Ibanez SR1006 VS. Ibanez SR506

Looking at the bigger picture:

http://www.ibanez.com/guitars/guitar.asp?model=SR1006EFM&z=y

it looks like it has 2 normal knobs and 2 stacked, and its "Vari-Mid Hi-Fi 3-Band", so it'll probably be:

Volume
Blend
Bass/Treble
Mid/Mid shift


I was going to suggest a BTB, but fair enough

Another thing about the 1006 is it has a monorail bridge, i like them more, not sure why, i just do

Oh, and the 506 has a bart pre, dont know if that'd be better or not tho

 

I was never a fan of the SR's shape or sound tbh, it was more the sound that put me off, i dont know, something about the BTB's just, sounded right!

The midshift basically moves the mid frequency that is altered by the mid dial, so, instead of it only affecting a preset mid frequency, you can move it to be a lower mid or a higher mid, or, if its like the one on the BTB's, they you get a wah like effect by turning the midshift when the mid dial is turned up

 

I just recieved my SR506.. and find the tone really dissapointing.

It lacks punch, and definition in the low mids/lows. The Bart MK preamp is noisy, and the pickups were just Ok.

The neck is good, a little hefty at the 1rst fret, the frets are low profile. But I just feel it lacks attack.

Some of it could be the Elixir strings that just feel too soft or something.

I would go with an Older SR anyday. I used to have an old SR506, and it had a lot more punch, definition and articulation. Forget the pseudo barts, they seem to be a sales tactic, thats all.

 

I have a Carvin Full stack, a Bass Vamp (headphones), and a Little IBanez SW35.

Im comparing it to any other of my basses, a Modulus 6, a USA ATK, a Lakland, etc. It just.. doesnt sound right. It lacks.
Again... I HOPE its the elixirs... Because that bass is here to stay. I needed a 6 to be tuned a full step lower, and it is what I bought.

We will see when I get the Smith Metal Masters.. I highly hope there is an improvement. But I really doubt it.

The lighweight mahogany body is the real problem I believe.

 

Yeah, you kinda have it there, its more like having a mid shift on an amp tho, the mids are parametric

 

If there was only a SR-886, I would reccomend it. The 885 kicked serious ass. The stock pups were damn good (DX5 or something I think they were called), better than the current ones Ibanez have in the sub $900 basses, Plus it was MIJ.

 

My plans were going to be to gut an SR506, have Carey Nordstrand wind me some pickups to fit and an Aggie OBP-1 or OBP-3 to fit the holes. That would've made me rather happy

 

YES! someone with the same taste I have!

get the sr1006. Trust me, it may be double the price, but it's definately worth it in the end. It's MIJ instead of MIK, better pickups, better preamp, it looks better, better resale, and they're just awesome basses. I have the limited edition ones only availiable at SamAsh, and I absolutely love it. It's a burled poplar top, or a zebrawood top (or you can get the flame maple. The SR1006 is extremely smooth, comfortable, and the sound is the best Ibanez sound you can get (it's also the best Ibanez you can buy).

If you want the best sound of an Ibanez possible, then get the 1006, but if you are looking to buy a cheaper bass, but still get decent quality (not as good IMO), then go with the 506.

The 1006 is my true love right now, I'm not selling that thing...ever! It's just too amazing to even think about selling it.

Good luck, they are both good basses, but would you rather have good, or awesome?

Greg

someone mentioned the bridge earlier, and I would have to say that mono rail IV bridge kicks ASS. The individual saddles allow for awesome sustain, and easy string changes.

The preamp (the Vari-mid 3 Band is a very versatile preamp, and it has almost no noise at all. To get the slightes amount, I had to turn the treble up on my bass, DI, 9 band graphic, and the 3 band on my amp, and I still didn't much noise at all. So this is just me saying that I had to TRY and get noise out of it, and even when I did get noise, it was extremely minimal, and I'm sitting around a computer, a TV, and lights everywhere.

the SR1006EFM is a great bass, with great build quality, looks, hardware, and electronics. This bass rivals many custom and high end basses in all of those.

Ah, and the tuners, they are gotoh sealed back. These things are some of the greatest tuners made. They rarely go out of tune (it only goes out of tune in my thin gigbag) and these are so smooth and accurate, tuning is very smooth and simple.

You won't be disapointed in this bass, trust me.

whoops, forgot the controls.

Volume, Blend

Bass/Treble, Low-Mid/Hi-Mid (or mid sweep) Great controls IMO, very versatile

 

Yeah, they are pretty nifty

Is it Low-mid/High mid or Mid/Midshift , the fact you put midsweep in brackets confuses me

 

it's low mid/hi mid. I put mid sweep because it has both on the same pot. I may have been wrong to put that, my bad.

Greg

 

That vari-mid eq is what sets the ibanez basses apart from almost every other bass out there today. You can dial in your bass for any room or hall to get almost any sound imaginable. Even the high dollar basses do not have that sonic flexibiity. I even retrofitted my '92 SR800 to the vari-mid system after hearing and playing my '01. Now whenever i pick up a bass and can't sweep the mids it just sounds hollow.

 

I just spent the morning setting up and cleaning all my basses, and I left the SR506 for the end...

After playing all the rest and then the SR506, I think im starting to like it a little more.
But I figure the real problem with it... is definitely the lightweight mahogany body. Its too light and thin... that the lower notes.. (E and B strings) lack some punch and definition. I think a better and hotter preamp would help a lot.

 

Um, there are several preamps out there that can be configured for sweepable mid frequency boost/cut. Aguilar, East and Bartolini (the pre used in the 1006) come to mind. These are available as options from many different builders as well as aftermarket upgrades.

That said, it is a nice option for some people (others seem to prefer switching between set frequencies like you can with the 1206 BTB). I tried the 1006 and apples to apples it sounded as good or better than my made in Germany Warwick Streamer 6 when played thru the same amp. I tried and wanted to like the BTB 1206, but I just couldn't get it to warm up, sonically.

 

I guess i should have specified that for the price the sound can not be beat. I am a "bass as tool" kind of guy. I want the best "hammer" i can afford but at a certain point it doesn't make a lot of practical sense to get it gold plated and jewel encrusted because it is still a hammer. If i can make it through a gig w/o a dent, scratch, bumping the neck or body, or having a female fan scrape across a bass with her purse clasp i feel lucky. Not to mention drum sticks, falling cymbals, mic stands, and once even a guys teeth as he fell into my bass about 15 years ago. The "dental impression bass" is now a classic One night several years ago i flew out to visit a friend in Philly and play a couple of tunes with his "Maiden America" tribute band and a guys jaw ended up snapping off a pot on his Pedulla so i would be very warry about a fancy banana as a real working bass.

 

I think we all do, but we all have different requirements, my ATK400 will do fine and is very variable in sounds

As is my BTB and most of my basses