SX3 compared to SX2? Its cheaper but is it as good?

[Doug Anderson]

There is a new SX3 but I have not seen a lot of reviews about it. Curious if folks can compare the SX3 to SX2 in sound, playability, electronics, etc.

The only difference I can see is that is does NOT have legs and it sounds like the pickup may be different.

Thank you! Doug

[Brad Bechtel]

Here's the current SX3 lap steel on Rondo's website.

Here's the SX2 lap steel for comparison.

They have a different pickup and replaced the bridge with what appears to be a better bridge for lap steels.

[Karin Chan]

I've been looking at the SX3 too. To confirm, does this seem to be an OK purchase for the price?

[Michael Kiese]

Aloha All,

I bought an SX Steel a while ago. From the links provided above, it is an SX3.

My thought experiment was to put a Duesenberg multibender on it, so I could practice some Duesenberg style playing without having to first shell out $3,000.

I ended up buying 2 steels and I put 2 different tunings on them, and both have the Duesenberg Multibender. So now I have 2 different Duesenberg setups that I can practice on.

The multibenders are like $250 each, and the SX3's are like $130. So I basically got 2 Duesenberg setups for less than $800.

One tuning is Martin Huch's tuning, and the other tuning is Luke Cyrus Goetze's tuning.

All in all, I think the SX3 sound just fine. It's a single coil pickup and the nut and saddle are straight and metal. Not much to go wrong. Keep it as is, or you could upgrade the pickup and potentiometers.

I chose the SX3 steel because it was cheap, and there was plenty of real estate to fit a multibender. They also came with a gig bag, and nice like steel bar holder pouch. Probably the best deal on a steel guitar on the planet.

Ain't a single thing wrong with it. I'd even take it on a gig. People would probably give me cr@p until they hear it being played. LOL.

Judge with your ears, not your pocket book.

Enjoy!

[Michael Lee Allen]

SX3 body is ash and the SX2 body is "basswood", in Chinese manufacturing "basswood" can be pretty much anything.
MLA

[Michael Kiese]

SX3 body is ash and the SX2 body is "basswood", in Chinese manufacturing "basswood" can be pretty much anything.
MLA

To me, the steel guitar is such a simple, straight forward design. It is just a set of strings on a block of wood, metal, or plastic. Throw in a pickup and a volume knob, and you're ready to roll.

I'm convinced that great tone can be had on any steel, as long as it's working properly and the potentiometer and capacitor values are properly matched to the pickup. Pick your tuning and a proper set of custom strings, and you're good to go.

There are elements that make certain steels sound different/special. For sure. The point I'm making is that you don't have to spend big bucks to get good tone. So don't feel bad if you don't have an expensive instrument.

This guy, Jim Lill, strung up 6 strings across 2 tables, put a tele bridge plate and bridge pickup, and played slide on it and it sounded awesome. It's literally an "air guitar". lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n02tImce3AE

All that being said, if you're a beginner and don't want to spend too much money, I'd go with the SX, or any of the many available lap steels on Amazon. Don't worry about it.

I have a bunch of expensive steels and a bunch of cheap steels. I buy the cheap steels to practice different tunings. They still sound good. I find that I'll practice a tuning more if there is a steel that always has that tuning, and I never have to re-tune it.

I have 2 Rickenbacher Bakelites, and an A25 Rickenbacher Frypan, which are amongst my "desirable" steels.

My favorite out of all my steels is a Rickenbacher ACE which I bought for $500. It is a "Student Model". But it also has a particularly great sounding horse shoe pickup, and it plays great. It's my main gigging steel.

[Tom Campbell]

The bridge on the SX2 appears to be a more "flexible" bridge in that is adjustable. The SX3 is just a ridged metal L extrusion.

[Allan Revich]

The bridge on the SX2 appears to be a more "flexible" bridge in that is adjustable. The SX3 is just a ridged metal L extrusion.

The metal L is much preferred by steel players.

