ATK's are great basses. Ergodyne's are great too. My experience is to AVOID the EDB's while the EDA's and EDC's are generally better quality and have better ergonomics. I'd look at higher end SR's as well.
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Thinking about an Ibanez...but which one?
- Thread starter weazelbeater
- Start date
Earlier this year while at dinner my GF opens up her IPad (which I detest seeing at a dinner table), and states If you dont pick one of these basses for you, I will. They were all Ibanez. I tried a bunch of them, and fell in love an SR500PB. She had three times that in her budget, yet that is the one I fell in love with. It went against most every preconception I have suffered from. I just knew I had to have a neck through. The SR500 is not. I just knew passive was the only way for me, and I was wrong there also. I just knew that more than three or four knobs was the maximum I could live with, and I proved myself wrong there yet again.
Try as many basses as you can, hear with your ears.
I'm also a subscriber to the "wood doesn't noticeably affect tone" theory, yet the last bass I loved was Mahogany.
I wholeheartedly agree with and identify with this statement. When I was looking for my third bass, I figured it would be a Fender, because my first two basses (a Squier Precision and Fender Kingman ABG) were Fenders. I had a preconceived notion that Fender was the best instrument choice for me, so when I set out to buy new basses I looked at mostly-you guessed it-Fenders (most of them $999+ and Made In America).
At one store I decided to go out of my comfort zone, and tried out an SR600. It was everything I never liked in a bass before (natural finish, active electronics), but somehow it just seemed right to me. Now I'm GASing for a higher-end Ibby with the Nordstrand pickups...I guess tastes change.
+1 I also have an SR600 (Ash) which is a bit lighter than the SR500 (Mahogany), but are virtuously the same bass. I wanted the Walnut-stained Ash because I thought is was much prettier, and lighter. The quality, and huge range of sound is outstanding.
Check out the Sweetwater website - they have pics of the actual basses for sale so you can see the woodgrain of each bass ... good people too.
Thank you for all the informative replies. I'm leaning towards the SR500 or 505, as the EDB555 seems to have jazzy sounding pickups, and I already have too many basses with that type of sound (looking for a punchy/burpy sound this time). ATKs sound interesting, but I really don't like the body styling at all...I'm a sucker for the smooth, natural flat wood of the SR500.
In that case I think you would be happy with a SR50x. They feel good and have a solid punch.
The Ibanez sr505 would be a good choice for what you play. it's got great sound quality, smooth versatility, and it's suitable for any types of music.
One feature that I love about the SR500 is its neck. Narrow enough for my small hands, but a completely different and more comfortable feel than a jazz.
THEY ARE DEFINATELY A SOLID ALL AROUND TONAL MONSTER OF A BASS
