Just Received My SX Jazz Bass From Rondo Music The Other Day
BrianWalther
Jazz. I went down to Sioux Falls Music to try a few out. While down
at SF Music, I checked a couple Made In Mexico Fender Jazzes with a
Rosewood Fretboards. They felt kind of cheap. You could feel the
frets on the edge of the fretboard while going up and down on the
neck. The tone was kind of thin and I wasn't impressed at all for the
$450+ price tag.
I then tried out a couple of American Jazzes. The quality of these
were markedly better and sounded good but for the $1100 price tag, I
didn't feel that they were worth what you got. The neck felt slightly
better than the MIM and had a fatter sound but not enough to warrant
the price difference.
The sales guy then suggests I check out the Fender Geddy Lee Signature
Jazz. It ran around $699. For that price it was Amazing. It blew the
American and MIM Jazzes out of the water. It had a Maple fretboard and
played real smooth. Comes with a BadassII Bridge. The tone was there
as it was punchy yet not too bright and not muddy at all on the bottom
end.
Then on a whim, I grabbed a Squire Fretless Bass. Boy was I suprised!
To me, this little puppy blew the American and MIM out of the water in
terms of "Feel", "Tone", and overal playability. The neck is has an
ebonol finger board with celluloid lines for position markers. As for
the sound, The tone was well defined given the strings that were on
it. (Stock Roundwound) The bottom was punchy yet was very bright when
I needed it to be. The hardware was your standard Fender/Squire
hardware but worked decent enough for the price. I totally fell in
love with this bass. As far as tuning goes with the fret markers, it
was pretty much in tune all the way up the neck. A little variation on
the upper register but not enough to worry about. The price on this
baby was right around $279.00
After doing some looking on the net, I also stumbled upon
rondomusic.com. After reading several reviews on the SX basses, I
figured I'd take a gamble and order one. Got it on Friday and to say
I was blown away is a total understatement. I ordered the SX SJB-75
LTD 3TS Vintage Jazz. Total price for Bass, Hard Case and shipping
was $256.00 The bass itself is extremely well made. Far better than
the Fender MIM Jazzes. To me, I like it better than any of the new
American Jazzes I played. I would say feel wise and construction
wise, it is comparable to the Getty Lee Model I tried out. Out of the
box it played pretty good. I do get a little fret buzz around the 7th
- 9th frets on all four strings if I play aggressively so I need to
take it in and have a pro set the thing up. The pickups are ok but
I'll definately be putting in some new ones. (Any suggestions?) Also,
the cavity needs to be shielded as there is none what so ever. Can't
expect perfections for under $300 dollars. The only real complaint I
have is that the headstock has a couple of tiny dings in it. Looks
like the dings were made before the finish was applied. The feel of
the neck is perfect though. It's a little weighty but nomore so than
most Fender Jazzes. All in all, I'm so glad I didn't buy a fender
because I would have missed out on a great bass for a little price. I
think I'm gonna get me a five string soon. I think that after I get
new pickups, put some copper shielding in the cavity and put some new
strings (flats or rounds? not sure yet), I'll have the perfect bass
for what I want to accomplish. Over all, if pricing was equal to an
American Jazz, I'd still take the SX over the Fender anyday of the
week. I've got a bunch of pics of the bass on my flickr page for
those interested. http://www.flickr.com/photos/29701284@N04/
Comment or different opinions are welcome.
Bri
Tim Holding
> Comment or different opinions are welcome.
>
> Bri
Can't agree more. First bass i ever brought was a SX Jazz. Still love
it. I beat the crap out of it and it still plays well. Love my ESP-LTD
that i play currently but for the price you simply CANNOT go past an SX
Benj
> Can't agree more. First bass i ever brought was a SX Jazz. Still love
> it. I beat the crap out of it and it still plays well. Love my ESP-LTD
> that i play currently but for the price you simply CANNOT go past an SX
We told you so! I got my first SX as the ash Jazz clone with the "ash
trays" with the idea of ripping the frets out and turning it into a
fretless bar bass. But that idea went out the window as soon as I got
it. Simply could NOT bring myself to rip it up! Yeah, it needed some
setup, shielding and in my case I had to take a bandsaw to the old
"canoe paddle" headstock. But for the cash it's like the ultimate bar
bass! And you may recall the SX actually won the Alt.guitar.bass
blind listening test here for best sounding bass against some pretty
stiff competition! None of us guessing had a clue that the one we
thought was the best sounding bass was the SX.
And hey, I've got some pretty high end "boutique" basses and still the
SX gets lots of use. I don't want drunks stumbling into my Alembic,
but on the other hand I don't want to be playing some piece of crap
just so I can leave it home either! SX solves both problems quite
nicely.
Steve Freides
news:08f35968-574e-4b13...@y21g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
This sounds great - I'm trying to find exactly what you got but when I
search their web site, I get a bunch of stuff - have a link to exactly
the one you got? It looks like the actual bass was/is $159 - is that
right? Man, that's inexpensive if it's decent. Right now, I have a
4-string fretless and a 6-string fretted, and I need a 4-string fretted
because my son wants to learn to play. This would fit the budget very
nicely.
