bassrockbob Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 I'm looking to upgrade from my Ibanez GSR200 and have a grand to spend. For me that's a big investment so I want a quality bass that will last, and my initial thoughts were the Musicman Sterling Ray 34: [url="http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/bass_guitars_detail.asp?stock=11080915385288"]http://www.guitargui...=11080915385288[/url] or the Fender American Standard Jazz: [url="http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/bass_guitars_detail.asp?stock=12031011002558"]http://www.guitargui...=12031011002558[/url] but I found these heavy and bulky compared with what I'm used to playing and wondered if the Ibanez SR1300 Premium: [url="http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/bass_guitars_detail.asp?stock=151218291644002"]http://www.guitargui...151218291644002[/url] would be similar in build quality - it certainly felt more comfortable to play. Or would I be paying for a lot of fancy electronics? Informed opinions welcome Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markstuk Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 great basses, buy second hand unless you like throwing money away... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisheth Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 [quote name='markstuk' timestamp='1487518238' post='3240394'] great basses, buy second hand unless you like throwing money away... [/quote] For Ibanez stuff, this is a good rule of thumb, they're insanely good value used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markstuk Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ibanez-SR1200-Premium-SR-Bass-Guitar-/152431802351?hash=item237da4b7ef%3Ag%3Ap3oAAOSwr%7ElYnaU2&_trkparms=pageci%253A9b367448-f6d6-11e6-9daa-74dbd18053f3%257Cparentrq%253A57c536ed15a0a2a2168d05f0fff32949%257Ciid%253A5 See what this goes for ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassrockbob Posted February 19, 2017 Author Share Posted February 19, 2017 [quote name='markstuk' timestamp='1487531376' post='3240528'] [url="http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ibanez-SR1200-Premium-SR-Bass-Guitar-/152431802351?hash=item237da4b7ef%3Ag%3Ap3oAAOSwr%7ElYnaU2&_trkparms=pageci%253A9b367448-f6d6-11e6-9daa-74dbd18053f3%257Cparentrq%253A57c536ed15a0a2a2168d05f0fff32949%257Ciid%253A5"]http://m.ebay.co.uk/...9%257Ciid%253A5[/url] See what this goes for ? [/quote] Blimey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markstuk Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 [quote name='bassrockbob' timestamp='1487532398' post='3240555'] Blimey. [/quote] There's also another one here... I suspect they'll go for less than £600.. Less if you make a cash and dash offer... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ibanez-SR-1200-Premium-Bass-Guitar-/322426313596 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jezzaboy Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 I have a SR750 and it is a cracking bass. Cost me £735 ish. Better than any Fender I have played. Mine has Norstrand designed pickups and they are fantastic so I imagine the Norstrand made ones on the SR1300 will be better. But it`s true about the 2nd hand value of Ibbys. Have you had a look at Cort basses? They manufacture most of the Ibanez basses and are very good value. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvin Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 'Tis true, Ibby's lose value quicker than a Gary Glitter record collection . Criminal really as they're incredibly well made. If you can get a s/h one you'd get a bargain. I'm currently lusting after an SR1400 in blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mykesbass Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 Haven't been able to find it again, but somewhere there is a demo of the 1205 - those Nordstrands and the pre-amp have given me the only case of bass GAS I've had since getting my Shuker in 2012! But, as already pointed out, these basses have worse depreciation than a Maserati Quattroporte. Buy off the marketplace here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassrockbob Posted February 19, 2017 Author Share Posted February 19, 2017 Thanks for the responses - I hadn't considered second-hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowhand_mike Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 well worth the money, even brand new, the build quility is that good, the nordstrand big singles are great sounding pickups and the necks are a dream. you cant go wrong new or used. (i went new but then i have no intention of moving this one on) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lw. Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 Out of those three I'd go for the American Standard - they're great instruments, real quality in feel and sound. Whilst the Ibanez would undoubtedly be a nice bass, as others have said; I'd only ever buy a used one. Their value plummets as soon as you leave the shop as unfortunately they're just not really seen as a premium brand. Depends what you want it for I guess, if it has a sound you like & you're not interested in re-sale value then the Ibanez would be a nice bass to have. But I've never thought of Ibanez basses having a particular sound (unlike the other two) & when I've seen other people using them I've never thought "I need one of those in my life!". