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Ibanez SR300EL: "Powertap" Why?

#41
alaskaleftybass said:
Sorry. I was mistaken thinking the pickups in my SR300EL had Nordy's in it. It's actually Ibanez Powerspans. A guy from Nordy responded earlier in this thread, and had two recommendations. I'm looking for a Nordy replacement for my SR500L to sound more like my SR300EL. I'm not particularly interested in a single coil pickup due to the noise issue sometimes occurring onstage under lights.
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No harm done, I just wanted to check and make sure I understand.

I want to thank you, because your posts have helped me to make my own mind up on what bass to buy. But I too wonder what the next logical step up from the 300/370/400 "E" models would be. It seems like the BH2's are no longer the answer, especially since the PowerSpans have been introduced. I've even seen mixed comments about the Nordy CND P/J setup, which makes me wonder if spending 2-3 times the price would actually be worth it, as far as pickups are concerned.
 
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#42
TheBlueFalcon said:
No harm done, I just wanted to check and make sure I understand.

I want to thank you, because your posts have helped me to make my own mind up on what bass to buy. But I too wonder what the next logical step up from the 300/370/400 "E" models would be. It seems like the BH2's are no longer the answer, especially since the PowerSpans have been introduced. I've even seen mixed comments about the Nordy CND P/J setup, which makes me wonder if spending 2-3 times the price would actually be worth it, as far as pickups are concerned.
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Good points @TheBlueFalcon . I've played some nice basses but the SR300EL sings to check ALL the boxes. It's very sturdy yet aerodynamic. The neck is just a tad larger than my SR500L so it makes it more stable. I rarely have to adjust the neck and it stays in tune for a long time. It's like a hot rod for the masses. If you own one now I'd say test it against other basses. It is a good bass of comparison. And yes, the pickups on the SR300EL are just short of astounding to my ears.
 
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#43
alaskaleftybass said:
Good points @TheBlueFalcon . I've played some nice basses but the SR300EL sings to check ALL the boxes. It's very sturdy yet aerodynamic. The neck is just a tad larger than my SR500L so it makes it more stable. I rarely have to adjust the neck and it stays in tune for a long time. It's like a hot rod for the masses. If you own one now I'd say test it against other basses. It is a good bass of comparison. And yes, the pickups on the SR300EL are just short of astounding to my ears.
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I decided on the SR370E, so the only difference is the maple body vs nyatoh body on the SR300E, which I guess may make a very slight difference but I expect they'll sound practically the same.

Also, on a related note, I started a thread about possibly using the SR500E electronics in an SR300E. I didn't get any replies, but I've been wondering if they would be compatible or not.
 
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#44
I have fallen in love with the Powerspan pickups in series mode. I bought a fretless SR375EF (edited to correct model number) last year as a backup, and it became my main bass, to the point that I sold my previous #1. Part of that is the pickups, and part is the jatoba fingerboard. It's harder than rosewood, and I'm really liking it as a fretless fingerboard material. I don't like the finish on the bass, brown sunburst, but I do love most other things about it. And I usually upgrade pickups and pre on all my "non-boutique" active fretless basses, and I don't feel any desire to do that with this one, which shocked me, given how relatively inexpensive the bass was. These are good pickups and electronics, imo/ime.
 
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#45
Inara said:
I have fallen in love with the Powerspan pickups in series mode. I bought a fretless SR305EF last year as a backup, and it became my main bass, to the point that I sold my previous #1. Part of that is the pickups, and part is the jatoba fingerboard. It's harder than rosewood, and I'm really liking it as a fretless fingerboard material. I don't like the finish on the bass, brown sunburst, but I do love most other things about it. And I usually upgrade pickups and pre on all my "non-boutique" active fretless basses, and I don't feel any desire to do that with this one, which shocked me, given how relatively inexpensive the bass was. These are good pickups and electronics, imo/ime.
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What was your previous #1?

Do you have the SR305EF? Or is it an SR375EF? What is it about the finish that you don't like?
 
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#46
TheBlueFalcon said:
What was your previous #1?

Do you have the SR305EF? Or is it an SR375EF? What is it about the finish that you don't like?
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Previous was an Ibanez SRF705 (portamento) with upgraded Bartolini pickups and preamp. It was a great bass, but obviously I sold it.

Oh, it's the 375EF, not 305. And I'm almost never a fan of brown sunburst finishes. The Portamento has it as well, of course, but the matte treatment it uses is more attractive than the high gloss finish on the 375, imo.
 
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#47
TheBlueFalcon said:
What was your previous #1?

Do you have the SR305EF? Or is it an SR375EF? What is it about the finish that you don't like?
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I don't know about those basses but I own the SR500 Mahogany. The finish is so thin it's easy to put a bump or scratch into it. I take eceptional care of my basses and I've still gotten a couple of small dings in it. Still it and the SR300EL are currently my two #1 basses.

