly the kind of kool-aid drinkin' hype I have been talking about. And it is flat-out wrong, and very misleading.



http://soundcloud.com/lucas-vigor/f-ride
 
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