Hello,
Last week I acquired this SR Prestige and I'm absolutely blown away by this bass. It weighs only 3.84 kg, is very well balanced, and has the familiar and very comfortable playability of the SR series. The neck is, as always, very slim but a bit meatier – this, along with its oiled finish, makes it extremely comfortable to play (it's made of roasted maple/walnut). The combination of rosewood fretboard and alder body is very classic and provides a great foundation for the sound: punchy, full, never harsh. As you would expect from a bass from the Fujigen factory, there are no flaws in the craftsmanship. The black finish plus the rosewood on the fretboard and pickups creates a pleasantly elegant look, where the gold hardware doesn't stand out too much – perhaps I'll replace it with black hardware at some point. Now let's talk about the electronics: I've come to appreciate the Nordstrand Big Singles on my previous SR Premium. The newly developed Sonitec preamp finally manages to fully bring out the fantastic sonic qualities of the Big Singles: a warm and round bass tone even with the EQ in the neutral position, a very effective EQ section (bass, mid, treble), and a mid preset of 250/350/450/600/850/1000 Hz. The real highlight for me, however, is the Master Tone control: push/pull for passive/active mode, and this is a new feature for Ibanez—a tone control that works not only in passive but also in active mode—similar to the VTC on Sadowsky basses (though not quite as effective). In conclusion: a great bass that combines my personal ideal sound with perfect playability.
Last week I acquired this SR Prestige and I'm absolutely blown away by this bass. It weighs only 3.84 kg, is very well balanced, and has the familiar and very comfortable playability of the SR series. The neck is, as always, very slim but a bit meatier – this, along with its oiled finish, makes it extremely comfortable to play (it's made of roasted maple/walnut). The combination of rosewood fretboard and alder body is very classic and provides a great foundation for the sound: punchy, full, never harsh. As you would expect from a bass from the Fujigen factory, there are no flaws in the craftsmanship. The black finish plus the rosewood on the fretboard and pickups creates a pleasantly elegant look, where the gold hardware doesn't stand out too much – perhaps I'll replace it with black hardware at some point. Now let's talk about the electronics: I've come to appreciate the Nordstrand Big Singles on my previous SR Premium. The newly developed Sonitec preamp finally manages to fully bring out the fantastic sonic qualities of the Big Singles: a warm and round bass tone even with the EQ in the neutral position, a very effective EQ section (bass, mid, treble), and a mid preset of 250/350/450/600/850/1000 Hz. The real highlight for me, however, is the Master Tone control: push/pull for passive/active mode, and this is a new feature for Ibanez—a tone control that works not only in passive but also in active mode—similar to the VTC on Sadowsky basses (though not quite as effective). In conclusion: a great bass that combines my personal ideal sound with perfect playability.
