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upgrade options: SR1200 or BB1024 or ?

Kennoath

Kennoath

Aug 23, 2005
145
311
Australia
#1
Problem: 10 year old BB414 badly needs a fret job and new input jack. Love the old bass. Only complaint i ever had was that the p'ups will 'pop' when playing agressively. Service cost might be what, half the value of the bass?

Can afford $1000 - $1250 for a new bass.

Ibanez SR1200 and Yamaha BB1024X are both in the ballpark. No shops in my town have either one in stock to play so probably buying online.

Anyone able to compare their relative value at this price point?

Thanks for tips, esp from anyone who's played both!

(Btw, did consider Carvin SB4000 but that's more than $2K in Australia. Final option is pay a luthier and say no to GAS but that's no fun.)
 
#4
Had both Ibanez Sr Premium 1200 and XXV anniversary

First of all, usually Yamaha necks are up to get tweaked to insanely low action. Now the problem is: did you lower the pickups height (especially bridge ceramic blade) accordingly?

That's main cause of them "poppin'" while hard hittin' (I had to do that)

For the sound you're after, better go with a Yamaha BB1024...
more Precision wise like you seem quite easily accustomed to.

Sr1200 stay unexpectedly near tho in this sense its Nordstrand
Big Singles make it for a very Jazzy (snappy) approach in passive mode and sit thru a mix with ease.

Cheers,
Wallace
 
#7
That's a tough choice. Those two basses are VERY different from eachother. I've played both in stores.

I think the Yamaha will be a more versatile bass. It has two different pickups in it, with two different magnet materials. You get a lot of different tones out of it. There's also some things about the Yamaha design and feel, that I like a lot. From a distance, it looks like a typical BB. But there are several subtle changes, that I like a lot.

The Ibanez is also a nice bass. But I don't think the sound is as versatile. The nordstrand pickups seem to have a bit of a modern tonality to them. It's a good tone----but it's not as varied as the Yamaha. Some of that "modern" tone could be due to the graphite rods in the neck. I'm not sure.

After that, I think the thing to consider about the Ibanez is that it is a 24 fret bass. It is going to hang differently and feel very different to play. The fretboard isn't as wide as the Yamaha and the 24 frets means it tapers less quickly. It's a totally different feel. I actually really like 24 fret basses. The Yamaha will have more of a "classic" feel to it.

I dunno, tough choice. Even though I like 24 frets a lot, I think I would try the Yamaha first. I like too much about it to let 21 frets hold me back!
 
#8
You guys are awesome.
I found an SR1205 and gave that a play - very nice but not quite the passive tone I'm used to. Beautiful overall though, love it and will watch for used deals on a 1200 in future.
Wallace and Toptube your tips about the versatile sounds of the Yammy made me think about what I like about the old BB -- warm P sound, 3-way switch, can change tone fast, nice neck.
The new BB1024x will come in from Yamaha next week.
Always had a black bass so, for something new, this one will be vintage white. Might need to find a tortoiseshell pickguard.
Cheers.
 
#9
As a new owner of a SR1605 and a BTB 1405 i would have to say the Ibanez would be my choice. I don't think there is a better bass on the market in that price range due to the Electronics they have went to in the Premiuym Line. Awesome bass.
 
#10
The BB1024X has landed.

A couple of surprises:

> Weighs 10lbs even. (The BB414 weighs 9.5.)
> Neck feels a bit chunkier than BB414. Dimensions are the same, but there's a slight difference in shape.
> Pickups are more different from BB414 than I expected. The 414 p'ups sound really good. The 1024X p'ups sound fantastic!

Looks great to me - YMMV.

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