• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

NBM - Ibanez SRSC805

#21
I bought an SRSC805 few days ago too. I was surprised how good it sounded live through my EBS HD350. Onboard preamp sounds pretty good, warm, rich and very musical. MK1 were my biggest concern as they always sounded bit "plastic" on other basses. Ibanez preamp works very nice with them. Maybe somewhere down the road I will replace the pickups but I think preamp will stay.
In passive mode they (MK1s) are pretty weak - but I could use my Aguilar tone hammer if needed (when I want to shake things a bit for a change).
All in all, killer looking and very comfortable bass!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Basehead and 5StringPocket
#22
Hey
Glad to read this ! I hope you will keep enjoying it.
It's been now a few mounths since I have mine,playing it sometimes many hours/day, here's my opinion on that bass :
I love it but I really cannot dig that PU issue.
I still wonder why thoses bass actually don't have PU it deaserves. I mean, it kind of sound,it can do the job. But you are not expecting PU that just do the job with that bass,you want the sound that Bass can give .

My idea about that A string weakness ; it's not caused the "radius issue", that's easy to check : you just have to lower the A string's level via the bridge, and even then, the PU does not want that full close A string sound. So even if the strings height doesn't follow the radius, it keeps shuting up that string.
It's just my opinion and observation. I could'nt explain why that PU sounds like that.

Anyway I'm tired of this now, but I am also broke :eek: and could not do anything but trying to find a kinda DIY solution. I even thought about cheap MIC PUs, but it's not the solution, and anyway that MK1 shape is a real issue. Bravo to the Bart ingineering :whistle:.
I'm really attempted by the Aguilar DCB, or CREL. Does anyone tried the Nordstrand CND ? I couldn't go Bart, they lost me there...

But let's stay positive ! I finally dig that preamp after hours of working it. Honnestly my first experiences in band made me think that pre sound is to middly and muddy. The kind of sound you like playing alone but that couldn't drill the mix in band. And that 3 way mid freq switch, I couldn't get that utility. But I notice that when you dig that MID pot a bit, it's actually very fun.
I mean, we are not obliged to push that 3 EQ pots everytime, and if I do, it sound quickly agressive, muddy and that volume level is about 2X more that the passive mode. But I use that set up :
Bass : 5/10
Mid : 2/10
Tre : 2-5/10 (depending)

in that configuration, the 3 way switch can bring a cool sound in the lower position, and even the 2 others are not too shouty.

Well, you can do many things with that bass.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: dralionux
#23
I ran into this model a few weeks ago at a local store and almost walked out of there with one the same day. I REALLY liked the way it played and felt, and it had so many tonal options, I was hooked. They def put the right pickups in this model.
I think the only thing that kept me from pulling the trigger was the fact that it was single cut. I know it's not really a valid purchasing factor, but I just play in a covers band. I feel like I'd look a bit pretentious playing "Mustang Sally" and "Boogie Shoes" with a single cut...

Either way, that's a really nice bass. It's cool it settled in well with your project.
 
#24
Resonance129 said:
I ran into this model a few weeks ago at a local store and almost walked out of there with one the same day. I REALLY liked the way it played and felt, and it had so many tonal options, I was hooked. They def put the right pickups in this model.
I think the only thing that kept me from pulling the trigger was the fact that it was single cut. I know it's not really a valid purchasing factor, but I just play in a covers band. I feel like I'd look a bit pretentious playing "Mustang Sally" and "Boogie Shoes" with a single cut...

Either way, that's a really nice bass. It's cool it settled in well with your project.
Click to expand...
They are great basses, I own 2 of them. They are lightweight, sustain for days and are free dead spots which I attribute to the Siingle Cut design. I play covers too and I've never given it a thought
 
#25
Out on tour again and bringing my Ibanez SRSC805 along. Still same stage setup:
- Fender IEMs
- Eden WTDI

With no actual bass amp in the signal chain, the tone of the bass itself - for better or worse - is very exposed. The preamp/DI does help in warming things up, but really the star here is the bass. It doesn’t disappoint.

I’ve noticed several posts addressing issues with the pickups & preamp. (Harsh and/or accentuated highs, not digging the preamp, etc.). I find the pickup/preamp combination to be extremely successful in bringing out a sort of “woodiness” that is a strong component of the instrument’s character. For me, this is a very likeable quality.

