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Exactly. Compared to any other bridge, height and intonation are non-trivial. Intonation especially.
I finally gave in to the temptation of a fanned fret Soundgear - I've never owned a fanned fret instrument before, but I know multi-scale basses have become quite popular the last few years. I'd always admired the SRMS model from afar, but finally decided to give it a shot. And WOW - glad I did! I think I finally understand the hoopla about multiscale instruments. Of course, the B is fantastic on a multi-scale bass (and everyone always talks about that the most) but not much mention on how clear the notes on the other strings speak too. It's incredibly easy to play and sets up with a very low action. This thing sounds great!
SRMS805:
Beautiful! Congrats
That's one bass that's on my (very) short list of basses I'd love to have. The only new one on the list......
or 
), the intonation being not really even close, and the truss rod needing a bit of a tweak (3/4 turn? -ish?), I'm really liking how it plays & sounds so far 
I've finally bought one of these!
Well, something somewhat similar, I suppose.....
View attachment 5031905
One of the oldest Soundgear 5-string basses (1989 sr885le) and one of the newest (2022 srms625ex)
They look (and play!) pretty similar, but there are a number of differences outside of the pickups/electronics and crooked frets.
Most are pretty subtle, and not really noticable without comparing them side-by-side, like the way the back body is curved at the neck joint.....some are not, like the headstock.
I know weight is a big thing here on TB, and I'll admit, it is something I pay attention to, but isn't necessarily a deal breaker.
The old black 885, which is 7 3/4 lbs. at last weigh, is literally the lightest bass I've ever owned, outside of an Ibanez acoustic bass - noticably lighter than even my other sr885le.
The new Ironlabel 5 comes in at 9.25 lbs., per the shop/seller. I've not weighed it yet, but that feels pretty close - comparable to the other SRs, and most of the Thunderbirds, I've had, and is completely acceptable (to me, at least).
Other than the action being high enough to shove a pencil under (6mm on B-string, 4mm on G-string - I don't know if that should be
I almost bought that iron label but wentI've finally bought one of these!
Well, something somewhat similar, I suppose.....
View attachment 5031905
One of the oldest Soundgear 5-string basses (1989 sr885le) and one of the newest (2022 srms625ex)
They look (and play!) pretty similar, but there are a number of differences outside of the pickups/electronics and crooked frets.
Most are pretty subtle, and not really noticable without comparing them side-by-side, like the way the back body is curved at the neck joint.....some are not, like the headstock.
I know weight is a big thing here on TB, and I'll admit, it is something I pay attention to, but isn't necessarily a deal breaker.
The old black 885, which is 7 3/4 lbs. at last weigh, is literally the lightest bass I've ever owned, outside of an Ibanez acoustic bass - noticably lighter than even my other sr885le.
The new Ironlabel 5 comes in at 9.25 lbs., per the shop/seller. I've not weighed it yet, but that feels pretty close - comparable to the other SRs, and most of the Thunderbirds, I've had, and is completely acceptable (to me, at least).
Other than the action being high enough to shove a pencil under (6mm on B-string, 4mm on G-string - I don't know if that should be
From what I found online they are going for $650ish. But that is just from a quick Google search.
Nice! Huge Congrats!
I had no idea this model was out there. Looks pretty on par with the SRMS, even down to the pickups. Minus a couple aesthetic & wood differences of course.
Mine came with some fairly high action - to the point I was a little concerned about it. Probably due to floating around on a shipping container off the West Coast would be my guess. Once I got into it & started setting it up there was no reason for concern. It set up like a dream (like my other Ibanez basses have always done). Hope yours does too!
I hope you dig the Multi-Scale - the definition of the B and all the other strings is quite noticeable! I gotta say, if I had a choice - I think all future basses would be multi-scale if I can help it.
Also, don't forget you can experiment with the on-board preamp voicing. It's easy to do and gives you a couple of voicing options to choose between.
Again, huge congrats! I'm digging it!
Thanks!
Mine came from a shop in FL that inspected before shipping, and the box for "optimal string height" was checked.....
It was over twice what the manual calls for
Setup went well though, once I leveled the neck out a bit with the truss rod, the intonation came into line.
Dropped the G & B saddles far enough that I had to lower the bridge pickup slightly, giving just a light amount of fret buzz, then used a radius gauge to set the other three; that got it really close, just a bit of fine tuning and tweaking from there, and it's pretty spot on.
Gonna give it some days to settle some more, then revisit the neck relief & action, see where it's at.
It is essentially the same as the ms805, apparently the same pickups/electronics package but as you said, with a few differences.
- Body-wood is the same, Okoume, but doesn't have the fancy Poplar Burl top - so no need for see-through paint.
- Neck is still 5-piece, but Maple/Walnut, instead of Jatoba/Walnut.
- Fretboard is Ebonol, instead of Panga Panga, and has no inlays.
- The bridge is the MR5, instead of the MR5S; apparently the only difference is the "S" version has width-adjustable saddles.
- Oh, and it looks like the knobs are different?
I'm loving the multi-scale so far, the only real-ish issue at this point is the stretch on the lower frets, to get from, say, F on E-string to Eb on B-string, is more than what I'm used to with straight frets, but seems totally do-able with a bit of practice.
I also noticed, if I look down at the frets when the bass is in playing position on my lap, the frets *look* straight ......
Thanks for the info about the pre-amp voicing! Didn't know that was an option, I'll check into & do some experimenting when I get the chance
Glad to hear the action is getting dialed in nicely. I always feel I don't have my action truly dialed in until at least 3-4 after owning a new bass. I feel like it takes time for the truss rod and neck woods to finally get settled into their new positions without wanting to creep back to what they used to be.
Same with me regarding the frets from a playing position - from the player's perspective, it's hard to tell any difference at all that the frets are not parallel.
Somewhere a while back in this thread there was some discussion about the voicing options of the current Ibanez preamp module. Here's a post where I talk about how I moved mine. Basically, I am using the BEQ3 port (I think it's called). IME, it gives me a little more top end and a slight gain boost. I liked what it does, but easy enough to move it right back if I want to undo it. It's as simple as unplugging a connector port cable from one set of pins over to another set of pins. A 5-second mod.
Thanks, I remember that convo now.....when I get the chance, I'll check to see how mine is setup
it won't fit any, it has to have the same dimensions which you may be able to tell by looking at which way the heel joint angles. i have a 1993 sr1300 neck on my 1989 sr800.