-S-
Steve
>
> This sounds great - I'm trying to find exactly what you got but when I
> search their web site, I get a bunch of stuff - have a link to exactly
> the one you got? It looks like the actual bass was/is $159 - is that
> right? Man, that's inexpensive if it's decent. Right now, I have a
> 4-string fretless and a 6-string fretted, and I need a 4-string fretted
> because my son wants to learn to play. This would fit the budget very
> nicely.
>
> -S-
>
>
Looks like it's this one:
http://www.rondomusic.com/product932.html
--Steve
Fender Bassist
> Comment or different opinions are welcome.
>
> Bri
The audio sample on my Musician Forest profile:
http://www.musicianforest.com/profile/13700/
is one where I played this bass:
http://www.rondomusic.com/sjb62qmdredsb.html
The only modification done to it was pickup replacement (Seymour
Duncan SJB-3 quarter pounder passives). Makes a fine gig bass (I gave
this bass to a friend to get him started and he asked me to play it on
this first rough draft instrumental...he posts his music on
www.myspace.com/bogdanrygalski).
BrianWalther
> This sounds great - I'm trying to find exactly what you got but when I
> search their web site, I get a bunch of stuff - have a link to exactly
> the one you got? It looks like the actual bass was/is $159 - is that
> right? Man, that's inexpensive if it's decent. Right now, I have a
> 4-string fretless and a 6-string fretted, and I need a 4-string fretted
> because my son wants to learn to play. This would fit the budget very
> nicely.
Here is the link for the one I got. It's a 34" scale. and is listed
at $179.95
http://www.rondomusic.com/sjb-75ltd3ts.html
Plays like a dream.
-Bri
Benj
Very similar. Actually mine was 5 string with natural wood finish but
otherwise pretty much it. I think it was like $179 too. They were out
of stock for a LONG time after I got mine. Then recently I noticed
they had them again. But I just looked at the Rondo site and they
don't seem to have them anymore. Those things must sell like
hotcakes! And I'm not surprised.
Benj
Steve Freides
Plays like a dream.
-Bri
*-----------
Thanks very much.
-S-
Benj
> The only modification done to it was pickup replacement (Seymour
> Duncan SJB-3 quarter pounder passives). Makes a fine gig bass (I gave
> this bass to a friend to get him started and he asked me to play it on
> this first rough draft instrumental...he posts his music
> onwww.myspace.com/bogdanrygalski).
Very nice sounding bass! So far I haven't replaced any pickups yet on
my SX basses. But I always get out the copper and shield them. I
forgot to mention that one other mod I always do is replace that vol/
vol/tone setup. I hate vol-vol basses! So I take out the second
volume control and replace it with a rotary switch. The switch is
wired to switch pickups around: Neck only/Both Series/ Both parallel/
bridge only. Less adjustment than two volumes, but the switch means
you always go to a given tone in a given position. And the deep
talkin' series connection is always a favorite of mine.
Fender Bassist
Thanks for the kind words. After much experimentation I've setup my
80's P and J basses with SPB-3 and SJB-3 pickups and strung them with
nicklewound light gauge strings (40-60-75-95).
And nice idea you have there with the rotary switch. Definitely has
advantages over the v/v/t setup. That is something I will need to
consider, thank you :)
Steve M. Mann
[...]
> After doing some looking on the net, I also stumbled upon
> rondomusic.com. After reading several reviews on the SX basses, I
> figured I'd take a gamble and order one. Got it on Friday and to say
> I was blown away is a total understatement.
Thanks to this thread and several others, I decided to pick up a SX
BG-204 BK bass to fool around with. Mostly for home recording. Based on
the comments here and elsewhere, I think I'm going to be more than happy
with the guitar.
http://www.rondomusic.com/bg204bk.html
I'll be sure to post comments when I receive the bass on Wednesday.
--
Steve
..............................
P R O J E C T - 4 3
http://www.project-43.com/
The Future of Classic Rock
..............................
Download the "Ticket to Infinity"
Now at your favorite download site!
Fender Bassist
Gratz, I hope so. I would be curious to hear what you think about the
sound...I've never played one of their soap bar pickup basses. Looks
to have a pretty fast neck (24 frets and 9/16" at the nut). Black
with chrome makes for a cool look.
Benj
> Gratz, I hope so. I would be curious to hear what you think about the
> sound...I've never played one of their soap bar pickup basses. Looks
> to have a pretty fast neck (24 frets and 9/16" at the nut). Black
> with chrome makes for a cool look.
Yeah, me too. I've always wondered what the soap bar basses sounded
like.
BrianWalther
these
two clips using a Tascam digital 8 track, and Alesis Drum Machine, SX
Jazz bass, and my son's guitar using one of the guitar patches on the
Tascam. I recorded everything direct and all EQ is set flat. I set
all the volume and tone knobs to max on the bass and just went from
there. Nothing major but it will give you an idea on the tone of a
stock SX Jazz bass with the stock strings.
