Ibanez SRX705

I had an ESP and was ready for a change so i looked on ebay and found this $900 bass for $450

this bass first off is beautiful. it has a 5 piece body and a three piece neck... with the neck through construction the sustain is great. the active eq and pickups give it any sound you might want. from gospel to metal

the frets are a little small but that just takes getting used to my esp had jumbo and ive had it for 3 years so ya not a big deal

great quality bridge is almost too strong.

great bass for anyone i would suggest not looking at a retail store look on ebay...u might just find a deal...i did!

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Active 5-string bass, made in Korea in all likelihood. Neck through maple and walnut, rosewood fingerboard 24 frets. Ash body.
2 large Ibanez humbuckers.
Electronics: Volume, Balance, active preamp with bass and treble settings (with knobs recreation center). Access to the battery with a dedicated small door, held by two screws.
Hardware: bridge-tailpiece with massive two possible positions for the strings, mechanical oil bath (unsigned, but probably Gotoh).

In total, conventional equipment and sober, but functional.

update of 25/05/04:
see generally agreed about the hardware.
about mechanical, finally they are not that good, I think that these must be copies in Ping rather than real Gotoh ... they are not very accurate at the time of tuning (a little too sensitive for my taste) and need a little tweak to match. on the other hand once settled, they are good agreement, provided that nothing affects them
(Special mention to the cover provided, which maintain good body, but not too much head, so every time I carry it goes out of tune by simple mechanical rubbing on the inside of the bag :-()
I drop a point, I spend 8 to 7

UTILIZATION

The handle is simply superb. It is now well in hand, unlike other Ibanez (or Ergodyne SR), the handle is too thin and flat for my taste. Access to acute without difficulty. The body as the handle is covered with a beautiful clear lacquer not hiding anything from wood figures. The spacing of the strings closer to the standard Fender (Jazz Bass 5-string for example) that low "modern" type Warwick.
Good overall balance, the bass does not sting the nose when it is played up, even with the relatively low.

SOUNDS

A relatively low oriented rock, the sound is solid, the settings are not very complex (micro balance, bass, treble, period). Low to get to the point.
I use it with a Fender amp 100 W and many effects, close its insured, whether the fingers (occasionally) or pick (very often).

update of 25/05/04:
even with the EQ set to "neutral" level of output is much higher than my Jazz bass active ... effect of humbuckers or a miracle of electronics more "modern" than the Fender, in any case it is surprising the first time, be careful if you change the bass of a short set.

OVERALL OPINION

Purchased for 3 days, I will update the notice after two or three months of use. For now, no complaints .. it's all good!
In the spirit, the design is clearly inspired (some would say pumped ...) on a G & L, with some minor re-adjustments to modernize the design (including neck-through).
I hesitated between the Ibanez and G & L Tribute L-2500 which it is based. The Ibanez has won such a crucial point: the handle (that of the G & L is not varnish! Unforgivable for an instrument which aims at least mid-range prices and a still significant).
In the end, an instrument of a truly top quality at a price not too excessive € 835 (prices in Paris in December 2003).

update of 25/05/04:

I now use this bass for 5 months. No complaints, I maintain my view quite positive (I never thought writing this sentence about an Ibanez ... Leo Fender, forgive me!)

just one thing: the knobs (as well as all fittings) are matt chrome originally ... oddly, the volume knob (the only one I use regularly, the balance is blocked the way to the handle and the EQ is in neutral) has become over time simply chrome . The matt is in fact a kind of varnish that bar with the friction of the hand (and yet I sweat not really intensely). Same phenomenon at the bridge on which I frequently asked the hand for the game with a pick ...

It's purely aesthetic as detail, but it's weird to have a different knob the other