Circle_of_Fifths

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='1070081' date='Dec 27 2010, 06:07 AM']If on a budget you cant really go wrong with a Squier CV Jazz. Saying that my HW-one cuts through a lot more. To my ears the CV Jazz is warm and deep, whereas my HW-one is more growly and defined. Both sound like a Jazz though and both have had exactly the same set of pups on them so its more just the pups. I will add that since i started using my BDDI both have really opened up tone wise. [b]I disagree with the post above about the strings. I love Fender strings and the stock strings sound find, unless you dont like them of course. Each to his/her own but they are not crap stings in general (and although they arent D'Addario's they are made in the same factory).[/b] Could you fill in some location details in your profile. It might help if you do go in to the classified section, plus, if your close by your welcome to come and have a play on mine. I might even sell it. Cheers.[/quote] I've bought four basses this past year with 'Fender 7250 NPS' strings on them each. (Quotations mine, as Fender 'says' they are all 7250 NPS strings - but they lied) Every set was different - some with black, some with red or no silks. One set had the classic D'A colored beads on the ends, the others did not. My MiM Deluxe Jazz had the colored beads and they were in no way D'A strings, even if made after hours on the same machines by Santa's elves. They were thinner (by micrometer) than the other [u]supposed[/u] 7250s by about .004-.006" and had a toothy feel to their surface - so much so that they felt like the teeth on a hacksaw blade standing upright when I played them. The other 'Fender 7250s' were worse in other ways: but too sharp and tinny comes to mind instantly. Prolly great to slap or pop, but if you want true bass sounds, they sounded like a rinky-tink piano and that just wouldn't cut it for me. Now - on the VM-Jaguar - they are a match-mate from heaven! Full-toned and pure, musical notes and good sustain without being overly so. They are even finger-friendly and not at all like playing barbed wire or re-bar*. The VM-Jag just loves these strings, by whomever or wherever they were made. Soon - and sadly - the 'Fender 7250s' on my VM-Jaguar will die and I'll be faced with the prospect of trying to find a replacement. Since Fender is selling a totally different line of strings in the US in new boxes (black boxes, predominantly) and lots of people are complaining about the rottenness of these 'same-new' strings, there is something going on here product-wise. I blame the bean counters. They ain't the same strings and everyone in the US who plays a bass knows it - there is quite a lot of discordant derision and opinion about what to do about this turn of events. I am sure the effect will be felt worldwide as soon as old stock is consumed and the new strings make themselves known. As it is, there are teams of bass players ordering the old stock as fast as they can find it, and the stores are now totally stocked with the new black-boxed 7250s. The string-love for the original strings is well placed, but unfortunately it's coming to a screeching halt. Yeah - the original 7250s were a great string! The new versions however are all over the board for quality and musical ability. From what I can tell at the moment, the Rotosound RS45s are supposed to be the cat's! They are 'supposed' to totally capture the OE Fender 7250 sound and tone. At least the Rotos will/should be consistent in quality and available under one manufacturer (for a while at least). [indent][u]*Re-bar:[/u] the heavy cast iron and scrap steel that is made into thick wires over 1/2" in diameter to reinforce concrete in buildings. bridges and roadways. I don't know if that term is what is used in the UK or not, hence the asterisk. [/indent] Hopefully youse guys over there in UK-land can find 7250s to your liking for a long time yet. Don't count upon it though. The times, they are a-changing.

