A Guitar And Gear Support Forum

I confess that I had never heard of this brand, and can find precious little about this manufacturer online. However, the link below is to a P bass by this company, and if you take a look at the photos, there is a DEFINITE similarity to SX stuff, from logo to headstock to tint.

What say you?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Turbo-by-Sunli ... 3945993971

And a link to Reverb and a Turbo strat:

https://reverb.com/item/1646697-sale-tu ... hort-scale

Back in 86 Judas Priest turned me off to anything named "Turbo".

toomanycats wrote: ↑Thu Jul 01, 2021 9:59 am Back in 86 Judas Priest turned me off to anything named "Turbo".

Hahaha...you and me both! RAM IT DOWN!

Halford lyrics take on a whole new meaning after he came out....

To go back to the original topic, I know nothing about Turbo/Sunlite specifically, but it wouldn't surprise me if it did come from the same factory as SX. There are only so many factories, after all, and once they're set up to produce something, it's not rare for them to make small changes and produce virtually the same thing under another marque.

glasshand wrote: ↑Thu Jul 01, 2021 12:18 pm To go back to the original topic, I know nothing about Turbo/Sunlite specifically, but it wouldn't surprise me if it did come from the same factory as SX. There are only so many factories, after all, and once they're set up to produce something, it's not rare for them to make small changes and produce virtually the same thing under another marque.

Yeah, it sure looks like there are some similarities. From what I've been able to find on the web, Sunlite doesn't carry electrics anymore at the moment, and most of the ones I've seen for sale were made in the 90's. They look to be about the same quality as the SX stuff, with Alder bodies, etc.

I have my eye on a Sunlite P bass copy for small coin, so I'm hoping I can find some more info on them.

toomanycats wrote: ↑Thu Jul 01, 2021 9:59 am Back in 86 Judas Priest turned me off to anything named "Turbo".

I used to think that way too but I actually saw a vid on youtube the other day of Halford singing Turbo Lover and it was pretty badass. The way the intro vocals build up to the initial chorus especially.

uwmcscott wrote: ↑Thu Jul 01, 2021 9:00 pm

toomanycats wrote: ↑Thu Jul 01, 2021 9:59 am Back in 86 Judas Priest turned me off to anything named "Turbo".

I used to think that way too but I actually saw a vid on youtube the other day of Halford singing Turbo Lover and it was pretty badass. The way the intro vocals build up to the initial chorus especially.

What I really couldn't reconcile was Glen Tipton playing the Roland G-707 Guitar Synthesizer. It was so not metal.

toomanycats wrote: ↑Thu Jul 01, 2021 9:15 pm What I really couldn't reconcile was Glen Tipton playing the Roland G-707 Guitar Synthesizer. It was so not metal.

Yes, Turbo was a definite shift for them. I definitely prefer the older stuff, and that's the case for a lot of bands, but as I look back and listen there's a lot of good stuff mixed in too. There's also the opposite where a band started out in a mode that I did not like at all, but then morphed into something I liked - Pantera for instance.

toomanycats wrote: ↑Thu Jul 01, 2021 9:15 pm What I really couldn't reconcile was Glen Tipton playing the Roland G-707 Guitar Synthesizer. It was so not metal.

Yeah, and the other thing was that they decided to ditch most of the black leather and studs/butch stuff and went with more colorful (ie: more appealing to women) attire, and bigger hair. Halford already had too little to work with, but they just looked ridiculous, IMO.

I scored that "Turbo" P bass copy in a Goodwill auction. I'll update with a NBD when it arrives.

jhull54 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 02, 2021 10:35 am I scored that "Turbo" P bass copy in a Goodwill auction. I'll update with a NBD when it arrives.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot, this thread is about a Turbo bass. Funny how any mention of Priest, and especially the Turbo album, can make a thread drift faster than Joseph Hazelwood piloting the Exxon Valdez.

Looking forward to the P bass review.

This thread also reminds me of one of my favorite old Bob the Angry Flower cartoons:

Ok, the most (un)reliable information I can find on the Turbo by Sunlite brand is that they were made from the 90's to mid 2000s in Korea at the Samick plant. Have no idea how true that is, but I guess we'll see when it gets here. FedEx says delivery Thursday.

Well, it arrived today. Wanted to post some pics, but just know that this is literally just out of the box. Dusty and dirty, and needs to be cleaned up.

Dropped $123 for this bass shipped from Goodwill, so feel like I got a pretty good deal. Nice Fender gig bag, Fender padded strap, straplocks, and a set of pull-off strings.

Action is high, but I'll tweak that. Nice neck, no sprout, and yeah--this looks like an SX-type of build.

Will post cleaned up photos down the line, but for now...

Excellent score , the maple fb adds to the vibe .

My local goodwill auction always have a bass or two in . .And for some reason, especially if it has a gig bag or if they think it is oversized they will list it as pickup only , and hence a modest price .
Here is a sample , similar to your Turbo ?
https://www.shopgoodwill.com/Item/125897753

Yeah I saw that one too!

This Turbo seems to be essentially identical to the SX stuff. Big frets, pretty big neck, and what looks like a solid alder or other hardwood body.

Neck and fretboard is glossy, and orangey tint like the Rondo stuff. Electronics are dime-sized. Probably the weak point. Tuners are on par with Squier and pretty good. Holds tune well.

So far, I've found that the volume knob was loose, the jack was barely able to hold a guitar cable at all without falling out, and the cap had broken one of its legs off where it was soldered to the pot.

I've fixed all that, and just waiting for a new 3 ply black pickguard to come in tomorrow. I think with a good setup, this will be a hot little Pbass clone.

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Ok, it cleaned up pretty well. I slapped a new pickguard on it that I thoroughly butchered with a dremel tool, but what the hell.

Quick setup. I think this is going to be a keeper and not a flipper.

Verdict is: keep an eye out for this brand. Neck is great, and these are every bit SX and higher end Squier territory.



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Gigged this bass Sunday. Did well, except I'm not used to the P size neck. The neck on this bass is sweet though, and it did fine, just need to dial in a tone I really like on it. I think the next thing to be upgraded on this guitar are the electronics, and maybe the pup, although I'm going to mess with height first. Pretty happy with it overall so far.

Really liking the orange tint of the neck. Black on black also looks very classy with that maple fretboard.

I don't get to get on here as often as I'd like, lately.
I'm glad I did. That bass is nice.

The black pickguard was a huge improveent.
I think a bass looks a lot better in gloss jet black, than a guitar does.
I like trans black on a guitar.

Jaymo wrote: ↑Mon Jul 26, 2021 6:33 pm That bass is nice.
The black pickguard was a huge improvement.

Thanks. Yeah, for the coin, I thought it would be a low risk/high reward type of buy. I had a Squier Standard PJ a couple months back that I almost kept, but comparing that bass to this one, IMO the Turbo neck is actually nicer, and it's a little heavier. Otherwise, the Turbo is every bit the equal of the Standard in fit, finish, and playability. Electronics are about even.

White pickguard on a black P bass is not a look I like either. The BWB pickguard kicks ass, I agree. Big improvement in the looks of the bass for sure.

Finally found a webpage (looks abandoned) for this bass:

https://www.sunlitedrum.com/guitars/pro ... 00Page.htm