I can’t get enough of my mistress, but I guess that’s ok. My Squire P-bass (that’s the ol’ ball and chain, kids) doesn’t mind.I was just on the lookout for a good, reliable, and affordable back-up bass. Is it my fault that I fell in love with the SX Jazz Bass 5 Vintage Series?

Well, love is too strong a word. Still kinda doubtful if this bass can tug at the heartstrings really well, which is something a Fender or a Warwick would do. But this I can say—I’m definitely lusting after this hot, curvy diva of a bass until now. Even the brand is just a vowel short of carnal pleasure.

The lust affair started a few months back when I visited a music store at the mall. I stood by the window display salivating over their premium merchandise when something caught my eye - a lovely 5-string Jazz Bass with a flame maple top, gold hardware, pearl neck inlays, and transparent blue finish. 15 minutes and around $250 later, I was on my way home with a sexy bass guitar in my arms.

I spent a few minutes setting up the bass according to my specs. At the onset, I noticed that the bass is quite heavy, and that’s good. The maple neck feels smooth to the touch, with no bumps, no knots, and no sharp edges on the fret ends. The body has very good balance as well. I was expecting it to hang slack considering its weight, but it just lay on my chest straight as an arrow.

I plugged the bass into my small combo amp with controls set on low. I slapped a few patterns, running my fingers up and down the aptly-spaced neck and… wow. Perfect Jazz bass tone - punchy with a distinct midrange attack. As far as stock pickups go, the pair on this bass isn’t too noisy.  Anyway, a little hiss never harmed anyone - that only means the funk is on high.

What I don’t understand is why the factory put a set of Stratocaster knobs (those with numbers near the rim and the words ‘volume’ and ‘tone’ engraved on top) on a jazz bass. It just looks wrong. It’s like looking at Megan Fox with a piece of spinach stuck to her teeth. I simply can’t make my peace with it.

Ah yes, the paradox of infidelity… it’s exciting yet frustrating. It’s like having your cake and eating it too - it makes your tooth ache afterwards. The SX Jazz Bass 5 Vintage Series is one hot bass, like a pretty, smart, and liberated twenty-something belle a naïve middle-aged guy would easily fall for. As I said earlier, love is too strong a word.  Perhaps ‘extended infatuation’ cuts it better.

Rating: 4/5

- Dexter Ayala