Boutique/High End Basses with...

[twiz]

...similar ergos to Ibanez Soundgear?

Man, it seems I just can't bond with the P-bass or J-bass shapes. I learned on an Ibanez and even though I'm mostly a jazz guy, I can't get comfortable with the larger body, placement of the neck relative to seated position and neck shape. Sucks... I "want" to love a p-bass shape, I certainly prefer the thump.

Anyway, it's time to uptick from my SR700 (heck, it's been 10 years), and I'm not digging the styling of the Ibanez Prestige line. Are there some alternative ideas out there with super comfortable ergos similar to the SR series? (think neck, light body, smallish body, etc...)

I'm not worried about the price tag, just want it to work.

I had an eye on the Rob Allen Solid 4, but there must be some more stuff out there with these basic concepts in mind.

[MaddAnthony_59]

F-bass BN4...Bring your Wallet though.

[Mayo Fan]

Mayones Custom series, equipped with a light samba body. yummmm

[georgestrings]

I dunno, bro - here's an sr905 and sr3005 Prestige, side by side - they fit in the same cases, and their necks felt identical:





- georgestrings

[Jared Lash]

Well, one option would be to have a luthier build you a boutique version of your SR700. Same body shape and neck profile with your choice of electronics and aesthetics.

Here's a thread where a TBer had Chris Stambaugh build him a custom version of his limited edition Yamahas:

My Stambaugh Attitude bass build

[GBassNorth]

The Spector line has exactly what you are looking for...
small body, thin neck, lots of tone options, ergo design, upscale, great quality, a price range that will fit any wallet.
Check out the Spector club on TB for more info and insight on good, better and best models for your needs. I have a couple of them and will be buying more. Warning, they are addictive.

[chef wong]

I've heard a couple boutique companies that sometimes use bubinga for necks, exotic woods. I love the tone, but you can pretty much nail the tones I've heard with an Ibanez 506(bubinga or wedge/mahogany body) for a fraction of the cost of a Wyn, for instance.

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by twiz

...similar ergos to Ibanez Soundgear?



I had an eye on the Rob Allen Solid 4, but there must be some more stuff out there with these basic concepts in mind.

Solid 4 is not a particularly small instrument, and is a polar opposite from an SR.

Maybe this floats your boat?

[MrLenny1]

Yup, give Chris Stambaugh a call.
He is excellent to work with.
He can build what you want.

[twiz]

Originally Posted by nostatic

Solid 4 is not a particularly small instrument, and is a polar opposite from an SR.

Thanks for this -- in his write up, he made mention of "The Solid 4 is ergonomically designed with the bridge near the end of the body, creating better balance points with no neck dive, and a bass that is about 3 inches shorter than most electric basses, while retaining full scale length." This seemed to be very interesting to me.

I figured he could customize the neck profile, etc...

Fodera looks amazing. Thanks!

[georgestrings]

Originally Posted by GBassNorth

The Spector line has exactly what you are looking for...
small body, thin neck, lots of tone options, ergo design, upscale, great quality, a price range that will fit any wallet.
Check out the Spector club on TB for more info and insight on good, better and best models for your needs. I have a couple of them and will be buying more. Warning, they are addictive.

IME, Spectors do not have "thin" necks, and are nothing like an sr Series Ibanez in regards to ergonomics... They are high quality instruments that sound great, but are nothing like an Ibanez...


- georgestrings

[GBassNorth]

Originally Posted by georgestrings

IME, Spectors do not have "thin" necks, and are nothing like an sr Series Ibanez in regards to ergonomics... They are high quality instruments that sound great, but are nothing like an Ibanez...


- georgestrings

Actually some of the Spectors do have thin necks. My Rex5 neck thru is one of the thinnest 5 string necks I've every played. Never played an Ibanez 5 string but their 4 string necks that I've tried are super thin. I'd be very interested to hear what the circumfrence of the neck is on a 5 string Ibby at the 1st, 12th and 18th fret.
I didn't pick up in the original post that the OP wanted another bass with an Ibanez shaped body, I assumed he was open to other shapes as long as they were small and ergonomic, which the Spector is.

[Kryptos]

Consider Birdsong:

http://www.birdsongguitars.com/

[Thrill-House]

Why not just buy the high-end SR? Theyve got some pretty pricey ones in ibanez's lineup.

[Dr. Cheese]

Originally Posted by Thrill-House

Why not just buy the high-end SR? Theyve got some pretty pricey ones in ibanez's lineup.

+100

[twiz]

Thanks for all the thoughts guys. After 10 years of plunking away, I'm just interested in a change of pace -- for any of you long term SR fans, you get used to those ergos and it's tough to step away.

I'll check out some of the ideas listed -- thanks again!

[bassyj]

Check out www.pratbasses.com ... Oscar is great and really knows how to combine woods to help you achieve your sound without breaking your back. Elrick basses are also along the line of what you're talking about.

[Spino]

Ibanez Grooveline is a cool looking bass that's supposed to be super comfortable,but some people can't get on with the shape.Might interest you .G'luck

[Highs&Lows]

Vadim Rubtsov:

http://vadimbasses.com/eng/gallery_eng.php

Super ergonomic basses, with smaller, carved bodies and flat, thin necks,...plus Vadim is a great guy and its custom and you can chose whatever you want.

[Jenra]

The MusicMan Bongo? it's made to be ergonomical