[quote name='Jspindle' post='1069671' date='Dec 26 2010, 09:46 AM']Hello! I am a new member of this site.... and looking for some advice. I currently have a Peavey Milestone III.... which I enjoy playing, but I'm not sure it will suit the kind of music I want to create in a forthcoming project. [b]The kind of music I will be making will be jazzy prog. I was thinking of getting a jazz bass because I feel that the notes cut through the sound of other instruments very well..... and this is my intention, because the bass will kinda be a lead instrument.[/b] I dabbled with the idea of getting a Squier Vintage Modified, but I'm not sure about the maple fretboard..... because I know that this gives the overall sound a certain brightness. I don't want it to be like that.... [b]I'm hoping for a more full-rounded, deep sound but with excellent clarity of notes[/b]..... so I am considering the Squier Standard Jazz..... partly because of the rosewood fretboard. Am I making the right decision? I have also considered getting a secondhand jazz bass so I can fit a humbucker to it, because I know that jazz basses can be thin and tinny. So, basically..... I just want a bass that will sound great in a dark jazzy prog band..... think King Crimson etc I just don't think a precision bass would be suited for what I'm hoping to achieve. Ah I'm not sure. I don't want it to sound toooooo deep because then that would distract away from my intention of giving clarity to the notes.... but deep enough will do So there must be a bass for what I want to do. Or will I be alright with a Squier Standard Jazz bass and messing around with my amp to suit my needs?[/quote] Hopefully I can explain this in a way that is easy to understand. My VM-Jazz is deep, resonant and full-bodied but not with the original strings. I was just today playing it against my Fender Precision with ROTO 77s on it, and quite frankly the tone of the VM-Jazz with Elixir Nanos on it is every bit as smooth, articulated and full of tone, filling the fundamentals and all exponential permutations of the stricken note. I like the Motown sound and I also play a lot of Wine/Cheese Tasting Tourist's restaurants in Temecula (Wine Country in SoCal) and the VM-Jazz is every bit as comfortable there as my Fender Deluxe Jazz or my Ibanez SR/SD500 (what I call my '[i]Stradibassious[/i]') . The Duncan-Designed Noiseless p'ups on the VM-Jazz are smooth and full of character and not at all shrill or thin. FWIW: I also run into an MXR Bass +DI pedal, but even in flat EQ, it has a lot of great, solid and rounded voice and sound. The sustain is huge, and although you won't need much more that a few seconds of it, it's there if you're needing it for 'those times'. The Stock Fender/Squier strings just generally aren't your dad's Oldsmobile - they are close to garbage and not at all consistent in quality and voice. The only place the 7250 NPS strings work well is on my VM-Jaguar. So - making a short story longer and more boring - the stock strings are a crippler to the sound you CAN get out of the VM-Jazz - and if you try something with some lower backbone to them, you'll be mucho happier with the sounds you hear from the Squier.

Consider whether you are going to float the ground on the TONE pot and the Bridge p'up before you do any wiring. If you co-ground all the pots and both p'ups, you can have a loss of volume when both p'ups are hot and the TONE knob is anywhere but to either end of it's travel.

Pure sex! Multiple times too!

[quote name='tom1946' post='1052355' date='Dec 8 2010, 11:42 PM']What a great considered write up Circle of 5th's, which department of fender do you work for? Seriously if it's anything like the MIJ then it will be very good.[/quote] For years I had a HATE-HATE relationship with anything Fender, I hated the Precision I had as it was thin sounding and had no thump to it at all. I took it in for a trade in and the bass guru grabbed it and asked me if I was nuts! He took it to the counter, put on some ROTO 77s and adjusted the neck a little better and it wailed! Well - I've still got the old P and it's better than ever and made me seriously take a longer, hard look at Fenders and Squiers. I cannot say that I am worse for the experience in the slightest. I equate a Fender with a Corvette - flashy, plastic coated, lots of great snarling guttural sounds and powerful. But I've also bought the VM-Jazz in Natural and just yesterday I added a 1960's Jazz 4-ply Tort pickguard to it ([color="#FF0000"][b]Fender P/N: 099-2022-2000[/b][/color]} ::: and I'm moving it to this design soon with a little more bling::: Even though I choose the Tort PG, I think it'll cause enough confusion when I get the bridge and neck guards on it. Yeah - I really wanted the Tort PG for my own reasons, but basically it's to keep 'em guessing what it really is! For anyone who wants to try it - I now know that the 1960's 4-ply Fender replacement PG fits with just a slight mod to the VEE where the PG meets the control panel. Uh - that and the screws - only ONE lines up but you can shove toothpicks in the old holes and just drill new ones anyway. Here's a few of the installation pixs I posted somewhere else::: Don't worry here - the PG is a little convex and the screws will pull it tight:: The test areas are the neck p'up hole and the neck pocket area. If they fit it's pretty much on that everything else will too. Next on it: [indent]1) Tug Bar 2) Bridge Cover w/the big Fender F on it 3) MAYBE the neck p'up chrome guard too [/indent] ---- but this #3 is still a debate in my head as I tried the Marcus Miller and found it clumsy to play.

