Ibanez SR250 Electric Bass

Comments about Ibanez SR250 Electric Bass:

I don't want to sound like an elitist, because I'm still really a beginner even after 18+ years of playing bass. But I do want to explain that this is really still an entry level bass. Having said that, here's my thoughts. I picked up one in Candy Apple Red, mainly because I love the black and red color scheme... so much that I also bought a set of DR Black Beauties (BKB-45 set is perfect for Ibanez four-strings) and installed them as soon as I got back from the store. Being an entry level instrument, especially one built in China, there are some minor quality issues to attend to. First off: When you change the strings for the first time, make sure you have a #1 Philips screwdriver and a 15mm socket wrench available. As you remove each string, tighten the wood screw to each tuning machine on the back of the headstock before tightening the nut on the top side. You will definitely notice that these are not tight once you take the string off, if they've never been changed before. After changing each string one at a time, clean away the bits of plastic that the strings file away from the nut. The nut is made of soft ABS plastic, and you may not want it for very long. Your local Guitar Center tech will surely have a good replacement nut for it. The bridge is better looking than your typical barrel-and-bent-plate, but it isn't a huge improvement other than aesthetics. Not completely sold on the neck joint, but hey... it should do the trick for a while. Also, if you're a picker or a plucker rather than a slapper, you're probably going to want to increase the neck relief (loosen the truss rod) to get rid of any fret buzz. Since I'm using mine mainly for slapping, it's almost non-existent. The neck relief on mine measured out to about 0.35mm at the 8th fret, a bit on the low side but within Ibanez's specs, tuned EADG, with factory recommended gauges. Overall, these SR Soundgear basses feel amazing and generally have a great tone to them. For the price, most any SR above a Gio series is a great alternative to a Squier jazz bass. They're all well balanced with a slender, smooth neck, and comfortable to play for hours. This SR250 also has upgraded active electronics. The preamp gives you a much cleaner, quieter tone than the SR200s and lower (Gio) and having a mid cut/boost is especially nice to dial in a good slap tone. I've also grown very fond of having a volume and pickup balance style control, over two volumes or a switch. This lets you capture or avoid the richest harmonics, no matter what key you're playing in.. especially important for capo users. Overall, I'd say that it's a great starter point if you like upgrading things. The tuning machines are not very solid, the nut is garbage, and the bridge is pretty standard issue. But the overall package is worth it if you're prepared to take Quality Control into your own hands. Like I said before, it's Chinese so don't expect a miracle at this price right out of the box.

Comments about Ibanez SR250 Electric Bass:

I bought this bass (pearl white - 4 string) on a whim at my local Guitar Center store. I needed an affordable back-up bass just to get me through a practice that was approaching while my main bass (Warwick Corvette Standard) was out of commission due to some maintenance issues. At the time of purchase, I thought I would only be using this bass a small handful of times and never expected to be so blown away.

I am an experienced bassist that has owned many high-end instruments ranging from Music Mans to Warwicks over the past 10-15 years. This Ibanez absolutely blew me away when I plugged it in. I set both my amp and bass EQ flat, with the exception of the bass and treble knobs dialed to 1 o'clock and instantly had a punchy, growly, flat-out impressive tone. I tend to play more aggressive finger-style and this bass was sounding incredible to me, all with VERY minimal effort to try and seek out a great tone. The neck is thin and the bass is very light, making it a pleasure to play. The simple, active controls allow you to shape many a tone with ease.

Don't be fooled by the price tag and the illusion that this is strictly a bass designed for beginners. This bass can absolutely NOT be beat for the money! I loved it so much I quickly bought the Soda Blue Sunburst model as well.

I never thought I would say this, but this has become my #1 bass. Although you have been great to me over the past 10+ years, goodbye old faithful (and super heavy!) Warwick; you have been replaced.

Buy. This. Bass. You won't regret it.

Comments about Ibanez SR250 Electric Bass:

I walked into guitar center a few weeks ago and i saw this bass in orange. so i picked it up and that fretboard is just amazing. easy for moving around and has a nice tone, even unplugged. i loved it

Comments about Ibanez SR250 Electric Bass:

I bought this bass in person at the Guitar Center in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Normally, I wouldn't choose a white guitar, but it was the only one they had in stock. The white color is actually beautiful and you can't really tell from the pictures. When it's in the light you can see it actually has sparkles in the finish. So this is not just a "white" guitar. Playability is incredibly comfortable and easy. I am predominately an acoustic guitar player and I hadn't picked up a bass in ten years, but I needed to lay down some bass tracks for a new album and didn't have a bass player so I figured I would wing it...and winging it turned out to be SUPER easy with this easy-to-play bass. The tone is fantastic for a bass in this low price range and you have several EQ knobs so you can really shape the sound you are looking for. This bass also has a "bass boost" knob to really fatten it up. I was really surprised with the quality and playability of this instrument. And Guitar Center had actually changed out the stock strings AND did a set-up on it before they even put it out on the floor which saved me $50 right there! The only small complaint I have is that the nine-volt battery died after only a month of playing. On the other hand, I have no idea how many people played this bass before I found it. Great bass for the money.

Comments about Ibanez SR250 Electric Bass:

I just bought this Bass today and it sounds amazing! I recently broke my old Bass and I picked this one up. This Bass is cheaper and by far better then my other one. It has a thin neck so it's more comfortable playing. Great sound the pickups are amazing for stock pickups! As I start playing more shows I'll probably replace them. It holds Drop B+C really well for all of you Slipknot, The Devil Wears Prada, and Suicide Silence fans. And for the Metal fans like myself who enjoy playing Metallica, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, and more... Will love the action and sound you will get out of it! Not much more I can say about it but excellent Bass for the price! This is the Bass for all you intermediates out there with the skill but not the cash.

