Ibanez SR 500 or 600

Steve S · #1 11-25-2012, 01:30 PM

I've been playing Fender style basses for 30 years and am looking for something lighter. I find that my old basses have become too heavy for me to play for hours.

I've looked at the Ibanez SR basses and they seem like something that I'd like to try. The 500 and 600 series. What are people's thoughts about these and your preference?

IngerAlb · #2 11-25-2012, 04:39 PM

The 600 is lighter, but I prefer the 500 tonewise - it has more bite & growl to it, while the 600 has a mellower & warmer bassy tone with a wooly bottom. The 500 stands out in the mix, while the 600 blends better between drums and guitars. Both sound modern though.

purfektstranger · #3 11-25-2012, 04:41 PM

I owned an ibanez SR 600 with the Bart pickups and preamp. Great playing and sounding bass and can be purchased used for a lot less money than buying new. I ended up selling it because I found the body too small. I have always been a p or jazz bass guy and the body on the ibanez is small in comparison. That said the bass weighed nothing and the tones were plentiful. All in all great value for money.

atomicdog · #4 11-25-2012, 04:45 PM

I have an SR750 with Barts. Well worth checking out. It can take a while to get used to an active bass, but once you di it's pretty sweet tonewise. Of course, the light weight and slim, fast neck are a real plus.

scottfeldstein · #5 11-25-2012, 04:47 PM

I have the 505. Didn't see much value in going up a model number.

Steve S · #6 11-25-2012, 07:24 PM

Great responses. I've never had an active bass so I'm looking forward to playing one.

scottfeldstein · #7 11-25-2012, 07:28 PM

Is the 500 (or my 505) consider "active"? It's got passive pickups, but an active EQ (cut and boost) which takes a 9v battery.

When talking about the pickups specifically, they're passive. But when discussing the bass as a whole do you call it "active" or "passive"?

kleinenenten · #8 11-25-2012, 07:31 PM

I also have the 505 and can't recommend it enough. It doesn't have the "heft" of some heavier instruments, but if you're getting away from heavy instruments I don't think you can go wrong with one of these Ibby's. You can dial in pretty much any tone you want out of them, and for the money, Ibanez is #1 in my book.

kleinenenten · #9 11-25-2012, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scottfeldstein

Is the 500 (or my 505) consider "active"? It's got passive pickups, but an active EQ (cut and boost) which takes a 9v battery.

When talking about the pickups specifically, they're passive. But when discussing the bass as a whole do you call it "active" or "passive"?

Your bass (and mine!) are considered active. Basically, if it needs a battery, it's active. I'm sure there's more to it than that, but that's the simplest way to look at it.

scottfeldstein · #10 11-25-2012, 07:34 PM

Let's split hairs even more: if you have any of the EQ knobs turned ever so slightly past their detent...it's active! If not...it's passive.

kleinenenten · #11 11-25-2012, 07:36 PM

I like it! Let's go with that!

darkstorm · #12 11-25-2012, 07:38 PM

Its active bass for preamp and pasive pups. Its still active when you have the tone controls set flat cause the signal is still being converted to LowZ and going thru preamp.

scottfeldstein · #13 11-25-2012, 07:42 PM

Good point. It stands to reason that basses without batteries don't have preamps in them.

Steve S · #14 11-25-2012, 08:07 PM

Are these basses about the same weight as the new Fender American specials? How do the necks compare?

Toptube · #15 11-25-2012, 08:23 PM

Typical SR basses are going to be about 7.5 pounds max. Probably averaging closer to 7 and I imagine many of them could be 6.5 or less. and some of that weight is in the bridge. although Ibanez' bridges are mass produced, they weigh plenty.

The SRT weighs about 8lbs, but its a thicker neck and body.

The SR necks are basically the slimmest in the biz. Talking both front to back thickness, and width. How do they compare to Fender? Fenders closest neck in feel would be the old version of the Jaguar, or possibly a Geddy Lee Jazz. But even those are thicker, and don't feel at all similar.

SR necks are multi-piece and very stable. The bolt-ons will only move in extreme cases. Neck-Thrus like the SRT will move a little, but not a lot. Whereas my Jaguar moves noticeably, with temp and/or weather changes.

scottfeldstein · #16 11-25-2012, 08:28 PM

The Ibanez Soundgrear SR505 is 7 lbs 7 oz.

The Fender American Special Jazz is 8 lbs 9 oz.

And the SR is a 5-string. The Jazz isn't.

Steve S · #17 11-25-2012, 11:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toptube

Typical SR basses are going to be about 7.5 pounds max. Probably averaging closer to 7 and I imagine many of them could be 6.5 or less. and some of that weight is in the bridge. although Ibanez' bridges are mass produced, they weigh plenty.

.

Thanks!

James Mobius · #18 11-26-2012, 12:22 AM

I've owned several Ibanez basses, my first five, I sold when I moved to Japan, strings were too close together to slap on, but good for my guitarist,who still owns it. fat sound. I now have a 5 and a 6 string, soundgears, love them. the neck on the five is heavenly. the 6 is not too wide, but wide enough. I will say the 6 was a cheaper model, the pickups sound very fat in the lower registers, but get a little -I don't wanna say muddy in the upper registers, but not as clear as my Tune VI (handmade in Japan) but that bass has a little less Fender Jazz growl and funky punch/character. I can never find the perfect bass.

that said, try one and if you like it buy it!

scottfeldstein · #19 11-26-2012, 12:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by James Mobius

my first five, I sold when I moved to Japan, strings were too close together to slap on [...] I now have a 5 and a 6 string, soundgears, love them. the neck on the five is heavenly.

??

On which 5-string did you find the string spacing to be a problem? And which do you find heavenly?

James Mobius · #20 11-26-2012, 12:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scottfeldstein

??

On which 5-string did you find the string spacing to be a problem? And which do you find heavenly?

my oldest five was a late 80's Roadstar, very not-wide neck, (but not especially "jazzy" ie, narrower at the nut) suitable for use with a pick, which I'm not that good at, but I don't want to be that limited. it was the first 5 I found that I liked and could afford. (it does have a nice fat tone)

the soundgear 5 has the awesome neck, curiously the first time I played that bass, I think it was in 89 or 90 probably, I hated it. it had heavy strings and was set up with high action, (also didn't like the balance knob on principle, even though I really never need a ratio other than all of one, all of the other, or all of both pick ups being on), but I went back and someone had set it up better. I bought it. its also a shade of metallic green that most people thought looked like a car, and they didn't mean it as a compliment, tho I loved it. (and back then had a pair of pants to match!)