I own one of the Squier versions of the Jaguar. It is smaller-feeling, although 1/2" longer than my Fender Deluxe Jazz bass. It also only weighs 8lbs - [u]ZERO[/u] ozs. The neck is prolly the greatest asset - right after the whole design and uniqueness. It is ultra fast and slick. MY bass-buying situation was more than gifted, as the frets are perfect - well as perfect as a factory setup can be I guess - but no complaints. The knobs have had issues for other people although not for me. It is only a loose Allen set screw that might be loose on the concentric shaft and cause some unwarranted grief. There is NO reason to complain, as it's easily addressable and can be fixed in a few moments by a trained rhesus monkey. The p'ups are very hot and powerful, so that will catch your attention right away! These are about as powerful as my active p'ups on my Fender Deluxe Jazz - really! The details are clean, concise and well carried out. The area under the PG is clean, nicely mitered and no sign of slop anywhere. The wires are vintage-type in that they are cloth wrapped - how's that for a nice touch that you can't even see? That's just class! The body appears smaller, but it's really an illusion like I noted above, but it hangs very nicely on the strap with minimal head-dive, if any at all to me. Paint and finish-wise there is nothing to say negatively. The hardware, although it may not be the most expensive, certainly is more than adequate and functional. It does not slip, bend, bag or sag at the knees. The chrome is bright and appears to have a lot of depth to it - it should since in Indonesia there are fewer laws about HazMat and they can throw some nicer chrome there than we can get in the States now with the EPA rules and regs. The action - which is NOT a good criteria to judge an instrument upon - was very good right out of the box. Speaking of boxes - I was the first human face it saw when it was opened here in the US from the time it was shipped until then. I was the first person to actually touch it other then the salesman helping me take it out of the sealed box. It required very little adjustment to it at all for great playability. It had absolutely NO BAD ISSUES as it arrived. So far - a couple of months into my possession - it still is great - greater still since I adjusted the string height a little to suit me. I still have what I would normally NOT have on it - the STOCK FENDER 7250NPS STRINGS. Why? They work on this bass - but this is the ONLY Fender or Squier upon which I find they work at all. In this case, they are perfect and I will not buy what Fender calls their OE 7250NPS strings - they can't fool me! What they sell isn't a real Fender string at all! If the ROTO RS45s don't sound as good when I finally have to put them on - then I'm gonna be on a string safari to find something that WILL work like the 7250s. The pots are smooth, precise and no wobble at all. The Tone controls are fantastic with the detents that keep them where you put them. The Vol pots are also all the above without the detents. I don't have any trouble with one knob following another when I adjust the other knob - but I know of some people who have had a problem in this area ---. it's very easy to fix, like I said. The shielding inside the trench is clean, and painted on, so I think it'll be OK. Playing-wise - like I said the neck is blazingly fast and you feel like you are much more professional than you are with the clean action almost playing itself ahead of your thoughts and fingers! There is no loss of sound volume or quality if you pan from one to the other p'ups, and the output is very linear with any adjustment with no sudden drops or peaks in the sound either. I can induce some hum into the output if I get really close to my computer tower with all it's radiated RF - but if they are separated by more than 18 inches, no problem at all. So far there has been no warpage, bending or twisting of any of the important parts. The fret wires are smooth --- everywhere. I glossed the back of the neck with some pure carnauba automotive polish as I like a super glossy neck. It works for me. If you don't buy one - you are gonna kick yourself in the head for missing an opportunity to own a very special piece of bass-guitar history. Buy it new and keep it for your kids or your posterity - but it deserves to be played all the time, everywhere.

[quote name='flip' post='1049512' date='Dec 6 2010, 09:24 AM']I live in faint hope that one day a CV or VM Mustang will be announced in one of these threads![/quote] I'm hoping for a VM-Hot Rod. I heard -----er, [i]rumors[/i] that I cannot substantiate.