I jammed with my SR500L agains last night, and while it's a different approach than the Powerspans (it has the Bartolins) it still can get growly and grunty when needed, but is a great well rounded tone for playing with acoustic instruments. A warm, woody sound.
 
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#50
ruju said:
Powertap is single coil with bass boosted
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Both coils are on. It's still humbucking in "Power Tap". (which is actually a strange take on coil-splitting)

If you can read a schematic, here is an example of what they're doing, upper left corner:
l2000_asat_schem_old.jpg
 
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#51
alaskaleftybass said:
Thanks for sharing. Do you have an Ibanez? If so, which one? Always like to hear about other Ibby's!
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I had the 305E in metallic black for a while. I thought it played great but it was really noisey in single coil mode with one of the pickups rolled off. Eventually I ended up selling it and bought a player series p bass. I now use that and a Squier CV jazz 2019. Always loved the SR basses though. I had a 2006 SR900 in flamed maple I used exclusively for years before it was stolen out of my car post gig one night.
 
#53
I don't like single coils, and prefer series humbuckers over parallel, so these pickups with the switch in the middle (series) position are pretty perfect for me. I favor the neck pickup and get a great, rich tone.
 
#54
alaskaleftybass said:
I don't know about those basses but I own the SR500 Mahogany. The finish is so thin it's easy to put a bump or scratch into it. I take eceptional care of my basses and I've still gotten a couple of small dings in it. Still it and the SR300EL are currently my two #1 basses.

I jammed with my SR500L agains last night, and while it's a different approach than the Powerspans (it has the Bartolins) it still can get growly and grunty when needed, but is a great well rounded tone for playing with acoustic instruments. A warm, woody sound.
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In all honesty, I really like the look of the Weathered Black SR300EB, but it's obviously going to wear quite easily - like the SR500. I know I could have gone with the SR300E-IPT, but I'm not exactly a fan of gloss black either, so I've forced myself to be open to something a bit more colourful.

The SR500 does sound like a nice bass and if they had a harder wearing finish, I may still have considered one. But I've quite enjoyed reading so many opinions on the PowerSpans potentially sounding "better", or at least more fun to play. It will be interesting to see if the next SR500 model will still have the BH2's, PowerSpans or possibly something else - maybe a PowerSpan Mk2?

Also, the fact that the SR300E is a gig-able bass speaks volumes. I also thought it was very interesting when you said about your SR300EL has a more stable neck over the SR500L.
 
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#55
Inara said:
Previous was an Ibanez SRF705 (portamento) with upgraded Bartolini pickups and preamp. It was a great bass, but obviously I sold it.

Oh, it's the 375EF, not 305. And I'm almost never a fan of brown sunburst finishes. The Portamento has it as well, of course, but the matte treatment it uses is more attractive than the high gloss finish on the 375, imo.
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Thanks, I do find it interesting that these supposedly lower end basses are suddenly outperforming higher models and it isn't just a couple of opinions.

I'm not sure I like the Ibanez BBT, but quite like the AWB.
 
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#56
ruju said:
I found mine hummed like crazy if it wasent in series mode both pickups on full.
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Could it have been a fault? I've seen mention of some of the SR range being wired incorrectly. I find it strange that this problem is not mentioned in reviews. Especially watching a video of an accomplished musician reviewing an SR300E, trying out all the modes and stating it is a gig-able bass.
 
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#57
They have both coils on in "Power Tap", but they manipulate the frequencies coming out of each coil for the bass boost, which makes them less humbucking, if that makes sense.
To be good at hum-canceling, the coils should have a matching output, but once they throw those capacitors in the circuit for the bass-boost, they're no longer matched. They are however, quieter than when the switch is in the coil-splitting ("tap") position.

BTW, the PowerSpan pickups have only THREE leads, so you can't wire them parallel.
 
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#58
I've owned a number of the SR series since I switched to them in the early 2000's. I've never had a faulty neck or bad wiring. The hardware may not be top tier but I've never had to switch out tuners or bridges etc. and I played my basses every weekend for years, up until recently.

I stand behind my assessment that the SR series are light years better than their equivalent competitors for the same amount of money, and even compete in the $1,000 market for performance. As far as delicate finishes. I found out that one can use a carpenter's touch up stick on the finish to cover any marks. Also, I found a post where the TB'er actually refinished his SR500 and it looked beautiful, and was more durable. This may not be everyone's cup of tea but the alternative is to be very careful with your bass. I've done that and I only have needed to touch it up now and then.
 
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#60
Inara said:
Previous was an Ibanez SRF705 (portamento) with upgraded Bartolini pickups and preamp. It was a great bass, but obviously I sold it.

Oh, it's the 375EF, not 305. And I'm almost never a fan of brown sunburst finishes. The Portamento has it as well, of course, but the matte treatment it uses is more attractive than the high gloss finish on the 375, imo.
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I see what you mean about the matte finish, that and the matching neck colour looks far better.

I'm shocked though, that the SR375EF has outperformed the SRF705 with a neck-through design!! Did you consider upgrading the pickups in the SRF705?
 
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