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Ibanez SR Series. Educate Me.

#61
I've got an SR500 in Mahogany - it's a lovely bass, very lightweight, easy to play, nice clean sound to it & looks to boot. I'd highly recommend it, especially for the price - I think it's much better in terms of quality than my MIM Jazz.

I'll be selling mine very shortly though, as I just don't play it enough & don't think I will - I'd love to keep it, but I've just bought a new Jazz & need to offset the cost. I'll be sad to see it go :(
 
#64
aproud1 said:
Probably. But that preamp isn't helping you out either. I've heard the MK1's sound ok with a better pre. But if it were mine and I really liked it I'd swap the pre first and the pickups if I didn't hear an improvement.
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Any suggestions on a pre? I have a 900 with mk1s and they sound decent only with the treble knob rolled down to about 20%. Waaaay to bright for my tastes.
 
#65
varunkapahi said:
i really do wish they made the SR;s with wider spacing! really love that neck and body!
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For a five string? If they had a SR 5ver with 19mm spacing I would own it.


45acp said:
Any suggestions on a pre? I have a 900 with mk1s and they sound decent only with the treble knob rolled down to about 20%. Waaaay to bright for my tastes.
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I'd watch the classifieds and pickups a Bart Pre. Those are pretty good at smoothing things out and they come up for sale frequently. Buying one new won't break your bank either and you can get in pretty much any configuration you want.
 
#71
Proud owner of the 2006 Sr1000efm prestige. Hunted for one for 3 years and was worth every penny. My only issue is that the strings are very high from the body so any double thump work is extremely difficult.

However, I have converted to 6 string as my main electric. Got a 96 sr1206 that feels amazing. Weighs a bit much, but the thicker neck is wonderful. Super versatile tone as well.

Having played newer Sr basses, I'd say I like my older model a lot better due to the thicker neck.
 
#72
musicianary said:
One of my favorite basses that I've ever played is an SR706. Good build quality and the Bartolini pups gave it a really nice punchy sound that was very clear with tons of low end. And, of course, all Soundgear necks are super fast.

The 506 is very nice, as well.
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I just bought the SR706 that inspired that post. Originally $799, I got it for $559. 700 series for 500 series money! :ninja:
 
#73
Another SR505 fan here. I've had it for a few years now, kinda ignored it for a while in favor of my Fender's, but lately it's become my main player. It's just so comfortable to play, the onboard preamp is very handy and the light weight (7.5 lbs.) is a huge plus for my very aching back.
 
#74
stingray69 said:
I have an SR375M (Maple body, Maple neck, 3-band EQ) and LOVE the CAP pickups in it. Very growly tone - really blew me away with how good it sounded and played. Like scottfeldstein above, it made very curious as to what the higher end SR series were like these days, and I ended up buying an SR-705 5-string also. I used to own an SR series bass back in the late 80's, neck-thru, should never have parted with it.

Anyway, I'm VERY impressed with the tones of the CAP pickups. I've had daily opportunities for the past several months to A/B the CAP pickups with the Bartolini MK1's through my gear and feel comfortable saying that what strikes me as the most similar aspects of the two pickups are the voicing of the low end and the mid range voicing. Nearly identical to my ears. In that regard, they both retain the Ibanez sound. AKA, the Bartolini MK1 sound if you will. But the biggest difference is definitely in the high end.

The Bart MK1's are much more extended in the high frequency area. That may or may not work for you. I love the tone of the MK1's but through my GK MB-500 rig, the top end was a bit too extended for my needs - even with the onboard Treble knob set flat.

I actually bought & installed a set of CAP-EFX (Extended Frequency) pickups direct from Ibanez, and they are perfect for my needs! My SR-705 still sounds like my SR-705 if you know what I mean. They didn't turn my SR-705 into a completely different sounding bass, nor did I want them to. I can still get the same amount of MK1 highs from the CAPs, if I turn the treble knob up towards the end of its spectrum. Before, the MK1's were just too bright with my EQ set flat, and I found myself having to roll off the treble if anything, I never boosted the highs at all.

