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what is the best quality 5 string bass from Ibanez?

#21
S.F.Sorrow said:
One that says "Made in Japan" on the back of the headstock (=Prestige series).

If these are out of your budget there are still significant difference between the Standard series and the Premium series (both Indonesia).

The tone you get from the pickups used in the Standard series and the Nordstrands or Bartolinis in the Premium series is VERY different. I'm not saying one is necessarily better than the others but they're different enough that you will most likely prefer one type of pickup over the others.

I much prefer the preamp/controls on the Premium series. Much more flexible mid eq than the Standard series. The Standards have the coil tap of course but more control of the mids is far more important to me. If I want a single coil I'll buy a bass with a single coil rather than a humbucker with a coil tap.

The Premium series also have far more stable necks than the Standard series in my experience.

As for visual appearance I much prefer the more basic Standard series. The Premium series are a bit gaudy for my taste. I still own one though, the SR2605. It's ALMOST a superb bass. It would have been amazing if Ibanez had installed the mono rail saddles in the correct position. Unfortunately they're installed slightly too far from the neck which means the bass can't be intonated properly with most strings. It's REALLY close, only a matter of 1-2 mm but these mono rails are recessed into the body so moving them involves a LOT of work (routing), plus it will leave a visible gap. I've seen the same thing on several other Ibanez Premium series with mono rail saddles so this might be something to be aware of. Apart from this rather significant flaw it's an amazing bass, great tone, superb playability. But ultimately a total failure (and ugly as sin :roflmao:).
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Yeah, the monorails are over-compensated (staggered) just as you described. Tapered strings are a real no-no.

Riis
 
#22
I think it is about time we dispense with the "go play as many as you can" "advice." In case you haven't noticed, there are not many quality basses out there in stores to be played. I don't have any advice to offer on 5 string Ibanez basses, but like with most things, you get what you pay for.
 
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#23
I had a GWB35 and an SRSC805 Cerro at the same time and they complimented each other very well! The Cerro is the most comfortable single cut I've played from Ibanez, Ibanez for whatever reason on the bigger single cuts like the Terra Firma leave the contour on the back of the single cut hump with a fine edge and it aggravated the crap out of my sternum. The Cerro is super smooth and has a very small refined body. That would be my pick! With the bridge pickup soloed I can get fretted sounds similar to the Gary Willis
 
#30
I'll be the second to suggest the Adam Nitti signature ANB205 (left one). It's awesome!
7A0BF8F8-3BED-47D4-8C92-22E53D367958.jpeg
 
#37
IMO the noticeable quality change starts at the 305 model and only gets better from there. Older model 405's and upwards is where I'd start looking if I was going down the Soundgear path.
Id also recommend trying to get your hands on an old Roadgear 905AH model. Solid basses that really do sound great.
 
#40
FvdW72 said:
the Adam very nice indeed with real USA Bartolini pickups? or the cheaper made in Korea ones?
looks like the same neck body shape as my GWB-1?
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The pickups are real bartolinis, not the cheap foreign made barts that come in the cheaper bass models. The neck on the 205 is going to be slightly wider and a bit thicker than the Gary Willis signature bass, as well as having 18mm string spacing. Super comfy and easy to play though.
 

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