# Wanting to start learning bass, Is this bass decent?



## twiztedchild (Jan 22, 2010)

Tittle says it all. I am looking for a inexpensive bass and I like the looks of this and the fact that it isnt basswood  

SX PBG2 at RondoMusic.com

I know that I would need to replace the pickups if I was to get it. But I was also wondering what kind of amp would be good for learning the bass to go along with this one? I'm on a tight budget by the way.

Thanks for any info.


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## Concr3t3 (Jan 22, 2010)

A co-worker of mine bought an SX guitar for $100 and surprizingly enough, it played more like a $400. I'm only guessing that their bass line is about the same, so you should be safe their.

If you're on a budget for a combo, look on craigslist. If you want to go brand new maybe check out Line 6.


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## twiztedchild (Jan 22, 2010)

Concr3t3 said:


> A co-worker of mine bought an SX guitar for $100 and surprizingly enough, it played more like a $400. I'm only guessing that their bass line is about the same, so you should be safe their.
> 
> If you're on a budget for a combo, look on craigslist. If you want to go brand new maybe check out Line 6.





I was thinking about maybe getting a line 6. And I barely hear anything about the SX guitars and basses, just the Agile and Brice


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## BigPhi84 (Jan 22, 2010)

Sweet, a free scarf too! ROFL.  I've looked up SX reviews on youtube, and they're generally positive.


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## twiztedchild (Jan 22, 2010)

thats good. I maybe getting this bass soon then


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## SargeantVomit (Jan 22, 2010)

The pups are decent in them too. I don't know if you're handy with a soldering iron or not, but I've heard that it's a world of difference just to rewire it and throw in some decent pots. Total cost is about $15. I never bothered with mine though, I don't use it for recording and it sounds great live, right out of the box. 

For an amp are you just looking for a bedroom amp or something that can keep up with drums?


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## twiztedchild (Jan 23, 2010)

SargeantVomit said:


> The pups are decent in them too. I don't know if you're handy with a soldering iron or not, but I've heard that it's a world of difference just to rewire it and throw in some decent pots. Total cost is about $15. I never bothered with mine though, I don't use it for recording and it sounds great live, right out of the box.
> 
> For an amp are you just looking for a bedroom amp or something that can keep up with drums?



well to start off with most likely a bedroom amp...Well yeah a bedroom amp  I don't have a band right now and the only thing I would be using it for is to practice bass and maybe recording for my own project crap music


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## robotsatemygma (Jan 23, 2010)

twiztedchild said:


> I was thinking about maybe getting a line 6. And I barely hear anything about the SX guitars and basses, just the Agile and Brice



SX basses are the best bang for the buck, easily, hands down, available. I was in the same boat as you... SX bass? WTF is that? Should I even consider it as an option? Yep. Awesomeness is what I says. I have a 5 string and it plays way better then the Ibanez and Peavey's I used to own when I was in high school. They really hit the nail on the head with their basses. I can't account for their 4 strings but man, my 5 string is the shit!


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## twiztedchild (Jan 23, 2010)

robotsatemygma said:


> SX basses are the best bang for the buck, easily, hands down, available. I was in the same boat as you... SX bass? WTF is that? Should I even consider it as an option? Yep. Awesomeness is what I says. I have a 5 string and it plays way better then the Ibanez and Peavey's I used to own when I was in high school. They really hit the nail on the head with their basses. I can't account for their 4 strings but man, my 5 string is the shit!



Nice I was thinking about getting a 5 string as well mainly cuz I have a 7 string and it would match up better. but the SX Pirate was really the only "Cheap" model that I liked that isnt too Old schoolish


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## Bevo (Jan 24, 2010)

I just wonder if the colors will get tired after a while, also think of resale. The other bases may be old school but thats what people buy.

SX bases have great reputations, the pickups are good but the wiring is weak. Having it rewired with new pots really brings out the tone of the guitar. I should not be expensive to have it set up and have the wiring completed.

One of the guys up here plays in a high level Jazz band and swears by them. I played his stock out of the box one and his rewired set up one, they are completly different. The set up one played and sounded better than his Fender AM P-bass.


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## twiztedchild (Jan 25, 2010)

Bevo said:


> I just wonder if the colors will get tired after a while, also think of resale. The other bases may be old school but thats what people buy.
> 
> SX bases have great reputations, the pickups are good but the wiring is weak. Having it rewired with new pots really brings out the tone of the guitar. I should not be expensive to have it set up and have the wiring completed.
> 
> One of the guys up here plays in a high level Jazz band and swears by them. I played his stock out of the box one and his rewired set up one, they are completly different. The set up one played and sounded better than his Fender AM P-bass.



