Marc S

I just posted a belated NBD - but I thought I'd add the pics (again) and my thoughts on being a "returning Ibanez owner" Got myself an SR 505 recently, I used to own the 4 string SR 500 years ago, and I liked that bass at the time. Since then, I also owned an Ibanex acoustic bass - but my son loved that so much, I gave it to him In my efforts to fall for 5 strings, I also had a not often seen Mikro 5 string... I liked that bass, but the strings were a tad too close for my right hand So in short, I was looking for a 5'er which was lightweight and had a narrow-ish, shallow-ish neck, but which had wide enough string spacing at the bridge (Fussy old so-and-so eh?) On my return to the Ibby fan club, I have to say - this bass ticks all the boxes. So far, I'm enjoying playing it a lot. Whether I'll gig with it all the time (when we can get back to gigging) is another matter - but I want to have a 5'er as an option. I'm loving the feel of the neck, the light weight, the build quality, the finish, the sound and the control over EQ options. I also like the fact that this bass will work without a battery - something my 4 string version didn't (as I found out just prior to a gig!) So maybe it's just a common old SDGR 505 - but this is my favourite 5 string yet

I probably should have posted this over a week ago.... when I actually bought the bass! lol However, I decided to play it for a while first - to see how I got on with it I keep thinking I should play a 5 string - then I keep falling in and out of love for 5 string basses, for various reasons. Usually, my reasons for selling are that I find the necks just a bit too chunky, or I find the bass is a tad too heavy..... or a combination of both. Sometimes, I don't find the string spacing to be very comfortable. This isn't something I find with 4 strings - I can usually adapt my playing. But with 5 strings I've found on a more comfortable width neck, the strings can be a bit too close for my right hand plucking (i.e. not enough room between strings for my fattish fingers) To cut a long story short, I bought & sold a few 5'ers for a combination of the above reasons (or excuses). Actually, on the point of the weight of a bass - it's not something that used to bother me too much. However, my increasing age and ageing joints / shoulders / back have made this factor ever more important. So my thinking was - where can I find a lightweight 5 string bass, which is lightweight and has a neck which isn't too wide (or wide plus deep) but isn't too narrow string spacing at the bridge? Fussy old BC'er, aren't I? So I turned to Ibanez. I've owned Ibby's in the past and always found them to be great instruments. In fact, I once owned the 4 string version of this bass, the SDGR 500 - a bass I was well pleased with. I have to say that so far, I'm really liking this bass! It was a local purchase too. It's very light for a 5'er - I think it's around 3.5kg. The neck is a comfortable width, and it's slim front-to-back, so I can get my hand around it easily enough. Also, the string spacing seems very comfortable too. It's narrow-ish at the nut, but the neck tapers enough to make the spacing good for my right hand... plus, the bridge allows for some lateral position adjustment too The quality of construction is really good - it feels a solid build, and the finish is really nice. No sticky left hand on a glossy neck - it's really nice satin sort of feel. I like the dark wood colour too. The electronics are great, and the 2 active Bartolini pickups are superb. As I expected, It's more of a modern sounding bass than my current collection of basses - but that's not an entirely bad thing. It's another choice for me to make, depending on the gig I'm playing. Another added bonus is that the pickups and electrics work in passive mode, and it even works with no battery - so no worries about a battery going flat mid-gig. Now all I have to do, is to get my spatial awareness up to speed for 5 string playing. I've been noodling at home, and took the bass to one garden room / semi-open-air trio jam. I did make a few errors, hitting the wrong string DOH - but it's been a while since I last played a 5'er for any length of time.

Hi @sambecker1 Just wondering whether you went for this bass? As others have said - that body could be a refin. And that adaptation to make it a body-through string arrangement is all wrong. I'd have thought the break-angle at the saddles may cause problems. Also, as you tune + re-tune, it would put stress on the strings - they're at a 90 degree angle.... on a sharp (ish) edge, rather than a curved, grooved slot. Having said all of that - if the neck was genuine, and the bass felt good and sounded good, and critically - if the price was right.... it could be worth going for But again, that would depend on it being priced as a '62 neck on a replacement body. The bridge is easy enough to sort, and the holes in the body could be filled. As others have also said - a better replacement decal would be something I'd want to sort out. Finding out whether it's a genuine neck is another matter....

I've not tried any of the LaBella strings (to my own shame) Has anyone had experience of comparing LaBella Low Tensions, to TI Flats? TI's are great strings IMO.... on some basses - but oddly, they don't feel quite "right" on a couple of basses I tried them on. Sorry @lobematt - it appears I'm hijacking your thread - but hopefully, such things are always interesting..... to someone, somewhere lol EDIT: I'm definitely curious to try some LaBella LTF's at some point

Came back for another look at this bass And I like it now, more so than when I saw it the first time! It might just be my new favourite colour

That really IS green. Gotta say, I like it..... a lot. Happy NBD to you

Sorry to hear of your health woes. Obviously, my first hope is that a transplant can be arranged for you absolutely ASAP - fingers crossed In the meantime, I'd say you definitely deserve a treat - and if you feel that a bass guitar IS that treat... then go for it Best of luck in both your search, and more importantly, with your health Some good suggestions here - but my two pennorth of a MIJ / CIJ Fender wins!

A used Fender Japan bass. IMO great construction quality, lovely playing basses, and becoming more sought after. I've had a few (still have two) played several others, and not come across a bad one yet. Possibly more consistent in build quality than their US counterparts over the years?

Hello and welcome to BC from another old man with bass