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NBD:Everything I hate in a bass

M

mbell75

May 23, 2016
2,172
2,881
#1
Pointy guitars? Hate em. 24 frets? Nonsense, I never play above the 12th fret. Loud ridiculous colors? Ugh. Active electronics? Never been a big fan. So how did I end up with this thing? I have been looking for a bass with two humbuckers and lots of tonal options, especially ones that split to a single coil. Lightweight and a comfortable neck was also high on the list after playing a Peavey T40 that felt like a boat anchor with an uncomfortable neck attached to it. So somwhow I ended up looking at these last night online and actually found one in the local GC on clearance for $289.

I haven’t experimented much outside of Fender/Squier land aside from a quick fling with a Sterling Stingray and an Epiphone Embassy Pro. Never cared much for the look of Ibanez basses and thought it looked ridiculous hanging there but loved how light it was when I picked it up and it was super comfortable. I loved the tone from the single coil setting immediately. Then I realized I still hadnt even messed with the blend control for the pickups or the 3 band EQ on it. The humbucker mode sounded awesome too and the “Power Tap” mode, which combines the humbucker with the single coil is interesting. Can’t describe why but I just really like the tone, sounds like a cross between an active bass and passive bass to me, if that makes sense. It comes in a ton of colors, might look for a different color. It’s a keeper for now.

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#5
Bass V said:
is that an SR300? I've been wanting one but they never dip below $300 locally, or much anywhere else it seems, I guess they are well respected. nice color scheme too, not at all too much. good luck with it!
Click to expand...

Yea, it’s the SR300E. They go for $349 but this one has a good sized dent in it around one of the knobs and it was on clearance for $289.
 
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#7
I have a 305 and a 505. Both great basses. I liked the 305 because of the maple fretboard, which gave it a bright sound. The mahogany/rosewood 505 has a warmer, rounded tone, which is ergonomic and well thought out. I used them on the road for a while, but could never quite get the sound I wanted out of them. A classic case of sounding great on their own, but unremarkable when mixed with the rest of the instruments.

I've always toyed with the idea of different pickups or preamp, because they are some of the best playing instruments I've ever used. Everything from the bridge, truss rod cover, to the battery box is engineered for efficiency and ease of use. Superb instruments.
 
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#12
mbell75 said:
Pointy guitars? Hate em. 24 frets? Nonsense, I never play above the 12th fret. Loud ridiculous colors? Ugh. Active electronics? Never been a big fan. So how did I end up with this thing.
Click to expand...

When I read this part, immediately the Ibanez SR870 Autumn gradation model appeared in my mind. I was surprised to see the same looking bass in the Pic. I was also surprised to find out that there was an SR300E with the same finish.
 
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#14
If your frame of reference is mostly Fender-ish (Fender, EBMM, G+L), the Ibanez Soundgears can be quite the revelation as you've found out. Especially in the less expensive versions, they can be quite lightweight, and usually electronically they can be interesting, and rarely sound bad. I'll always maintain they took quite a bit from the design of TUNE's Bass Maniac: Essentially a full-scale 34" bass chopped and channeled to very minimal dimensions, and the Soundgear basses echo this design idea.

They range from very inexpensive to much more impressively appointed axes with their resulting higher retail prices, but I've rarely found a bad one at any price point. Ibanez usually specs good keys and bridges, and most of them use common-sized pickups from Bartolini or Nordstrand (and a lot of the older ones had EMG's), so they're one of the few basses that don't use regular Fender pickup routs that you can usually update pickups and electronics easily, not that common on most 'other' brand basses.

And they make many of them in wood finishes, so you can move onto one later should you like.
 
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#15
If you're not initially into them, Ibanez eventually wins you over on playability (everything they've ever built that I tried out felt really comfortable to play). Their basses have really stepped up their game on features in the past few years, and I doubt you could go wrong with any of their models. The color isn't horrible, but it may not be your cup of tea. You now have a new tool in the toolbox; I hope it inspires you creatively! Congrats and enjoy the new bass!:thumbsup:
 
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#16
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#18
Other than the color making it look like a surf board, there is nothing wrong with that SR. Some of the most ergonomic basses out there, thin and light bodies with thin necks. In fact the only less pointy thing than that that I could think of would be... a short scale SR.

I don't even like SRs all that much for what it's worth but that is purely subjective, they are great value instruments.
 
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#19
If i was starting out blank slate, id probably get an ibanez SR series. They just fit my hands, super comfortable and light, sound great, whats not to like? They do have some profoundly ugly colors, but thats a matter of taste. Unlike a lot of bass product lines, you pretty much know that model numbers in ascending order indicate incremental improvements in hardware and electronics, fancier woods, etc. Anything 300 series and up is a damn nice bass. The Premier series is boutique level off the shelf.
 
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