Wow. thats good to know I guess.  how ever I do like the sound of a Humbuckered bass then a single coil pickup in a bass but the only Hum bass thats in my price range right now is the Ibanez GSR104EX or the 5 string of it.


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## AeonSolus (Jan 25, 2010)

Dude, awesome to see you posting again man! been some time  Anyway, SX basses are amazing, a friend of mine whose a local jazz bass player took an SX and modded the hell out of it, Oiled the fretboard, sanded the finish on the neck and oiled it for a smoother feel, refreted the thing and gave it a few upgrades like new tuners, new bridge and a set of bartolinis, it feels like a bass that costs like 8 times the current price after the upgrades! but even so, SXs are great basses and guitars, go for it blindly! Although, if you're starting to play bass you should get a five string, because i know after you get better on it you'll want that added range 

Check out these two

SX SPB-62 4+1 5-String 3TS 5 String Bass at RondoMusic.com
SX Ursa 2 MN 5 3TS 5 String Bass at RondoMusic.com


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## OwlsHaveEyes (Jan 25, 2010)

If you are just starting out then I say buy the SX, and get a behringer combo probably this one....

Behringer Ultrabass BXL450 45W 1x10" Bass Combo and more Bass Amplifiers at GuitarCenter.com.

They have good tone for a beginning bassist and the price is right.


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## Ram150023 (Jan 25, 2010)

Definitely recommend ANYTHING from Rondomusic!!! I have the SR370 7 string... a buddy of mine has an SX 6 string... swears by it!


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## twiztedchild (Jan 25, 2010)

awesome. what about these : 

Douglas WOB 826 Black at RondoMusic.com

Douglas WEB 825 NA at RondoMusic.com

are they just as good as the SX basses?


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## Bevo (Jan 26, 2010)

I tried the 826 before and after a rewire and it was amazing both times, you can't go wrong!


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## twiztedchild (Jan 26, 2010)

Bevo said:


> I tried the 826 before and after a rewire and it was amazing both times, you can't go wrong!



nice, I'm thinking about baybe trying to get that instead of the 4 string.


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## josh pelican (Feb 12, 2010)

Like most people have said, SX (or Essex) basses get pretty good reviews. Try checking out talkbass.com to check out what people have said. I haven't seen any reviews for that specific bass yet.

I've seen a lot of people chuck Audere preamps into the SX jazz basses. These always turn out remarkable. Another option for modding the bass would be Aguilar OBP-3 preamp and EMG-PJ or Nordstrand PJ pickups. Endless tonal abilities on any bass.


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## Ram150023 (Feb 12, 2010)

Douglas is a step up from the SX line... plus i own a Douglas and there are many reviews here on the site about them (the brand)... great reviews! Again, you prolly wont go wrong anyway you go... especially for trying it out... the $$ wioudl be well spent!


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## twiztedchild (Feb 12, 2010)

Ram150023 said:


> Douglas is a step up from the SX line... plus i own a Douglas and there are many reviews here on the site about them (the brand)... great reviews! Again, you prolly wont go wrong anyway you go... especially for trying it out... the $$ wioudl be well spent!



Really?? I could have sworn I have seen people here a while back bad mouthing the Douglas basses and guitars


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## Ram150023 (Feb 13, 2010)

Hmm... well, of the reviews I've found here about the 7 string, everything has gotten A+ reviews ( other than the pups need a changin... but I happen to like the factory pups in it!!) unfortunately, I have never had the pleasure of reading about or trying a bass from them... but if its worth anything... if the quality is even close to the 7 I have from Douglas... you will love it!


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## Konfyouzd (Feb 13, 2010)

if you're just learning i don't know how much it really matters. not like you know what like in a bass if you don't know how to play one yet. 

try playing some at a local music shop and see what you like. some of us may have played that bass and may like it but it's ultimately up to YOU whether or not the bass is "good". you gotta play the thing, not us. 

that having been said, i seldom hear an unkind word about rondo's merchandise.


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## Ram150023 (Feb 13, 2010)

^See... I told ya!!  

But "Konfyouzd" is 100% dead on... you have to know what you like to play... 4 vs. 6 strings alone is a huge difference ( i have both!) plus you need to know what comfortable in your hands... ultimately your call!


