Congrats brother!
The SR500 is, in my mind, the beginning level of no excuses bass guitars. I own, or have owned, virtually every Ibanez from that model UP and with few exceptions, they don't really sound THAT much better and certainly don't bring anything to the table in terms of feel and playability that the SR500 doesn't possess. I think the key to Ibanez is this: Many are sold new in big box stores and places like GC. Many of those places don't really do a very good job on intonation and setup. Yes, there are amazing exceptions (a few GC's have techs that rival my own full time tech/luthier!!). I own basses that cost as much as nice new cars. If I were able to sell my whole collection, the proceeds could easily buy a very nice large home in most major metro areas. However, when I am thinking about a song (either writing the bass part or thinking about how I would play it if I got called to cover for someone), I'm imagining and hearing my results, generally from one of three basses, two of which are Ibanez. So, the next time someone wants to down our brand, understand that other person's experience is either 1. Non existant (bass snob/wannabe) or 2. Based on experience with an improperly set up instrument. Hey guess what? When my Series II Alembic is out of whack, it sounds and plays bad too!
