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NBD: Ibanez SR Mezzo 32" scale - review

#41
sotua said:
I'm not selling my #1(*) over this one, but #1 might be relegated to studio/home as this thing is so comfy to play(**), and isn't as precious or irreplaceable as #1, so grabbing this and throwing it in the car for practice or gigging (pearl finish will probably look awesome in stage lights) sounds just right. I'll report back when I get the chance to play it with the band.
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Took it to rehearsal yesterday. Impressions:

  • The bass is really light and comfy, I played with my non-padded strap, yet my shoulder felt better after the two hours than my jbass with the heavily padded strap. No noticeable neck dive with a plain nylon 3" wide strap.
  • I found myself favoring the P pickup over the P+J. Never used the J by itself as the band is mostly rock/90s alt rock so no use for Jaco-ish tone.
  • The EQ is subtler than expected, subtler than other active 2 bands I've had before. Usable tones could be produced. Still, would have preferred a passive tone control.
  • With a grindy/dirty amp (used a Line6 Lowdown 400 head, so many types of "Amps" were available - for this case, I used the "Brit" setting) and the P pickup soloed it produces a very passable Geddy Lee circa Moving Pictures tone.
  • I found no significant issues with adjusting to the 32" scale. I had more issues adjusting to the maple fingerboard as the contrast between strings and board is not the same as I'm used to (I've had dark fretboards for 95% of the 20+ years I've been playing).
  • The neck is a bit thicker front to back than other Ibanezes I've tried before. Feels very good in my hands. My Jazz has a super comfy neck (I've modded it so it now has a very thin, 12" radius fingerboard with vintage size frets so it's very easy to play), but this feels kinda like a sports car - so easy to play, so speedy.
  • At times I feel the sound is harsh - I might have to fiddle with my pickup heights. At some point I might also think of switching out the pickups and/or the electronics, so far I feel the rest of the bass is worth the upgrade.
  • Damn I wish you could have gotten this much bass for $300 when I started out.

sotua said:
(**) the original reason I looked into this bass was ergonomics - I was about to start planning a 32" Warmoth PJ or Z, but for $300, might as well check it out.
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  • This bass completely achieves this objective. Pretty much no wrist or shoulder issues after two hours of playing hard, with pick, fingers and slap. We are firmly in the honeymoon period, but so far it's a great bass and I can see myself keeping it for a long time, and using the Fender for just recording.
 
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#42
Good info on the Mezzo. I ordered one yesterday. I've been toying with short scale, Mikro, even Rickenbacker since they're 33-1/4" scale or something. Last year my left hand started being a big baby and the hand specialist I saw showed me the bone-on-bone x-ray of my left thumb joint. 34" or 35" scale basses are pretty hard to play as a result. The thumb joint can be surgically repaired but between the cast and the PT it's a 6 month process. I like the idea of 32" scale because it's closer to full size but just short enough to ease up on that left thumb a bit.

I also wish the Mezzo had a 5 string version. Maybe it will eventually.
 
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#43
DenverKen said:
I also wish the Mezzo had a 5 string version. Maybe it will eventually.
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I'm hoping that the SRMD200 sells well, and Ibanez introduces both higher-spec versions* and 5-strings.

*I have three ~1000-dollar Ibanez basses, and I feel like that price point gives me the cost/benefit trade-off I'm looking for.
 
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#44
skeeler said:
I'm hoping that the SRMD200 sells well, and Ibanez introduces both higher-spec versions* and 5-strings.

*I have three ~1000-dollar Ibanez basses, and I feel like that price point gives me the cost/benefit trade-off I'm looking for.
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I get that, and my price point for that trade off is likely similar but I'm in need of a shorter solution ASAP without getting too short. For me, 32" is perfect and I don't wanna spend a grand on a Rockbass just to get a 5-er when I don't think they're worth that much. Nor do I want to gig on 3/22 with my Squier VM because it's frickin' heavy as hell. The Mikro is fun and sounds great but too hard to go back and forth between scales when that one is so small.
 
