• Not Typical ->

  
  As reviewed by SurferJoe on 1/30/2010

  I sat in the GC Murrietta for a few hours, trying a bunch of basses. I drove the salesman (Jason) crazy with what I wanted, but he finally steered me the right way. I knew it was time to upgrade from the P-Bass. I played CW and Surf for years, and am old-school, so I don't want or need 'pop-slap' and want a clean yet powerful lower end. The SR500 has 'way more than this - it ranks right there with what I wanted - only better! I never had an active system b4, but this is so much better than anything I've ever played. I also bought an Acoustic B450 amp to go with it and the package is 'small-yield nuclear thunder'. Once I got this into my hands I never put it back on the shelf. This bass plays like a US-made Mosrite - it's so easy with fast finger action and no fret buzz. It makes a player sound like they have many years of experience and ability. After reading the other reviews I'm concerned about the ruggedness of the finish, but if it gets bad I'll just paint it Porsche Red and be done with it. Another good point is that for an old guy like me, this bass won't ruin your back with it's weight. The neck is a little longer that my P-Bass, but the thinness makes it feel smaller and it's obviously faster. Where the Fender is top head heavy, this Ibanez is better balanced, and doesn't make the neck strap slide forward all the time. Great electrics keep the side noises down while you can pump whatever freq range(s) you want without stealing from the other areas. All I think I need now is a good compressor and I can do anything! After years of having to tinker with set-ups for necks and bridges, the fact that the SR500 is so good and sweet right from the Japanese factory is very refreshing. Good work Ibanez and for the foresight of not letting this get made in China. I pulled that plastic cheat-sheet from between the knobs as I find the positions and purposes for them are pretty intuitive and make good sense to anyone who plays an instrument anyway.

  18 of 18 people found this review helpful.
  Was this review helpful?
  Thank You for rating this review!

• I Love This Bass

  
  As reviewed by Matt on 1/11/2010

  Like many reviewers, I am an intermediate bass player with about 2 years of experience (although I suspect that at 42, I am older than some of the reviewers). I went to GC with the intent of getting a MIM Fender to upgrade from the entry level Yamaha that I had. My band mate and I agreed that this mahogany beauty blew the Fender out of the water in terms of tone, versatility and looks. I let another bass player (who is in a "real" band) check it out and he was floored by how great this bass sounded. I love this bass and look forward to years of playing it until I hand it down to m future 8 year old bassist!

  18 of 18 people found this review helpful.
  Was this review helpful?
  Thank You for rating this review!

• What An Awesome Bass!

  
  As reviewed by Raj Mangipudi on 11/28/2009

  This bass is truely a work of art! I bought this along with a Markbass 2x10 combo and I can't believe the tone variations possible! The bass booms everywhere on the neck like the original Steinberger polycarbonate bass. The only drawback is the satin chrome bridge and knobs tend to tarnish from the oils on your hand. Ibanez won't warranty the tarnish effect..they say its just like that. I reaplced the hardware with chrome from an older ibanez bass I have and it really stands out under the lights now! This is really a nice bass and not too heavy at all. It's well worth the price minus the tarnish effect.

  6 of 6 people found this review helpful.
  Was this review helpful?
  Thank You for rating this review!

You must be logged in to write a review. Please click here to login.