Ibanez bass?

[salmon256]

I use to stereotype Ibanez as being the guitarist switching to bass fly to.

I WAS SUPER WRONG! - They are great, I had a Mikro loved it, every upper Ibanez I try I loved. I def have them on my list of basses I plan to own seriously, they may look metal and Jazz fusion-ish some models but they work in literally every genre for me, in fact find they go great in Blues with most of the upper models tonal control.

I have a CV jazz bass, but maybe I personally latch onto Ibanez because they have some skinny necks, skinner them jazz basses, depends on the model of course! Good luck.

 

[-Stingray]

Every single one of my Ibanez basses I've owned over the years kicked butt. Right down to the 300 series. Honestly one of the best "bang for the buck" basses on the market, and all of them seem to be light weight.

 

[pcake]

i love ibanez basses. i have some of their bottom-of-the-line models, but i also had an SR500. awesome bass, pickups were barts with tons of bottom end. possibly not the best bass for a modern or stingray sound, but otherwise very nice. with one caveat. the brown finish is super soft with no clearcoat. i've never seen one in a store that didn't have a visible amount of finish missing.

honestly i love every soundgear bass from the bottom of the line GSR models to the SR1600, and everything i've owned or played in between. the necks are smooth and slim, and i love playing them, the bodies aren't too big and tend to be under 9 pounds - at least, all the many i played were. i also owned a couple ibanez mezzos, and i liked them, too.

btw, if you have some wood working skills, their bottom of the line GSR100 models make great modding platforms.

 

[blacktocomm]

I have an SRSC800 and agree with most of the other posters here. Very well built, comfortable bass.

 

[NikosP75]

The new SR500 Aurora finish might be an option to consider to avoid the brown finish which is well known to be easily damaged.

 

[Gervais Cote]

I don’t like the Ibanez basses but I must admit that I saw some good ones that’s been abused severely and people really beat the crap out of them, left them for a full week in their car’s trunk and they survived very well and the necks remained perfectly straight.

 

[thisoldman]

I have a used SR500 I got off ebay about 10 years ago. The original owner had some work done to emulate his favorite bass player (don't remember now who it was). Switched to EMG pickups (active) and had some work done on the neck to make it even a bit slimmer as I recall. The body is chunky, not as contoured as the current models, but the flamed maple top is gorgeous. Nice bass, don't think you can go wrong with an Ibanez.

 

[FishDub]

I owned one of these and wish I never sold it- SR3000e with Barts

 

[Boneless]

Ibanez BTBs are good metal basses, if you're into that kind of look (very clear and punchy tone). Ibanez SRs are very "professional" basses (well, the top of the range models anyway) at very competitive prices, even though they don't really have that much "character" (which may not be a factor, especially if you're the kind of gigging musician playing in cover bands with a large repertoire straddling genres and periods). Ibanez SRs are, to me, what Precision basses are according to the memes, that is, basses that always work, maybe not the best choice but never a bad one. They also have very good construction and ergonomics (but, as many said, thin necks). The onboard preamps tend to be a bit "meh", but they're serviceable.

Without going too far back in time, the ATK range was really great, the Prestige models with a J pickup in the neck position and the triple coil pickup in the Stingray position were *fantastic* basses if you needed any sort of modern-ish, Stingray-ish tones (at half the price of a Stingray). They should really revive the line.

One thing with Ibanez basses is that they seem to really love the coffee table look. That's not necessarily bad but it's a very specific style.

 

[Nolan Tremblay]

My first bass was an SR400 with a PJ setup. I still remember it as a really solid instrument. I think it was sort of mid-priced amongst the budget basses in the shop I got it at.

I have an SR5006 now. Much fancier, but I think still well valued for the price.

 

[brianrost]

Some don't like the Barts, but that's a matter of taste

Just wanted to point out that these are Asian pickups designed to Bartolini specs, not actual MIA Bart pickups. Much like the Duncan Designed pickups or the EMG HZ pickups, they are lower cost designs used in lower cost basses. I think some people rag on them just because they are Asian.

I used to play in zydeco bands here in the Northeast. When actual bands from Louisiana would come up for dances and festivals, the most common basses were Ibanez 5 or 6 stringers, either SR or BTB. They sounded great, although the players had a lot to do with that

Part of the reason they were so popular was that Ibanez went all in with offering 5s and 6s (in lefty models, too) while Fender and some other brands took a while to enter the market.

In it’s price class the SR500 is definitely worth considering.

 

[Thegreatzambini]

I’ve never considered one of these basses before. Why? I really have no idea. Don’t see too many people playing them, at least in bands I’m familiar with. Was just watching bass guitar reviews on YouTube and this one person had one and said how they absolutely loved it. Started researching and was blown away about how cheap the prices are. I’ve been reading reviews for two days and everyone raves about how nice it sounds and feels.

