Well it's not an SR1000 but NBD.

[Duffy]

It's certainly not an SR1000 but I put a new set of Rotosound flatwounds on my MIM Fender P bass today, much to my delight and moved my Fender Rumble 100 down from my music storeage room and into my bedroom/den area. Although I'm plugging straignt into it via my Zoom B2.1u from my bass, I'm going to stack my Marshall MB30 on top of it and run my bass rig into the input of the Marshall, out thru the effects loop sent and into the effects return on the Rumble 100. That way I will be able to utilize all the preamp beauty of the Marshall MB30 and the Zoom B2.1u to hopefully get a different sound with some more thump to it.

As for the NBD I ordered my new Ibanez SR500 with a walnut oil stained mahogany body and beautiful laminate wood neck - one of the thin slim Ibanez fast necks that are so awesome. I compared the SR400 to the SR500 today and was amazed how much better the 500 series sounds to me with its bartolini humbucker pickups and three band eq. I also plan to put some Ernie Ball flatwounds on this awesome four string bass. I'm even going to put some flatwounds on my Schecter Stiletto Elite five string and see how that mellows out.

I decided on the SR500 because I want a semi light weight, fast neck, flatwound bass to play while laying in bed grooving out. I have been using my Squier affinity with Fender noiseless equipped J bass pickups bass with flatwounds and my MIM black P bass with aged white pearl pickguard and round wound strings for relaxed grooving. Once in a while throwing in the Schecter for some active five string fun.

I am hoping that this dual good quality humbucker Ibanez 24 fret will prove to be a lot of fun to enjoy. I'm fairly sure it will be producing a quite new sound that I'm not used to. It is a reward to myself because my bass playing has improved quite substantially and I like to support this type of achievement and it helps to build into my retirement hobby of musical development.

I researched out my purchase somewhat before I decided what to get. I almost decided to go for the new Fender Blacktop dual open coil hot humbucker all black P bass. That is a cool bass. I also looked at a Fender Aerodyne blue and white P bass that was cool as well as a really nice near mint 399 US dollar Fender Jazz 24 five string bass with bassline J bass Seymour Duncan pickups stock along with a nice active eq and hipshot tuners. This had no pickguard and a beautiful curly maple top and a truly softball bat neck and it is heavy enough to benefit from the use of a front end loader to pick it up. Heavy as it is, it is a really nice bass at a decent and fair price for an '07 in mint condition.

I also looked very seriously at both a Schecter Omen 4 extreme in burgundy flamed maple over a mahogany body and schecter humbuckers along with an active preamp; as well as an ESP LTD Deluxe B154DX with LTD humbuckers and a three band active eq, in a really cool transparent red - both of these were superstrat type body stylish.

My initial plan was to no spend too much on a decent bass, but I spent about two hundred more than my initial plan. The money wasn't a problem and I got what I wanted to get so the quality to estimated cost ratio wasn't outrageous. Spending a little extra on an instrument that you like better seems like money well spent.


I will be sure to take some pictures of this cool looking new bass when it comes in and try to also take some pictures of some of my other recent acquisitions that I have made over the last year or so. Like my Peavey 6505+ 112 combo that I like so much and my very enjoyable Gibson new style maple cap LP Studio in worn brown.

I also took in my three, so called, conga set for tuning and they weren't far off; and I bought Charity's grand daughter that is staying with us from Chicago a nice set of tuneable bongo drums to drive her mother batty with - not really, they are not that loud. She likes my bongo rig that I have mounted on a stand with a LP half cymbal and a big cowbell. I want to make a wooden stand for her bongos and add some percussion accessories to it. I might try to build a wooden rack mount type stand with room for a cowbell and a splash cymbal or something else interesting. Even though bongos are just plain fun all by themselves and can serve to warm you up to a variety of other instrument playing. Lots of times I will warm up on my congas before sitting down to my full drum rig and it is amazing how far into the groove I already am with my timing and ryhthm. It is like playing a big heavy bass before ripping into a six string electric.

I have acquired a few nice items lately and will try to get some good pictures of them posted. It is great weather here and was 100 degrees on our back porch at then thirty and it is supposed to be equally nice for the next few days. After these long cold winters this hot record breaking weather feels great when the radiated heat just engulfs you as it rises off of the asphalt parking lots at the stores. Glad I don't have to work out in it though, for someone else paying me a pittance. I don't mind doing my own work in this heat but that I can enjoy, knowing it is for me rather than at my expense or exploitation.

