How to get more warmth out of an Ibby SR500

rollyolly · #1 12-09-2011, 09:53 AM

I've got an Ibanez SR500 and I wanted to get more of a warm, vintagey type tone for fingerstyle funk, etc. I guess the elixirs that came from the factory are a little bright and clanky.

Any suggestions on strings to get a warmer, rounder tone? I don't think I want to go as extreme as flats.

And please don't just tell me to buy a Fender.

rydin4lifebass · #2 12-09-2011, 11:18 AM

Keep in mind I'm no expert here, but I own an Ibanex SRX350 and though the elixirs were too bright and that the stock pickups needed "tamed" because they were a little bright for me. I did four things:

1) Boosted the blend slightly toward the neck pickup
2) Boosted the bass balance and dropped the treble on the bass
3) EQ'd the lows up and the highs down on my amp
4) Put on Fender Nylon Tapewound strings (also used ghs boomers which I liked better than the elixirs)

Maybe one of or some of those will help your situation. I was going for more of "thump" sound to the bass and it helped get to where I wanted it.

AGENT · #3 12-09-2011, 04:10 PM

I have a SR745 and imo i can get a very vintage style sound out of it (for an active bass). It´s strung with Dean Markley Blue steal, and after they lost the initial brightness, for my surprise, i got thouse "passive vintage style" tones, wich i like very much.
hope it helped

Root 5 · #4 12-09-2011, 04:56 PM

If you don't want to go to flats and prefer roundwounds, I'd look for some pure nickel roundwounds.
I'd cut the treble and mids a lot via the controls and boost the bass.

Play over the neck pickup or even closer to the neck.

You'll have a warmer sound.

swspiers · #5 12-09-2011, 05:18 PM

A lot of good advice so far.

But I had an SR500 for about 14 years, and no matter what I did, I could not get that vintage 'vibe' out of it.

Taming the highs, using flats, favoring the neck pup and playing up at the neck helped, but didn't really do it. I like growl, and the Ibby just didn't growl. I'm sure different pups and pre-amp might have done it, but I'm just not that into modding.

I finally gave up. And went to Carvin (not Fender)

Decoyx7 · #6 12-09-2011, 07:42 PM

I've got an Ibanez and I've got the same problem. I think I'm going to get a hold of some groundwounds and see how that fairs. I don't think that flats would work very well on an Ibanez. Fenders yes, Ibanez, no.
I don't see what's wrong with trying groundwounds on your Ibanez. The best way is truly trial and error, and I'd start with trying groundwounds,

SR505bassman · #7 12-09-2011, 08:00 PM

I put flats on my SR505, and that finally did the trick for me (after doing some of the other things mentioned here). Would like to see what the nylon tapewounds would sound like - I have them on my ABG and they sound great there...

VanillaThundah · #8 12-09-2011, 08:03 PM

SR500 is a pretty modern sounding bass (mine was at least). The newer ones come with the mid-shift switch, which I wish mine had, so I'm not sure if that would help or not to play with it.

The SR500 is super sensitive to string changes, so I'd recommend really researching on which strings will get you the tone you are after. The flatwounds would certainly be a good idea to try, but you may need to do some adjustments since their tension is usually higher than regular roundwounds are.

LowEndMan2112 · #9 12-09-2011, 08:11 PM

I find the Bartolini MK1s to have high mid content, with boomy bass that can be hard to tame. Switched out the MK1s to the USA MK4CBCs and find the bass much more versatile, and it was pretty versatile before.

Try flats if you don't want to shell out the dough for a pup upgrade, flats are always good for getting a vintage tone out of a bass. Roll off the treble on the pre, maybe cut back the mids a bit and set the blend knob further (if not all the way) to the neck pick up. This is all stuff that helped me!

btp · #10 12-09-2011, 08:21 PM

I had the same feeling about my SR505 -- I was attracted to the brightness when I bought it (and the narrow string spacing, light weight, etc.). But after a while, it just seemed "clanky." So I put on flats (LaBella) & problem solved! If you want to retain a little more brightness, try D'addario chromes or the new Fender 9050CL -- they've been getting a lot of positive reviews on TB. It won't sound like a p-bass, but it won't "clank."

lowgroove677 · #11 12-10-2011, 05:16 AM

I've Been through many strings on my 505. I found the 6 month old blue steels, cut the high mids a little and attack the strings close to fingerboard, gave me a very warm "vintage" tone.

soulman969 · #12 12-10-2011, 07:21 PM

GHS Pressure Wounds. I get more expression out of these on my Jazz Bass than any other string I've owned. They tend toward the darker side tonally like a flat, but you can eq them up to a very bright piano like tone when you need it. Not the best slap style string out there, I still believe you need pure rounds for that, but they're very punchy and easy to play. Moderate tension and great consistency across the board.

darkstorm · #13 12-11-2011, 04:41 PM

Dr Neon or Sunbeams. Sunbeams are a little bit warmer, less treble content then the neons. Neons and sunbeams both have extended very articulate low bass. They do low bass notes with more authority then any other strings Ive tried and also retain a nice bit of the rotosound swing66 tonal balance and liked qaulities to me but with more low bass and articulation.

rollyolly · #14 12-12-2011, 02:55 PM

So I've come to the conclusion that I will either use D'Addario Chromes or GHS Pressurewounds. This now creates a new question:

Which of these new strings has more tension, assuming they are the same gauge? People talk about flats being easier on your hands, but are they harder to fret? I'm just starting out and have wussy little elf hands, so would the increased tension of flatwounds make it too difficult to learn to fret with my pinkie finger?

AmadeusXeno · #15 12-12-2011, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rollyolly

So I've come to the conclusion that I will either use D'Addario Chromes or GHS Pressurewounds. This now creates a new question:

Which of these new strings has more tension, assuming they are the same gauge? People talk about flats being easier on your hands, but are they harder to fret? I'm just starting out and have wussy little elf hands, so would the increased tension of flatwounds make it too difficult to learn to fret with my pinkie finger?

I think that depends on how you look at it. The higher tension will build up your fretting hand strength more, but it will be harder to fret untill you get that strength built up. You could always got with a little bit lighter of a gauge if you are worried about tension being an issue. Some people like the feel of lighter gauge strings anyway.

Solarmist · #16 12-12-2011, 05:10 PM

You could try some D'Add Half Rounds, but those Elixirs are beautiful sounding strings that bring out the lively Ibanez sound. You can't set the 3band EQ/mid freq switch or amp for the sound you like?

I guess I'm different; using anything less bright than nickel rounds defeats the purpose/sound of an Ibanez SR IMHO.
I use D'Add Prosteels with a pick.

Decoyx7 · #17 12-13-2011, 07:40 AM

I've heard that groundwounds tend to be more...clanky if anything. I'm going to try some flats on my Ibby and see how that goes. A nice change from usual Ernie Balls rounds.
I have no idea what's going to happen...and whatever my choice, I'm going to be stuck with whatever I get for possibly a year. I can't believe how expensive strings are!

Solarmist · #18 12-14-2011, 05:11 PM

^ You can get decent strings for around $14 & up.

jallenbass · #19 12-14-2011, 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rollyolly

So I've come to the conclusion that I will either use D'Addario Chromes or GHS Pressurewounds. This now creates a new question:

Which of these new strings has more tension, assuming they are the same gauge? People talk about flats being easier on your hands, but are they harder to fret? I'm just starting out and have wussy little elf hands, so would the increased tension of flatwounds make it too difficult to learn to fret with my pinkie finger?

I've found that with tighter strings you can lower the action more so than flexible strings.