Ibanez Owners Club

[triplebass]

2 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

There has been a mod on the preamp. The original model (which I have), has a 3 band parametric EQ  which gives you 6 controls - Bass / Treble / Q / Freq, volume, balance and a preamp bypass switch. Powered by 2 AA batteries it is a bit useless. Well worth a grand though.

Later models have the same preamp which is the one from all the premium ones, which gives you Bass / mid / treble, volume, blend, frequency switch and bypass. Well worth a grand.

Whatever version it is , its well worth a grand.

 

Difference is - the new one is the 5005OL

and the old one is the 5005E

Ignore the colour variations - they are both the same

 

Thanks for the info! I think it’s the E model, it looks like 4 knobs and a grey switch on the photo and no battery compartment on the back.

Waiting for a tryout date, fingers crossed..

[Woodinblack]

19 minutes ago, triplebass said:

Thanks for the info! I think it’s the E model, it looks like 4 knobs and a grey switch on the photo and no battery compartment on the back.

Yes, the batteries are in a container under the normal electronics.  that is the model I have although I have replaced the preamp as it was faulty, so I put a glockenklang in there, but if it is working it is fine.

They are great basses - rather heavy but that much wenge is never going to be featherlight!. 

[horrorshowbass]

https://reverb.com/item/40288033-ibanez-sr300eb-ca-4-strings-bass-candy-apple-red-with-gigbag-3557gr

 

Serious value, quite tempted

[Killed_by_Death]

 

There are 3 iterations of the SR5005E, according their BOM lists on their parts page:

I had a fun time comparing the 01 & 02 versions & found the difference was the shape of the controls-cavity cover, LOL!

So they changed the routing. That's as far as I compared, there are also 4 iterations of the SR5005OL (non-E).

From their main page, you can go to Support & Parts Lookup to see the BOM of almost everything.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

 

One of the things I have enjoyed about Ibanez was their online support, but that is falling apart now, they took down their wiring diagrams URL a few months ago & the link to it is gone from their site:

http://www2.ibanez.com/support/wiringdiagrams

 

[Woodinblack]

9 hours ago, Killed_by_Death said:

 

One of the things I have enjoyed about Ibanez was their online support, but that is falling apart now, they took down their wiring diagrams URL a few months ago & the link to it is gone from their site:

http://www2.ibanez.com/support/wiringdiagrams

 

Disappointing. Mind you from here there site was always a mess, hard to find information on specific models etc (my no.1 bass is not on their site and it is definitely an ibanez!)

The catalogues are useful though. Hope they stay there, although it would be better if you could order parts. Support in the UK has always been patchy, which considering their size is hard to fathom.

[Marc S]

I just posted a belated NBD - but I thought I'd add the pics (again) and my thoughts on being a "returning Ibanez owner"
Got myself an SR 505 recently, I used to own the 4 string SR 500 years ago, and I liked that bass at the time.
Since then, I also owned an Ibanex acoustic bass - but my son loved that so much, I gave it to him

In my efforts to fall for 5 strings, I also had a not often seen Mikro 5 string... I liked that bass, but the strings were a tad too close for my right hand
So in short, I was looking for a 5'er which was lightweight and had a narrow-ish, shallow-ish neck, but which had wide enough string spacing at the bridge (Fussy old so-and-so eh?)

On my return to the Ibby fan club, I have to say - this bass ticks all the boxes. So far, I'm enjoying playing it a lot. Whether I'll gig with it all the time (when we can get back to gigging) is another matter - but I want to have a 5'er as an option. I'm loving the feel of the neck, the light weight, the build quality, the finish, the sound and the control over EQ options. I also like the fact that this bass will work without a battery  - something my 4 string version didn't (as I found out just prior to a gig!)

So maybe it's just a common old SDGR 505 - but this is my favourite 5 string yet  

[Woodinblack]

The 505 is a good solid bass, had one a long time ago, and the only thing I didn't like was the colour.

[jazzburger]

On 15/08/2020 at 09:58, Silvia Bluejay said:

 

My cheap but very cheerful SR375E.

 

Edit: more pics HERE.

This is a SEXY machine

[jazzburger]

Hi, I thought I'd sneak in here as the new and very happy owner of a GSRM20 - a diddy Mikro Bass.  I have the walnut flat one and I've made no changes to it (yet).  Not that I'm a bass-modder or even a particularly talented bass-player.  I just love quiet electronics - which for £159 I did not get and did not expect.

It's a lovely little thing and it encourages me to play Herbie Hancock stuff that I thought I couldn't play.  This and the Zoom B1on pedal that I got on eBay are two things I should have bought 10 years ago.

[Marc S]

9 minutes ago, jazzburger said:

Hi, I thought I'd sneak in here as the new and very happy owner of a GSRM20 - a diddy Mikro Bass.  I have the walnut flat one and I've made no changes to it (yet).  Not that I'm a bass-modder or even a particularly talented bass-player......

Hi @jazzburger as per my post above, I had the 5 string version of the Ibanez Mikro bass, and I was pleasantly surprised at just how good it was.
Good quality construction, good finish, and the B string was particularly well defined and nice & "deep" sounding - which really surprised me.
The bridge was pretty heavy duty too, and I wouldn't have changed that. Same re the tuners.... Perhaps I would have only changed the control knobs, which were a bit light & "plasticky" feeling.