The CAP pickups worked out perfect for me - they tamed the highs down a bit for me, but I can dial them in if I want and the fundamental low and mid-range voicing that I loved with the MK1's are virtually identical. The CAP pickups are a little lower in output than the MK1 pickups as well, which is fine by me because the MK1's would tend to clip the front end of my MB-500 pretty easily if I didn't pay close attention to the gain settings. The CAP's were a perfect replacement for me all the way around. I am still hanging onto the MK1's if I ever want to put things back to stock, but as long as I own the instrument, the CAP's will be staying in it. :)

That's my take on CAP pickups vs. MK1's - IMO, IME, YMMV, etc. etc. :D

View attachment 2099197
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Nice info, However was wondering what a CAP pup is? My sr300dx has a DXP(s) and a DXJ in it.. was wondering what a good upgrade would be for the DXP splits? Have not measured the resistance yet.. may try a set of highway ones P's i have laying around.. p
 
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#75
45acp said:
As others have said, it all typically starts around the 500. Ive owned too many Ibbys to remember, currently with a '97 1200 as my main and a badly worn 900 as backup.

If you're wanting one and on a budget- check ebay and the classifieds here. Resale value falls sharply on a soundgear as soon as it's driven off the lot. If you are patient you wont have any problem finding a 500-1400 for half price or less.

The 300 has the same soundgear feel im just not a huge fan of the Ibanez pickups.
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good info!
What upgrade pickups are a decent fit for an sr300 2005-2006?
Has vol-bl-bass-treble controls and you can see the largish dual humbucker poles.
rekon the newer power span pup's would be cool, but i think they have coil splitting capability [4wires each?]
 
#76
stingray69 said:
I have an SR375M (Maple body, Maple neck, 3-band EQ) and LOVE the CAP pickups in it. Very growly tone - really blew me away with how good it sounded and played. Like scottfeldstein above, it made very curious as to what the higher end SR series were like these days, and I ended up buying an SR-705 5-string also. I used to own an SR series bass back in the late 80's, neck-thru, should never have parted with it.

Anyway, I'm VERY impressed with the tones of the CAP pickups. I've had daily opportunities for the past several months to A/B the CAP pickups with the Bartolini MK1's through my gear and feel comfortable saying that what strikes me as the most similar aspects of the two pickups are the voicing of the low end and the mid range voicing. Nearly identical to my ears. In that regard, they both retain the Ibanez sound. AKA, the Bartolini MK1 sound if you will. But the biggest difference is definitely in the high end.

The Bart MK1's are much more extended in the high frequency area. That may or may not work for you. I love the tone of the MK1's but through my GK MB-500 rig, the top end was a bit too extended for my needs - even with the onboard Treble knob set flat.

I actually bought & installed a set of CAP-EFX (Extended Frequency) pickups direct from Ibanez, and they are perfect for my needs! My SR-705 still sounds like my SR-705 if you know what I mean. They didn't turn my SR-705 into a completely different sounding bass, nor did I want them to. I can still get the same amount of MK1 highs from the CAPs, if I turn the treble knob up towards the end of its spectrum. Before, the MK1's were just too bright with my EQ set flat, and I found myself having to roll off the treble if anything, I never boosted the highs at all.

The CAP pickups worked out perfect for me - they tamed the highs down a bit for me, but I can dial them in if I want and the fundamental low and mid-range voicing that I loved with the MK1's are virtually identical. The CAP pickups are a little lower in output than the MK1 pickups as well, which is fine by me because the MK1's would tend to clip the front end of my MB-500 pretty easily if I didn't pay close attention to the gain settings. The CAP's were a perfect replacement for me all the way around. I am still hanging onto the MK1's if I ever want to put things back to stock, but as long as I own the instrument, the CAP's will be staying in it. :)

That's my take on CAP pickups vs. MK1's - IMO, IME, YMMV, etc. etc. :D

View attachment 2099197
Click to expand...
nice thread!
Just picked up an older sr300, 05-ish i think
What years had CAP pups and what do they look like?
p
 

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