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The Soundgear Club

#3,061
Evil Undead said:
I wanted to ask you guys something - mainly for people who play SR300, SR500 and SR600 (and the 5 string versions of course).

I mostly play sitting down these days - not in a band at the moment so just play at home.

I find that resting my arm on the body of my SR600 gets uncomfortable due to the way the body comes to a kind of point around the edges (what I mean is, it's much thinner around the edges than where the pickups are etc). If I rest my arm there, my fingers go numb, I assume due to squashing a nerve.

Only other way to play it sitting is to lift my elbow so that my wrist is straight and my arm doesn't rest on the bass, but that makes my upper arm and shoulder ache like mad.

I sit with the bass on my right knee (I'm right handed) - have tried the classical guitar position, but can't reach the first frets properly that way.

I find the contoured body of a P or J much more comfortable. But, my SR600 just sounds like nothing else!

Does anyone else find this? If so, how did you get around it, besides just standing up to play? I don't want to do that, not comfortable for me.

Thanks
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Just because you're not standing up doesn't mean you can't use a strap, you know :) Just set it in a comfortable position and start playing ;)

If you do play seated for long periods of time (especially if using a heavier bass) you might get that numbness feel in your leg...trust me, it's no fun :(
 
#3,062
kleinenenten said:
Any recommendations for a '97 SR306? I'm looking to gut the electronics and need pup ideas. I'm trying to keep it affordable ($150 total for pups) and I'm gonna hopefully put in an NTMB preamp. What do you say? I've also thought of modern Ibby CAP pups, but don't know the price.
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The CAP pickups are within your price range - I want to say the pair was about $120 for the set. I can vouch that they sound great in my SR-705!
 
#3,063
I changed the pickups of my SR 500 and added American Bartolini's. I also had the pickup selector knob changed so that it controls the second pickup and also can change into passive mode.

It sounds beautiful in passive mode and the ability to control the individual volume in the pickups is huge. Many different tones just like a jazz bass.

In active, it doesn't sound as good with a "zingy, metallic sound." Is that the way it's supposed to sound? This is my first active bass. When you make a change and add different pickups, should the other electronics also be changed?
 
#3,064
IMO it's not worth swapping the electronics - you either like the SR500, or you don't. Changing the preamp (would have been a better choice instead of pickups) or pickups may result in a different tone, but is it "better"? That's arguable.

The way SRs sound and look is not by accident - they've been adjusted countless times throughout the years; and yes, that type of tone caters to a certain type of crowd. What's the point in transforming it into something that wasn't meant to be in the first place? There are plenty of Fender clones - SRs are quite the opposite and that's precisely their appeal factor: they're not traditional in any way. If you like:
- classic tones
- pickguards
- passive basses
- thick/wide necks
- chunky bodies (etc)

Then maybe a SR is not the bass for you :) No harm done :)


All that being said, modding a SR is in a way sailing on uncharted waters: you may never know what the result will be :) The design was changed, woods, specs, electronics are different. I'd start with the preamp and go from there. If you have good carpentry & painting skills you can go extreme and experiment with different pickup placement and so on. It can be done (a few ppl did it), but nobody can guarantee the modding will be well worth in the end. And if you plan on reselling it, keep in mind any modding will not add on value - even if you use the best brand parts.
 
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#3,065
IngerAlb said:
IMO it's not worth swapping the electronics - you either like the SR500, or you don't. Changing the preamp (would have been a better choice instead of pickups) or pickups may result in a different tone, but is it "better"? That's arguable.

The way SRs sound and look is not by accident - they've been adjusted countless times throughout the years; and yes, that type of tone caters to a certain type of crowd. What's the point in transforming it into something that wasn't meant to be in the first place? There are plenty of Fender clones - SRs are quite the opposite and that's precisely their appeal factor: they're not traditional in any way. If you like:
- classic tones
- pickguards
- passive basses
- thick/wide necks
- chunky bodies (etc)

Then maybe a SR is not the bass for you :) No harm done :)


All that being said, modding a SR is in a way sailing on uncharted waters: you may never know what the result will be :) The design was changed, woods, specs, electronics are different. I'd start with the preamp and go from there. If you have good carpentry & painting skills you can go extreme and experiment with different pickup placement and so on. It can be done (a few ppl did it), but nobody can guarantee the modding will be well worth in the end. And if you plan on reselling it, keep in mind any modding will not add on value - even if you use the best brand parts.
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I changed out the preamp and pickups in my SR Prestige, and those are supposed to be the top of the line SR's. It sounded great before, but even better now. I'm super happy I did it.

To me, a bass is just like a classic car ; You can mod it in infinite ways and it will never be wrong. It's just what you like. By the way, I dislike Fenders. I think of Fenders as Ford Model A's. Ibanez SR's and Peavey Cirrus USA's are Lexus. I love the modern sound and features. Just my opinion.
 
#3,067
mb94952 said:
I changed out the preamp and pickups in my SR Prestige, and those are supposed to be the top of the line SR's. It sounded great before, but even better now. I'm super happy I did it.

