Ibanez SR300e

[Tokalo]

Sound Quality    3/5

Very bright, especially with the d’Addario EXLs it came with. I upgraded the strings to some Elixirs, but it was hard not to notice that with both sets of strings, the pickups are sensitive to high frequency harmonics, giving a kind of “halo” effect. Sometimes, it can even sound like you’ve got a chorus pedal on, and I had to uninstall my strap locks because if they moved in their sockets, the pickups would ring out.

On the plus side, the 3-band EQ gives you loads of variety and control, and along with the sweep between two humbuckers you really have a wide range of sounds to play with. If you don't want a humbucker sounds, there's a  switch which gives you the option to change either/both pickups single coil or enhanced single coil.

 

Reliability/Durability       4/5

My first impression when the bass arrived was that the neck was slightly offset - that is, looking from the front, the E string was closer to the top edge of the fretboard than the G string was to the bottom, allowing for the varying thickness of the string itself. GAK were great, and quickly sent a replacement bass, which was fine. (I noticed a similar problem in photos of one or two other SR300Es I had looked at, so I'm not sure if this is an issue with the neck pocket on cheaper Ibanez basses?).

Despite being played weekly, I’ve got to say the bass still has an immaculate appearance – I’m pleased that there’s no sign of any knocks, dents or even scratches, so the finish seems quite robust, and the 5-piece jazz neck feels solid and plays really fast (and it looks lovely too!). The bridge is bulky enough, and you can load strings from the side, so there’s no need to thread them through holes. The tuners are Ibanez standard, and maybe they would benefit from being upgraded to a higher ratio if this bass is used for gigging.

 

Price/Value        5/5

It seems to me this is an outstanding bass for just over £200 new, even with upgrades to new strings and possibly tuners.

 

General Comments

I bought the SR300e 9 months ago, after about 2½ years of playing. I already had a battered old entry-level Spector NS2000, and had added a used Squier VM Jaguar out of curiosity. I quickly realised that the narrowness and playability of the Squier neck vastly increased the pleasure of playing bass, so wanted to change the Spector (42mm nut width) for bass with a jazz neck. I also wanted a second bass for my main (rockier) band - the Squier has TI flats, which sound great in my church band, and I didn't want to ruin such glorious strings by whacking them with a pick every week.

 The first thing you notice is that it is so light, and it's hard to imagine a more comfortable profile. You get so many different sounds from all the pickup/EQ permutations – it easily fitted in with the Coldplay/U2-type numbers my band plays.

 I reckon GHS Pressurewounds are the perfect string for this bass. They seem to give the bass a power boost, and at the same time minimise the string noise. With the Pressurewounds, the SR300E feels like a serious bass with plenty of character. A veritable bargain.