The specific one I’ve been looking at is the SR 500. Have seen some people complain about the plastic knobs on the bass as well as the Bartolini pick ups. Other people love the pickups. Just wondering if anybody here is familiar with this particular model or Ibanez basses in general? The active EQ from what I’ve read seems to really make a huge difference in some of the tones you can get.

Currently have a fender jazz MIM player series. So I know this would be totally different, but thought it would be cool to add. Just not sure if it’s considered a beginner bass or what. Based off of the prices I have seen, I would’ve never considered a bass like this. But the reviews really rave about it.

You can’t really generalize Ibanez as they really cater to everyone they have models starting in the beginner range all the way up to the prestige ones made in Japan….. they also have a custom shop in Los Angeles, and have been around for decades. And you mentioned you were looking at a soundgear, if you like the fender jazz MIM you have ,this will be nothing like it.

 

[NYgiant]

Well I didn’t expect to get this much help when I posted earlier today. Really great people on here.

Haven’t made a definitive decision, but think I’m leaning towards this one. LOVE the color, at least the picture of it. Could be different in person.

The SR500E in the Black Aurora Burst color.

Has a mahogany body
Bartolini BH2 humbucking pickups
A jatoba and walnut neck

Seem like a decent choice? Should look for used or better to buy new?

 

[NYgiant]

You can’t really generalize Ibanez as they really cater to everyone they have models starting in the beginner range all the way up to the prestige ones made in Japan….. they also have a custom shop in Los Angeles, and have been around for decades. And you mentioned you were looking at a soundgear, if you like the fender jazz MIM you have ,this will be nothing like it.

Good to know. Well…I’m not in love or even attached to my Fender Jazz….its decent, it’s ok I guess. Just looking for something different.

Really haven’t been cable to get a tone I like. Got a new GK 212 Neo and a used GK MB500 amp. Hooked up my old SWR workingman 15 as well. Been looking at selling the 212 and maybe the amp and getting a new Mesa Subway 410 and Mesa WD-800 amp. But considering that would be a little over $3000, I thought maybe it can’t hurt to start with a 400-600 dollar bass first and get a different tone, you know? Maybe I still need to switch out the amp and cab anyways, but who knows. Not just looking for an Ibanez for different tone only, but just not in love with the Fender. It’s decent.

 

[Dincrest]

Ibanez basses, particularly Soundgears, are almost as ubiquitous as Fenders out in the wild. During my most extensive gigging/touring days, I saw at least one Soundgear at every show I played and/or attended.

Higher-end Soundgears (particularly Japanese made ones) don't show up often preowned (since those are keeper basses), but mid to lower tier Soundgears can definitely be found often on the preowned market.

 

[NYgiant]

Well looks like I should probably buy new. Guitar Center has the cheapest price I can find anywhere at $599. Any of the used ones I came across weren’t below $545, so it would make no sense to get a used one. All other new ones I’m looking at are $699.

 

[NikosP75]

Well looks like I should probably buy new. Guitar Center has the cheapest price I can find anywhere at $599. Any of the used ones I came across weren’t below $545, so it would make no sense to get a used one. All other new ones I’m looking at are $699.

If you can try the bass at a local Guitar Center go for it. When you order and it comes in you can try it on the spot and if anything is wrong it can be addressed right then and there. If you order it to be delivered to your house pick Sweetwater they have much better quality control and will not mail you a dud. Guitar Center will mail anything no matter the condition and they will do a horrid job at packing. Had a very bad experience with a couple of guitars for my son.

 

[shodan]

The SR500E in the Black Aurora Burst color. View attachment 5322189

I have that exact bass. It's a good foundation bass. The one thought I'd offer would be look at the SR600E with the Nordstrand designed pickups. I bought mine just to see if I liked them. Definitely an upgrade from the Barts, IMHO. In fact, I have my SR600E up for sale. I intend to gut the 500 and put Nordstrands (Big Split 4 - Nordstrand Audio) in it with an Audere ([Invalid or Expired Link Removed]) control package.

 

[GreyBeard]

Ibanez quality has always been 1st class no matter the model. You need to play some to see if you like the sound and feel.

 

[NYgiant]

If you can try the bass at a local Guitar Center go for it. When you order and it comes in you can try it on the spot and if anything is wrong it can be addressed right then and there. If you order it to be delivered to your house pick Sweetwater they have much better quality control and will not mail you a dud. Guitar Center will mail anything no matter the condition and they will do a horrid job at packing. Had a very bad experience with a couple of guitars for my son.

yeah I’d much rather deal with Sweetwater. That’s where I got my bass cabinet from and they are really great. So if I want to buy this from guitar Center, have it shipped to my local store and then pick it up there when it comes in versus coming to my house?