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Ibanez SR 1200 & Grooveline Basses

Dr. Cheese

Dr. Cheese

Supporting Member
Mar 3, 2004
57,327
120,663
Metro St. Louis
#1
I went by my local dealer and he had three of the new higher end Ibanez basses. He had a SR1200 with Nordstrand Big Singles and a four string and five string Grooveline.

The SR 1200 very followed the typical Ibanez Prestige formula with a thin neck and small light body. The difference was the Big Singles! They gave a crisp and bright tone just killed for finger style or slap. It is $999 and worth every penny. Too bad the fives will have typical Ibanez 16.5mm spacing at the bridge. For me the five would be great alternative to something like a MIA Fender Jazz Deluxe.

I will talk about the Grooveline and post pics when I get home from this takeout restaurant.
 
#2
I played both a Grooveline four and five. These basses are simply boutique quality, and they have boutique prices also. I played the five the most. It definitely has an active Jazz tonal vibe, but the bass reminds me of an Elrick on in terms of its neck and control layout. The body looks odd with its very short and protruding lower horn, but it is sheer genius when you play it sitting. It tends to put the bass in a position somewhat like the one traditionally used by classical guitarists, and it is extremely comfortable to play. The neck on the five is thin and flat. I am guessing that the string spacing is 18mm, but it might possibly 19mm.

The pickups are hum canceling and very transparent sounding. The active electronics are bypassable, and the bass sounds great passive. The active electroncs are powerful!!!:eek: When the active switch is flipped, the boost is phenomenal. The electronics are very quiet, and the levels of boost and cut are impressive.

The four string Grooveline is nice, but I did not play it as much. If I wanted a four, I would probably get the SR1200, since it is only $999, and it is maybe 80% the bass the bass the Grooveline is. The Groovelines are $2199 for the four and $2299 for the five.

The pictures here are of the five:
 
#5
bottomzone said:
Very, very nice review of the Grooveline basses!!! That is steep price, though. If I was deciding on a J-type bass, Carvin's SB5000 would get my vote.


A Groove is a Terrible Thing to Waste! :cool:
Click to expand...

The fit and finish on the Groovelines is totally topnotch. I forgot to mention that the five string has dual titanium trussrods. A feature that I had only heard of on Foderas before today. The Carvin is a killer deal, but the Groovelines are definitely aimed at a boutique market. I also forgot to mention hat the neck on the SR1200 is ovangkol and the Grooveline neck wenge with what I think are purpleheart stringers.
 
#13
Ibanez is probably the only mass production company that is not afraid to take some chances on new models. Kudos to them....but in this case I'm a little baffled, simply because the pricing of the Groovline basses puts them in in direct comparison with the new Carvins, the SB series and the Brian Brumberg series.

I mean if I have this money to spend on a bass, it's a no-brainer, to me, to choose the the Carvin BB if only for the customization options that are offered. It's even cheaper!!!!
I'm sure the Carvins are not the only other option, point is, at this price point, there is a heck of a lot of competition.
 
#14
woo10 said:
Ibanez is probably the only mass production company that is not afraid to take some chances on new models. Kudos to them....but in this case I'm a little baffled, simply because the pricing of the Groovline basses puts them in in direct comparison with the new Carvins, the SB series and the Brian Brumberg series.

I mean if I have this money to spend on a bass, it's a no-brainer, to me, to choose the the Carvin BB if only for the customization options that are offered. It's even cheaper!!!!
I'm sure the Carvins are not the only other option, point is, at this price point, there is a heck of a lot of competition.
Click to expand...

You need to actually see and play a Grooveline. The Carvin is not direct competition. This bass is aimed at people who want features found on a $4K-$5K instrument, not a typical production active Jazz. Think Elrick or Zon, not Carvin.

I know I have crazy GAS now that I've playedone!
 
#15
doc,

of all the ibanez basses being produced these two are the two that i would want.

the sr1200 with the nordstrands would be great, but the grooveline is simply amazing! its different, but i totally dig it.
 
#17
Dr. Cheese said:
You need to actually see and play a Grooveline. The Carvin is not direct competition. This bass is aimed at people who want features found on a $4K-$5K instrument, not a typical production active Jazz. Think Elrick or Zon, not Carvin.

I know I have crazy GAS now that I've playedone!
Click to expand...

First let me say that my experience with high end custom basses is very limited (had a couple of Ken Smith basses for a couple of weeks each) so there is a possibility that we are speaking two different languages here :D

Still, I don't see how does a Groovline compete with a Zon or an Elrick bass. I am under the impression that these high end basses are so expensive because they are custom, hand-made from exotic high quality woods, and there is usually a plethora of options available to the customer to choose from.

That's not the case with the Groovline, they are all stock, yes the neck is Wenge, but the body is Alder/Ash. The fretboard is rosewood (should be ebony at this price), and there is no where mentioned that they are hand-made. It only says "Precision made in Japan", but this could mean a lot of things.

Actually, this brings a question that Ibanez marketing never addresses, that is, what is the difference in quality between this line and their long highly acclaimed Prestige line? From the description on their web site, it seems to me that the Prestige gets more attention and craftsmanship.

I'm not arguing here, I'm just thinking out loud. I'm definitely interested in them, albeit could be more interested if they offered a 6er. I'll make sure to check them out when they're out. Thanks for the review.
 
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#19
I played the Grooveline five again today. The bass has to be played sitting to really get what I'm talking about. I have never had a bass that balanced on my lap better than the Grooveline. This bass is totally anti-neck dive. The preamp has got power to burn. It made my TRB5II, a bass that is not exactly weak, sound puny when both were set flat. Once again, if you are willing to spend $2K plus on a bass, and are open to different body shapes, you owe it to yourself to check out the Grooveline series.
 
#20
Thanks for the Review DR. Cheese. I have some bad GAS for the grooveline and you're not helping at all!

How was the B string on that 5ver? And what did they sound like
? You said active jazz vibe. Could you expand on that?

Thanks.
 

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