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Ibanez Bass Opinions

#2
I have an SRX700, its not a prestige, but I like it I think they're real good basses. you can get a decent amount of tones out of them and the soundgear line at least is a great value. I can't say anything about the other models since its the only one I really tried.
 
#4
You have to play them yourself. They have a lot of models that all play/sound different.

I personally wouldn't buy one as none seem to "speak" to me, but I can understand why other people might like them a lot. They look cool, and generally seem like good quality basses for the money. If I was going to get and SR or BTB I'd definitely go the prestige route. Much better electronics.
 
#6
l_bd049647ae311c482a096167f97764bd.png


here's me onstage with my new baby :bassist:

she's a real stunner. prestige sr3006e... oh man does this baby sing.

nice and tight low B, the low mids on the bart pickups are perfect... perhaps slightly muddy sounding, but when you're running through and amp it's easy to sort that out. the feel and playability of the bass more than make up for it.

I've played similarly priced 6ers, and none of them compared to my baby... a steal at £450 I should add :bassist:

solo the bridge pickup and it sounds very modern... put it in drop D and really nailed that "by the way" tone... have it in the middle for some awesome growl (very 'radio' bass tone, if you get me, fits every situation)... and solo the neck for a wooly sorta sound.

I'm very very happy with the bass. the controls are slightly confusing at first (concentric bass/treb on the top pot, and para/mid on the bottom pot) but once I got the hang of that, laughing.

and best of all... *LIGHTER* than my rick/ray!! very easy to throw about.

I would never have picked up a 6 if I hadn't come across this beast. but it's all subjective, so let your fingers and your ears be the judge. in the meantime, if you want a sound clip, just let me know the style (or even the song) and i'll whap up something for you :bassist:
 
#10
Techmonkey said:
l_bd049647ae311c482a096167f97764bd.png


here's me onstage with my new baby :bassist:

she's a real stunner. prestige sr3006e... oh man does this baby sing.

nice and tight low B, the low mids on the bart pickups are perfect... perhaps slightly muddy sounding, but when you're running through and amp it's easy to sort that out. the feel and playability of the bass more than make up for it.

I've played similarly priced 6ers, and none of them compared to my baby... a steal at £450 I should add :bassist:

solo the bridge pickup and it sounds very modern... put it in drop D and really nailed that "by the way" tone... have it in the middle for some awesome growl (very 'radio' bass tone, if you get me, fits every situation)... and solo the neck for a wooly sorta sound.

I'm very very happy with the bass. the controls are slightly confusing at first (concentric bass/treb on the top pot, and para/mid on the bottom pot) but once I got the hang of that, laughing.

and best of all... *LIGHTER* than my rick/ray!! very easy to throw about.

I would never have picked up a 6 if I hadn't come across this beast. but it's all subjective, so let your fingers and your ears be the judge. in the meantime, if you want a sound clip, just let me know the style (or even the song) and i'll whap up something for you :bassist:
Click to expand...

Just got that very same model and about the same price! :)

I used to have the SR5005 or something like that, a similar 5-string model back in the 90s... then got into Warwick but missed my Ibby each and every day! As you can see in my profile, I ve sold my Wick and went back to my real love the SR3006E! :D

I dont think there is anything that this bass cant do. From my experience you cannot go wrong with it and it has the same tone and quality as basses twice its price range! :bassist:
 
#12
The Prestige line is fabulous. There is a model 1000 at GC that keeps drawing me back. Great sound and construction. I now have an SR400 that I really enjoy playing. The neck is very slim and plays well, and the sound is very solid.

You can't go wrong with any of the Ibanez products.
 
#13
I've got an SR496 6-string. In general, the Ibanez basses have VERY narrow string-spacing. Not "slap friendly" if you're into that, but lightning fast for fingers/pick.

Mine is mahogany - looks good, but the wood is fairly soft and doesn't "ring" like a harder wood, well, would. The bridge is some sort of plastic/metal alloy - it works great, but the finish wears-off after several months. Same with the knobs.

Historically, Ibanezes were said to have terrible electronics. Since I got mine, they increasingly seem to use bart pickups/electronics, so presumably the electronics are fine now. My bass, either due to wood or electronics, has kind-of a "nasal honk" that seems characteristic of low/mid-level bases per a review I read somewhere. This, with rounds, TI Jazz Flats or "real" flats. I don't like the "straight sound", but with my Bass PodXT, I can get some great sounds out of it.

The build quality and setup/action seems to be very good.
 
#14
I've had nothing but good experiences with the Ibanez basses I've owned. My first "real" bass at the age of 16 was an MIJ SR800 which I miss, even though I prefer 5 strings these days. My second was an MIJ Roadstar which sounded killer. Years after that, I bought both an MIK BTB400QM and BTB405QM. Great tone with the 400, but I decided to go strictly 5er & sold it after a couple years. I've now owned the 405 for seven + years and have no intentions of getting rid of it. It's totally stock and pretty beat up, but I still dig it alot. I'm not too fond of their entry level stuff, but their mid-grade basses are true players in my eyes (and hands).
 
#15
I think Ibanez makes pretty decent gear. the Prestige basses are very nice. The Japanese made older models are exceptional products.

A friend of mine has an SR3005e from around 2000-2001. It's an excellent bass. One of the Japanese made ones with the Bartolini electronics. It sounds great and plays great. I have had my eye on it for a couple of years, and have offered to buy it off of him but he won't sell:(.

I also used to own an SRX300. I thought it was constructed quite nicely and had excellent playability for a $300.00 bass. The tone just didn't work for me.
 
#17
I bought a SR905 about a month ago and I really like it a lot. I have small hands and the neck and string spacing are perfect for me. Less than ¼ turn of the truss rod and the setup was absolutely perfect (for me at least). For the money it’s one fine instrument in my opinion.
 

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