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Ibanez Love?

I started playing with Ibanez. I was impressed by the reputation of the brand as well as variety. I moved from the SR versions to the SRA (not sure why they discontinued them at all) and had an SRA 505 and an SRA 555 (newer and final version). While I ended up trading them for some Fenders there was nothing wrong with either bass. Some features I liked better than others. Right now I'm GASing for a couple of Ibanez instruments--I want a Talman bass and the Talman acoustic / electric guitar sure looks pretty (but I don't play guitar). Ibanez is a great vehicle.
 
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That is a beauty and the one Ibanez Bass (except 5 string) that will own someday. My current main bass is a Prestige 4005 and it blows me away the craftmanship and tonal options you get out of the custom US Bartolini pickups. They are worth every penny.

that sr4000/5 is gorgeous. ive owned standard, premium, and prestige. all nice but a huge jump with each stage up.
 
Ibanez are HELLA sweet basses. If I had to pick a bass to go direct into a head and cab with no effects or anything else, I'm grabbing one of my Ibanez basses. I can send my CTB-5 with EMG JX's, SRX3EX, or SR500 straight into my GK MB200 and I know it will freakin rock the house. Also, I paid $300 or under for each of those basses (I bought used). Aside from cleaning and some mild setup, they play fantastically when you get them.
 
Where is the Ibanez love? As said in another forum I was planning on acquiring the new SR-650. What do you like and not like about Ibanez and what Ibby's do you own? Tell me your opinions on this bass if you have tried it and if I should get it or not.

ive never played the 650 personally but i do have a couple ibbys.. my very first one was a gsr 200.. and last year i got my hands on a rare edb700 bass.. i love it. i am actually on the hunt for another.. my only gripe with ibanez is the company doesnt really care to help those that play the instruments they make..
 
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I love my spalted poplar SR500. Plus the GF bought it for me.
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Wow that's a tough call - if you have SOMETHING to play maybe save up? Depends how bad you need a bass now and how much more you like whichever premium... When I almost bought one around x-mas time I thought about the 500 or 600 series because I didn't see the premium ones as so much better that the price difference was worth it to me - but they might be to you. If you'd ever regret not going premium, just save up now rather than get one later having "wasted" cash on a 650 now. If you GAS for a 650 and wonder if you should get a premium just because they're called "premium", save the cash and be happy with a 650!
 
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I don't mean to be a buzzkill, but I don't think you are allowed to advertise items within this forum without a supporting membership :/ I'm not trying to be a dingus, but I don't want to see someone banned for something little like this - the mods can be pretty aggressive around here I've found when it comes to this stuff :)
Thanks :)
 
I'm a big fan of Ibanez. I've always been impressed by the quality you get for the price. I've owned several different Ibbys from different lines and they have all been really comfortable and playable. Having said all that, I think the reason Ibanez isn't talked about more on talkbass is because talkbass is for talking about Fenders.
 
View attachment 631320 View attachment 631321 View attachment 631322 View attachment 631323 View attachment 631324 I am a Ibanez lover. My last 6 basses have all be Ibanez bass
Ibanez SR1605 Premium
Ibanez BTB1405 (actually bought 2 of them)
Ibanez SR1805 (this is the best pf the Premium basses)
Ibanez SR 4005 Prestige (My main bass)

I look forward to getting a couple more in the future.

You're going to make me cry - how can one man own so many super nice Ibby SR's, and still want more!
 
I wasn't sure what to expect, the bass that I picked up is particularly nice. It is a 2000 SR800 MIJ

Well, that's two instruments we share in common - I have a '91 SR800 unlined fretless in Purple Pearl that I bought new, and it's been a wonderful player. It weighs practically nothing - I haven't put it on the scale, but I'd be willing to bet it's under 8 pounds. Between that and my '87 RB800 (8.5 pounds), I've been quite happy with Ibanez's products, although I haven't played any of their newer instruments.
 
Also do you think I would get criticized for having a somewhat cheap bass? Is there really much of a difference between say this bass and an SR1800e to justify the extra money? I would hope for my next bass to be something I could use for a while and I dont want to get this and later regret it, selling it and then losing money. I would hate to do that.

why would anyone care if you're using a cheap bass, much less have the incredibly poor manners to say something? these days cheap basses sound good - pretty much all of them - including the $129 SX. my $179 squier jag short scale sounds good, and good enough to gig with. and i used to drag a $179 yamaha with me to rehearsal and it sounded good and weighed a lot less than my main bass. and bands really wanted me to play with them - no one ever said "hey, you're playing a cheap bass, so we don't want to play with you!" chances are no one in the audience and few in bands will even know it's a cheap bass.

it really helps to learn to get the tone you want out of any bass you have. your amp, effects if any, string choices and learning to tweak the tone on your bass will all contribute to this.

it would be good if you will need to learn how to get the tone you want, and to some degree this will be more about your amp than your bass. i don't think the premiums are worth the extra until you've been playing long enough to have developed a good idea of what your preferences are - neck profile, nut width, string spacing, shape, etc. before you have the experience, you're as likely to get a bass that doesn't suit you so you can feel good about owning a "better" bass, but it's only better if it suits your needs, and you gotta know what those needs are or you could be wasting your money. there are some VERY nice basses out there that just don't do it for me.
 
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JUST got my new SR5000 Prestige this past Friday. Can't say how impressed I am with the craftsmanship, playability, and the sound. Its a work of art and holds/produces my jacked up tuning perfectly. I currently own a Dunable Thunderclapper, '15 Am Dlx Fender Jazz, and this one might just take the cake. These the actual pics of my bass- Sweetwater sends you nice pro pics.

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Beautiful bass. drool
Question for you or anyone here. I'm looking at the highest end lefty Ibanez bass, which isn't that much, I believe $1,099. It's like this SR5000 in that it has individual saddles. If you look at the saddles, do you think there's enough length in the saddles to restring the lefty to a right handed string set and have proper intonation? I can't tell how much length and shortness there is in the bridge, it's kind of concealed.
Thanks! Enjoy that gorgeous bass! :bassist:
 
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An SR400 was my second bass. No complaints. It fit the bill and held it down through the better part of 4 years. I actually still have it today - sounds great, plays great, but the body is beat to hell from touring and basement shows.

An SR505 is currently one of my two go-to basses. It has the stock Bartolini MK1 pickups and the guy I bought it from installed an Aguilar OBP3 preamp. I think this thing sounds and plays great, but the tone can be quite dark. I use it mostly in my reggae band.

Haven't had a chance to really check out the new new stuff Ibanez has been putting out lately, but it definitely looks appealing. Time to go try out some new basses! :bassist:
 
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