Ibanez SR500F

Thin, fast, 5-piece SR4 neck crafted of wenge and bubinga
Sculpted mahogany body
Rosewood fretboard with oval abalone markers or maple fretboard with black dot inlays
24 medium frets
Accu-Cast B20 bridge
Bartolini MK1-4 neck pickup
Bartolini MK1-4 bridge pickup
Black chrome hardware with black pickups
Volume knob and blend knob
Bartonini MK1 active 3-band EQ

UTILIZATION

This bass is incredibly easy to play. Due to the setup and string spacing, it excels equally at fingerstyle, tap, slap and pop, and picking techniques. It is very lightweight, and balances well sitting or standing. The fit and finish are great on it, and the controls are laid out in an ergonomic, yet logical fashion.

SOUNDS

The versatility and richness of the sounds available on this bass give it a 10 in my book. Acoustically, the bass is very loud and bright. But the pickups and controls can shape the tone in so many ways - it has a 3 band EQ, as well as a pickup blend. These Bartolinis pick up every nuance of your playing, very accurately. If you are a bad player, this bass will tell you that. Conversely, if you are a great player, this bass will reward your hard work with a fantastic representation of what you are playing, and you can shape that tone however you like.

OVERALL OPINION

This Soundgear series bass is a winner in my book. I've been a big fan of the Soundgear series in general since they came out, but this model in particular is a hit. I am a guitar/bass instructor full time, and I get my pick of whatever bass in the store to play during a bass lesson. 9 times out of 10, I like to pick this bass up, as it is a dream to play, and always sounds good in my lessons. Highly recommended.