I can't wait to get the new bass and post the pictures. I think some of you will appreciate them.

Have a good weekend.

[Eric***]

Sweet! I'll bet you're eagerly awaiting that arrival. Happy (almost) new bass day!

[marnold***]

Hmmm. I didn't realize that the SR500 had Barts in it. Cool! I'll be interested to hear your thoughts on it once it arrives.

[Duffy]

Yeah. It has the barts and the eq. I played a SR400 and ordered the SR500 which is basically a hot rod model of the more expensive SR600 and 700 models - stripped down but still looking real good and rolling with the surprisingly powerful engine and powertrain. Nice and light and a fast neck.

A pro bass player I know suggested it. He has a top of the line Fender expensive bass and plays in a good band. They just played at a club in NYC last weekend, can't remember which street it was on. His main job is in a major working muscians supply and repair store that has a couple locations around here. One about two blocks from our house. These guys are usually very helpful and have good advice, plus they carry some great brands, including Fender, and have great prices and even some good deals on used stuff. I bought my Ibanez AF125 Custom from them at an uncomparable price, new.

I'll stress until Monday but hope I get a good one.

I think I'll like its ergonomic design and relative light weight. It will be interesting to compare how it feels and sounds compared to my 7000 lb Schecter Stiletto Elite five string. It is a real cool bass but really heavy and bulky.

For a twenty four fret bass the SR500 should be quite comfortable. I will post some pictures.

Anyone else here have an SR500 or other SR series bass that they have pictures of or comments on?

[MAXIFUNK]

Duffy, I have a 2007 SR500 with a 5 piece wenge/Bubinga neck it is a great sounding bass man o man the more I play it the more I love it. For Gigs I run through my Mesa Boogie M9 Carbine and Mesa Boogie power house 1200 4x10 & 1x15 cab man it roars bottom for days. I am using a friends Boss ME50B and his zoom B2.1U plus I still have a 1980 Larry Graham Mutron pedal, 1981 BassBall pedal and a Bootzilla Wah/fuzz pedal. We play "Stretching Out" by Bootsy and it sounds killer. There is a part of the song where it is just the drummer and I and all I can do is smile while in the pocket BASS bottom heaven. I had on loan a Marcus Miller SWR preamp for a very long time and that mixed with M9 was the best sounding rig I ever played bar none. I really need to get one of those. My home practice amp is listed in my gear on here an Ampeg amp I want to replace with a Mark Bass combo some day oh well.

I went through a similar process looked at the Fender Aero-Dyne nice bass but was missing something not sure what but something was not there. I also licked that Korean made 24 fret Jazz bass what a sleeper it was it was the bass I was going to buy until I tried the SR500 through a way over price Trace Elliott rig IMHO. My hands found heaven there is something about that SR500 neck that just feels so damn good and plays even better than it feels.
I also recently tried that blacktop P bass great sounding bass sounds nothing like any fender I've ever heard Music Man written all over it but that P bass neck ugh is just not for me. Now if they had put the double buckers on the jazz bass rather than the double p bass pickups I would have bought one. The Jazz Bass neck does not fit my hands as well as an Ibanez SR neck but I can live with it would have made for a great 2nd bass. I have gas extremely bad for an SR Prestige bass so damn bad you have no idea. LOL

Enjoy the new bass I know your going to love it. I certainly LOVE MINE!

Oh I also forgot to mention it is so light it is lighter than all but one of my guitars... feels like a feather compared to my Peavey T-40.

[NWBasser]

Hey Duffy, I used to have an SR500. It was a great bass and I never should have let it go.

I guess I was looking more for a passive tone.

They are very light and ergonomic. The body is very sculpted for comfort.

I think you'll really love the new bass.

I'd suggest trying it out through the new Ampeg PF500 amp. The head is only $400 and thing sounds like a million bucks.

[Duffy]

Got it today. Great feel and sound. The neck is slim and fast. The mid mini toggle switch works great and the three knob eq provides lots of tone shaping. Totally great bass that would keep many a bass player happy for a long time.

Has a very growling sound with the pick and more mellow with the fingers. I could raise the very low action and get a pure string tone but a little string slap against the board sounds great. I'm sure the sound will change when I put on flatwounds. It came with Elixers.

The deep walnut stained mahogany body combines with the deeply stained laminated neck and the rosewood fretboard. The tuners work really nice and look totally good. The fretboard inlays are oval abalone and give a subtle accent to a laid back bass.

[NWBasser]

Happy New Bass Day Duffy!