Members SoTotally Posted September 8, 2009 Members Share Posted September 8, 2009 Walked in to the store pretty convinced I was going to get an SR300, walked out with the SR500. I could not resist. This thing plays like butter, and I love that natural mahogany stained finish. The 3 band EQ is so freaking great. Perfect. I got them to knock the price down too. Lovin' it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jazz Ad Posted September 8, 2009 Members Share Posted September 8, 2009 Have no regret. The 500 is a way better instrument. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lumpy555 Posted September 8, 2009 Members Share Posted September 8, 2009 I PLAYED THAT BASS THROUGH THE NEW GK 4X10NEO CAB+GK 1001RB,great sounding modern bass,i thinkiam hooked as wellon the ibbeys,especially the japan prestiges!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members poomwah Posted September 8, 2009 Members Share Posted September 8, 2009 that thing is pretty, NICE score. I've always been partial to ibanez myself, the only one I ever had I didnt like is my srx, and its not that I don't like it as much as it doesn't excite me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SoTotally Posted September 9, 2009 Author Members Share Posted September 9, 2009 Have no regret. The 500 is a way better instrument. Thanks man. The things that really sold me, when pitted up against the SR300 and SR400QM 1.) Electronics: The 3 band EQ kicks the living hell out of the stacked 2 band knob and the pick/slap knob or whatever it is on the 300 and 400. The 3 band EQ is very very useful, sounds good in every position, just gives you a ton of options for dialing in the perfect sound for whatever it is you're playing. But even more than that, the electronics on the 300 and 400 were noisy. Just touching the EQ knob you get that static and very noticeable when turning the knob. And I got the same result on 2 or 3 of them. The 500's knobs are dead quiet when turning them. 2.) The Finish: I absolutely love stained wood finish. Bright sparkly colors are cool in their own right I guess, but I've always been a sucker for the color of wood, the look of wood, and I love the Mahogany on this bass. It's very deep red, almost cherry in color. 3.) Pickups/punchiness: This kind of goes along with electronics, but more specifically the Bartolini pickups have way more punch and kick and tone than the pickups in the 300 and 400 series. 4.) Dig the cosmo black hardware. It does wear over the years, but I still like it even when it's worn. I have a 20 year old Ibanez 540SLTD with cosmo black hardware, and sure enough it's worn down where it's been touched most, but it's got charm. 5.) Just played smoother, easier, better. Didn't fight me as much. Barely fights you at all. It just totally blew me away and I couldn't see dropping 300 bucks on something that I knew was a compromise. I'm sure they are very good "for the price", but the SR500 is just plain good. And it looks like a $1000 instrument. Love NBD! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members perrydabassman Posted September 9, 2009 Members Share Posted September 9, 2009 Nice Score! My main stage rig right now is a SR535. It is the best playing 5'er I have laid hands on so far.... Nice finish. You did well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Darkstorm Posted September 9, 2009 Members Share Posted September 9, 2009 Nice bass, congrats. I found the sr300 better for me tone wise. Once the pups are tweaked height wise etc they can create a very focused sound that more reminds me of some high end basses Ive liked from europe. The 2 band plus mid sweep on its also very good imo. Tried sr500, and while nice just didnt speak to me like the 300's tone did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SB900LE Posted September 9, 2009 Members Share Posted September 9, 2009 The 540sltd is the sister guitar to the Ibanez SB900LE bass; also has the cosmo black hardware and thin body. yeah, the finish wears, but doesn't look badly nice score on the SR500 bass!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zachoff Posted September 9, 2009 Members Share Posted September 9, 2009 I actually played one of those tonight when I dropped off my Bassman at a local shop. I have to say that the fretboard was awesome... Fast, smooth, and set up nicely. The thin neck profile, not so awesome. Also didn't love the thin body and contours. I guess I'm used to big assed blocks of wood and baseball bat neck profiles. Just didn't feel substantial enough to me. That's rad you like it though. I definitely see the attraction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SB900LE Posted September 9, 2009 Members Share Posted September 9, 2009 ^ did you plug it in? I think the sound is the best feature, but I like the neck, body, & light weight also. I do have an affinity for more traditional pieces, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zachoff Posted September 9, 2009 Members Share Posted September 9, 2009 ^ did you plug it in? I think the sound is the best feature, but I like the neck, body, & light weight also. I do have an affinity for more traditional pieces, too. No... No, I didn't. If something doesn't feel good unplugged, I rarely do. I'm sure it sounds great. I won't deny that. I just like the feel of a 2 1/2" thick hunk of wood in my hands. That sounded gay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Crescent Seven Posted September 9, 2009 Members Share Posted September 9, 2009 The 500-series is where Ibanez separates their cheap basses from their nice basses, IMO. That's a damn nice bass; when I worked at GuitarX and someone would come in looking for an entry-level bass (we were mostly boutique instruments, mind), I had no problems getting them to pony up a few extra bucks for the 500-series basses, especially for people transitioning from guitar. Usually, they had played the MIM Fenders and Squiers at GC already; once I put an SR500 in their hands, with a real set-up job on it, it was over. C7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SoTotally Posted September 9, 2009 Author Members Share Posted September 9, 2009 The 500-series is where Ibanez separates their cheap basses from their nice basses, IMO. That's a damn nice bass; when I worked at GuitarX and someone would come in looking for an entry-level bass (we were mostly boutique instruments, mind), I had no problems getting them to pony up a few extra bucks for the 500-series basses, especially for people transitioning from guitar. Usually, they had played the MIM Fenders and Squiers at GC already; once I put an SR500 in their hands, with a real set-up job on it, it was over. C7 Good to hear. I'm really loving this thing. I'm super glad I didn't settle for one of the lesser models. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members t3ch Posted September 9, 2009 Members Share Posted September 9, 2009 Congrats, I love those. Have no regret. The 500 is a way better instrument. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BottomHeavyKate Posted September 9, 2009 Members Share Posted September 9, 2009 Congrats! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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