Complete the sentence: When I play my SRFF805/806 ...

... I wish I would have saved up a few hundred more and got a Dingwall Combustion because the B on the SR isn’t so much longer than normal it makes a difference.

 

Lol! Honestly the SRFF I played wasn’t a bad bass by any stretch. The scale layout they chose does confer some tonal and ergonomic benefits, but for tuning to B or lower I would definitely go for the 37” scale of a Dingwall.

 

...I'm being delusional, 'cause I can't get either as a lefty.....

 

I recently ordered a NG2 from shomemusic. Check out their site. They often have some in stock. I had to wait because I wanted the laguna seca blue and they didn’t have one at the time but I know of other TB members that bought ones they hand in stock and got them quickly. If I really like it when I get it I’m going to sell my warwick and buy a cheaper “just in case” backup bass used.

Theres a bunch of new brands making fanned fret basses now also. Dingwall, Ibanez, ESP, Keisel, Chapman guitars, acacia guitars. Scale lengths vary. The keisel and Ibanez fanned frets are shorter more like the dingwall super p and super J. I believe acacia and esp are just as long as the longer dingwalls.
You gotta weigh the pros and cons. I’ve been using drop A tuning a lot more recently so I wanted the longer scale. The shorter scale ones may not have the length but the benefit of those ones are you aren’t so limited in string choice.

 

I very often dbld7b/njfk54 but I never lssb8bjtk.

 

That's why I moved.

 

Dingwall just introduced lefty NG-2s at NAMM.

 

I sold mine, could never get a good bass sound out of it. It sounded like a treble beast. It was as a very nice bass, well made, easy to play, looked good, sounded bad.

 

That's nice, and I appreciate the info; but, the OP's talking about an Ibanez SR805/6 model - which is not available as a lefty. Which, except for about 4 of their least expensive models, can be said for all of their basses...

 

....bass notes come out.

What more do you want?

 

I mean 35.5" at the B string is still a lot better than 34".

I don't own one, I've only played an SRFF806 for 10 minutes at a dumpy GC, but the B string on it was more enjoyable to use than on a dozen other basses I've owned or tried. It certainly felt better than the .145 gauge B I have to use on my SR1205e to get clarity that low.
Would I buy an SRFF? I'm not in love with the cheap Barts they threw in there. But if the price was right. (And I mean very right.) I would consider it. It was definitely comfortable. It was the first fanned fret instrument I've played, and it certainly created a desire to own one.
Still, the dream is to go Dingwall some day. But that's after a redo of my amp set up and an upright. So... years and years from now.

Anyways, here's my advice: Find a used one. Try it out. If you don't like it, resell it here/Reverb/eBay/etc. And then in that case, at least you're not out much.

 

....the neck bends like a wet noodle because SR necks are too skinny!

Cheers from Fuquay!

 

love my SRFF806... But if you were getting one, unless you could get it with quite alot of discount, I'd suggest getting the newer SRMS805/806 which has stunning finish options than the SRFF it replaces.

 

I recently sold my SRFF806. It was a really nice bass... Extremely comfortable to play, lightweight, fanning wasn't too extreme so took no time to get used to- and made it easy switching back and forth with my other basses.
Reason i sold it was because of the pickups and preamp. The bartolini bh-1s are better than the bart mk1s Ibanez puts in a bunch of their other basses, but i still couldn't get the midrange growl/bite and bright treble that I wanted. (in my bands i play hard rock and metal)
I previously owned a sr506 with the mk1s, it just sounded way too smooth /bassy/ and warm for me. The bh1s to me, are clearer, and more modern(bright and clear) , but still lacking.
I also don't care for the preamp Ibanez puts in all their basses.
Everything besides the electronics was great so I've considered picking one up used and having nordstrands made for it (standard soapbar pups won't fit) and swapping in a different preamp.