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Thoughts on Essex (SX) basses?
http://leftybassist.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=7954		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  Ronin614 [ February 11th, 2017, 11:03 pm ]
Post subject:  Thoughts on Essex (SX) basses?
So do people here love Essex (SX) basses as much as they do over on Talkbass? Just curious what everyone's thoughts are.

Thanks
S-
Author:  pjmuck [ February 12th, 2017, 9:48 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Thoughts on Essex (SX) basses?
I bought an Ursa 6 string a few months ago. I'm generally not a 6 string player much, but I had wanted something with some tighter string spacing/narrower neck to the Simonetti I had owned (which is an excellent bass, BTW, and I believe Tim's still got it for sale). I was very surprised by the quality level when it arrived. The neck was beautifully finished and smooth with rounded edges and no high or sharp frets. Out of the box, it played and sounded very good, but I found a YouTube video of a guy who upgraded his with an Audrere preamp and aftermarket magnets to increase the output (A fantastic cheap upgrade worth pursuing in general if you're looking for more output from your PUPs without spending $$ on new PUPs. With the upgrades, this bass is an absolute killer! Now I just have to get used to playing it more. ;)

Here's the demo of the bass and upgrades I went with (mine's sunburst though) that sold me:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MW6zmkNl68
Author:  Ronin614 [ February 12th, 2017, 8:07 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Thoughts on Essex (SX) basses?
Pjmuck,

Thanks for the reply. They've got a 4 string jazz on sale right now for $99. Considering that I've spent (much) more than on a night out w friends, or even just on dinner with my wife, I figure it's got to be worth a shot. :-)

Oh, and thanks for the linked video. I checked out a few of his other videos, and he seems to be a fan of the SX basses.
Author:  Basshappi [ February 12th, 2017, 8:41 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Thoughts on Essex (SX) basses?
I have a SX Jazz. I have made a few mods to it but even before those it is a good, gig-worthy bass.
They are IMO a very good bass for the money. Are they the equal of MIM/MIJ/MIA Fenders? NO.

But they do compare favorably to Indonesian Squiers or the budget-line Ibanez and Yamaha basses.
Author:  fivebass52 [ February 12th, 2017, 11:44 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Thoughts on Essex (SX) basses?
I once bought an SX 5-string through Rondomusic.com for $99! The bass was solidly built - my only "cons" were 1) nut wasn't low enough, so string acton was too high for the first couple of frets; 2) pickups were really cheap, and didn't seem able to handle hard playing without "clipping". Other than that it was fine for the money. Never got around to fixing the "problems" though, and eventually gave it to a friend who's daughter is a lefty...

Image

The nut, too high...
Image

Looks like the pickups didn't line up very well either....
Image
Author:  Ronin614 [ February 22nd, 2017, 5:24 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Thoughts on Essex (SX) basses?
So I ended up pulling the trigger an Ursa 2. I got it last night, unfortunately, there are cracks on both sides of the neck pocket.

Rondo said it would be no problem to swap it for a replacement, which is cool. I'm just bummed because I really liked the grain on this one.

Let's hope for better luck in round two. :-)
Author:  Lefty007 [ February 24th, 2017, 12:06 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Thoughts on Essex (SX) basses?
I bought (and returned) a few of them maybe 5 years ago, so I don't know if the quality has improved, but my experience was bad. They had horrible frets that needed a full dressing (which can cost between $100 and $250), and some of them were awfully heavy. The electronics, however, were not that bad.

But at the end I thought they needed more work to make them playable than they were worth. Especially now that there are companies like Ibanez, Schecter and Squier offering better basses for a bit more money.

Hope you get a good one worth keeping.
Author:  pjmuck [ February 24th, 2017, 3:24 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Thoughts on Essex (SX) basses?
Lefty007 wrote:
I bought (and returned) a few of them maybe 5 years ago, so I don't know if the quality has improved, but my experience was bad. They had horrible frets that needed a full dressing (which can cost between $100 and $250), and some of them were awfully heavy. The electronics, however, were not that bad.

But at the end I thought they needed more work to make them playable than they were worth. Especially now that there are companies like Ibanez, Schecter and Squier offering better basses for a bit more money.

Hope you get a good one worth keeping.


Bizarre. :?: I've had zero issues with mine. In fact, I was very surprised at how well it was put together. Maybe the quality has improved in recent years. I used to own an SX Les Paul copy years ago and that was most certainly a piece of garbage.
Author:  JohnnyAngel [ April 5th, 2017, 10:41 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Thoughts on Essex (SX) basses?
I have 2 of these SX basses and have been using the full scale version at practice and also for some shows. I find the basses to be made very well for the price pint and the slim Jazz neck is very comfortable. I am a Fender fan and have quite a few Fender models and would love to own a Fender lefty Jaguar bass, but these 2 SX lefties were for sale in my area and for $100 a piece I couldn't resist. I've been pleasantly surprised at their quality and feel.

[img][IMG]http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p195/johnnyangel69/IMG_4747_zpsrmd8mnql.jpg[/img][/img]
Author:  DaBassman [ June 26th, 2017, 3:19 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Thoughts on Essex (SX) basses?
You can not beat them for the $$$$. Great way to try out something you'd normally pass on at a higher price point.
Author:  Moses [ June 29th, 2017, 12:22 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Thoughts on Essex (SX) basses?
I bought a P bass from them years ago, it was my first bass. It was pretty bad, but it probably would have been decent enough with a good fretjob. I was inexperienced and had no idea how bad I had it. Learning to play with sky high action is probably the best way to do it, anyway, right? Right?

I bought a 6 string J from them last year. It's actually a pretty nice bass. It very desperately needed a shielding job but the fretwork on this one was quite adequate.

Hardware on both basses has been sound, fit and finish pretty much what would expect on a budget bass, nothing to complain about.

As for tone, that's all in the fingers. I'd probably snatch up another P bass if they ever offer a lefty in a nice pastel seafoam or daphne.
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