[quote name='dannybuoy' post='1048980' date='Dec 6 2010, 12:00 AM']You're a little late to the party. That fretless came over 2 years ago and the other one a couple of months ago![/quote] Not ME! I'm just reporting this here. But I fully understand the chagrin as I personally don't see much difference from existing models either - but notice that they are ORDERED and ARRIVING in a couple of days - and that may be something or nothing. Elderly is no slouch in the instrument business and they are always on the cusp of what's happening - so I just reported this and was scratching [u]my[/u] head at the same time too. It might be a Xmas thing too - you know: get the Squier name out there and some new pictures, even if there's no new basses ---- YET! But yes - there's a small element of humor here too. .

[size=5][center][color="Blue"]New Squier Arrivals On 12/10[/color][/center][/size] [b][url="http://elderly.com/fmic/names/squier-and-reg%3b-vintage-modified-series-jazz-bass--SQVMJF.htm"]SQUIER® VINTAGE MODIFIED SERIES JAZZ BASS®[/url][/b] [quote][list] [*]3-color sunburst finish, [*]Agathis body, [*]Maple neck, [*]Fretless Ebonol fingerboard with 20 white celluloid fret lines, [*]34" scale length, [*]9.5" radius, [*]1.50" nut width, [*]2 Duncan designed JB101 Jazz Bass pickups with AlNico 5 magnets, [*]2 volume, 1 tone, [*]Knurled chrome dome knobs, [*]Less case. [/list] Expected arrival date 12/10/10[/quote] [b][url="http://elderly.com/fmic/names/squier-and-reg%3b-vintage-modified-series-jazz-bass--SQVMJ77.htm"] SQUIER® VINTAGE MODIFIED SERIES JAZZ BASS® 77[/url][/b] [quote][list] [*]Classic 70's styling, [*]Gloss black finish, [*]Agathis body, [*]One-piece maple neck, maple fingerboard with white binding and white pearloid block inlays, [*]20 medium-jumbo frets, [*]34" scale length, [*]9.5" radius, [*]1.50" nut width, [*]2 Duncan Designed single-coil Jazz Bass pickups, [*]2 volume, 1 tone, [*]Black plastic control knobs, [*]Cchrome control panel, [*]3-ply black pickguard, [*]Chrome hardware, [*]Less case. [/list] Expected arrival date 12/10/10[/quote] I have NO AFFILIATION with Elderly Music - this is the site that has them posted and I just passed this on for drooling and dreaming factors only.

My MXR Bass DI+ has an AUX OUTPUT line and the tuner lives on it. The reason I did that was to keep any pops and clicks off the sound train, and off on a siding like that it never influences the input to the amp. My instrument input is into that blue box (DOD Flashback Fuzz) on the far right side, and all my other pedals are true bypass anyway. I just let all my effect pedals run first since they don't like being run [u]after[/u] the MXR for some reason. That odd-looking 2-button stomp to the lower left is my amp Notch Filter and also the Mute Switch. The amp also has a Tuner Out, but I don't currently use it that way. I'm also using a soft-sided case and that works fine for me.

Through my squinted eyes, I can only say: OUCH!

[quote name='flip' post='1043572' date='Dec 1 2010, 04:34 AM']What's the balance like on the Jaguar? I know they have a slightly shorter upper horn so I wondered if there was any neck dive at all? I really wish Squier would get round to making a VM or CV Mustang bass![/quote] Strange you should ask that - but the horn isn't really shorter by much if you count the fret-position of it, just incrementally so. The Jag ends in the middle of the #12 fret wire, whilst the Deluxe and the VM-Jazz are right smack-dab in the middle of the fingerboard between #11 & #12 fret wires. However, the bone at the E string to the tip of the horn is somewhat different::: VM-Jazz & Fender deluxe Jazz = 16.5" and the Jaguar is 17.75". The body length on them is somewhat different too, as the Jag just fits into my hardcase albeit tightly. The VM-Jag is 47" long and the other two are 46" long. Just FYI, my Precision is 45.5" long. I don't 'fell' neck dive much, if at all. The whole bass feels smaller, like I said and it's more like a short scale when you play it, it's so comfortable.

That would, indeed, be pretty.