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## Konfyouzd (Feb 13, 2010)

Ram150023 said:


> ^See... I told ya!!
> 
> But "Konfyouzd" is 100% dead on... you have to know what you like to play... 4 vs. 6 strings alone is a huge difference ( i have both!) plus you need to know what comfortable in your hands... ultimately your call!


4 v 6 is a monstrous difference [for me]. i almost feel obligated to play differently on each one because of how different they feel [to me]. 5 strings is a glorious middle ground. you get the "thumpability" of a 4 string w/ a little added range (never a bad thing). 

personally, i find the ibanez btb series to have great string spacing (19mm i believe...?) for both slapping and "finger style" (is that what it's called?) 

i find that it's easier to do finger style (i'll keep calling it that for consistency's sake) on basses with closer string spacings, though (ie - i choose not to slap on these basses as i feel a bit constricted).

i didn't read the specs on that particular one because i'm a bit lazy (just keepin it real).

another thing you may want to look at is... if you're going to go w/ 5+ strings, it's my personal opinion that you get a tighter low end with a 35"+ scale length. 



Konfyouzd said:


> 4 v 6 is a monstrous difference [for me]. i almost feel obligated to play differently on each one because of how different they feel [to me]. 5 strings is a glorious middle ground. you get the "thumpability" of a 4 string w/ a little added range (never a bad thing).
> 
> personally, i find the ibanez btb series to have great string spacing (19mm i believe...?) for both slapping and "finger style" (is that what it's called?)
> 
> ...


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## twiztedchild (Feb 13, 2010)

I whanted a BTB bass a few years back, And I know a little bit about playing bass but I don't own one


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## Ram150023 (Feb 13, 2010)

Konfyouzd said:


> 4 v 6 is a monstrous difference [for me]. i almost feel obligated to play differently on each one because of how different they feel [to me]. 5 strings is a glorious middle ground. you get the "thumpability" of a 4 string w/ a little added range (never a bad thing).
> 
> personally, i find the ibanez btb series to have great string spacing (19mm i believe...?) for both slapping and "finger style" (is that what it's called?)
> 
> ...


 
My 4 & 6'ers are both Ibanez Sound gears ( GSR200 and a SR506 TT..) i dont find the spacing an issue at all with these... not sure on the specs at all... but i find it funny that i play the 4 and its a twig... my 6 is a friggin tree trunk! HAHAHA but choosing fingers / pick / slap isnt an issue at all...


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## Konfyouzd (Feb 13, 2010)

Ram150023 said:


> My 4 & 6'ers are both Ibanez Sound gears ( GSR200 and a SR506 TT..) i dont find the spacing an issue at all with these... not sure on the specs at all... but i find it funny that i play the 4 and its a twig... my 6 is a friggin tree trunk! HAHAHA but choosing fingers / pick / slap isnt an issue at all...



ahh... that's why. the spacing is more or less the same between those, then. the SRs always reminded me more of a large guitar than a bass because of the spacings.. i actually like that, though because i started on guitar anyway.


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## Ram150023 (Feb 14, 2010)

Konfyouzd said:


> ahh... that's why. the spacing is more or less the same between those, then. the SRs always reminded me more of a large guitar than a bass because of the spacings.. i actually like that, though because i started on guitar anyway.


 
If you look at my profile pic... i am currently involved with both guitar and bass!! HAHA been playing guitar for 15 years and bass / drums about 6...

but yeah.. their just big "guitars"


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## Andii (Feb 14, 2010)

Douglas 6 string with stock PUs(yeah I post this vid a lot but it's always relevant ):



Jim's Douglas has the stock PU config. They sound good enough to leave them in there until you get around to it. The only thing is the J's are single coils and are really noisy, which forces you to put the selector in a position that bucks hum. Jim leaves his in the center so that both pickups are selected. Even for single coils they are unusually noisy. The links to the douglas bass you posted with the dual HB PUs would eliminate this and probably sound decent as well. 

As for the 4 vs. 5 vs. 6 discussion I find that there isn't enough range on a 4 string for me to enjoy writing music on it. A six string bass wouldn't be a good idea if you have small hands. I think 5 isn't a good medium and it only shares the disadvantages of the 4 and 6.


