Confusion about Ibanez basses

[Lowlou17]

I remember hearing of Ibanez back in the 70s. It was touted pretty much as a good but cheap alternative to the Fenders and Gibsons of the world. No one I knew bragged about having an Ibanez back then.
I have an Ibanez TR-50 and I love the tones.
I’m looking to get a 5 string. Currently I own a Sterling StingRay5 but the neck feels like it’s a 2x4. That’s my only knock on the Sterling. I want to replace it and I’d like to consider an Ibanez. (It does appear I’m a Fender man since 3 of the 5 basses I own are Fenders and I love them). However, I’m open to other brands and am curious as to what Ibanez has to offer in a 5 string pbass. In my mind, Ibanez is still a cheap guitar and it appears it’s a better instrument than I’m willing to give it credit for. Please educate me on Ibanez and what is a good bass new or used for a max $500 budget. Thanks!

 

[BassDaddy77]

The Japanese made Prestige line are pretty exceptional instruments. A buddy of mine recently bought one of the newer Premium SR 5 strings. It's REALLY nice as well. For +/- $500 (used), the SR505 is fairly popular with a lot of folks here. It's not a Precision style bass, but maybe with the neck pickup solo'd it could get in the ballpark tone-wise.

 

[abarson]

Leave your preconceptions in the ‘70s. A lot has changed since then.

 

[bholder]

Yeah, Ibanez has been a "bang for the buck" value for price leader here for decades now, you might want to catch up a bit on that.

 

[Lowlou17]

Leave your preconceptions in the ‘70s. A lot has changed since then.

That’s what I’m doing. Any suggestions on bass models

 

[ebo]

I owned an Ibanez SR505 and an SR705. Very different animals, I liked both a lot. The 505 is super light with tight string spacing. The 705 was a tank. Everything about the 705 was beefy, but it was an older one and the newer ones might be different. I would try before you buy, if at all possible.

 

[bigdaddybass12]

On the 2x4 neck, remember the thicker the neck the more stable they seem to be. Laminated necks are good also. A 5 string has a lot of pressure on the neck. Yes, I know there is a truss rod, but necks occasionally still have issues.
Other brands? The LTD B205 is a pretty good deal. I have owned one for 23 years.

 

[ElectricBass72]

My Ibanez basses.......

L to R: Soundgear SRMS805, Soundgear SR506, ATK305 & Talman TMB-100

 

[Naviiin]

Off the top of my head Ibanez doesn't have a straight up 5 string P. Take a look at the TMB105, TMB505, TMB605, SRMD205 and SR655 to see what they do on the PJ side of things. They're all pretty good bang for the buck, the SR655 is my fav because of the pickups and options.

Still want a straight up P? Check out the Sire P5: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] . Very well regarded by a lot of players.

 

[DWBass]

I owned a SR505 in the 90's. Lightweight with tight string spacing.

 

[ItsmeSantiago]

I think the Talman basses are the only P style instruments they offer at the moment. I had an SR 655 which was a PJ with the skinny SR necks, and it was a decent instrument with a weak stock preamp. Not sure if they're still in production but they're worth a look if you're after a P style Ibanez and I would imagine they're close to the 500 range in the used market.

 

[Killing Floor]

Ibanez makes really good sounding and good quality instruments. They always have. And if the neck shape fits your preference there’s nothing but love for Ibby here.

 

[MotorCityMinion]

The late 70's / early 80's brought us some of the best Ibanez basses, period. The Musician & Roadstar basses went from great to awesome across the product line at the time. Others soon followed suit with neck thru, active controls, and price conscious builds.

 

[Plain Old Barry]

On the 2x4 neck, remember the thicker the neck the more stable they seem to be. Laminated necks are good also.

My mid-line Ibanez SR875 5 string has a skinny laminated neck. It's been super stable.

 

[Lowlou17]

Nice looking bass!

 

[bigdaddybass12]

My mid-line Ibanez SR875 5 string has a skinny laminated neck. It's been super stable.

Good, I have never owned an Ibanez, I believe the laminated ones are more stable.

 

[Lowlou17]

On the 2x4 neck, remember the thicker the neck the more stable they seem to be. Laminated necks are good also. A 5 string has a lot of pressure on the neck. Yes, I know there is a truss rod, but necks occasionally still have issues.
Other brands? The LTD B205 is a pretty good deal. I have owned one for 23 years.

23 years! Nice!

 

[Lowlou17]

The Japanese made Prestige line are pretty exceptional instruments. A buddy of mine recently bought one of the newer Premium SR 5 strings. It's REALLY nice as well. For +/- $500 (used), the SR505 is fairly popular with a lot of folks here. It's not a Precision style bass, but maybe with the neck pickup solo'd it could get in the ballpark tone-wise.

I can live with a PJ bass.

 

[PrinceByTor]

I have been playing an SR406 for over 20 years and it has always been a great instrument. The neck, while quite wide, is pretty thin and is more of a “teardrop” shape, being slightly wider at top. The neck doesn’t seem to move a lot with the two truss rods and I have never adjusted them. It is a bit heavy, but playability is good; always has been a mainstay in my stable. They can still be found incredibly cheap second hand and I still think they make the SR405 with a quilted top.

My SR406 in the center:

 

[Lowlou17]

My mid-line Ibanez SR875 5 string has a skinny laminated neck. It's been super stable.

Thanks .
So how does the Ibanez line breakdown as far as pecking order?
In Fender there’s Affinity, Squier, MIM, MiJ, American, etc.
So is Gio like entry level?
The SoundGear seems to have some nice looking basses and I like the Talsman shape.