[quote name='LawrenceH' post='1042968' date='Nov 30 2010, 02:12 PM']Heheh, I respect your quirks Different strokes and all that. I suppose I wouldn't count holes as not looking 'new'. But I thought things like the 75RI (and I'd assumed others) came with the chrome in the box rather than mounted and you had to drill it yourself? I could be wrong, and maybe the shops add it on themselves. I don't get what you mean about the P versus J neck though - the modern P's I've played have had thin profiles, no real difference in that respect to a jazz but they have the wider string spacing at the nut. I just mentioned the Geddy Lee since it's got the usual jazz string spacing but is unusually narrow front to back unlike the typical vintage necks. Regarding the gloss, with your wish to keep things new you probably would baulk at the thought, but I wouldn't hesitate to take some 2000 wet'n'dry to the neck - it'll give a great clean satin finish and I'd just buff it to a shine again if I decided I didn't like it But all that's immaterial if you've found what you like anyway and don't have to tinker. Personally, the thing I liked about the VM jazz I tried was the warm, lively acoustic sound thanks to the soft maple body, and looking at photos of other people's some even seem to be 2-piece. But only the natural fretted has that which is a real shame. Agathis (on the 77 and Jag I think) IME sounds pretty dreadful, not my wood of choice for a passive bass and to me at least it seriously limits their upgrade potential.[/quote] Come to think of it - you've got a point as I too thought the hardware was packaged but not installed too. The Marcus Miller on the hook at GC had it mounted and I might have just assumed it comes all put together. Maybe - maybe not, I'm confused now. I'll try to call Fender in the morning and ask. Regarding the duller-than-semi-gloss neck you like - I go the opposite and take some paste carnauba wax and really polish it into the back of the neck to make it as slick as I can. But that's me! After ten or more coats of highly pressure-buffed carnauba treatments, for all intents it [u]is[/u] a super glossy urethane or epoxy neck then. Oddly - my Jaguar is 8lbs exactly - and that's 2ozs less than my SR500 and ½lb lighter than my VM-J and my Precision and my MiM Deluxe Jazz is the heaviest at 9lb 9ozs. So the Jag is the lightest and I think that's great for me - because usually when it rains soup all I have is a fork. My theory on woods is that they take away, never add to the tone. Some may argue that Agathis is better at certain sonic improvements, when in my world, it only takes away certain characteristics and leaves other alone. By ablating MIDs, f'rinstance - the Highs and Lows would be more pronounced, although never amplified. Wood is passive in this situation unlike a resonant box. If you like the certain ablative quality of one wood over another - that's fine but I cringe when people say it adds to the tone. Wood taketh away; never addith!

[quote name='LawrenceH' post='1041301' date='Nov 29 2010, 08:58 AM']Why not just remove the pickguards?! That's what everyone did with the early Fenders anyway I prefer the vintage neck profile you don't like - in the long run it gives me less fatigue than the thin ones, not something that's evident immediately though and I expect it depends on both hand size and technique. But you could try a Geddy Lee, necks on those are very narrow front-to-back, might be just your thing?[/quote] I also play an older Precision with the wider neck, so it's not just that I cannot - but I actually prefer to have a bass with the neck profile and finish I like better than just the width. It's on a case-by-case evaluation for me, as I expect a Jazz to have a narrow neck and a Precision the fatter of the two. Somewhat sarcastically here - the fret board area of the Marcus Miller felt almost as rounded as the back of the neck, and I find that very uncomfortable. As for the chrome guards - that was obviously in my way, and to take it off would be sad to me. First - THE HOLES! Second - I PAID FOR THAT 1953 HUDSON BUMPER so why would I remove it? I am upset by seeing holes in gear - it looks like it's been a target for small caliber handguns and I don't care for that look. Don't EVEN show me a chip on your guitar either! I guess this indicates how I feel about RW and relic'd gear too. Actually - I know we all whore for one desire or another - some: tone, some: price tags, some: name plates, some: cosmetics. Maybe I'm an anal-retentive iconoclast of sorts, but I like my gear to look new and strive to keep them that way. Having excess holes and tinted shadows were something was installed showing in the woodwork makes me cringe a little. Anyway - <off soapbox now> I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Reggie Hamilton at GC on Dec 29th, this year (hopefully) and then I'll see if it's time to buy another bass.