Comments about Ibanez SR250 Electric Bass:

I'm a guitar player who wants to learn basic bass - enough to speak the language and understand the concepts and even jam a bit. This bass suits that purpose. As a guitarist I own high quality gear. I've even plunked around on really nice bass guitars. I bought this to learn on. I'm always leery about "budget" instruments. But this one surprised me. I really like the feel, the neck, the weight and the sound. I just wish they would have included the documentation and instructions on the controls. It'll do for what I need.

Comments about Ibanez SR250 Electric Bass:

I've owned this bass for about a month now, and I'm really enjoying it. It has a great tone. I also really enjoy the neck. It's very thin and very comfortable. I highly reccomend this bass to any bassist seaking an affordable and excellent quality bass.

Comments about Ibanez SR250 Electric Bass:

It does have a fast neck and very light . I got a lot of fret buzz on the factory strings. And I had to replace them . I put on some DR PURE BLUES and that solved that I do say the factory battery that comes with the pick ups is weak and change that to an lithium from duracell or eveready and that solves that

Comments about Ibanez SR250 Electric Bass:

I picked up a gently used one at my local Guitar Center for 100 less than a new one. It was a lucky find on my part. This bass is pretty nice. I hadn't picked up a bass guitar in probably 15 years. This has a nice feel and the variety of tones is great too. I'm running mine thru my Zoom Effects unit directly into my PC (DAW). I needed something to lay down some bass tracks and this easily does the job. The neck is smooth and tapered and the body is solid. Ibanez did a good job making an inexpensive bass without an inexpensive feel.

Comments about Ibanez SR250 Electric Bass:

I've used this bass for several months now, and I even lent it out to be used for medium sized gigs. I love this bass, and its great for its price! Would recommend to anyone interested in getting into bass guitar!

Comments about Ibanez SR250 Electric Bass:

So i was in a band that toured for about 3 years regionally. I have recorded, practiced, and played live events with this model bass and the sr300. Both are amazing basses for the price. The sound is solid and the guitar holds up after years of abuse. The neck is perfect for my playing style and my hands. I find other basses sometimes have too wide a neck this one does not.

I highly recommend this guitar to anyone who plays bass. (pairs well with a GK Backline and acoustic b810)

Comments about Ibanez SR250 Electric Bass:

Exactly as advertised, Guitar Center even overnighted after a 4:30 pm order. Got it next day.

Comments about Ibanez SR250 Electric Bass:

I bought this bass in person at the Guitar Center in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Normally, I wouldn't choose a white guitar, but it was the only one they had in stock. The white color is actually beautiful and you can't really tell from the pictures. When it's in the light you can see it actually has sparkles in the finish. So this is not just a ""white"" guitar. Playability is incredibly comfortable and easy. I am predominately an acoustic guitar player and I hadn't picked up a bass in ten years, but I needed to lay down some bass tracks for a new album and didn't have a bass player so I figured I would wing it...and winging it turned out to be SUPER easy with this easy-to-play bass. The tone is fantastic for a bass in this low price range and you have several EQ knobs so you can really shape the sound you are looking for. This bass also has a ""bass boost"" knob to really fatten it up. I was really surprised with the quality and playability of this instrument. And Guitar Center had actually changed out the stock strings AND did a set-up on it before they even put it out on the floor which saved me $50 right there! The only small complaint I have is that the nine-volt battery died after only a month of playing. On the other hand, I have no idea how many people played this bass before I found it. Great bass for the money.

Comments about Ibanez SR250 Electric Bass:

After taking a several year hiatus from playing bass, I decided to pick it up again. I picked up this gem from a local GC after testing several basses. This bass plays like a much more expensive bass. The neck is fast and the tone is great. I really enjoy playing this bass.

Comments about Ibanez SR250 Electric Bass:

:)

Comments about Ibanez SR250 Electric Bass:

I love Ibanez' price performance. I have the SR 500 (which I bought for $550, and which I absolutely love). My son asked for this one (purchased for about $300), even though I was pushing him to get the SR 500. The SR250 feels/plays terrific! So much fun... I want one! The neck is super thin and fast. The fit/finish/paint is great. The electronics/pickups (active) seem similar to the Bertolini pickups that are in the SR 500. If you want to start playing bass, this one will be easy to learn on, and you may never want another.

Comments about Ibanez SR250 Electric Bass:

It has a really good feel and has an amazing tone.

Comments about Ibanez SR250 Electric Bass:

It's great! Pulled it out of the box and was ready to play, great sound also

Comments about Ibanez SR250 Electric Bass:

I had been playing guitar for a year or so and wanted to pick up a bass so I figured I wouldn't spend too much, and it's pretty good for it's price. The pickups could be better but they still sound good.

It came with a fair amount of fret buzz so that was annoying, but I got it fixed for the most part and it sounds and plays better now.

Comments about Ibanez SR250 Electric Bass:

Been looking at this bass for some time, and after playing one at my local GC, I decided to pull the trigger. Now I've been playing for more years than I care to mention, and owned a LOT of basses, (This makes 10 in the current collection) yet this one is a real steal at less than $300!! Great feel for an inexpensive instrument, and great tone, too. Another "crayon" in my box. The neck is super fast, and the bass is very comfortable. Only needed a few "personal" adjustments for my style of playing, and it's all ready to go!