Ibanez Owners Club

[Sibob]

1 hour ago, Ed_S said:

 

If it's a close enough comparison to be any use, I have a 2021 made SR305eb and I'm quite happy with it for the money. The woodwork, frets and finishing seem to be at about the same level of finesse as on my SR506e, the stock tuners are solid and the powerspan pickups and electronics work effectively and sound good in their own right.

 

The worst thing for me was the B125 (so B120 for the 4 strings?) bridge which had a couple of issues...

 

 - some of the grub screws for action adjustment kept working loose so a couple of the saddles would eventually hit the deck after playing for a while - fixable with some thread-lock, but irritating.

 

 - the intonation screws don't pass all way through the body of the saddles (like they would through the barrels on a BBOT, for example) so if you need to really pull a saddle back, you can find that you're at the extent of the available adjustment unless you get a shorter intonation screw from somewhere - or grab a hacksaw. Similarly, if you need to really push a saddle forward, you're never sure when it's about to come off the end of the screw. I set mine up with Warwick Red 45/65/85/105/135s and had both situations happen. Again, fixable with a couple of 50p packs of screws from Amazon, but...

 

As soon as I knew I was keeping it, I bought mine a B305 bridge which solves both of those issues but was only available in cosmo black, so that prompted me to change the tuners, knobs and straplocks to match. I've just totted up the invoices and it owes me £395 all-in, but I find that completely acceptable for the end result; it looks quite classy and I'm confident it'll be a really solid backup when I get back out and gigging.

 

Suitability for metal: confirmed

Thanks for that, really helpful.

Noted on the bridge, I imagine that might effect me due to the low tuning.

 

Cheers

Si

[Paolo85]

2 hours ago, Cliff Edge said:

I’ve had TI Jazz Flats on my SR900. They played really nice, and I got the neck pretty much flat. But they didn’t sound as good as LaBella DTB flats which I’ve been using forever on other basses. YMMV of course. 

Many thanks! I think I'll try that next time. I have TI flats on my other two basses and I love them (at the same time, I agree that LaBella flats sound better especially for the purpose of sounding like flats proper.. if only they were low tension!)

By the way on that I have to report that I have put some TI Jazz on, but rounds. Playability is incredible. I had to add a bit of relief, but this is more than offset by the low tension of the strings (maybe they are the lowest thension strings on the market?).

At the same time, there is some buzz if I dig in hard (I rarely do). Also G is .043 and E is .089. For as good as the strings can be, this is noticeable. They sound surprisingly aggressive and maybe not "full" enough. I would not buy them again. But given the cost, I'll let them age a bit and see if they get better.

Overall I would say the work well for an Ibanez (G)SR, however, as long as that's the sort of strings one is looking for. Maybe if I was playing metal, as I was many many years ago, and I was chiefly concerned with speed and coming out in the mix given that the guitar covers it all, they would be perfect.

[2pods]

Don't know if any of you Gentlemen (and Ladies) fancy letting any of your 4 string Ibby Premiums in trade for a Helix Rack and matching foot controller + some money my way ?

 

Looking for very good condition, low action.

Wouldn't have normally asked here directly, but I've made an derrière of my advert in the "For Sale", and it says trades can't be asked for in the "Wanted" section.

 

Feel free to remove it, if it's against the rules.

TIA

[Paolo85]

Hi all, I have just noticed on Andertons that the Ibanez SRH505fl is marked as "limited run". That's probably a dumb question but.. should I assume Ibanez will discontinue the 5 string?

Thanks!

[Woodinblack]

You should assume that Ibanez will discontinue everything, as they do quite often. However, they normally have something the same but different available when they do.

[Paolo85]

1 hour ago, Woodinblack said:

You should assume that Ibanez will discontinue everything, as they do quite often. However, they normally have something the same but different available when they do.

Thanks!

[Paolo85]

9 hours ago, Paolo85 said:

Hi all, I have just noticed on Andertons that the Ibanez SRH505fl is marked as "limited run". That's probably a dumb question but.. should I assume Ibanez will discontinue the 5 string?

Thanks!

 

Right, so I have checked with Andertons and it looks like it was marked as limited edition by mistake

[Sibob]

Cheeky little SR300E in Iron Pewter on the way, found one for a good price.

Also ordered some La Bella DT54 strings, so it should sit down in C# nicely.

 

Excited to explore some METAL with it for the first time in about 10 years .
I do wish they made their Iron Label SR in a 4 string, that would be great.

 

Si

[uncle psychosis]

Looking forward to joining the club tomorrow after some advice from @fretmeister...

 

😇

[Buddster]

My BTB 780CM

My first bass I bought about 10 years ago. Nice bass, but doesn't get played so much as now preferring the SR/jazz sized neck. 

Never seen another for sale, do Ibanez do limited runs of these basses? 

