cocco Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Mrs cocco and I went to London for a couple of days, to look curio's and oddities for our living room. What trip to London would be complete without a trip to Denmark Street? The next thing I knew I was in Wunjo's, as I was browsing the semi acoustics one of the Toms said the words "feel free to play anything you fancy". Obviously I was like a kid in a sweet shop from this point on. The first thing I picked up was a Warwick Star bass, which was fantastic sounding but not a great fit. So I put that down and picked up a starcaster bass, which was less comfortable, heavier and I wasn't a fan of the short scale but it did sound good. Fast forward a few others and I eventually got to a pretty good selection of Ibanez SRs. I've been a fan of the 1200 series since it came out, but it was a little out of budget. There was a 700 too but I didn't like the finish. I then looked at the 600 series, but there wasn't a 4 string. I decided I'd have a go on the 5 as a 4 could be ordered and posted to me in the worst case scenario. I loved it. The feel of the naked ash body and satin neck, the preamp was easy to get on with and it sounded great. Long story short I walked away with the 5. I've always thought fivers were a daft idea. A whole extra string for 4 notes seemed stupid until I played one, and here it is. [URL=http://s40.photobucket.com/user/agcocco/media/Mobile%20Uploads/IMAG0291_zps1pzcrbgj.jpg.html][IMG]http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e240/agcocco/Mobile%20Uploads/IMAG0291_zps1pzcrbgj.jpg[/IMG][/URL] The extra nut width is my favourite part, it forces my left hand into good technique, it keeps my thumb in the middle of the neck, instead of over the top of it. Also for the price (under £500 new) I can't help but feel like I've robbed Ibanez. I'm really happy with it. As a foot note I can't recommend Wunjo's enough. The guys are really knowledgeable, friendly and genuinely nice people. They were full of helpful advice about London too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Valdemar Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Good for you mate. I think those ash body Soundgears look great. ] I really owe it to myself to go back to Wunjos one day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grangur Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Great buy there. I've been thinking about one of these myself. Nice bass. Thanks for posting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cocco Posted February 9, 2015 Author Share Posted February 9, 2015 Just realised I haven't talked about the bass much. It has a lightning action, low and buzz free, however its original strings feel a touch light to me. Frets are a nice size, no sharp edges or flat/high spots Hardware wise its batting out of its league. Tuners feel great, bridge is substantial and pretty much movement free. I love the fact that the hardware is black too. There's full access to the whole fretboard and the neck join is tight. I don't have a bad word to say about any of it. I love a lump of ash, and I quite like the grain on it. I am tempted to stain it black like the Gary Willis model but I probably won't. I don't understand why some of the range have 3 up 2 down headstock's and some have 2 up 3 down. If anyone is in the market for an affordable 5er I'd recommend it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambient Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 A very nice bass A common misconception with a 5 string though, it's not just the extra 5 notes, it's the fact you can play all the low notes on the E string from the 5th fret up on the B. It just makes it all so easy, you just don't have to move about so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skej21 Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Nice one! I bought one of these just under two weeks ago and have restrung it E-C and it's brilliant! I love the tight string spacing and the pickups are really good for the price. I have looked at getting some Aguilar pickups for it already to upgrade them and would like an ebony ramp (any pointers to someone who could provide one or the wood to shape myself would be great! Anyone?). I really think these basses are exceptional value for money. My SR605 plays better than some basses in our shop that are worth 4 times as much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlatEric Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 Ash! You have slipped towards the dark side! There is no turning back now! Next thing, you'll be looking for a T-40/5 Good luck mate - I only ever had one five string, a real beauty but just couldn't get my head around it! Too long playing 4 or more likely. . . . . . . no commitment. One of the thoughts going through my head at the time was, if I do get the hang of this and I like it, what shall I do with all the others? Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drax Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 It's a beauty, great choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 I play a 505 and it's a great bass, the correct number of strings too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TolerancEJ Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 Great selection! I've owned an Ibanez SR885 for more than 20 years and it still sounds/plays great. I've always received compliments on the tone in both live and recording situations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4STRINGER Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Nice one!!! I purchased an Ibanez SR5006e from Wunjos as well and yeah great service. These Ibanez's are really underated I believe but are killer basses. Always get compliments on its sound. There is so much to like about them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.