[Tim R. Russell]

I have an SX LG1 which had the same bridge as the SX2 but the same pickup as the SX3!
I replaced both the pickup (for a higher output lipstick pickup from GFS) and the bridge (for a Peters flat radius wraparound) and it’s a great instrument.

If I were you I would get the SX3 and upgrade the pickup (which is probably a cheap and fairly characterless strat style pickup).

[Nathan Laudenbach]

Hard to compare two pieces of junk and ask if one is better than the other. I can see the appeal if you want to mod something on the cheap, but still…. This isn’t “ handmade quality shit we’re talking about” this is cheap cheap Chinese crap. Can we call a spade a spade?

[Michael Kiese]

Hard to compare two pieces of junk and ask if one is better than the other. I can see the appeal if you want to mod something on the cheap, but still…. This isn’t “ handmade quality shit we’re talking about” this is cheap cheap Chinese crap. Can we call a spade a spade?

Aloha Nathan,

If you would be so kind as to allow me to push back a bit, the form factor of a lap steel is so simple there's not much to go wrong. One can set up just about any steel to sound good with a modicum of know how.

As long as you have a balanced custom set of strings for your preferred tuning paired with the specific scale length of your guitar, that's 90% of the instrument's tone.

Jim Lill made a slide guitar by stringing 6 strings across 2 tables, and it sounded awesome. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n02tImce3AE.

Just because something is cheap, it doesn't mean it's crap. That said, cheap instruments can indeed be crap. Moreover, expensive instruments can also be crap, or at the very least, not nearly worth the price tag.

Many of the old Supros and Magnatones are cheaply made instruments that came with chipboard cases. Now they're "sought after" "vintage" lap steels. I think it's more a testament to the simple design of a lap steel. Not much to go wrong. That, and people like to collect old things and try to make money off of them.

The SX3 is no more or less a cheap piece of junk than any of the old Supros and Magnatones you can find on Reverb and eBay. I have two Supros, a 1950 and a 1961. Both have Valco pickups with two magnets. I can attest to the fact that if you hold them in your hands, they look and feel incredibly cheap by today's standards. But they sound GREAT. I got the 1950 Supro for $200 and the 1961 Supro for $300 about 5 months ago. They were literally cheap, and they are literally awesome.

I can get the SX3 to sound pleasing to my ear, and that's enough for me.

If it hadn't been for David Lindley and Ry Cooder making those Valco pickups famous, many of the old Supro steels may still be considered cheap and undesirable. Who knows.

Not many people can afford expensive instruments, which is why I believe it is important to give credence to the fact that cheap instruments can be viable options to perform music with. There are many potentially talented children born to families of lesser means. They need to know that the instruments they have access to are viable options.

The honest truth is, we live in a golden age of gear and quality instruments of all types have never been so abundant and affordable. That's a great thing for the next generation of musicians.

All that said, it's most important to judge an instrument with one's ear, not one's pocketbook.

Just my 2¢. I'm sure many would disagree and that's fine.

Enjoy!

[Allen Lovett]

I can’t speak to how it compares to the SX 2, but do have the SX 3. I am a newbie to lap steels, and chose it because:

1. Low entry price- Although the regular price is good, I lucked-up on a B-stock for $89 ($~ $110 w/ shipping & tax).

2. Several positive reviews, including comparisons to others 2-3 times more expensive.

3. Enough room behind the bridge to install Certano benders, should I decide to add later.

4. Strat-size pickup easy to replace, if desired.

5. Slot-head design- I prefer the easy access for tuning.

I really like it, and am having fun with it. So far, the only thing I’m changing is the strings; not because they need it, but I bought some Pearse C6 strings because I figured they’d were better than what came in it and getting them through The Steel Guitar Shopper supports the Forum.

Long-term, I’d like to have a Morrell and eventually graduate to a Melbert as both are (or at least were in the case of Morrell) made here in Tennessee, although mainly out of sentiment. The SX 3 is a much better instrument than I am a player, and I’d probably keep it even if my playing (and budget) justified higher quality steels.