alittlebitrobot Posted October 12, 2013 Share Posted October 12, 2013 (edited) Hello, I just thought I'd make a little New Bass Day post. I don't expect (m)any of you to be interested in the texty bit but I'd like it to be here because it's the kind of thing that would've answered a lot of questions for me a couple of months ago. [b]The pictures are underneath. Feel free to skip to the end.[/b] So, briefly, I was on Denmark street in September and played an Ibanez SR506 in a shop there for a very short time but I really loved it. When I got home (Ireland), I started reading about it and shopping around for one. The only thing I didn't like was the finish but when I saw a photo of the maple fretboard 506, it looked [b]so[/b] much better and I've never had a maple board bass before. Then I realised that there were a few 506s for sale but I couldn't find any with the maple board. I posted here to see if I could find out why they were unavailable and somebody explained that it's a deliberate move by Ibanez to keep some models available only in the US [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/215709-bass-models-and-geographic-limitations/"]http://basschat.co.u...ic-limitations/[/url] I found one guy selling one on eBay so I emailed him to see if he'd ship internationally. He wasn't willing to but he did tell me that Sam Ash will do it. I emailed them, got a quote for the bass, a hardshell case and shipping. After going through dutycalculator.com and figuring out what the import would cost me, the price still worked out nicely. So, it was 700 dollars for the bass, 70 for the case and 80 for the shipping. The bass was posted (with a tracking number) on a Monday, arrived in customs on Friday and was in my house on Monday. ...not bad at all. Anyway, I love it. It came with a new set of Elixirs on it but nuts to that. I swapped them out straight away for a set of Fodera strings. I slightly regret it, though because I'm finding it hard to tell how different the strings are. I should've lived with the Elixers for a while and then changed them. The 6 string I have been playing for about 5 years now is the Peavey Grind. It's poorly named, though. It's actually quite a mellow bass and there were two reasons for wanting to switch to a 506; the active electronics because my taste in tone is going that way for some reason and the 34" scale. I have to admit, my little hands are [i]much[/i] happier now with the [i]slightly[/i] smaller scale. On that point, there is one area where the Peavey wins without question, and it's the low B. Not sure if it's because it's a heavier body or the longer scale but the B on the Grind is fantastic. An open B on the 506 is a bit... hollow.. or something. It's a bit like a bass doing an impression of a low B. Ok, that's all. Here's yer pics. The box: [attachment=145961:1.jpg] The case: [attachment=145960:2.jpg] The bass: [attachment=145962:3.jpg] [attachment=145963:5.jpg] Edited July 28, 2017 by alittlebitrobot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myke Posted October 12, 2013 Share Posted October 12, 2013 The pictures won't show up for me But I've tried the 5 string version of this bass and it really is lovely! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alittlebitrobot Posted October 12, 2013 Author Share Posted October 12, 2013 oops. I used my public dropbox folder but, if it's not working, I'll just use the BC attachment option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted October 12, 2013 Share Posted October 12, 2013 Mmm, very nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBboy Posted October 12, 2013 Share Posted October 12, 2013 Love it! Looks so much better with the maple board, the standard 50x basses look a bit boring to me. Personally, I've always struggled with the low B on ibanez Soundgears, but I reckon after you've lived with it a bit it'll be just fine. Your technique will probably just have to change a little, resulting in you playing the B a little more gently than you're used to. I bet it feels easier to play than your Grind though! I changed to 34" 5ers because although the B is great on a 35", I didn't like the increased tension in the other strings, and the extra length. Anyways, enjoy! I hope it brings you much pleasure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alittlebitrobot Posted October 13, 2013 Author Share Posted October 13, 2013 This thread kinda makes me seem like I care more about the look of a bass than anything else. Far from it, but I so rarely buy new guitars, it's important to me that I like everything about it. Yeah, that change in scale has made a monkey of me a few times. If I look at my left hand it's ok, but if I look away or if I'm playing a riff I know well, my muscle memory kicks in and my fingers go out of position. Only slightly, but it's enough to make some horrible bum notes The thing with the B is that the fretted notes are fine, it's just that open note that reminds me of an electric guitar going through an octave pedal. Technically, it's the right frequency and all that but the note just lacks that real weight. I'm sure there are great 34" B strings out there but the 506 has such a light and slim body, it's probably a lost cause from the start. Still, not a big deal at all. I love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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