Friends,
I have had a really odd relationship with Ibanez basses the entire 28+ years I have been playing.
For starters, the very first bass I ever personally owned (loaners I do NOT count) was *almost* an Ibanez. It was down to either an Ibanez Soundgear or a Yamaha BB300 and I went with the Yamaha - it felt better for slapping in my grossly limited experience at the time (1986).
A few years later I purchased a new Ibanez but only owned it very briefly. It was a beautiful metallic plum 4-string Soundgear and was my very first active bass. I used it for a short stint in my job as a session player and found that the neck was so thin I was actually bending it out of tune while playing. I played pretty aggressively back then so in retrospect I can't fault the bass, but at the time it was a problem and the bass went up the road.
Since then I have played Ibbys in pawn shops and music stores once in a while, but never with serious intent to purchase - always more of a "gee, these necks are so nice and slim and fast" kinda thing.
A bit of backstory before proceeding further - back in February I managed to correct a massive screw-up from my past and picked up an older Aria Pro Avante 6-string bass to replace one I sold years ago in a fit of stupidity. I thought the wide neck and tighter spacing would be tough to get used to, but I adapted really quickly. In fact, four-string bass necks feel a bit like wands now.
So - I have been eyeballing another 6-er as a "backup" bass for a while now. Though I have always loved and played Yamaha basses, the new ones (particularly the six-strings) are just too insanely expensive for me...
...so I started looking at Ibanez. WAY better price and I know the instruments are great quality.
I immediately discounted the GSR-series - I played one of their four-strings and though it might be a fluke, it was one of the very worst basses I have ever picked up in my life. Crap tuners, binding truss rod - just generally bad all the way around. That said, I don't think the previous owner took very good care of it.
The BTB basses were likewise out of the question - they're gorgeeous, but 35" scale is a deal-breaker for me. It's 34" or nothing.
I can't justify an Ibanez Premium or Prestige for the occasional week-end gig, and that left the more middle-of-the-road Soundgears.
I hit immediately on the SR506 in catalogs and fell instantly in love - every feature was *exactly* what I was wishing for in a bass. Still, $699 was more than I was willing to spend at the time - I figured on maybe finding a used one down the road.
So... last week I received an email flyer from a music store one state over from me and they were offering a 10% off coupon for Memorial Day. I decided, "what the heck - let's see if they have any 6-er's".
Sure enough - one used Ibanez SR506. With coupon the price was less than half of street price. $20 to ship FedEx.
It arrived yesterday. I'm still in shock - it looks brand-new. Zero body dings, fret wear - anything. If you would have told me it was a new bass I would have had zero reason to doubt you.
The neck is slim and fast, the tone is deep (yet bright and punchy), and though maybe I am a sucker for wood tones I LOVE the body color and finish.
Long story short - please count me in the Ibanez Soundgear Club. I think it's years overdue and I don't see myself getting shed of this bass - it's as close to a perfect six-string bass for my hands and playing style as I have yet found.
----
Kurt