I had played a 4 string Mikro, and that convinced me to buy a 5 string. If the string spacing hadn't been a tad too close for my clumsy fingers - Then I would have kept it.
Anyhow, enjoy your Mikro, they're great little instruments  

[jazzburger]

Just now, Marc S said:

Hi @jazzburger as per my post above, I had the 5 string version of the Ibanez Mikro bass, and I was pleasantly surprised at just how good it was.
Good quality construction, good finish, and the B string was particularly well defined and nice & "deep" sounding - which really surprised me.
The bridge was pretty heavy duty too, and I wouldn't have changed that. Same re the tuners.... Perhaps I would have only changed the control knobs, which were a bit light & "plasticky" feeling.

I had played a 4 string Mikro, and that convinced me to buy a 5 string. If the string spacing hadn't been a tad too close for my clumsy fingers - Then I would have kept it.
Anyhow, enjoy your Mikro, they're great little instruments  

Hi Marc, I saw a YouTube demo of the 5-string and I loved it.  I'm just not sure I'd get the use out of a 5-string.  The string spacing on the 4-string seems to suit me perfectly.  I read about flimsy control knobs before I bought the Mikro but these feel really solid and smooth and that was a nice surprise.

[dave moffat]

Finally got my now fretless back last week

[jazzburger]

8 hours ago, dave moffat said:

Finally got my now fretless back last week

The fretted is drop-dead gorgeous. It looks shorter than the fretless - hoptical hillusion?

[dave moffat]

3 hours ago, jazzburger said:

The fretted is drop-dead gorgeous. It looks shorter than the fretless - hoptical hillusion?

Yeah, even just sitting on their stands the fretless looks longer but I've had the tape measure out and they're exactly the same.

The fretted was the 'ah feck it' purchase that got me into this whole bass thing in the first place. I'm still trying to become good enough to do it justice.

[Killed_by_Death]

 

Those PowerSpan pickups are the best OEM pickups Ibanez has used since the PFR (Passive Full-Range) that they put in the SRX (SR eXtreme):

 

[Sarah5string]

I've got a SR505 5 string which I LOVE and plays wonderfully, plus an electric which was a birthday present and I wanted because it was just beautiful. I don't even play guitar very well

Ignore the top two, they're a Dean and Jackson! 

[Killed_by_Death]

 

My last guitar was a similar RG with a roasted Maple neck:

I've since forsaken guitar, I was having difficulty enough with just 1 instrument, LOL!

My current two basses:

[Woodinblack]

I have an ibanez SA. Not great but not bad, not something I use much, and I also have a gibson and a few others, mostly I play the indie. Always wanted an RG, but not much poiunt when you dont play it much. And I do have a yamaha RG, which is a copy!

[PaulThePlug]

Another GSR .. Black wearing Rounds, to join the Walnut wearing Flats...

Edited May 17, 2021 by PaulThePlug

[itu]

Like sisters.

[Naigewron]

Couldn't keep my finger away from the "Buy now" button any longer. In a week's time, this little baby should be arriving at my house.

I only have one bass at the moment (a Sandberg), which feels a little risky when gigging. So rather than having two basses that cover the same ground, I figured it was better to go for something completely different.

And it's travel-friendly too 😁

[Cliff Edge]

Well that’s better. 
Just installed a pair of Nordstrand Big Singles into my SR900, still using the original preamp. 
Made a big difference to the sound. Much cleaner, punchy and responsive using LaBella Deep Talkin Flats. It’s now a joy to play. 
Very happy about that

[tom1946]

I bought an Ibanez SRMD200 Mezzo with a maple board in Tango Orange and to say I'm very impressed would be an understatement! Very light and very powerful with a heck of a bottom end.

I'm so happy with with it that I bought another one in blue, equally amazing.

This:

https://www.dv247.com/en_GB/GBP/Ibanez-SRMD200-Mezzo-Sapphire-Blue-Metallic-/art-BAS0010383-000?campaign=GShopping/GB&ProgramUUID=5G_AqJarZwoAAAFl0FZyjI8V&gclid=CjwKCAjwoNuGBhA8EiwAFxomAwkhGfURLk8JlW2G80bHzNcSQWr7-I6M3jWHaZ-sRfgWBYWlpE5Y2RoCAdwQAvD_BwE

[biro]

On 05/05/2021 at 15:01, Woodinblack said:

There has been a mod on the preamp. The original model (which I have), has a 3 band parametric EQ  which gives you 6 controls - Bass / Treble / Q / Freq, volume, balance and a preamp bypass switch. Powered by 2 AA batteries it is a bit useless. Well worth a grand though.

Later models have the same preamp which is the one from all the premium ones, which gives you Bass / mid / treble, volume, blend, frequency switch and bypass. Well worth a grand.

 

 

I have the version powered by the two AA batteries. I have no idea why they made that choice, but I will say that I really don't think it's useless. Incidentally, I think somebody on Talkbass did try to see how it worked and they found out that there is some op amp trickery which jacks up the voltage. I would agree that it requires some more extreme adjustments compared to an average pre, but I think that's also its charm. Also, it works extremely well in cut mode, which, I find, is a weakness of most preamps I have tried. In comparison, I think the preamp on the Premiums is okay-ish—I really don't like how the high frequency has been set. At any rate, I really don't like onboard preamps that much anymore. There are a number of other solutions that work better, especially post-tracking, so I don't worry too much about it. 

Another important point is that the Barts on that bass really require some adjusting to. First, they need to be set much, much closer to the strings than you would a different pick up—really, EMG distances: 2.5 to 2mm depressing the strings at the last fret works well. Second, they really shine when they are not blended 50/50. Although I think that tone, too, is quite good, the phase cancellation is really significant. In terms of working well in a mix, the 5005 really has no comparison among my basses. The SR30th5pII Premium I have works well too, but the Nordies generally require some additional work.