 

[Sibob]

3 hours ago, Buddster said:

My BTB 780CM

My first bass I bought about 10 years ago. Nice bass, but doesn't get played so much as now preferring the SR/jazz sized neck. 

Never seen another for sale, do Ibanez do limited runs of these basses? 

 

From what I gather they like their ‘Workshop’ limited runs, and separately, also seem to change out their lines fairly frequently.

That said, I don’t know enough about Ibanez to know about yours i’m afraid.

 

I did note that you can’t seem to buy a stock BTB 4 string anymore?! All 5’s and 6’s.

 

Si

[Sibob]

SR300E arrived, went off for setup and came back today.

Very impressed with it for the price, and it has set up beautifully in drop C#, strung with La Bella DT54’s.

If this band project goes well, I’ll perhaps look to swap the pickups and pre for something Bartolini, but for now, while we’re testing the waters with the project, the stock ones are perfectly passable.

 

 

 

Si

Edited May 5, 2022 by Sibob

[crazycloud]

I have a bunch of Ibanez basses, but most are packed for the move so no pics - the old ones are on the server which is in a crate.

 

I have an SR256, SR806, SR370 (to be sold as I don't play 4s much now), SRC6 and a BTB845v. I had a Blazer up until recently but sold it and have owned a whole lot of others including Musicians and several old Roadstars of the mid/late 80s. There's another likely incoming too but I'll post when I get it.

 

The SRs are by far my go to brand/model of bass and don't honestly understand the love for the classic Fender and other early bass designs which I find ergonomically unsatisfying and about as attractive as a Soviet era Trabant.

 

A MS in the form of an SRMS805/6 or an EHB might be in the future but I haven't tried one so it's an idea in my head, yet to be proven in my hands.

 

If an early BTB1826 with the 9pce neck fell into my hands at the right price, I wouldn't say no, though I don't need it.

Edited May 7, 2022 by crazycloud

[PaulThePlug]

36 minutes ago, crazycloud said:

The SRs are by far my go to brand/model of bass and don't honestly understand the love for the classic Fender and other early bass designs which I find ergonomically unsatisfying and about as attractive as a Soviet era Trabant.

Love the SR Worn Pebble Body Shape... Love the SR Neck... Evoloution not Reveloution... Got an SR600

 

But without the P (body) and J (neck) it wouldn't be here...

 

I also likes the Classics, and Classics with a twist, hence my Bitsas... Form n Function... Beetle & Trabant... Triumph Tiger Cub... Vespa...

Edited May 7, 2022 by PaulThePlug

[horrorshowbass]

The SR neck profile is amazing. My SR2400 is slightly more beefy than my 600 but feels so good in the hands.

[crazycloud]

50 minutes ago, PaulThePlug said:

But without the P (body) and J (neck) it wouldn't be here...

Leo did some basic engineering and then some clever marketing. It's not like he invented life from inorganic compounds. There are only so many shapes you can make a bass that it's comfortable and playable, he just developed that off Tutmarc before him. The rest is nothing special, it was just the first to be popular. Somebody else would have come along and done similar sooner or later.

51 minutes ago, PaulThePlug said:

I also likes the Classics, and Classics with a twist, hence my Bitsas... Form n Function... Beetle & Trabant... Triumph Tiger Cub... Vespa...

Pass on all of them thanks, unless the Beetle, original not the hideous recent one, has been substantially modified. Cheap Japanese scooters are way better rides than Vespas.

[Obrienp]

1 hour ago, crazycloud said:

Leo did some basic engineering and then some clever marketing. It's not like he invented life from inorganic compounds. There are only so many shapes you can make a bass that it's comfortable and playable, he just developed that off Tutmarc before him. The rest is nothing special, it was just the first to be popular. Somebody else would have come along and done similar sooner or later.

Pass on all of them thanks, unless the Beetle, original not the hideous recent one, has been substantially modified. Cheap Japanese scooters are way better rides than Vespas.

I have had these thoughts myself. The same with tone/sound of the bass (and the same applies to guitars). We like the look and feel of the “classic” instruments because that is what we have grown up with: the sound of blues, Jazz, rock and roll, etc. The trailblazers played what they could get hold of/was available at the time and that has become the “classic” accepted tone and by extension, the instruments (amps, etc) that produced it. 

[Paolo85]

While I do love Frnder designs (more than Ibanez's for the most part) I was thinking/wondering whether the Ibanez SR design is the only design that is now a standard, seen in the hands of tons of people and copied by others (eg some ESP, Cort) that does not come from Leo Fender. I may be totally wrong (eg forgetting other designs that are as succesful, or maybe Ibanez got the broad shape of the SR from something else)

[crazycloud]

1 hour ago, Obrienp said:

I have had these thoughts myself. The same with tone/sound of the bass (and the same applies to guitars). We like the look and feel of the “classic” instruments because that is what we have grown up with: the sound of blues, Jazz, rock and roll, etc. The trailblazers played what they could get hold of/was available at the time and that has become the “classic” accepted tone and by extension, the instruments (amps, etc) that produced it. 