To me, a bass is just like a classic car ; You can mod it in infinite ways and it will never be wrong. It's just what you like.
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+1.
I love the playability of the SRs - small neck, slim body. But I agree the tone could be improved for my tastes so even if it is a well thought out design by Ibanez I see it as a good platform to get to where I want to be.
 
#3,070
kleinenenten said:
Where'd you get them? I've looked at ordering them, but can't find them! They'll probably be after the NTMB preamp, though.
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You can go through any authorized Ibanez dealer near you that is willing to place a parts order from Ibanez. In my case, it was Swing City Music in Collinsville, IL. Did it all over the phone with the local music store and they shipped it straight to my house from Ibanez. :cool:
 
#3,071
mb94952 said:
I changed out the preamp and pickups in my SR Prestige, and those are supposed to be the top of the line SR's. It sounded great before, but even better now. I'm super happy I did it.

To me, a bass is just like a classic car ; You can mod it in infinite ways and it will never be wrong. It's just what you like.
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That's cool, but it's down to personal preferences - others might think the modding made the bass sound terrible, if you know what I mean.

You can mod a car and reduce it to a pile of metal scrap if you don't know what you're doing :) And that's IMO the issue: Ibbys are not meant to be an easy modding platform, they work "as is" - unlike other basses/brands, everything that goes in its tone was chosen for a reason. Plus most parts available on market won't fit with no additional fiddling (only certain pickups and preamps). So it may take a lot of trial and error work to nail it - there is no guaranteed result since different ppl like different things.

Like I said: can it be done? Yes. Is it a must? No. Will modding really improve the instrument's performance? Maybe.
 
#3,073
IngerAlb said:
That's cool, but it's down to personal preferences - others might think the modding made the bass sound terrible, if you know what I mean.

You can mod a car and reduce it to a pile of metal scrap if you don't know what you're doing :) And that's IMO the issue: Ibbys are not meant to be an easy modding platform, they work "as is" - unlike other basses/brands, everything that goes in its tone was chosen for a reason. Plus most parts available on market won't fit with no additional fiddling (only certain pickups and preamps). So it may take a lot of trial and error work to nail it - there is no guaranteed result since different ppl like different things.

Like I said: can it be done? Yes. Is it a must? No. Will modding really improve the instrument's performance? Maybe.
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I know what you're saying. I love the tone of my SR505 w/Barts (the stock MK1s). It's got that low end thump, and a nice sizzly (but not too harsh) top end. I'm hoping to get that with my SR406. It's got plenty of low end (I'm thinking due to the heavy body wood compared to the 505) but not much top end. If I get the electronics for the highs, I'm thinking body might keep the thundering lows, and I'd get the best of both worlds. That's the idea at least. That's part of why I don't want expensive. I like the way it sounds now, but I think it could be improved with a little better electronics. I've also heard that the preamps are the weak points in Ibanez basses, so I might try and replace that first to see if it fixes my issues. What do you think? Thanks guys!
 
#3,074
p12bassnut said:
I've got an SR500SM and am trying to find out info based on the serial number. Anyone know where I can get that info ?
Thanks
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I don't know, but you are just like me (look at his avatar)!! Peavey Cirrus USA and Ibanez SDGR owner !! The two best basses I've ever owned !!
 
#3,076
Nice bass! Congratz with it :) For the modding : It's all about what YOU want and of course what your budget allows :D

For the Drop A : You need heavier strings. They will be more importnant than the modding to handle a good low A string. It's a bit heavy, but for Drop A you need atleast a .145 low B. Yeah, it's heavy, but you will need it for sure! :p:D

decentbassbreh said:
man all of the pics posted are some sweet looking srs!! I just got a candy apple red 305, I love it but im thinking about modding it and maybe getting a better ibanez. Any suggestions? and yeah something that can handle drop A too
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#3,077
kleinenenten said:
I've also heard that the preamps are the weak points in Ibanez basses, so I might try and replace that first to see if it fixes my issues. What do you think? Thanks guys!
Click to expand...

A luthier told me that a good way to get a rough idea of the sound that the preamp contributes is to set everything flat. He says that will show you mostly the sound of the pickups and bass (although not 100%). You can hear the tone quality that the preamp is adding my boosting the different tone knobs on the bass.
He then loaned me a bass with EMG electronics that had an adjustable switch on the preamp that set the treble frequency. It was amazing what a huge difference that made. On one setting I didn't like the bass at all, on another it was just right. If I was going to switch preamps, that would be the one I'd want.
 
#3,078
PDGood said:
A luthier told me that a good way to get a rough idea of the sound that the preamp contributes is to set everything flat. He says that will show you mostly the sound of the pickups and bass (although not 100%). You can hear the tone quality that the preamp is adding my boosting the different tone knobs on the bass.
He then loaned me a bass with EMG electronics that had an adjustable switch on the preamp that set the treble frequency. It was amazing what a huge difference that made. On one setting I didn't like the bass at all, on another it was just right. If I was going to switch preamps, that would be the one I'd want.
Click to expand...

I typically keep it flat, and use the onboard EQ for in the moment adjustments. The treble adds treble, but not the "zing" I want from it, and it also adds an inordinate amount of hiss. We're talking a 16 yr old bass with electronics to match. I'm hoping an NTMB won't be hissy and be a bit more defined. Any experience with that?
 

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