Ibanez SR506 ....or... G&L Tribute L2500

[buffalobillh]

Prejudices, likes, dislikes, and even snobbery are a part of human nature. I have been a Fender man for almost 30 years, but that hasn't stopped me from owning Peavey, Ibanez, and even homemade basses. I don't really care what other players think - I just play what works for me. I have never been prevented from gainful employment by not having the latest and greatest bass or the most classic/vintage bass. If you sound good and play well, not much else matters. Get that 506 if that is what you want.

 

[JohnnyB53]

THNX man I think you have understand me most of all!!! G&L don´t have such WARMTH and STRONG midrange, it is very agressive bass, great for slap (ash/maple), but for me lacks in that fingerstyle, low midrange, rounded low end, it is like Jazz+P on steroids for me!

I think SR have more warmth (mahogany+bartolini) and more midrange!

Is that correct?

This is where you're running into some confusion in the responses. When you say midrange, you evidently mean upper bass and very low midrange--the 150-400 Hz area. Classic midrange is higher than that--500 to 2000 Hz. So between the two it's the L2500 that would have midrange, but what you're looking for is upper bass warmth and punch, and for that the mahogany body and Bartolini soapbars are a good combination. It can growl very well. In fact it's a scooped midrange sound.

The G&L can growl, but the potentially strong midrange can snarl, which is similar to growl, but an octave or two higher. You can also dial in more warmth and less snarl with your L2500, but it comes more naturally to the SR50x series.

For reference, I have a USA ASAT bass (same pickups and electronics as an L2K) and an L-1505 (5-string single L-2500-style pickup), and for the better part of this year also owned and played a mahogany-bodied Cort Artisan B4FL fretless which I upgraded with USA Barts and preamp. The mahogany-bodied Cort Artisan is pretty much the same bass as the SR500.

I own 3 G&Ls, but the SR506 has more of what you're looking for--full bottom end, subtler attack, rounder sound, and warmer--with a minimum of fuss.

I like the SR neck a lot and I think those basses play very nicely.

 

[Thrillhouse]

I own (and love) an SR506, I think the SR500 line is one of the better values in basses out their (considering the quality one receives). I also think that the Ibanez would suit your needs. It definitely has plenty of mids, although I wouldn't necessarily call them "growly" and the highs can be a bit too present at times(although I play with a somewhat hard attack), but one could always roll them back a bit. All in all, if you want a mid-focused bass with tight low end and pleasant highs I'd recommend at least trying the Ibanez. And by the way, the neck on the SR is wonderful.

 

[darkstorm]

I would, I like the necks and pups type better on the Ibanez soundgears.

 

[crustychef]

I've owned two SR series Ibanez a 300 and a 755. The 506 is the only one I still pick and play every time I see one in a shop. They are great basses but to my ear they did not have the thick fat bottom and mid growl I, personally, was searching for. I could be my playing style, touch or what ever. What did it for me were Warwicks and Stingrays. If it works for you then great but don't go calling people snobs when you ask for their opinion and they don't tell you what you want to hear. Heck if I listened to what everyone told me to play I play a Fender P and Jazz through an Ampeg but it's just not me. If the Ibanez knocks your socks off, then awesome. You can get your dream bass. End of search and you are a happy man. All in all I wish you best in your tonal search. It can be hard and expensive road to travel.

 

[Kenova]

No,no,no please dont´t get me wrong, I don´t want to say that someone is snob or something, please no offense. But somehow I think that pople still thinks this way about the brands. I first start from myself, I personaly have prejudices towards some of the brands unfortunately .... I do think/thought that G&L is better than Ibanez, and I have/had some dislikes about Ibanez, but I just want to get rid of that, and really try and LISTEN to those basses and their tone and find right one for me.

Once again, If I offended someone,really sorry...

 

[ljazz]

The first thing I would do is to dump the boomers........ The G&L 2x00's sound horrible with SS. You must use nickels to appreciate the full pallet of tones the G&L can offer. For mids, try running in series. You can also try adjusting your pickup height and pole piece heights. Lowering them can actually bring in some focus. Also, try bottoming out the poles on one row from each pup...... this will "approximate" the single coil mod, and makes a big time difference in the amount of mid focus you can get...... and here is the biggest thing to keep in mind...... you shouldn't run the G&L with the controls dimed. Roll all of your knobs off to about 75% and adjust from there. Those pups are hot!!! and the tone controls are cut only..... so try cutting, and listen to the boom go away, and the mids focus in.

If you get rid of your G&L, you'll be kicking yourself.

 

[notrly1337]

Flip a coin! the one you are hoping for is the one you want.