Sx Bass

[SKEETER]

I got rid of my Hohner Steinberger BASS, it was a great bass for live but I didn't care for it in the studio, which is where I use a bass most of the time.
I heard about the rondomusic site and went there looking around, and decided to order the SX SX SJB 57C VYW.
I got it yesterday. It had a few minor flaws ( I am pretty picky about instruments). No biggie, most guitars on the rack have a few flaws if you look close enough ( with the exception of Japanese and Korean guitars, you seldom see guitars made there with manufacturing flaws). This thing is really quite beautiful, it looks a lot nicer in real life than in a picture.
I thought the bass had a fretboard problem, and was going to return it, but decided to try some different strings on it.
I put some 55-105 strings on it and damned if it didn't fix the problem. It was fretting out very bad on the G string from about the 7th fret to the 11th fret. I thought the neck was twisted, since this is not a normal place on a bass or a guitar to fret out with a bad adjustment. It would not adjust out. The string changed got rid of the buzz , which amazed me. What I discovered is that when I took the strings it came with off, they were more like classical guitar strings, they kind of kinked up, which, normaly they will remain straight when slack.
The strings it came with sucked terribly, I have never seen totally bad and useless bass strings, but they were terrible. I called the manager at Rondo and suggested to him if they got complaints about the frets rattling on these models it would be a good idea if he suggest they change strings before sending the isntrument back.
The bass is really quite a bit of instrument for the 180 bucks it cost me , including the shipping. The finish is not as yellow as it looks in the pick, it is more of a very interesting cross between yellow and mint green.
The fretboard is nicely laquered, I prefer laquer on maple fretboards. It came with the action a little high ( the heavier strings made it even higher) but I set it up pretty low and it plays well. It was very close to being intonated as well, I had to tweak the intonation a little, but it would appear it was intonated at the factory. The fretwork is very nice, it has a bound neck and the frets are well seated and finished very nicely. The fretowrk is also very accurate, I checked the intonation at various places on the neck and it intonates dead on everywhere, closer than any bass I have ever had expept the Japanese P bass I had a few years back.
I plugged it into the board and the bridge pickup has a very responsive growl to it, sounds as good as any I have heard. The neck pickup is very warm and deep sounding.
The neck feels perfect , it is just the right size, it is a Jazz style bass, and is not big and husky feeling like some of the J style basses out there, it feels and looks like a Fender from the 60s. The neck is not too wide, but not small either, and has great string placement, the distance between them is just right.
I am very happy with this instrument and cannot wait to get a song to the point where I am laying bass down on it. I suspect it is going to be the last bass I buy, it appears to be perfect for what I do.
With a new set of flatwound strings I have a grand total of roughly 204 bucks and the gas it costed me to drive after strings. Hell of a deal.
The people at Rondo music are also very polite and helpfull.

[Hofnerguy]

They do have some really nice guitars and basses. Prices are very low and the quality is more than what you paid for I think. I don't own any but I know 2 people who do and I have played them and was impressed. Many of the knock off's coming out of Korea and China have nothing to hang their head in shame about. I still favor the late 70's and 80's Japan made Fenders (hey, they are better than the USA ones) When all else fails I still run and grab the old Hofner.

[SKEETER]

I like most of the Korea stuff better than the american made stuff too. I like it as good as most of the Japanese stuff of the late 70s. The fretwork is tight and accurate, and the pickups sound great in most of them.
I like the Indonesian guitars a lot too.
I like the chinese stuff only slightly better than the american made stuff. The chinese instruments don't feel quite as good as the Korean, Japanese, and Indonesian. but give them time.
I used my SX bass for the first time last week to lay down some studio tracks with. It has a great sound and feel. It is WAY more bass than it's price tag implies. I had to reintonate it ( I set it up when I first got it and it has been sitting since then. I often have to set up an instrument, leave it sit a while, then reintonate it, that is not uncommon) and it has one fret that is out, the 1st string at the 12th fret, but I have seen brand new domestic guitars that needed a fret or two filed, that is no biggie. I may not even file that fret, I don't use a bass like a guitar so I seldom play notes that high on it. It is an easy fix though, I won't even have to take a string off to do it.

