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Ibanez SR5BBLTD: Poor Man's Fodera

#21
Papazita said:
Until the next tax refund comes, I'm too poor for the poor man's Fodera. :roflmao: Good thing I'm not a big fan of the burled buckeye tops (they usually look like cat puke imho) or I'd be having GAS pains!
I can appreciate the look, but there are other SR's that are just as nice, for less money.

Wenge and PURPLEHEART neck? Not bubinga? Matching wood pickup covers? Ok now that is interesting...
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It could be bubinga, I thought I saw purpleheart. Either way, it is an awfully nice bass.
 
#22
Dragan said:
Poor man's, you say? I dont think poor man has 2.499 to spend on a bass. I'd call it WISE man Fodera. Yup,these Prestige models has all the attributes one could want for that type of bass and I like them very much in every aspect but that narrow string spacing. Like someone said, 18 mm and I would buy one in a blink!
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$2,499 is not a budget bass in anyone's book, but it is still less than half the price of a Fodera Standard.
 
#23
Dr. Cheese said:
$2,499 is not a budget bass in anyone's book, but it is still less than half the price of a Fodera Standard.
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This is true. It is a striking bass, though....speaking of which:

The one bass brand I have never owned is an Ibanez and really can't see dropping any major coin on this one in the near future. I do have $700-800 burning a hole in my pocket so the question arises: what used models should I be investigating in this price range? FWIW, I particularly dislike the BTB's appearance so that is out of contention.

Riis
 
#25
Dr. Cheese said:
View attachment 509951View attachment 509952

I just played it today. Beautiful fit and finish. It has an ash body with a Buckeye Burl top and peg head with a Wenge and Purpleheart neck. Slim Soundgear neck, but I found it quite comfortable to play. The preamp and Nordstrand Big Singles sounded great. This is a really decent poor man's Fodera.

It is worth the $2,499.
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Nice looking bass but... why poorman's fodera?
What does Fodera have to do with it?
 
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#29
I just don't see the big difference in price between these and the other Premiums below it. It's over 1000 more than the next closest one and the only difference is wood covers. Same electronics as the others and different finish. Nice bass and I love Ibanez as much as anyone bu that's a big jump in price for what little difference you get. I could just pay 450.00 and get a set of custom made wood pickups with Nordstrand big singles and still have under 2000 in my new 1805.
 

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#30
Zooberwerx said:
The one bass brand I have never owned is an Ibanez and really can't see dropping any major coin on this one in the near future. I do have $700-800 burning a hole in my pocket so the question arises: what used models should I be investigating in this price range? FWIW, I particularly dislike the BTB's appearance so that is out of contention.

Riis
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The Premium SR120x and up is what you want to be aiming for in the used market.
 
#33
Bassworship1 said:
I just don't see the big difference in price between these and the other Premiums below it. It's over 1000 more than the next closest one and the only difference is wood covers. Same electronics as the others and different finish. Nice bass and I love Ibanez as much as anyone bu that's a big jump in price for what little difference you get. I could just pay 450.00 and get a set of custom made wood pickups with Nordstrand big singles and still have under 2000 in my new 1805.
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You always pay more than the "objective" difference might suggest when you buy a (ahem... excuse the pun) prestige piece. This is a limited edition (pay more) and hand-build to a greater extend than the realtively high volume prestige models.
 
#34
Zooberwerx said:
This is true. It is a striking bass, though....speaking of which:

The one bass brand I have never owned is an Ibanez and really can't see dropping any major coin on this one in the near future. I do have $700-800 burning a hole in my pocket so the question arises: what used models should I be investigating in this price range? FWIW, I particularly dislike the BTB's appearance so that is out of contention.

Riis
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Ibanez has a pretty low resale value, so you can find great deals on used upper range Ibanez. Guitar Center's used page almost always has Premium series SR's in that price range. The Premium range came about fairly recently, within the last 5 or so years; if you're looking at models before that, most SR's with a model number above 1000 would be of comparable build quality.
There are some lower range SR's that are nice, but the quality is a bit more hit or miss when buying used.

They're a little harder to find, but the neck-through, EMG equipped SRT range sell used in that price range.

If you can find a 900 series RD, BUY IT!
I picked one up, an RD900FM, 2 months ago for less than $300, and it is simply outstanding.
 
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#35
danosix said:
You always pay more than the "objective" difference might suggest when you buy a (ahem... excuse the pun) prestige piece. This is a limited edition (pay more) and hand-build to a greater extend than the realtively high volume prestige models.
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That's the thing though, its not a prestige piece it is a limited Premium piece. Same build as the regular premiums electronics wise with a little extra flare for the pickup covers. I've bought 5 Ibanez Premium and Prestige basses and love them as much as anyone but to me that s a big price jump for the difference. Having said that I hope to soon get one lol!
 
#36
Bassworship1 said:
That's the thing though, its not a prestige piece it is a limited Premium piece. Same build as the regular premiums electronics wise with a little extra flare for the pickup covers. I've bought 5 Ibanez Premium and Prestige basses and love them as much as anyone but to me that s a big price jump for the difference. Having said that I hope to soon get one lol!
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This is a Premium not a Prestige!? Wow, that is a huge difference, as the name means it's still just coming off the Indonesean line. Well, guitar companies (and Ibanez is weirdly bad for this) will do that with "limited edition" items. But agreed that is well beyond the normal acceptable difference.
 
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#37
I've owned 4 Premium Ibanez and recently bought my first Prestige Ibanez and I can attest that the difference is substantial in quality. The premium is well worth the 1450 and below price tag but when you bump up to the 2000 price tag with the Prestige you can tell a difference in not only quality of build but sound and tone. These are hand made in Japan. That's why I think the 2499.00 price tag for a Premium is a bit much. It's beautiful but thats a lot of money.
 
#38
danosix said:
This is a Premium not a Prestige!? Wow, that is a huge difference, as the name means it's still just coming off the Indonesean line. Well, guitar companies (and Ibanez is weirdly bad for this) will do that with "limited edition" items. But agreed that is well beyond the normal acceptable difference.
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I checked, and it was made in Indonesia. That said, I can't imagine the Japanese doing a better job on this bass.
 
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#39
That's true but it seems as thought the Japan made Ibanez are way more sought after than the Indonesian line. I love both but there is a difference in quality between the 2. My 1805 Premium and 4005 Prestige are the best basses I've ever had my hands on but there is a big difference in tone quality and build in the Prestige. Everyone that has played both of mine says the same.
 
#40
Ibanez' Indonesian plant seems to do a pretty good job, it must be said. I think they used to source their manufacturing out to Samick in Korea but I think now they have their own factory and run it to their specs, with some pretty impressive results it would appear.

I used to own a Soundgear 6 and a BTB 556, both were awesome but got sold due to unfortunate economic circumstances. I've been kicking around the idea of getting another Ibanez, since I now have something akin to a disposable income.... this one is definitely attractive.

What are the actual differences between a Premium and a Prestige? I know that Prestige items are the 'better' ones, but in what ways?
 

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