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Ibanez sr500 or sterling sb14?

T

tylerbia

May 2, 2009
2
0
#1
I'm getting my son who already plays guitar a bass and amp for his birthday/8th grade grad. I was planning on a sr500 and Ampeg ba115t but I recently saw a sterling sb14 and ray34. They seem like good quality instruments. what would be a better bass and amp? I need to make a decision by tomorrow since WWBW sale ends. I can get either bass and that amp for about 785.00.
 
#2
my friend has an sr500 and that thing plays soooo nice. super thin, fast neck. low action. to me, it's not very pretty (i like paint on instruments) but it would be worth it for the playability.
 
#3
the SR500 would be more in the modern sound
while the SB14/Ray34 would be not necessarily vintage but more in between
I think he would grow more with the Sterling by MMs
and get more versatility if they are anything like the real deal EBMMs

The Ibanez is nice and makes a nice modern and cutting sound
The other bassist at my church has a SR755 and it sounds nice and very light and thin
 
#4
I would go with the Sterling. Since they're brand new and nobody on here has reviewed one yet, it's hard to point you to a thread. But the build quality looks really good and I agree with yellowfury, that your son could probably grow more with the Sterling. Personally I would get the SB14 since the neck and body would be a bit smaller for him and easier to play. It would most likely have better resale value down the line if for some reason he doesn't care for it and you need to sell it. Ibanez basses have pretty poor resale value.
 
#5
Personally, I have played the Ibanez SR series and I love them (I own the SR506), but havn't played too many Music Man's to judge their quality. I think an Ibanez would be a great choice though, because the SR's play very smoothly and have great tone.
 
#10
I've played my buddies' SR500 and it's a really nice instrument for the price. Although I'm more partial to the SR500 since I own and play an SRX390 it's much closer to my personal comfort zone in fit and feel. The electronics are a bit quieter than my SRX, but with a much breadth of tonal range. Haven't yet tried the new Sterling by Music Man basses yet, but if they are even anything close to the parent companies' offerings it should be good. I don't think you can really go wrong with either of them IMHO.

I know it's his birthday and all and you want to surprise him. But I suggest maybe taking him with you tomorrow to try em out and have him choose which of the two he wants more. Or whatever else falls into the price range your have setup for this. This way it's going to be more assured that he'll enjoy the instrument more and hopefully reduce the chances of him losing interest altogether. Maybe even full on convert him from lead land. Good luck with the gift and give us an update as to what goes down later :)

Rock on! :bassist:
-Chris
 
#12
for $600 you can get an [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]. I am very happy with mine. the two pieces of wood are nicely matched and the natural (blond) finish on the swamp ash is very attractive. The all black hardware looks pretty good also. The [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]is also comparable although a little more expensive.
 
#13
Thanks for all your help guys. I ended up getting the sterling sb14 for 470.00 and the ampeg ba115t for 290.00. It was a tough decision but I got the sterling because I think it would be better for what my son plays. By the way if you shop at WWBW today , mention the grab bag and you can save lots of cash. Todays the last day. I saved 209.00 on those 2 items.
 

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