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#45
DenverKen said:
I get that, and my price point for that trade off is likely similar but I'm in need of a shorter solution ASAP without getting too short. For me, 32" is perfect and I don't wanna spend a grand on a Rockbass just to get a 5-er when I don't think they're worth that much. Nor do I want to gig on 3/22 with my Squier VM because it's frickin' heavy as hell. The Mikro is fun and sounds great but too hard to go back and forth between scales when that one is so small.
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then how about 33" scale..?

Ibanez has already had BTB845V and BTB846V, which are 5 and 6 strings 33" scale, in the market for quite a while. They cost a grand and they are really worth a grand and even more. The catch is, they aren't as light as the SRMD, though not as heavy as regular 35" scale BTBs.
 
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#47
I own a BTB33 Volo, which is the previous version of the BTB845V. (The V is for Volo). I like it quite a lot. The balance and other ergonomics are excellent. It comes tuned EADGC, but you can of course modify the nut and restring it.

I was interested in the Mezzo because it's slightly shorter and because I've been looking for a 4-string. If Ibanez offered a 4-string Volo, I'd snap it up.
 
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#49
skeeler said:
I'm hoping that the SRMD200 sells well, and Ibanez introduces both higher-spec versions* and 5-strings.

*I have three ~1000-dollar Ibanez basses, and I feel like that price point gives me the cost/benefit trade-off I'm looking for.
Click to expand...

I have to say, I am blown away with how much bass you get out of the mezzo for $300. I think I might upgrade the pickups/electronics (I'm finding a harshness/excess treble that's hard to tame, even with the active EQ - I might go with beefier, darker PJ set and a passive tone control), but still that would keep it somewhere around $500 total.
 
#50
sotua said:
I think I might upgrade the pickups/electronics (I'm finding a harshness/excess treble that's hard to tame, even with the active EQ - I might go with beefier, darker PJ set and a passive tone control), but still that would keep it somewhere around $500 total.
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I have an urge to get one of these and upgrade the bridge and tuners and, depending on the sound, the pickups and preamp. Like I said, I'd prefer if Ibanez just made a slightly nicer model on their own, but I'm willing to make one myself.

I've noticed that not only does Ibanez only offer their short- and medium-scale basses at low price points, but also, with a few exceptions, only offers fun, bright colors at the lowest prices. The SRMD200, SR300E, and Mikro all come in fun colors not seen elsewhere in the lineup. I think the Aqua Green is my favorite on the Mezzo.
 
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#52
So this is a medium scale? For someone who liked their mikro series short scale bass, I'm sure this one might be a step up. I'm not a standard or long scale fan.

I wonder what the difference is between the SRMD200 vs the SRMD200K other than color?
 
#53
skeeler said:
I'm hoping that the SRMD200 sells well, and Ibanez introduces both higher-spec versions* and 5-strings.

*I have three ~1000-dollar Ibanez basses, and I feel like that price point gives me the cost/benefit trade-off I'm looking for.
Click to expand...

This. Every time I pick up a higher end SR model I fall in love with the feel and sound - but that 34" always stops me from pulling the trigger.
 
#56
I have my new Mezzo and I really like it, especially strung with D'addario black nylons. I do find the neck a little too narrow at the first couple of frets, but it is a very light bass, fun and fast to play. The electronics are a little brittle sounding but certainly not bad.

Questions:
  1. Are the pickup covers removable/replaceable?
  2. Why is there a nut under the bass knob and under the master volume knob but not under treble knob or blend knob?
  3. What is the shape of theu P pickup cavity?
 
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#57
selowitch said:
I have my new Mezzo and I really like it, especially strung with D'addario black nylons. I do find the neck a little too narrow at the first couple of frets, but it is a very light bass, fun and fast to play. The electronics are a little brittle sounding but certainly not bad.

Questions:
  1. Are the pickup covers are removable/replaceable?
  2. Why is there a nut under the bass knob and under the master volume knob but not under treble knob or blend knob?
  3. What is the shape of theu P pickup cavity?
Click to expand...
2. How did they tighten the pots which didn't have a nut under its knob?
 

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