SX Short Scale Jazz Bass

Features? Well, it's a jazz bass that's short scale (30 inch). I don't think anyone else makes one, and certainly not for $109! That gets a 10 from me.

Also, real alder body, not plywood or particle board like some old short scales. I like the tint in the neck finish, too.

The tuners were ok, but weighed a ton, making the bass nose dive, so I swapped them out for some lights which made all the difference. The 'high mass' bridge I added also helped a bit, too.

Well, the stock pups were surprisingly hot and decent sounding... but I swapped them out for some old pups I had lying around. These are better balanced. I actually ended up rewiring the whole thing. Took the tone pot out and put a series/parallel switch in instead. Much to my surprise I usually run it in series (hotter p bass-ish tone).

I'm sure the high mass bridge helped the sustain and focus of the notes (though admittedly subtle).

So, stock, it was pretty good, but now it's kicking. Stock I give it a 8, with mods a 9.

No factory set up. Nearly unplayable out of the box. After some fiddling with the truss rod and saddles, though, it feels great and is easy to play.

I have noticed that the second fret is seated a little low and the 14 fret is a little high. I can still get pretty low and completely usable action, but if I had the frets leveled I could probably get really low action. I haven't bothered because I honestly don't think it's worth it.

I like the 'vintage' tint in the neck finish, and the red sparkle paint looks good to me. The pickguard is fine, but a bit cheap looking. Could use a nice pearloid or tortoise, or even plain black.

I'd give it a 5 for the (nonexistent) factory setup, and a 9 once I had a chance to work on it... I think any mail order guitar should be set up once you get it anyways, so I'll go ahead and give this a 9.

I would've gigged with it stock, and have gigged with it several times since I've modded it. No problems.

Kurt has been great answering my questions. He'll take the bass back if you're not satisfied once you get it. This service is what finally convinced me to take the chance.

I've been playing bass for 15+ years. I've owned a few, though for the longest time I was completely happy and satisfied with my mid-80s carvin. I've since developed some arthritis in my hands and moved over to short scales. They're more fun to play anyways!

I only have a couple issues with this bass, and it's with the overall design.

The neck gets pretty wide the higher up the fretboard you get. It's wider than a mustang/musicmaster or a gibson (ebo/eb3). Some players might like this as it'll feel more like the string spacing on a standard bass (and you can use standard pups), but it just feels a bit awkward to me when I get above the 12th fret or so. Not a huge deal, but noticeable to me.

Second, the body is pretty small. It's smaller than my strat! Again, not a huge deal, but the size contributes to the neck dive, which forced me to get new tuners. On the other hand, you can really throw this thing around on stage! Super light for a solid body bass.

Overall, a fantastic value.

SX SJB62 3TS $109
RONDO
AS Stated WHAT A DEAL

Sounds real good for the money,Full,fat,bright on the bridge PU w/tone up I played through my GENZ BENZ 100 combo and my GK vintage 200mb both great amps, and this bass works well,I will change out the pickups though there a little week,I play Rock,POP,Blues,it might get lost in the mix in the stock form,

Setup was not bad,alittle high ,need to change out bridge,and file the nut a bit finish is sunburst real nice Im going to get the maple finish model for price it cant be beat

Should stand up ok,Hardware is a little light weight,I think I would have a back, too soon to comment on durability.

SO FAR SO GOOD, heard good things about RONDO service

I've been playing for about 100 years, I own 7 basses now and mabey 10 others in past,my baby 1958 EBO stays home in a padded case,I've had a ricki,a Hofner,silvertone,68 EB3,70 Fender Pbass,2 ampegs one clear,1Baby Bass,and some I forgot. I now use short scale or medium,for the price this short scaler rocks big time,would like a better contour on the finger board,though, but the big-est bummer is no hard cases yet or $150 for a mustang case, this bass must have been made in tibet, It has a lot of MOJO,buy um before they go up or dissapear I mean $109 its like lobster dinner for 2

2007 M.I.C.short scale Jazz copy.

I bought it for my neice who is a aspireing bass player but has small hands. The short scale is just rite for her. 1985 Peavey TNT, and a small Fender rumble for practice,amp's.Very quiet,good jazz bass sound. I love it !

Flawless, set up great.

I have had some pro. bass player friends play it to rate it for me and all four loved it. NO BACK UP NEEDED !

Gerat to deal with,no repairs needed. Rondo Music is a real gem !

I have been playing guitar for over 40 years. i own a 1979 telecaster,a Alverez Yari acoustic, a Kona acoustic/electric,Fender Mandolin, and a few other odds&ends. I have owned almost everything From a new(at the time)1976 Les Paul deluxe to a Ibanez st 200 to a Ovation Viper plus several Strat copies a one Made is usa strat. I have been at this stuff for a while I wish I had some of that equipment back! SX has THE best bang for the buck in ALL their products.I wish I had the $$$ to buy up a lot of their inst.'s.

Bass appeared to be well made however it was shipped with a STRIPPED truss rod.

Sound output was less than ordinary with weak pickups

Looked great, nice sunburst and aged finish on neck. But it was obviously a bass that had been returned once with a stripped truss rod and then shipped out without inspection.