[fourstringbliss]

I got rid of my Hohner Steinberger BASS, it was a great bass for live but I didn't care for it in the studio, which is where I use a bass most of the time.
I heard about the rondomusic site and went there looking around, and decided to order the SX SX SJB 57C VYW.
I got it yesterday. It had a few minor flaws ( I am pretty picky about instruments). No biggie, most guitars on the rack have a few flaws if you look close enough ( with the exception of Japanese and Korean guitars, you seldom see guitars made there with manufacturing flaws). This thing is really quite beautiful, it looks a lot nicer in real life than in a picture.
I thought the bass had a fretboard problem, and was going to return it, but decided to try some different strings on it.
I put some 55-105 strings on it and damned if it didn't fix the problem. It was fretting out very bad on the G string from about the 7th fret to the 11th fret. I thought the neck was twisted, since this is not a normal place on a bass or a guitar to fret out with a bad adjustment. It would not adjust out. The string changed got rid of the buzz , which amazed me. What I discovered is that when I took the strings it came with off, they were more like classical guitar strings, they kind of kinked up, which, normaly they will remain straight when slack.
The strings it came with sucked terribly, I have never seen totally bad and useless bass strings, but they were terrible. I called the manager at Rondo and suggested to him if they got complaints about the frets rattling on these models it would be a good idea if he suggest they change strings before sending the isntrument back.
The bass is really quite a bit of instrument for the 180 bucks it cost me , including the shipping. The finish is not as yellow as it looks in the pick, it is more of a very interesting cross between yellow and mint green.
The fretboard is nicely laquered, I prefer laquer on maple fretboards. It came with the action a little high ( the heavier strings made it even higher) but I set it up pretty low and it plays well. It was very close to being intonated as well, I had to tweak the intonation a little, but it would appear it was intonated at the factory. The fretwork is very nice, it has a bound neck and the frets are well seated and finished very nicely. The fretowrk is also very accurate, I checked the intonation at various places on the neck and it intonates dead on everywhere, closer than any bass I have ever had expept the Japanese P bass I had a few years back.
I plugged it into the board and the bridge pickup has a very responsive growl to it, sounds as good as any I have heard. The neck pickup is very warm and deep sounding.
The neck feels perfect , it is just the right size, it is a Jazz style bass, and is not big and husky feeling like some of the J style basses out there, it feels and looks like a Fender from the 60s. The neck is not too wide, but not small either, and has great string placement, the distance between them is just right.
I am very happy with this instrument and cannot wait to get a song to the point where I am laying bass down on it. I suspect it is going to be the last bass I buy, it appears to be perfect for what I do.
With a new set of flatwound strings I have a grand total of roughly 204 bucks and the gas it costed me to drive after strings. Hell of a deal.
The people at Rondo music are also very polite and helpfull.
I've been looking at this exact bass for a while now. You say it's a mix of yellow and mint green, right? Does it look at all like vintage white? How well are the pearloid blocks seated in the fretboard? Have you taken the pickup covers off? Did the bridge cover leave any indentations in the finish?

[SKEETER]

I've been looking at this exact bass for a while now. You say it's a mix of yellow and mint green, right? Does it look at all like vintage white? How well are the pearloid blocks seated in the fretboard? Have you taken the pickup covers off? Did the bridge cover leave any indentations in the finish?
I am sorry about this response being so late, I have forgot to come to this site again. I gotta start looking around here again.
I am entirely utilitarian about instruments, so I don't pay attention to things like how the blocks are seated or indentations from the bridge cover. I didn't notice any. For all I know the blocks are painted on, I don't really care about that.
I am however, still very impressed with this bass. I have gigged and recorded with it and it is a gem.
I am really a lead guitarist, but being a good basist is always good for making some dough on side gigs, so I don't really play bass a lot, just when someone I knows bass player craps out on them or I get a call for a last minute gig from my name getting around the grapevine.
The color is, as I say, a very strange color. I have had guys try to talk me into selling it to them because it is so strange looking.
But, I have not seen the same bass at Rondo since I got this one. There are very similar ones, but not this one.

[MelonSnapple]

I own an SX bass Immaculate. Great bass

[McSpunckle]

I've owned 3 SX basses. 2 Jazz, 1 P. All fantastic.

[PerfectStranger]

I have the SX SJB and it is a gem also. I got it to just dick around with since I usually play guitar only. Am amazed at the price vs value of this instrument. Rondo Music is awesome...