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Why do I hate Ibanez SR basses so much?

#82
I've got one of these. Neckthu, dont know anything about where it was made what pups are on it. I dont care. The neck has a great feel , slim and fast, its stable, in that it rarely requires tuning between sets. I can dial in just about any tone I need. It fits me. Its not to heavy. It gets giged once or twice a week. It cost about 10% of the price of my main player, and gives about 95% of the result. I dont spend the night worring about scratching it. A definite win for me.
 

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#83
NKUSigEp said:
I'll give a big +1 to the OP. Admittedly, "tone" is very much a subjective thing but every Ibanez I've heard has been muddy and lacks the "it-factor" my ears are craving. The clip Wild_Cat posted confirms it. The playing is excellent and the bass line is cool as can be, and even though he's going for the old-school funk tone, it sounds like there's a big wet blanket over it. I don't feel that way across the board with any other brand.
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^^ Thank you. I too liked the clips playing but didnt care for the tone. Its exactly what i cant stand about the MK1 pups. Even just going to the much nicer MK2 that the better BTB's have is an immense difference in tone and versatility.
 
#84
ledyard said:
Its exactly what i cant stand about the MK1 pups. Even just going to the much nicer MK2 that the better BTB's have is an immense difference in tone and versatility.
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Er... Careful. Depending on which clip you're referring to:

- The Hot Pink of Blues (first clip I posted) was played on a SR506, which does feature those Mk1 pickups you dislike.

- Paperboy (second clip), however, is me playing on my Prestige SR4005, whose pickups are a US-made custom design based on the Mk2 -- so, kinda like the same pickups as the BTB series, only (I suppose) a tad better.



Oh, and I forgot to mention it, but the Paperboy clip sounds better if you switch the video to 480p.
 
#87
Total zombie thread, but I got my SR3006ESOL in 2015. It wasn't until I came back to playing bass full time, earlier this year, that I really got comfortable with it. I've got it listed for sale at the moment, but after a session playing it this morning I decided to keep it.

What do I like about it? Bartolini pickups and preamp; quiet with a good tone. Thin, flat neck with a low action and very good frets; solid as a rock. Never needs adjustment. Low weight, great balance, good looks. Versatile and musical. Lives up to what I expect of a Japanese Ibanez Prestige instrument - brilliant craftsmanship, a delight to play.

If you're looking for a bass to grind on a metal track, it might not be your thing, but when I got it I was playing a lot of Tool and Rage Against The Machine through a DI or Korg Pandora and I loved it. I'm mainly a jazz fusion player though, that's where it does most of it's work.

hW9pEse.jpg
 
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#88
I had SR300, SR500, SRX555 and SR1000EFM. They all were very easy to play instruments, fast necks, comfy and overall ok, except for the tone. I couldnt tweak it to my liking, they had somewhat plastic sound, hard to explain. The SR1000 even had those Bartolini Custom, but still same problem, only good tone i got was by using neck pickup only.
Now i am looking for SR3006, if it will be same as those, i ll be done with SR series =)
 
#89
Fashion Phil said:
I had SR300, SR500, SRX555 and SR1000EFM. They all were very easy to play instruments, fast necks, comfy and overall ok, except for the tone. I couldnt tweak it to my liking, they had somewhat plastic sound, hard to explain. The SR1000 even had those Bartolini Custom, but still same problem, only good tone i got was by using neck pickup only.
Now i am looking for SR3006, if it will be same as those, i ll be done with SR series =)
Click to expand...

My SR300E sound pretty nice with TiJF344.
 
#90
I had one of the first MIJ ones back in 88. An SR1000, that sounded great but the neck wasn't stable, and I wasn't exactly as mellow as I am now. Currently I have a 505ZW, which has the MK-1s....and I have to say, it's really not a bad bass at all. Does it sound like my Warwick does? No, but it definitely holds its own and I have no problem playing it live or anywhere else. I couldn't say that about other basses I've had through the years as backups to my baby.
 
#94
I've owned at least a half a dozen top of the line Ibanez SR 5 string basses over the past 15 years and as much as I love their playability, overall quality, fit & finish as well as their looks I can't past the electronics. They just don't do it for me which is why as quickly as I buy one I end up selling it shortly after.

I think I've learned my lesson, they're just not for me.

TD
 
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