Agreed for the most part, but although I knew a lot of the history when I started, the instruments and players I looked to were using Spectors, Steinbergers, Ibanez Musicians and Alembics. Though I respect and admire say Jamerson, if he were starting in the 80s when I did, would he use the gear he did? I don't know, but maybe not.

 

Basses are different to me aesthetically compared to cars. Whilst I think a 68 Mustang looks cool (because Bullitt, and more because McQueen could actually drive) a 2020 Camry has better performance, braking and handling. The 68 would be a great weekender to pose around in, but the Camry would be taking me hundreds of thousands of km.

 

Because Leo made the first popular electric basses in the 50's doesn't mean we need to play them today or idolise them. I've never been told in 40y I need to pay a Fender or similar and especially live, tone is overrated. I have a day job so I don't depend on income from playing, so if a BL is going to be an asshat about it when I bring an SR370, they can find someone else as it's a modest looking bass. If the FOH guy wants me to use a P, then he should learn how to do his job better, not expect me to play a bass I find uncomfortable because he can't be bothered to dial it in.

 

PS: I have a family friend who's a well known bassist and played with some huge acts based out of LA and Nashville. He's always used his custom 4 that looks far more like an F Bass than a Fender.

Edited May 7, 2022 by crazycloud

[2pods]

I love the SR body shape and the fantastic necks, but ISTR maybe 80's 90's, they had a smaller body and more of a "broom handle" neck that I liked as well.

 

In fact there was a red one on here a while back, SR800LE in red. Mine was black.

Again, another casualty of the trade in 

 

Fenders have never really been my thing (though I love their guitars).

[Wilco]

I have two SR Premiums as per my signature.

 

I’ve just taken delivery of a Boss WL-50, & the transmitter does not fit in the jack socket recess. 🤦🏼‍♂️🙄

 

I’m guessing I would have the same problem with the Line 6 G10sii?

 

My Line 6 G30 transmitter has failed, so I could always buy a replacement. 

 

Before I do, thought I would ask what other wireless systems people use with their SR’s? (my Spector has active pickups, & not all wireless systems can deal with those, so I need to cover that too).

[PaulThePlug]

Same with the SR's and the Vox-Amp type plugs... make a short 12" plug to socket lead and then fix the Tx to the strap... a lot less likely to get a knock and broken...

[Woodinblack]

2 hours ago, Wilco said:

Before I do, thought I would ask what other wireless systems people use with their SR’s? (my Spector has active pickups, & not all wireless systems can deal with those, so I need to cover that too).

 

I use a smooth hound normally, but it seems to have gone missing, so I am using my cheap chinese 5GHz dongles at the moment. They fit but awkwardly, although it isn't an issue for me as I run a short cable from the bass to the backbeat which has the wireless on it. Before the backbeat I ran a short cable to an adapter which my wireless plugged into. I don't really like having them hanging out of the bass..

[Woodinblack]

Interestingly, I played the TMB-35 at a gig the other day, and it is one we recorded, both in video and straight from the desk (ie, the individual tracks).

I went to do a video for the internet picked a track and started mixing hte audio. I noticed that the beginning of the track (the track was she, so it was bass and drums), there was clicking that meant it was hard to use without a lot of edting to get rid of (and it was really hard to get rid of it). I assumed it was the cheap chinese dongles, mentioned in the above post, so while I was faffing around, I thought maybe its just easier to rerecord the intro where it shows up most (its in other bits but don't realy notice in the mix).

So I took the TMB-35, connected a lead to my U-Phoria audio interface into logic and rerecorded it.

Listening to the recording that I had just done, it had pretty well the same clicking. Its like a dropout or something, but this is done on different interfaces on other machines (and I tried other basses at home with the same equipment, they didn't do it).

The intro to She is probably a bit different as I am using a pick, which I don't normally use much, and it seems to be present in big transients so I thought maybe pickup contact, but it does happen at other less loud parts.

 

I guess I need to shield it and replace the electronics (it has very bad pots and wiring) but anyone else had that sort of thing?

 

The bass is great for what it is, so it is worth updating it

[cocco]

After what felt like the longest 3 weeks of my life, my BTB605MS arrived on Monday. It's my first multi scale and a bit of a departure from what I usually look for in a bass but my god it's good. 

 

The electronics package is amazing, passive mode is identical to preamp flat. My favourite setting so far is low mids slightly boosted and bridge pickup slightly favoured. The overall tone is super clear and punchy. It's super resonant unplugged too. 

 

Multi scale feels really intuitive, it took next to no getting used to. The 35-37 scale is big, scales around the 3rd fret D are quite a stretch but I'm sure I'll adapt, also it makes the B string enormous.