So I've figured that my current bass's neck (a '94 Korean Ibanez ATK) is just a little too large for my small to average paws. I've learnt lessons in the past from playing guitar that if I'm not getting on with the neck, a lot of other things suffer as a result!
So I was keen on trying an Ibanez Soundgear, specifically the SR1300, and trotted to all the local GCs around Colorado trying them out. Great slim neck, exotic and light body, Nordstands, Gotoh tuning pegs, nice bridge and the premium fret treatment. They all felt great, though some could have done with a setup. My untrained ear weren't able to fully appreciate the pickups, as I'm sure they would be great. But I will say, I kinda get what people talk about when they say Soundgears sound...modern. I could get a fair approximation of a P-Bass and Jazz, but just not quite there...
With a trade-in and coupon I could probably score it for around $850, maybe less.
Out of curiosity I tried a natural FSR Jazz bass and the first thing I noticed is that the neck really did fit my hand well. Enough girth to aid tone, but pretty fast and playable. Frets end weren't as good as the SR, but nothing I could cut myself on. 2nd thing is how light it was, even against the SR. 3rd - it buzzed so badly on the first three frets it sounded like it was being played through a vocoder. And the sound on when it wasn't buzzing? Man, it sounded awesome. No need to dial anything in. Just a sweet sweet bass tone.
With a trade in, I could probably get it for around $450. I spoke to a rep there and he said they could fix the buzz for me. Though I doubt they'd put much effort in.
So the dilemma is: which one? The SR hits all the right notes, but tonally not quite as good as the Jazz. The Jazz will take some work, but the extra $300-400 could be spent on a luthier setup, some hardware upgrades plus some change if I wanted to upgrade to some Seymour Duncans or the like in the future.
Any help appreciated!
So I was keen on trying an Ibanez Soundgear, specifically the SR1300, and trotted to all the local GCs around Colorado trying them out. Great slim neck, exotic and light body, Nordstands, Gotoh tuning pegs, nice bridge and the premium fret treatment. They all felt great, though some could have done with a setup. My untrained ear weren't able to fully appreciate the pickups, as I'm sure they would be great. But I will say, I kinda get what people talk about when they say Soundgears sound...modern. I could get a fair approximation of a P-Bass and Jazz, but just not quite there...
With a trade-in and coupon I could probably score it for around $850, maybe less.
Out of curiosity I tried a natural FSR Jazz bass and the first thing I noticed is that the neck really did fit my hand well. Enough girth to aid tone, but pretty fast and playable. Frets end weren't as good as the SR, but nothing I could cut myself on. 2nd thing is how light it was, even against the SR. 3rd - it buzzed so badly on the first three frets it sounded like it was being played through a vocoder. And the sound on when it wasn't buzzing? Man, it sounded awesome. No need to dial anything in. Just a sweet sweet bass tone.
With a trade in, I could probably get it for around $450. I spoke to a rep there and he said they could fix the buzz for me. Though I doubt they'd put much effort in.
So the dilemma is: which one? The SR hits all the right notes, but tonally not quite as good as the Jazz. The Jazz will take some work, but the extra $300-400 could be spent on a luthier setup, some hardware upgrades plus some change if I wanted to upgrade to some Seymour Duncans or the like in the future.
Any help appreciated!