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ead Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 Deffo buy pre-loved. I've just acquired a 1991 SR1500 one of the early MIJ Prestige models for a few hundred £s, very well put together and still fully functional despite having been gigged a fair amount. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markstuk Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 [quote name='Lw.' timestamp='1487592987' post='3240951'] Out of those three I'd go for the American Standard - they're great instruments, real quality in feel and sound. Whilst the Ibanez would undoubtedly be a nice bass, as others have said; I'd only ever buy a used one. Their value plummets as soon as you leave the shop as unfortunately they're just not really seen as a premium brand. Depends what you want it for I guess, if it has a sound you like & you're not interested in re-sale value then the Ibanez would be a nice bass to have. But I've never thought of Ibanez basses having a particular sound (unlike the other two) & when I've seen other people using them I've never thought "I need one of those in my life!". [/quote] I think the OP likes the neck profile and string spacing on the SRs . I had a sr765 for a while and for the money was astonishing.. an SR with nordstrand big singles would be immense... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassrockbob Posted February 20, 2017 Author Share Posted February 20, 2017 [quote name='jezzaboy' timestamp='1487533332' post='3240579'] I have a SR750 and it is a cracking bass. Cost me £735 ish. Better than any Fender I have played. Mine has Norstrand designed pickups and they are fantastic so I imagine the Norstrand made ones on the SR1300 will be better. But it`s true about the 2nd hand value of Ibbys. Have you had a look at Cort basses? They manufacture most of the Ibanez basses and are very good value. [/quote] I hadn't considered Cort at all, but that A4ULTRA at Richard Guitars looks a stunner - the black hardware is classy. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naetharu Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 As someone who was in your position around 18 months ago I'll chip in with my 2-cents: The Ibanez basses are very nice quality for what they cost and if you really like the smaller body and thin neck then they're a great choice. I personally don't think there is a massive difference between the lower and higher end models. I looked at them all and ended up with an SR-300 which feels just as good as the premium range to play at least to me, and cost me a tiny fraction of the cost. The big difference in price is the type of wood for the body - you'll get pretty looking exotic woods in natural finishes on the pricey models. They look wonderful but they're not going to make a massive difference to playing the bass. The cheap SR-300 ones have nice maple bodies that sound wonderful anyhow. And then there is the hardware, which will be 3rd party with possible phase/mid-boost switches on the more expensive. However, I would say that the Ibanez own brand soap-bars sound great on the cheaper ones, and the quality of the on-board electronics is very good. The three-band EQ really works and the pots all have a nice natural range. Not trying to convince you to avoid an expensive one of course; they are no doubt wonderful instruments. However, if you're on a budget (I know you have £1000, but then I don't know if you would benefit from pedals/amps/cab upgrades too) then don't dismiss trying the cheaper Ibanez basses too. You might be rather surprised. The jump from the GSR-200 to the SR-300 is quite a leap. The other thing I would point you to is Maruszczyk if you're after something a bit more toward the £1000 end of things. This was the direction I ended up goin for my main bass, simply because they were happy to build me an instrument that was exactly what I wanted. They're very easy to deal with, and they'll pretty much accommodate anything you can think of for a very reasonable price. I ended up with a Jazz-style bass, but with 24-frets, a zero fret, a music-man style humbucker in the bridge and 9mm single in the neck, Delano pre-amp and some lovely cosmetic touches, a neck that was exactly how I like it, and all for a price that was less than an off-the-shelf fender. For reference, this was the bass that Maruszczyk made me. I've honestly never had GAS for anything since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rikki_Sixx Posted February 24, 2017 Share Posted February 24, 2017 That [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Maruszczyk[/font][/color] is lovely Naetharu! I had no idea they'd build something so custom for that kind of price, it's lower than I expected! I don't know much about [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Maruszczyk, but that's a gorgeous instrument.[/font][/color] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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