Track One:
http://soundclick.com/share?songid=6845024
Track Two:
http://soundclick.com/share?songid=6845034
Comments Welcome
-Bri
Javier González Nicolini
Sweet tone man. I'll be doing some calculations and see how much it
would run me to get one of those with all the import taxes and
whatnot.
Steve M. Mann
> On 8/18/2008 11:13 PM, BrianWalther wrote:
>
> [...]
>
>> After doing some looking on the net, I also stumbled upon
>> rondomusic.com. After reading several reviews on the SX basses, I
>> figured I'd take a gamble and order one. Got it on Friday and to say
>> I was blown away is a total understatement.
>
> Thanks to this thread and several others, I decided to pick up a SX
> BG-204 BK bass to fool around with. Mostly for home recording. Based on
> the comments here and elsewhere, I think I'm going to be more than happy
> with the guitar.
>
> http://www.rondomusic.com/bg204bk.html
>
> I'll be sure to post comments when I receive the bass on Wednesday.
Okay... I got the bass yesterday. I haven't had much time with it, but I
took some quick pictures and did a VERY quick demo track.
The bass looks great. You can't beat it for the money. I'm a little
disappointed with the string height/action. I've done a cursory setup
myself and that improved things, but I'm taking it to my guitar guy to
get a pro setup on it. I'm sure there's room for improvement yet.
Soo... without further adieu, here's the pics:
http://project-43.com/files/sx_pix/Sx_001.JPG
http://project-43.com/files/sx_pix/Sx_002.JPG
http://project-43.com/files/sx_pix/Sx_003.JPG
http://project-43.com/files/sx_pix/Sx_004.JPG
http://project-43.com/files/sx_pix/Sx_005.JPG
http://project-43.com/files/sx_pix/Sx_006.JPG
http://project-43.com/files/sx_pix/Sx_pots.JPG
And for the audio track... please forgive me. I'm a guitar player at
heart, so learning the bass is first on my list now that I have the
instrument. Just some random playing...
http://project-43.com/files/SX_BG-204_testtrack.mp3
I think it's got a pretty decent sound straight out of 'the box'. This
is a pretty basic recording straight to Audition with no EQ or anything.
The 'soap bar' pick ups sound pretty full and warm to me.
Obviously, the pots are inexpensive and it needs shielding BAD, but
other than those two issues, it's a damn fine bass for $185.
Jim Carr
Sounds good. Thanks for the clips.
--
Write a wise saying and your name will live forever.
- Anonymous
Benj
wrote:
> http://project-43.com/files/SX_BG-204_testtrack.mp3
>
> I think it's got a pretty decent sound straight out of 'the box'. This
> is a pretty basic recording straight to Audition with no EQ or anything.
> The 'soap bar' pick ups sound pretty full and warm to me.
Yes, I like that sound. Nice full "modern" tone to it. Better than I
expected.
> Obviously, the pots are inexpensive and it needs shielding BAD, but
> other than those two issues, it's a damn fine bass for $185.
I totally agree. I love the finish, the neck stripes, and the quality
of the tuners among other things. At first I thought the black under
the pots was conductive paint (which is usually black) but then I
remembered that it was a black bass, so I guess shielding might not be
there. Not a big deal to fix. I often find that conductive paint may
or may not work well. sometimes it's fine and then next time it's not.
So I use copper foil to make sure. Yes, that is a very fine bass for
the money!
Thanks for sharing!
Steve M. Mann
> On Aug 28, 6:51 pm, "Steve M. Mann" <rockermannLOOS...@steve-mann.com>
> wrote:
>
>> http://project-43.com/files/SX_BG-204_testtrack.mp3
>>
>> I think it's got a pretty decent sound straight out of 'the box'. This
>> is a pretty basic recording straight to Audition with no EQ or anything.
>> The 'soap bar' pick ups sound pretty full and warm to me.
>
> Yes, I like that sound. Nice full "modern" tone to it. Better than I
> expected.
Yeah, me too actually. I'm really happy with the tones I'm getting out
of it.
>> Obviously, the pots are inexpensive and it needs shielding BAD, but
>> other than those two issues, it's a damn fine bass for $185.
>
> I totally agree. I love the finish, the neck stripes, and the quality
> of the tuners among other things. At first I thought the black under
> the pots was conductive paint (which is usually black) but then I
> remembered that it was a black bass, so I guess shielding might not be
> there. Not a big deal to fix. I often find that conductive paint may
> or may not work well. sometimes it's fine and then next time it's not.
> So I use copper foil to make sure. Yes, that is a very fine bass for
> the money!
>
> Thanks for sharing!
No problem...
I took the bass for a basic setup and man did it make a difference. The
action is twice as good as it was and it's just much more playable. The
nut slots needed some filing too as the strings were sitting a bit high.
But again, for the money, it's a bargain and a half.