WHTS A gud base for teh plyaing metla? (just kidding, but advice needed)

[xgsjx]

The Ibby SoundGear basses are great for a multitude of styles. They do rock & metal & have the right image for those genres, but they'll sit nicely in any style of music.
Mine started out playing metal & rock, then went to blues & funk, then folk & country & now it's doing DnB & Dubstep.

Brilliant bass & I've never played something yet & thought "I could replace the Ibby with that", though a Dingwall did come close.

[LeeCassidy]

[quote name='RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE' timestamp='1350333320' post='1837545']Amps heads, etc. (sorry dude, this got truncated 'cause you failed at quoting (haha) so had to just summarise your post)
[/quote]

I'm just a bedroom guitarist, so I don't need a live rig. The driver would just be something to whack the bass into before it hits my Axe FX for any effects, etc. I've heard some absolutely awesome results over on the Axe FX forum with guys doing this, although to be fair, most of them are using Dingwalls or other great basses.

[quote name='Blackbird88' timestamp='1350334921' post='1837583']
[url="http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/ibanez-sr506/1001611134"]http://www.gumtree.c...r506/1001611134[/url]

Not sure if this would be any good to you, Ibanez SR506. I can vouch that the seller is a good guy, I know him from school. He posted this on his Facebook a few days ago, I'd have had it myself, in spite of the fact I've never played a 6 string, if I had the space for another bass. That and I'm GASing for a Jazz Blacktop.

I do have a BTB775 myself as it happens, and the bartolinis on mine are pretty potent. It's also immensely loud, I've got other active basses and this thing is so much more. It does take two 9V batteries though. Tone sounds damn good to me, though I'm rather inexperienced, I've only been playing 2 years. The SR 4 string necks are incredibly smooth and playable as well, I have a SR400, and I'd imagine the playability of a 5 or 6 in that model would be similarly good. The SR 5 string basses have a narrower neck than the BTB 5s by the way, which should in theory mean closer string spacing if that's what you're looking for, so an SR would probably be preferable.
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That is a good deal. Does he post on here? It would be good to ask some questions.

That's good to know about the thinner necks on the SRs. It's actually not so much the fretboard side of the spacing that's a concern, more the bridge end. I find navigating from string to string on the GSR fairly troublesome when doing any string skipping (specifically skipping two strings on fast passages). Those BTBs do look mighty fine, though. I love those individual bridges.

[quote name='chrismuzz' timestamp='1350264927' post='1836626']
Ibanez basses are quite widely used by metal guys, and the normal Soundgear ones will sound a million times better than the entry level GSR models. If you like the way they feel I'd recommend looking at those ones first! Personally, they don't work for me... I'm more of a Peavey man! They also feel very comfortable to play, and I prefer the sound!

About the pickups... Two of my Peaveys have the stock pickups in and I bought them used for £50 and £100 respectively. I won't be changing them any time soon! The 6 string cost me £250 used, and has been 'upgraded' to Seymour Duncan Basslines pickups... which sound amazing... But I actually prefer the smoother sound of the original ones so I might put them back in!

Those are my two suggestions anyways

You could always just get a new preamp or pickups for the GSR if you wanna save money though!
[/quote]

Is the GSR viable as a modding platform? I'm ok with replacing pickups and any hardware that's a direct replacement, but anything that would require routing and suchlike I just can't really do. I'm rubbish at that sort of thing, which I've found out to my cost on plenty of guitar parts (got lots of them lying around my flat now). So, for example, are there decent bridges that are a direct swap for this? A better nut? I'm also guessing that this isn't a choice cut of wood that's been used, so it's probably getting into pig in make up territory (it certainly would be on a guitar from this range).

[chrismuzz]

[quote name='LeeCassidy' timestamp='1350349505' post='1837757']
Is the GSR viable as a modding platform? I'm ok with replacing pickups and any hardware that's a direct replacement, but anything that would require routing and suchlike I just can't really do. I'm rubbish at that sort of thing, which I've found out to my cost on plenty of guitar parts (got lots of them lying around my flat now). So, for example, are there decent bridges that are a direct swap for this? A better nut? I'm also guessing that this isn't a choice cut of wood that's been used, so it's probably getting into pig in make up territory (it certainly would be on a guitar from this range).
[/quote]

As far as I'm aware the pickups are the same shape/style as the bartolinis in the higher up models so I guess so! Personally I wouldn't bother with replacing the nut and/or bridge, the difference it makes would be negligible in comparison to new pickups, a new preamp... or even something a lot of players miss out... new strings! When I made the swap to stainless steel strings as opposed to nickels, it completely changed everything! And this was way before I started using effects.

[Blackbird88]

@LeeCassidy: I don't honestly know if he posts here or not, aside from the odd FB comment or nod in the street I've hardly spoken to him in years. As I said before though, he's a good guy, if you respond to the gumtree ad I'm sure he can answer anything you need.
The BTBs do look sexy as hell, it was half the reason I bought one, and the clarity of the B string is damn good on the 775 model. I still haven't got to grips with mine fully yet though, it's my first 5 string, plus the added inch to the scale which made so much more difference than I thought it would, especially at the lower end of the neck. I would guess your GSR is 35" scale anyway though so that shouldn't be a problem for you.

[Evil Undead]

I'd have a look at the ibanez SR506, or maybe the SR606. The necks and string spacing are great, the Bartolini pickups sound awesome, and I loved the preamp in mine (I forget what preamp is in there)

Edit: the one in the gumtree ad looks great, sweet price too.

IME the string spacing on the BTB basses was always much bigger than the SR series,

Edited October 16, 2012 by Evil Undead

[chrismuzz]

[quote name='Blackbird88' timestamp='1350361889' post='1837765']
I would guess your GSR is 35" scale anyway though so that shouldn't be a problem for you.
[/quote]

I'm pretty sure the GSR is the entry level version of the SR so would be 34" still (I could be wrong though!)