Ibanez SR500 Electric Bass

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The velvety mahogany body, Bartolini pickups, 3-band EQ, and fast playing neck work together to bring you an infinitely playable and tonally versatile bass.

What's special about this item?

Feature: What it does:
Mahogany body Rich, warm, focused sound; added sustain
Bartolini MK1 pickups Tight, rich bass tone with plenty of punch
B20 bridge Monster sustain and perfect intonation
Bartolini MK1 3-band EQ Customizable top shaping for dialing in your sound

Since 1987, bassists who want the power and versatility of active electronics and the speed of the fastest neck available have made Soundgear standard equipment in every genre. As music evolves, so does the Soundgear concept. The SR500 family is one example of this evolution. The SR500 models feature a fast SR4 neck (bubinga/wenge), a mahogany body, and Bartolini MK1 pickups. Onboard Bartolini 3-band EQ provides precise tone control.

SR Series Features
Thinner necks with thinner nuts than traditional basses.

Sleek bodies that are lightweight, balanced and comfort contoured.

Active EQ's perfectly matched with the right choice of passive or active pickups.

Sleek, sexy and sonically versatile are the reasons Soundgears can be found in every kind of music from gospel to goth to garage rock. Bassists who want the power and versatility of active electronics and fastest neck available have made the Soundgear standard equipment in the most controlled studio environments and the most out-of-control live performances.

Specifications
- SR4 neck
- 5pc Jatoba / Bubinga Neck Material
- Mahogany Body
- 24/Medium frets
- Rosewood Finger Board
- Accu-Cast B20 bridge (19mm string spacing)
- Bartolini MK1-4 Neck PU
- Bartolini MK1-4 Bridge PU
- Abalone Oval Inlay
- Cosmic Black Hardware
- EQB-IIIS 3-band EQ

Neck Dimension
- Scale: 864mm/34"
- a: Width at Nut 38mm
- b: Width at Last Fret 62mm
- c: Thickness at 1st 19.5mm
- d: Thickness at 12th 21.5mm
- Radius: 305mm

For support or warranty questions, please contact the manufacturer:
Phone: 800-669-8262
Web: https://www.ibanez.com/usa/support/

Reviewers gave this product an overall rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars. (82 ratings)
Submitted August 24, 2012 by First Name L in City, FL

"Ibanez SR500 Bass Customer Review"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
This review has been selected by our experts as particularly helpful.
This is an awesome bass period! Great sound, lightweight, super easy to play, dial in just about any kind of style or sound you want. I have been eying the SR500 for quite a while. I played a few in music stores, then one day i was talking to our keyboard player and he mentioned having one and loved it. He let me borrow it for a week and I was hooked. I tried and tried to buy it or trade him a kidney or something for it but he wouldn't let go of it. I knew I had to have one of my own soon.

Sound
The sound is awesome for a bass that is as thin and light as the SR500. You can get tons of sounds out of it with the EQ settings, from slap to funk, heavy bottom, warm tones, it's all there. I can get a TON of sound out for playing with any drummer and full band or I can tone it down and play with just my guitar player on an acoustic with both of us singing and it sounds great.

Features
Seems that everything is there for a reason and works well. Tonal control is killer. It has a great feel to it also. I like the feel of the woods used on this bass and the finish. Bartolini MK1 Pickups enough said there. The EQ has it all, Volume and Pickup Balance control knobs to tune it your desired pickup sound. Treble, Mid and Bass knobs will give you the ultimate control in fine-tuning your bass to the tones that you want. Lots of sounds available at your finger tips. Also coming with Elixir strings was nice also. I usually change my read more strings right away as most times you have no idea what they are. The SR500 came with a nice set of strings on it. Thanks! A Big Plus....

Ease of Use
How playable is it? Wow! it is so easy to play it is mind boggling. Ibanez has always had that super thin fast neck this one is like a Ferrari. If you like thin fast necks this one has it. I didn't like the way it was set up out of the box like most guitars. I did a complete set up on it, lowered the action a bit and now it is honestly the only bass I want to play. Amazing how well it plays. I have pretty small hands and they are pretty messed up with arthritis so ease of playing is huge for me. I love the Fender P bass I also have a Thunderbird and that one booms. But those big heavy basses just kill me and my hands. The SR500 is a winner in my book and my hands and back love me for it. To each their own but this one really works well for me.

Quality
The construction fit and finish all look great. It is not a fancy bass with a lot of flash, Just kind of a warm mahogany color, flat finish with no heavy lacquer clear coat over it. I like it myself, but yes you can scratch it easy, a little extra care is needed for it and around the jack input you should be a little careful. Overall I love the finish and I imagine over time it will get worn and scratched but hey that gives it some character. It is not the heavy shiny lacquered up body typically found on a lot of guitars. I like it and plan on owning it and playing it for a long time to come. I will pick up a hard case for it in the near future just for some added protection hauling it around to gigs.

Value
Yes, I feel like I have a ton of bass for the price. There doesn't seem to be many basses in this price range that offer the quality and sound of the SR500. It is not a bank breaker and you get a lot of bass for the money. The Bartolini pickups are a great touch and one of the reasons I wanted this bass. They sound great.

Manufacturer Support
I own several Ibanez products and have never had to contact the company with any problems.

The Wow Factor
I love the look and feel of this bass. It just looks warm, a nice color and the feel of real wood not covered up with paint and tons of clear coat. I knew I would like this bass the first time i held one.

Musical Background:
Off and on for a long time but now I play just about every day. Currently playing in a band and a duo, just locally, small gigs.

Musical Style:
Just about everything, Im very eclectic in my music tastes. I just really love to play music.
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No longer available at zZounds

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