I know the premium line is made in Indonesia. How is their overall quality? How are they compared to the standard workshop basses? How do they compare to the Japanese Prestige line? I know the two share a lot of the same pickups and tuners but how different are the preamps and build quality?
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Ibanez premium line
- Thread starter Cory rich40
- Start date
I'm sure the current Japanese-made basses are a cut above the Indonesian basses, but I'd also bet the differences, as far as you can see as a player, are more in terms of wood and component selection than in fit-and-finish. The variety of mid and upper grade Indonesian Ibanez basses I've tried have all been subject to pretty impressive QC for their price points.
For whatever it's worth the SR Workshop basses are also made in Indonesia. I expect the BTB Workshop and EHB basses are too but haven't checked. (fwiw all EHB models have "Workshop" designation.)
For whatever it's worth the SR Workshop basses are also made in Indonesia. I expect the BTB Workshop and EHB basses are too but haven't checked. (fwiw all EHB models have "Workshop" designation.)
The MII basses are so very good now, that I don't see the point in the MIJs, except maybe the slightly older 5000/5/6 series because I find the Wenge faces sexy. Because I'm not rich, I'd not generally spend on the MIJ because it's only a wood choice and minor fit and finish difference, often for a very substantial price premium. I currently own a bunch of MII Ibanezes and am more than happy with them, especially at the prices paid - build dates vary from 08 until 25.
Funny you ask I played an Ibanez SR 1305 today in GC and it was great! I have been GAS-ing over this bass on and off all year long. I might just have one in my arsenal sooner or later. I also played an Ibanez BTB 25th Anniversary 6 string bass that sounded great.
The QC is great (but it's not quite at the level of the Japanese made Prestige basses). The preamps are the same at both levels according to Sweetwater. Either way, the preamps in the Premium and Prestige basses are a huge upgrade over those in the regular Ibanez basses. The Premium line is the sweet spot between price and quality. The SR 1300 series goes for between $1,500 and $1,700 new depending on how many strings it has. The Prestige basses cost at least $2,400 new. So I'd say the Premium line is worth it for the money if you're looking for an active bass.
I played the SR 1305 right after playing a $2,850 EBMM Stingray Special. I liked the Ibanez a lot more believe it or not!
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My Ibanez SRH505F 5 string fretless is a joy to play. No issues with QC at all. It stays in tune and is very comfortable to play with good harmonics. Nothing wrong with this beauty! 
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I use the SR 1405 and concur with the above. Mine is ~14 y.o. and has the 3 piece wenge neck. Minor niggle re: Prestige series > the wenge top-cap (...when optioned) LOOKS great but prone to shrinkage and grain cracks. The Premium (Indonesian) models are a great value on the secondhand market.
Riis
The biggest differentiating factor in the current premium line vs the current prestige line, is the fit / finish and the preamp. The sonitec preamp in the new Prestige is light years better than the standard preamp in the premium series, but only because it has a separate, beautifully functioning tone knob for the passive mode. Passive mode with the integrated tone on treble pot on the premium line is hot garbage in comparison.
The quality on the SR2605 that I have is flawless as far as finish and execution goes. It's one of the best looking basses I've seen. I don't think all that much of the sound though. I suspect that's due to the Ibanez preamp rather than the Nordy Big Singles. I haven't looked at the electronics yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if the preamp in this "Premium" bass isn't much better than the one that came stock in the BTB I mention below. I might replace the preamp, but I might also just sell it while it's still mint and OEM stock. I just find that I'm not playing it all that much. Sure is gorgeous on the wall though. Like a piece of art. Damn. Maybe I will replace that preamp. 
I also have a BTB-845V that had "good bones" but came with the worst finish I've ever seen on a factory instrument and probably the cheapest electronics they could put in it. I think they were trying to make it look like a high-end custom that cost at least twice what it did (was just under $1K in 2018, which was a decent price all things considered) but that kind of finish requires an artisan, not some guy doing it fast on a production line. There was stain pooled in several places under the clear coat and the ramp had absorbed the stain differently and didn't match the rest of the top. I stripped it, re-contoured the body to remove some uncomfortable edges and make the lines of the contrast layer under the burl more closely match the contours of the body. For some reason, they had also painted the mahogany back black, so I stripped that as well and refinished the whole thing in Danish oil. It had come with "offshore Barts" and when I opened it up to fix a loose pot I couldn't believe what a cheap pc board preamp was floating loosely within that rat's nest of wiring. Another Ibanez preamp. I replaced the pickups with USA Barts and Bart NTMB preamp for somewhere around $500. After all that effort and expense I think it stacks up pretty well with just about anything and sounds better than the SR2605 mentioned above.
