what makes essex so cheap?

[Scott in Dallas]

Its a knockoff company. Just cheap basses thrown together to copy more expensive cheap basses that are thrown together.

Fixed. If you disagree then you don't know much about the history of Fender.

 

[GoesThump]

artificially skewed currency

Dr Jim has a point on this & it's a big one. The Yuan is a pegged currency that doesn't "float" like most the other world currencies do.

There was an article in "Foreign Affairs" recently on this. It'll be interesting to see how the situation changes when China allows it's currency to float.

On topic: I have an SX short scale Jag-ish copy. It's obvious that some corners have been cut, but is still a heck of a lot of bass for very little $.

GT

 

[SBassman]

artificially skewed currency + low pay to workers + few regulations protecting workers + pollution as a way of life + efficient volume production + high demand = SX

And,
= Fender
= Gibson
= Everybody else manufacturing guitars

 

[JimmyM]

Fixed. If you disagree then you don't know much about the history of Fender.

I hate it when people take other people's quotes then "fix" them to suit their own agenda.

 

[Muddslide]

What he said. You get what you pay for.

While this might sometimes be true, it isn't a truism.

For example, is there anything about a $1200-$1400 MIA Fender P bass that makes it "worth" 12-14 times as much as my SX P bass?

No. Not at all.

I am not knocking Fenders (I love 'em.)

I am also not saying an SX is on par with a Fender. I've owned more Fenders than I can recall, from 1964 vintages up to '90s models.

I fully believe, and will clearly state, that with a Fender you get nicer hardware and wiring. Not to mention the name recognition and resale value.

But if this is just a tool you are going to use to make music and you aren't purchasing it with an eye towards an "investment" then the difference in quality between an SX and a Fender is really rather negligible.

Again, take an SX. Spend--heck, let's even say up to $250 in upgrades and set-up (full setup inc. fretjob, new tuners, new nut, new bridge, new pups and wiring, most of which is not even necessary and may well not cost $250)--and you end up with a bass you have under $400 in that will go neck and neck with any Fender, be it Squier, MIM, MIJ, MIA, whatever.

 

[SBassman]

Again, take an SX. Spend--heck, let's even say up to $250 in upgrades and set-up (full setup inc. fretjob, new tuners, new nut, new bridge, new pups and wiring, most of which is not even necessary and may well not cost $250)--and you end up with a bass you have under $400 in that will go neck and neck with any Fender, be it Squier, MIM, MIJ, MIA, whatever.

And I'd go further to say that if you do all of those, especially the fret job, you'll end up with an instrument that is more playable than most name basses off the shelf.

 

[SteveC]

That's WHO makes Essex so cheap.....

 

[troyus]

Yeah I stripped my SX down to pieces just to see, both my guitar and bass... and there's nothing suspect in them. Yeah.. the bass bridge is crap, yeah, the guitar tuners kind of suck, but they are "good enough" for messing around, and 20 bucks in parts and you are ready to gig or record with them.

The finishes are actually well done. I am willing to bet a lot of the people talking bad have not owned one. Considering a nice paintjob costs 2-300 it's pretty amazing you can get a tobacco sunburst w jaguar style tremelo sx alder guitar for 99 bucks... or could. Now they are 139....

I'm not aware of any mass produced bass that uses rift sawn necks. That's a very low yield cut. You don't even see quartersawn much anymore unless you're talking about fairly high end stuff. Even Sadowsky Metros, Lakland Skylines, MIA Fenders Ernie Ball Music Man etc. all use flatsawn necks.

Hardware. After close to 3 3/4 years of gigging, I see no signs of rust or tarnish on the hardware.

Finishes are poor compared to what exactly? Every bit as good as any sub $600 bass I've ever seen.

Fretwork is acceptable in most cases. No, they aren't going to have the fretwork out of the box like a $2000 bass, but for a standard type set up, they're usually pretty decent.

Routing. Only speaking for my own P copies, the neck routing is pretty good overall, and again, way better than you would expect for $109, and quite a bit better than a lot of MIA, MIM and MIJ Fenders that I've encountered over the past 25 years, though not as good as my new American Standard, or Vintage Fender.

I'd say the quality far surpases the price tag. No, it's not a Mike Lull, or a Carl Thompson, but it's certainly a reasonably good quality instrument at an exeptionaly low price.

Certainly gig worthy on a super low budget.

 

[dhagler]

A lot of good posts.

I bought a Jazz 5 three years ago as an inexpensive foray into 5-string basses. I had been playing for less than a year and I still wasn't sure if I was going to stick with it.

That was three years ago. I am still playing that bass every Sunday. Other than strap locks and a repaired nut, it is stock. I am thinking of modding it, but the cost of my mods (tuners and maybe a bridge, plus labor) added to what I could get from selling my SX would put me close to a used MIM Jazz 5 which has slightly better string spacing and is a little lighter in weight than my SX.

 

[NWB]

artificially skewed currency + low pay to workers + few regulations protecting workers + pollution as a way of life + efficient volume production + high demand = SX

All perfectly true. This adds morality to the equation of SX considerations. It's easy enough to play an SX and talk about price, quality, features, etc. but to consider just how all that came about requires a deeper level of thinking.

PS - In response to a different post, a 5% pay increase isn't worth anything when inflation runs at 8% or more. You have to view these things in context.