I also took note of some posts describing pickups that had a curve to them; I assume to follow the radius of the end of the fingerboard and thus the setup of the strings. I know this is probably the subject for a different thread, but I’ve been setting up my electric basses with a similar concept to how my upright is set up. That is to say that the lower strings have a wider diameter of vibration than the higher strings and therefore should have more clearance (raised higher) off the fingerboard. Acoustically, if one thinks of the electric bass as a resonant “acoustic” instrument first, this seems to make more sense to me. Visually, if one were to look up from the bridge of the bass, down the neck and toward the nut, you’d see the tops of the strings forming a very subtle wedge gradually going up from G to E (or B).

I’m curious to hear what other bassists’ thoughts are on this topic. John Patitucci I believe uses a similar concept when setting up his electric basses, but I recently received a rather disapproving comment from a repair guy when I brought in a bass for some fret work. Didn’t change my mind whatsoever, but did cause me to consider how other cats are doing it.

Wow, very long post. Sorry folks. Thanks for reading if you got this far.

Cheers!

Another video of the Ibanez in action:
 
  • Like
Reactions: Spidey2112
#26
laklandplayer said:
Ibanez used to make a curved pickup called CAP, I don't know why they don't use them anymore.
Click to expand...

Because something in the p'up was FU. Many of us found that our E and G strings were too quiet no matter what one did with string height. I pulled mine for Mk1s. The successor was the CAP EXP or something like that and had a less severe radius. Great string balance. I still have them in my defret SR and actually prefer the tone to the Bart MK1s in two of my other SRs.

About Mk1s and Aggies ... I tried what I believe was the first gen DCBs and found there wasn't enough difference from the Mk1s to pay for two pairs. I know that's not a popular opinion, but everyone else who was listening to the comparo agreed. So I've learned to EQ the Barts pretty well. My last bass has the Bart BH2s and they are the bombdiggity. All my basses will eventually have BH2s. They are the smoothest, best balanced, and most versatile p'ups Ibanez ever put in a slab of wood. And completely quiet. I actually prefer them to the Nordy Big Singles I've tried.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 5StringPocket
#28
BassiklyAC said:
That is to say that the lower strings have a wider diameter of vibration than the higher strings and therefore should have more clearance (raised higher) off the fingerboard.
Click to expand...

Makes sense, doesn't it? I think most set their action equidistant, from bottom of string to 12th fret, on each string, but from what I've researched (and set into motion) I raise the lower strings, be it an 'E' or 'B', slightly higher than the higher ones...

... each his own, I guess.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BassiklyAC
#29
Spidey2112 said:
Makes sense, doesn't it? I think most set their action equidistant, from bottom of string to 12th fret, on each string, but from what I've researched (and set into motion) I raise the lower strings, be it an 'E' or 'B', slightly higher than the higher ones...

... each his own, I guess.
Click to expand...

I've done this on all my guitars since I read Dan Erlewine's book back in the early 90s. Now I do it on my basses.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Spidey2112
#30
Nighttrain1127 said:
So how do these Basses differ from the BTB845SC? I just got one of these at a killer price and it sounds amazing they sort of look similar.
Click to expand...
The BTB845SC is 35" scale, has a wider neck at the nut 1.85" as opposed to a 1.77" for the 805, no active/passive switch, and is a larger instrument and weighs a good bit more. I had one and returned it after 3 days, it was a beast to play, heavy, and no fun at all. The SRSC805 fits me perfectly.
 
  • Like
Reactions: dralionux
#33
Nighttrain1127 said:
Thank you for the information it is nice to be able to ask a question and get an answer from a reasonable person not the usual snide TB crap
Click to expand...
Anytime, glad to help. I hope you enjoy your BTB845SC.
All of the Ibanez basses in the BTB and SR class are excellent. I spent a little money on both of my 805's and my BTB33 and I had them Plek'd, it makes all of the difference in the world. With that extra refinement, they play and feel every bit as good as any 5K+ Fodera that I've ever played. The only down side is that Ibanez basses don't have a good resale value or bring a lot in trade. So, if you find a good used one, they are even a better deal. They are a players' bass, not an investment piece, but are probably the best and most innovative mass produced basses on the market today.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BassiklyAC

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back