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## Ram150023 (Feb 14, 2010)

Awesome vid Andii!!! Is that you?? Just tryin to help twizted out on an educated decision... dont want to give him bad advice and leave a shitty taste in his mouth regarding bass... so i guess all areas need to be covered.. 4, 5 & 6'ers...


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## Andii (Feb 14, 2010)

Ram150023 said:


> Awesome vid Andii!!! Is that you?? Just tryin to help twizted out on an educated decision... dont want to give him bad advice and leave a shitty taste in his mouth regarding bass... so i guess all areas need to be covered.. 4, 5 & 6'ers...



The dude in the video is Jim(I mentioned that a couple of times). I engineered the tone in the video and mixed and mastered the track. I also set that bass up(truss rods and intonation) and everything went well and did what it was supposed to. 

I was speaking about the 4vs5vs6 thing out of experience. I owned and played a Sr-506 for about a year. Sold it because I needed money really bad and currently play a four string while saving for a brice 6.


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## Konfyouzd (Feb 14, 2010)

Andii said:


> Douglas 6 string with stock PUs(yeah I post this vid a lot but it's always relevant ):
> 
> 
> 
> ...




What disadvantages of the 6 does the 5 have (Seems to me that if there were some disadvantage to the 6 you'd seek something beyond that, no?)? I agree that I don't enjoy playing 4s either, but I think that's more a comfort thing. I just enjoy having the low B there. 

I ended up buying two 5 strings. One in standard B and the other in tenor tuning. I found that the 6 just wasn't working for me. I've recently gotten more into the 8 finger tapping thing and I think that if i end up developing that more then I may eventually move back up to the 6. More strings DEFINITELY makes that kind of thing much easier.


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## Andii (Feb 14, 2010)

Konfyouzd said:


> What disadvantages of the 6 does the 5 have (Seems to me that if there were some disadvantage to the 6 you'd seek something beyond that, no?)? I agree that I don't enjoy playing 4s either, but I think that's more a comfort thing. I just enjoy having the low B there.


A 5 has a neck that isn't compact any more like the 4, yet lacks the range of the 6. The neck size on anything isn't an issue for me since my hands are huge.


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## Konfyouzd (Feb 15, 2010)

Andii said:


> A 5 has a neck that isn't compact any more like the 4, yet lacks the range of the 6. The neck size on anything isn't an issue for me since my hands are huge.



ahh i gotcha. i rather enjoy the slightly larger neck as well. 

but i think in order for me to get a string spacing i like on a 6 the neck would be WAY bigger. 

the only 6 i've played was an ibanez SR506 or something to that effect. the neck felt about the same as my BTB 5 string but the striings were way closer together.


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## alvinthegreat (Feb 28, 2010)

I myself have been looking to move into the ERB world, and I will soon be buying a Douglas WOB 826 used for $125 from a local seller.

Even though Andii says those with smaller hands should avoid such instruments, I have had no trouble playing 5-string P Basses, 7-string classical guitars, and the like. I think it's a matter of personal taste and how effectively you use what mother nature has given you. Though I do appreciate the added comfort a narrower neck can provide.


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## twiztedchild (Feb 28, 2010)

alvinthegreat said:


> I myself have been looking to move into the ERB world, and I will soon be buying a Douglas WOB 826 used for $125 from a local seller.
> 
> Even though Andii says those with smaller hands should avoid such instruments, I have had no trouble playing 5-string P Basses, 7-string classical guitars, and the like. I think it's a matter of personal taste and how effectively you use what mother nature has given you. Though I do appreciate the added comfort a narrower neck can provide.



 I loved the way the 8 string neck felt, and i have only played 6/7 guitrars and thought the thicker neck would be hard to play but it was simple to me  I have played the Peavey Grind 6 bass before as well and liked the feel of tha neck as well


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## alvinthegreat (Mar 13, 2010)

Quoted from another thread, I've posted in, concerning the Douglas WOB 826:



> I got the bass Thursday morning, and so far I've had no trouble playing the bass in a normal position. It _is_ a little neck-heavy, but not so much that a good no-slip strap won't hold it in place perfectly.
> 
> So far I have no complaints about the quality of the instrument. It sounds great, moves some serious air when plugged into a good amp. The neck plays amazing, too. It doesn't feel any wider than your average 5-string, yet the strings don't feel crammed together either. The hardware and finish are in great condition; no scratches, scrapes or nicks.
> 
> ...


Seriously. If you can afford it ($198 plus shipping brand new), you should definitely give it a try.


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