 

[JimmyM]

All perfectly true. This adds morality to the equation of SX considerations. It's easy enough to play an SX and talk about price, quality, features, etc. but to consider just how all that came about requires a deeper level of thinking.

PS - In response to a different post, a 5% pay increase isn't worth anything when inflation runs at 8% or more. You have to view these things in context.

You don't seriously think not buying SX basses is going to make a lick of difference in how Chinese workers are treated, do you? It's funny...people are more than happy to buy whatever little goods and trinkets made by 10c an hour workers in China when they go to a flea market, but God forbid that anyone buys a guitar or bass made in China because that would be wrong! Tell you what...go through your house and throw out everything made in China (I'm betting your house will be half empty at that point), start a factory in China and pay the workers $500 a week, and then you can talk to me about the morality of buying SX basses.

 

[BobXboB]

What makes other basses soooo expensive?

Advertising can be a major part of it. The inefficiency of small builders can raise production costs many times over.

And of course the rising cost of mojo.

 

[lowtide]

Starvation wages are not - this is a myth. The factory workers don't make a fortune, but compared to their real cost of living, they make a good wage, and they have room, board and uniforms provided by the factory, so it costs them NOTHING while they are working.

Where do I sign on~?

 

[Temcat]

A lot of good posts.

I bought a Jazz 5 three years ago as an inexpensive foray into 5-string basses. I had been playing for less than a year and I still wasn't sure if I was going to stick with it.

That was three years ago. I am still playing that bass every Sunday. Other than strap locks and a repaired nut, it is stock. I am thinking of modding it, but the cost of my mods (tuners and maybe a bridge, plus labor) added to what I could get from selling my SX would put me close to a used MIM Jazz 5 which has slightly better string spacing and is a little lighter in weight than my SX.

How's the B string on that bass?

 

[Scott in Dallas]

I hate it when people take other people's quotes then "fix" them to suit their own agenda.

You're certainly entitled to that opinion.

 

[Scott in Dallas]

You don't seriously think not buying SX basses is going to make a lick of difference in how Chinese workers are treated, do you? It's funny...people are more than happy to buy whatever little goods and trinkets made by 10c an hour workers in China when they go to a flea market, but God forbid that anyone buys a guitar or bass made in China because that would be wrong! Tell you what...go through your house and throw out everything made in China (I'm betting your house will be half empty at that point), start a factory in China and pay the workers $500 a week, and then you can talk to me about the morality of buying SX basses.

I agree completely. The morality argument typically comes out when the quality argument or the unplayable arguments fail.

 

[NWB]

You don't seriously think not buying SX basses is going to make a lick of difference in how Chinese workers are treated, do you? It's funny...people are more than happy to buy whatever little goods and trinkets made by 10c an hour workers in China when they go to a flea market, but God forbid that anyone buys a guitar or bass made in China because that would be wrong! Tell you what...go through your house and throw out everything made in China (I'm betting your house will be half empty at that point), start a factory in China and pay the workers $500 a week, and then you can talk to me about the morality of buying SX basses.

Um, just where did I say that buying a Chinese bass is wrong?

The fact is that the average Chinese worker is often overworked, underpaid, and subject to living in a very degraded environment. Now, whether or not purchasing Chinese goods, such as basses, makes these conditions better or worse is debatable and may be worth additional consideration. Nowhere did I say it's absolutely wrong to purchase a Chinese-made instrument, just to pause and consider the environmental and social consequences.

 

[JimmyM]

Um, just where did I say that buying a Chinese bass is wrong?

The fact is that the average Chinese worker is often overworked, underpaid, and subject to living in a very degraded environment. Now, whether or not purchasing Chinese goods, such as basses, makes these conditions better or worse is debatable and may be worth additional consideration. Nowhere did I say it's absolutely wrong to purchase a Chinese-made instrument, just to pause and consider the environmental and social consequences.

It was a backdoor way of saying it. You didn't say it to encourage people to buy them, that's for sure.

 

[bassbrock]

The B string on my SX BG-205 is fantastic, as good as my G&L Tribute L2500.

 

[StarscreamG1]

Mmmmm I can't give any opinion about SXs cause I have never touched one. I thought about a fiver briefly but then I heard SX necks in general tend to be rather fat and I don't care for fat necks so I dropped that idea.

As for quality/expense making a good indicator of a good bass or not? My Cowpoke even if its an MIM (some say those fenders aren't that good???) is just amazing when you hold it. You can just tell by the way it feels its quality. And that boils down to the eye for detail in its construction and sure, quality of the material certainly. My Brownsville Bat has a nice weight and balance but you can tell it was crafted with no real effort for quality. It was less then $200 and it feels it but even through that the neck has a nice feel to it. Oh it has the potential to be a great feeling bass...roll the fretboard, shave down the frets or remove them totally, change the pup and you're set. And for what it was brand new, I don't see a problem messaging it to that level.

I don't think the name on the headstock or price tag has anything to do with quality anymore. Its the basic crafting of the bass and the final details that make or break a good quality bass from a bad one. My bat needs a little finishing work and it will be great. The same probably goes for SX but I wouldn't let that stop you from getting one. I think the main difference now for the most part is the less you pay, the less in hardware quality and the small details you /may/ get. So get ready to do some of that yourself but I see no problem in that.