I also have a BTB-845V that had "good bones" but came with the worst finish I've ever seen on a factory instrument and probably the cheapest electronics they could put in it. I think they were trying to make it look like a high-end custom that cost at least twice what it did (was just under $1K in 2018, which was a decent price all things considered) but that kind of finish requires an artisan, not some guy doing it fast on a production line. There was stain pooled in several places under the clear coat and the ramp had absorbed the stain differently and didn't match the rest of the top. I stripped it, re-contoured the body to remove some uncomfortable edges and make the lines of the contrast layer under the burl more closely match the contours of the body. For some reason, they had also painted the mahogany back black, so I stripped that as well and refinished the whole thing in Danish oil. It had come with "offshore Barts" and when I opened it up to fix a loose pot I couldn't believe what a cheap pc board preamp was floating loosely within that rat's nest of wiring. Another Ibanez preamp. I replaced the pickups with USA Barts and Bart NTMB preamp for somewhere around $500. After all that effort and expense I think it stacks up pretty well with just about anything and sounds better than the SR2605 mentioned above.
I wonder which preamp comes in the Steve Digiorgio signature bass? Probably the same one that comes in all premium BTB’s
Overall they’re well made. Where they fall down is the crummy preamps and, just my opinion, I dislike the burl & spalted tops. I think they’re ugly and can’t understand why they’re popular.
I've had the SR1350B which is at the bottom end of the premium line for about 18 months now. Build quality is excellent, the neck is very stable and the bass rarely requires tuning after a week in its case. Most of the time I play it passive, rarely use the pre-amp. I agree that it is challenging to get a good tone out of the pre-amp. I have D'addario black tapes on it and the action is super low and fast, but it requires attention to muting because there is more cross string resonance on the lower strings than on my other basses. I think this is due to the light weight of the body wood. Even with these shortcomings, it is a beautiful bass and I love it.
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That's a negative. The preamp in your bass is the Vari mid 3 preamp. The preamp in all others Btb basses is the BEQ3. Steve specifically wanted the vari mid preamp for the sweeping mid frequency control. The BEQ3 preamp has only 3 preset mid frequencies available with the 3 way switch.
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Another thing to consider with the Ibanez preamp in the premium / workshop series (and the previous newer prestige models before 2025) basses is this : There are typically 2 preamp "voicings" available on the preamp board. BEQ3 and VM3. If your bass has the 3 way mid selector switch, it needs to be in the BEQ3 slot on the board.
If it's got the mid sweep control, like on the EHB series basses, and the Steve Digiorgio bass, it's needs to be in the VM3 slot.
Case in point, my used premium BTB1806 came with the VM3 slot selected, and it sounded horrible. After I noticed it, I switched it to the BEQ3 slot and it sounds fantastic now!
If it's got the mid sweep control, like on the EHB series basses, and the Steve Digiorgio bass, it's needs to be in the VM3 slot.
Case in point, my used premium BTB1806 came with the VM3 slot selected, and it sounded horrible. After I noticed it, I switched it to the BEQ3 slot and it sounds fantastic now!
I hesitate to post this because I don’t wanna sound like I’m bashing Ibanez. I was unlucky and got two that had several flaws. Misaligned bridges and poorly fitted nut. The b-string would not intonate properly on either one. I ran out of adjustment screw trying to sharpen them. One was an SR1425BCGL SR
The other was an
SR5FMDX2 1P-01
Both were brand new, but ordered blind so I didn’t get a chance to play either before purchase. Bad luck, as most other folks seem to get good ones! If you are able, try before you buy!
The other was an
SR5FMDX2 1P-01
Both were brand new, but ordered blind so I didn’t get a chance to play either before purchase. Bad luck, as most other folks seem to get good ones! If you are able, try before you buy!
Wow! They used the wrong slot at the factory? Some worker there deserves to be docked an hour of the $3/hour pay!
This is an often noted problem with the mono-rail BTB bridges on some of the 5 strings. Always the B string. Seems they run out of room on the curved body? Personally, I love the curved body, it fits my plucking arm really well and keeps the weight down, but I only play a 4 string so don't have this issue. I do despise the recessed output jack, though.
I love the body contouring and the string spacing! I also had an Ibanez SR605e that I probably would have kept, but the neck felt so thin! I felt like the truss rod was at its limit for adjusting a fairly tight relief-which is what I prefer. The Nordstrand pickups and the preamp sounded great!
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