NBD...ish: Ibanez SRF705

[Witch Hazel]

okay, this is technically not NBD because i've had it for a couple of weeks now, but i didn't want to post too early and jinx it.

 

so, after not really having the chance to do any music due to moving around a few times over the last few years, i've finally settled down and found a local project i might want to get involved with.  but i realised that i don't really love either of my current basses, and i've had my eye on one of these for a while, so... i bought one.

 

 

and i'm glad i did, because i love it.  as well as the two magnetic pickups (Bartolini MK1 - i know not everyone loves these, but they work well here), it has a piezo in the bridge and blending the three pickups gives a pretty good range of tones for a fretless bass.  it's got the lovely thin SR neck, the hardware seems pretty good, and it's on the light side for a 5er (around 8lb).  

 

they're making the fingerboards for these from panga panga now, which i've never heard of before, but it feels good to play and has a pretty pattern to it:

 

 

it came with Chrome flats on, but i put some TI Jazz flats on after reading a few positive reviews, and those sound pretty nice.  they are fairly low tension though, especially the B which is a bit floppy (it's 34" scale) so i don't know if i'll stick with those.

 

any complaints?  i don't love the vol-vol-vol control setup, it's a bit awkward to change the tone and keep the same output level, so i'm wondering about putting a new preamp in with a more sensible control layout and an active-passive switch.  and i wish there were more colours available than brown burst, which is nice enough, but i'd rather have a natural finish.

 

but overall, very pleased with it and i expect this will be my main/only bass now.  i might even sell my SR300E... 

[PaulThePlug]

Nice... a lot of Ibby SR action going on here on Basschat if all sorts n sizes... and rightly so... Loves an SR.

 

As for the Mk1 Barts... l have these on my SR600... they are a Reverse P in a Soap Bar... often not known, or overlooked when comparing to other Soap Bars that are more likely regular type full width humbuckers...

[Witch Hazel]

yes, i didn't even realise that (about the pickups) when i bought it - i thought they were just a soapbar, since they look like soapbars.  i only realised it's a reverse P underneath when i was reading a thread on talkbass.

 

there's a video on YouTube of LowEndLobster replacing them with some Aguilar pickups, but i honestly think it sounds better with the MK1s.  the neck pickup especially has a really nice not-quite-P-bass-but-sort-of tone.

 

i do miss the PowerSpan pickups on the SR300 a bit (switchable humbucker / single coil) and i wonder how this would sound with those on, but i'm not feeling any particular need to change the stock pickups for now.  

 

edit: i did drop John East an email about options for replacing the preamp though.  i'm not sure i want to spend ~£300 on new electrics for a bass i just bought, but i would like a mid control - it only has bass and treble with the stock preamp... 

Edited February 20, 2023 by Witch Hazel

[PaulThePlug]

@Witch Hazel... My latest SR getting a helping hand from a fellow Basschatter.... Might be of interest... What ya think?

 

[Witch Hazel]

i saw that earlier!  looks like a really cool project.  probably a bit more than i want to do with my precious new bass though 😄

 

the active/passive switch was one thing i liked about the East preamp though.  i'd actually like an option for a passive piezo output too, since i have a piezo preamp i use with my fiddle and the piezo on this absolutely devours batteries.  but i'm not sure how feasible that is... 

[2pods]

I'm currently looking for a used 4 string version

I see they've gone up to £999 or thereabouts.

 

I wonder how the new  Panga Panga fingerboard, and Obeche (I think, ) wings jobs, compare to the older Rosewood fingerboard and and Mahogany version.

 

Also, I thought the control arrangement was Piezo volume, Piezo Tone, Barts Volume, Barts Balance, and Bass and Treble for the Barts ?

ISTR an old post somewhere complaining that if the Piezo is being used, either one or both EQ controls didn't work properly ?

Edited February 21, 2023 by 2pods

[tauzero]

VVV along the top row, TBP along the bottom where P is piezo tone.

https://www.ibanez.com/usa/products/detail/srf705_1p_06.html - map of controls is partway down. I had to do a fair bit of setting up when I got mine second-hand, including balancing up the piezos (easy).

 

My EHB1265MS has had the Barts replaced by Aguilars which adds to the clarity, but I'm not sure it would be as good a mod on the fretless. Must have a listen to the crustacean.

[Woodinblack]

I think there was a change at one point, I think it used to be Volume balance piezo volume, but then was changed to volume volume volume.

I had one a while back, great bass but too good for my fretless ability.

 

I think if you changed the system to give active passive switch you might then lose the piezo when you went to passive mode, unless you got creative with the wiring. Or even a john east - I don't think there is one that works with piezos is there?

Bartolini do replacement modules though, so maybe there is something there.

[Witch Hazel]

2 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

I think if you changed the system to give active passive switch you might then lose the piezo when you went to passive mode, unless you got creative with the wiring. Or even a john east - I don't think there is one that works with piezos is there?

 

yeah, i wouldn't expect the piezo to work in passive mode.  John East has a "piezo mag buffer" listed on the website which looks like it's meant to be used with this sort of setup, so i'll see what he says, but from the description it looks like it'd only work in active mode.  i do have an external piezo preamp (which runs off 9V or phantom power), but i'm not sure how you'd be able to wire it up to use that without having two output jacks or something.

 

i'm not too bothered about losing the piezo in passive though.  i'd just like the option to get some sound from it without a battery, especially since the piezo seems to devour batteries.  

 

13 hours ago, 2pods said:

STR an old post somewhere complaining that if the Piezo is being used, either one or both EQ controls didn't work properly ?

 

i also saw someone say that, but it's not that way on mine: with all three pickups on, the bass and treble controls still work fine.  i saw a lot of complaints about early examples of these coming with bad wiring from the factory that caused strange problems, perhaps the eq not working properly was a result of that.  or maybe they fixed it in a later revision (mine is 1P-05). 

[Woodinblack]

5 hours ago, Witch Hazel said:

i'm not too bothered about losing the piezo in passive though.  i'd just like the option to get some sound from it without a battery, especially since the piezo seems to devour batteries.  

 

Thats odd - the battery in mine lasted fairly well

[lemmywinks]

The Mk1 pickups are ok, they're usually paired with the Mk1 preamp which is the real weak link however yours has an Ibanez preamp so not surprising it sounds better. I imagine the Mk1 pickups are more suited to a fretless as well, a lot of people buy Ibanez/Cort basses with them in expecting something more modern sounding but those licensed Barts ar emore at home with more traditional tones.