Who knows

OK heres the bad part. This bass was for my daughter and I ordered it on advice from a few bass forums. I received this bass and went to change the strings immediatly from the crap factory ones to light flat wounds and then tried to perform a normal setup for height, intonation, etc only to find the stripped truss rod. I then went though the procedure of returning the bass to rondo only to have them accuse ME of modifiying the bass by changing the strings which voided the warranty!!!! Kurt also went on to say that the neck couldn't handle the tension of flats and that using flats was a "very, very, very, unusual modification and that I probably stripped the truss rod! Give me a break Kurt! I have been doing my own setups and using flats on my basses for 36 years and I know lots of bass players who use flats - your claim that no one uses them shows how out of touch you are with the real music world out there. Kurt refunded my purchase rather than replace his mistake in not inspecting his products before shipping, and had the gall to subtract the return shipping! I f you ask me , Rondo is merely an import company with very, very, very, poor customer sevice and should be avoided at all costs.

Go to your local music store and try before you by and avoid places like Rondo.

Purhased new this year, made in China. Short (30") scale, solid alder body with maple neck (w/truss rod)and rosewood fretboard. Pretty much a Jazz Bass copy as far as pick-ups (passive)and controls. Adjustable bridge, and jumbo tuners Finish is tobacco sunburst.

Sound?? Can you say Fender Jazz bass? Nice and clean; tone control provides good range, from deep rich to bright. Honestly, I cannot believe how good this bass sounds for the money. I've played a few Fender basses over the years and I honestly think this guitar sounds as good as the real deal, for a fraction of the price.

Had to adjust the bridge and set the intonation. The action is still a tad high (maybe a truss rod adjustment is in order). Finish is absolutely beautiful! Not a flaw, and it's as nice as any new fender I've seen.

I've only had this about a month, so I can't say yet. This bass seems solid as a rock. Strap buttons are solid. I would not hesitate to gig with this guitar.

Purchased brand new directly from Rondo Music. Very professional and helpful.

This is the first bass I've owned. I purchased primarily for use in home recording. I've played guitar for 30 years (currently own an early 70's Les Paul Deluxe, Japanese Squire, Ovation acoustic, Fender Super Champ amp and a Fender Acoustisonic amp). A regular scale bass seemed to really wear out my left hand, so I wanted a short scale bass for ease of playing. Got this guitar based on other reviews...I was gonna get the precision short-scale that Rondo sells, but I read some bad reviews knocking the pick-ups on it, so I went with the Jazz instead. I chose the SX because of the price and the good reviews here at harmonycentral. If lost or stolen I would not hesitate to buy another. I play it through a a Behringer 60 watt amplifier ($105 new at guitar center!) and I could not be happier with this guitar.

Honestly, I don't know how they can sell a guitar of this quality at this price. If your looking for a quality, inexpensive bass, you need to get with Kurt at Rondo Music. You will not be disappointed.

made in china shortscale jazz bass with tobaccoburst finish, "aged" yellow varnish and passive electronics. dumbo tuners and high-polish hardware. wood is...???? solid! Great playability and balance. I would give same rating for "features" on an original jazz bass...as there are few anyway for this model. I have never been a fan of "bursts", but this one is fine...solid piece of wood for body.

excellent sound with a wide range of choices (the p'up's are wonderful...really, they run the full gamut of jazz bass sounds) FUll to bright sounds, NO NOISE through my tube amp and my solid state....sounds much better with solid state (bigger speaker) Variety is up to par with fender jazz, any sound fender can get, this one does...REALLY!

amazing fit and finish, honestly, the rondo guys have THE best bang for the buck and im not one to wax poetic. The damn thing came tuned and set-up as if it came straight from my guitar tech...really amazing when compared to all the other crap I have bought online (and sold) NO flaws I could see or hear, it sounds better than my recent basses (peavey, kramer, FENDER, washburn) and costs as much as a dinner at ruths chris

its a tank, it is balanced very well and would foot the bill at any...ANY gig. The ONLY quibble I have is a non-issue...i like bigger strap buttons but hey, those are how much to replace? Truss rod is easy to get to (top of neck) and the finish is way solid (I have always preferred a non-finish to my necks, but this gloss they use is fast, not sticky) Seems very durable, like a 60's fender bass. Great hardware, great instrument.

Hey there...you reading this...take it from a guy that has played for over 30 years with almost every kind of instrument. I was going to get a FatDawg bass for twice as much and used heavily, glad I didn't, was gonna get a headless hohner, glad I didn't...these guys have the BEST deals online and off. They will even refund your dough if you dont like...i doubt it has ever happened, we FINALLY have a no BS place to get the best bang for the buck...by far. Good communication from the rondo guy and fast shipping...warranty? dont need no stinkin warranty, thats the best kind...though they offer one anyway....this is the only review I have had with such high overall praise now I just wonder what I will get from them next.

Have gone through a slew of basses in the past 30 years, its unbelievable to find a shortscale that sounds so good...no foolin..its great. would buy from these guys exclusively now that i know the hype is all true. Easy to play is why I got it, im getting kinks from playing full sized basses, didnt think a small one would fit the bill, oh yes my droogies it does in spades. Wish for nothi8ng else, how many people can say that about their instruments? Bought for the price and reviews given, now keep for quality...if china starts making all instruments like this then goodbye to american guitar industry...i mean why pay more for a name on the headstock when the quality is the same or less? THANK YOU RONDO...for rockin in the affordable world.