A new bassist looking for a new bass.

F

F&NSARSI

New member
i was considering a Sx jazz bass, as i've read that majority of the ppl using SX on talkbass has modded it so much that the only stock is the body itself, so i was wondering if it is worth it to modd a bass so much, or just get a good 1?

Choices(no particular order):
1. SX jazz
2. Fender jazz
3. Ibanez Gio Soundgear

help/opinions please.
 
personally , you should try all of your choices . then you can conclude your selection . maybe you like only 1 of the 3 . haha .
 
When you get a SX and mod it, you are given the opportunity to modify everything to your own liking. Most people keep the body and the neck because it's fairly well built and give Fender a run for their money. Some of them put in pickups, bridges and preamps that they like/love and voila, they have their own signature bass, at a fraction of the cost of getting a luthier to create a custom jazz/precision. Others just send it for a set up and play the heck out of it.

Fender is the brand when people think of guitars and basses. I don't know if you're thinking of Fender or Squier. Because your other two options are a lot cheaper than the Fender. If you have the money, and have just begun playing the bass, I would suggest the Fender. Can't go wrong with it. It'll always retain its value, if not appreciate. It's reliable, it has THE tone, the recent ones from America and Mexico have shown signs of better quality control. So what's not to love?

When you get a Gio Soundgear... Wait, no don't get a Gio soundgear. Save up and get yourself a proper Soundgear that's made in Korea. The price difference isn't that great.

But if you have just started bassing, don't know what you want, I would rather you spend less money and experiment. See what suits you best. Then dive into a 4 digit baby.
 
Last edited:
i would recommend a Fender jazz. My personal preference is getting to understand Original tone till your fundamentals are strong then consider upgrades. Basically a Fender Jazz is a reliable bass to start off. Even if you continuing using it till you are pro and season. It playability is long.
 
For a start, i would probably recommend basses from Yamaha. In my opinion, its playability and quality it worthy for the price.
 
1. SX (made in China) is Alder body and affordable ($250 package) Can sell off the amp if you intend to get a bigger watt or something better. Upgrade to better pickups(abt $200-300) does make a differences.

2. Ibanez Srx 300(Basswood) is abt $500-600++? (made in Indonesia), quite power maybe becos active pickups

3. Yamaha I will recommend BB414 or 614 (made in Taiwan I thk,alder body) abt $600-700++? BB 614 is 3 band eq so slightly more ex.

4. Fender Jazz I prefer Made in Japan - about $1.4k and above, maybe can try the Mexico ones and see if the quality improve? For Fender body, either get an Alder or Ash body, dun get the Basswood.

5. Squier Jazz these days made in Indonesia or China.. abt $400-500? Will need to upgrade the pickups.. My Squier Jazz is made in Korea.

6. OLP - Stingray copied.. abt $400-500++... Some pple dun like.. some find it good..

7. Lakland - can check with cherns.. maybe got special discount :)

8. Bacchus starter series also quite gd but might need to import from Japan.

Depends what music you play and your budget. Some pple buy 2nd hand bass to try first and as they improve and know what they want, than get a better and more expensive bass.
Visit the shops and try the bass and see if you like the feel and the sound.

Ask a friend who been playing for a while to accompany you to try those basses.

Cheers,

Ben
 
Personally for beginners AND intermediate players, Ibanez Soundgears really fits the bill. its really easy to play due to the tappered neck ( making fast playing a breeze ) and the 3 band EQ knobs,fuh, it just makes the sound so versatile.
so yeah. the ideal bass of mine.its a SRX 500. letting it go for an upgrade though. haha.
 
ibanez guitars in general do alot of tones, but the one tone that they DONT do well are vintage tones. some people don't need a whole boat load of tones, maybe all that they need is the sound of passive single coils.

i suggest you determine your budget, then look around to see what fits. from what remains, go for the tone and feel that you like the most.

your budget is very important. because a toyota can be considered as a good car. but so can a ferrari. you don't need opinions on what you can afford.

tonal preference is important because nobody says that a ferarri is better than a lamborghini or a maserati. it doesn't make sense. but this only begins to be a bigger factor further down the road.

so for the moment just get the best bang for whatever bucks you have to spend

as for mods, specific mods change the tone in specific ways. if you know the tone you are going for, and know the mod to achieve it, then go ahead. that is of course, if you wouln't prefer to save more to get a more expensive bass further down the road.
 
Last edited:
benjso28 said:
6. OLP - Stingray copied.. abt $400-500++... Some pple dun like.. some find it good..
Click to expand...


If im not wrong OLP's are discontinued.

Its best to get a friend to go with you. If you're thinking of a mexican fender or an SX. I'll go with the SX.
 
If ur into rock , u can try esp/ltd basses . But if ur more into better sound , Fenders are the choice .
Mind if u give us how is your budget?And do u wanna buy a package or buy it separately??
 
thanks for all the ideas.

something below 500, preferably separately w/o a package. i was seriously considering modding a SX bass cus it sounds rather interesting.. but just looking for opinions here.. and myb some fresh ideas
 
the problem here is if you go the mod way, you may not like what you end up with. that's why i think it's better to go with basses you can try out first.

that said, i've read lots of good reviews on SX basses on talkbass. if you're looking to go cheap, i'd say SX. if you're willing to save up a bit more, i'd recommend a MIM Fender. i've heard that their QC is getting better.
 
TS, are you a beginner to instruments in general? Or were you a guitarist newly turned bassists?

If it's the former, most of the advice here holds.

If it's the latter, perhaps some of the advice given is something you've already known, but they still apply.
 
hahah. i belong to the latter. been playing bass for quite sometime, but i just dont own my own axe yet..

i heard MIM arent that good yet, so i dont think i'll be investing in one. where can i get a SX bass in SG, and what about their price range and sound quality?
 
Davis at penin. I'm not sure about the price, but it's generally below 300 bucks.

Quality. Mostly good, very good for tinkling around with. Gives Fender a run for it's money after a good set up.
 
ahkiatt said:
Davis at penin. I'm not sure about the price, but it's generally below 300 bucks.

Quality. Mostly good, very good for tinkling around with. Gives Fender a run for it's money after a good set up.
Click to expand...

+1

I've heard many fantastic sounding SX with just a couple of basic mods.
If u're the brand kinda guy, just get decals:)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

S
Looking for Jazz players: Bassist & Keys!
Replies
2
Views
375
AGS
A
W
guitarist/bassist looking for jazz/indie/alt bandmates
Replies
4
Views
1K
aurevoirsg
A
W
Band Looking for Bassist and Vocalist
Replies
0
Views
205
whatever
W
David_Fr
Rock band looking for his / her new voice!
Replies
4
Views
830
David_Fr
David_Fr
W
Metal/Rock Progressive Band Looking for Bassist and Vocalist
Replies
0
Views
232
whatever
W

Latest posts

Share this page

Back
Top