Everything That Touches You - The Association Head First - The Babys Let it Ride - Bachman Turner Overdrive Fun, Fun, Fun - The Beachboys Too Much Heaven - The BeeGees Spinning Wheel - Blood, Sweat & Tears Hey! Joe! - Popa Chubby (Google this guy!) Just What I Needed - The Cars .........and I've only just started the 'C's in my list. Let's not forget [u]anything[/u] by Sly & The Family Stone!!!!

I've got to reconsider if I am just jaded or ignorant. Here I totally dislike the CVs for their necks, which I consider plastic and too rounded. Then the other day I was at my GC and looking at all the basses hanging there and I just saw the most beautiful Fender I've ever seen. After about an hour playing with everything else but it, I got it down and realized it was an Artist's model, a Marcus Miller - which should have made me stop breathing. It had 'that neck' on it again, much like the CVs. The body was to die for, but the neck just didn't fit my hands. OK - the fact that it has a guard over the p/u was kinda acceptable, as I'm a thumber most of the time anyway like Miller is too. But it was just wrong on many levels - mostly the neck. This was better feeling -- --- but it has TWO chrome bling-things on it and they are both in the way for me - so even though it's beautiful, it's a No-Go too. Now I need to wait to feel this Reggie Hamilton::: It arrives at GC on Dec 29th, this year (almost!). Perhaps it will have a neck I can appreciate. Uh, yeah, that's NOT the $3200USD Skunk Works bass though, just the $1000USD one. I cannot reasonably say why I would ever pay three times plus more for a bass. What I will do immediately is put a tort p/g on it though. Then it'll match two other Black/Tort/Rosewood basses I already have. But somehow I (maybe) am missing the quality that everybody ELSE says that the Miller and the CVs have in the necks. I dunnow, but I like a less-rounded and less-plastic feeling neck.

[quote name='Moos3h' post='1039287' date='Nov 27 2010, 01:43 PM']I find it odd that Fender are expanding the VM Jazz, which in my opinion is massively inferior to the CV. If the CV had a few more paint options, I'm sure it'd continue to fly off the shelves (wouldn't affect me as I LOVE oly white).[/quote] Not quite true. The VMs are the ones flying here in Southern California - especially the Jaguars once they play it. We had Black Friday yesterday where the sales are really discounted and lots of promotions were going on at my local Guitar Center. The place was mobbed and I swear there were busses dropping people off in front of the place in waves. I was in that store for over six hours yesterday, so I was watching pretty close - so close that a lot of people thought I was SECURITY for the store! Anyway - the VM-Jags are selling a lot better than the CVs here. I don't think it's the small price difference - the VM-Jag just has a very friendly feeling neck and it's lighter and the fret wires are fatter. The CVs are 'Vintage Style' and the VMs are 'Jumbo Medium'. I think that's the big reason why I didn't like the necks on the CVs.

[quote name='danbowskill' post='1030180' date='Nov 20 2010, 02:56 AM']oh dear that looks proper sh.te(prob sound wonderful)...but what was he thinking?? ..[/quote] Looks like a bass for The Borg.

Are you even gonna play it before you rip them out of the bass? I find the p'ups in my MiM Jazz as sweet and they can go through some pretty powerful adjustments with just the knobs. I'd play them a month or so and give them a try before I'd plunk down some greenbacks and just perform roadside surgery on a bass that may not need any changes at all. Just me though.

Screw patterns and bobbin diameters are really the only concern I believe. [b] edit:[/b] [i]the 'handedness' is important too - if they are for a lefty or righty headstock. [/i] If you find a set that are the right shape - aesthetically - and the chrome is shiny - then just measure the diameter of the bobbin where the string winds on and check the screw positions. There MAY be some bushings in the head now for the machines - but they too can be changed or removed as necessary. All in all - it's not a hard thing to do unless you need to bore out the existing holes for larger. That can get messy to someone without the proper tools.

Whatcha think? It's just starting to hit the internet here in the US. It's a three-tone sunburst VM-Jazz.

There MUST be an electronics/radio/HiFi geek in your neighborhood. Look for a high radio antenna and there - underneath it you'll likely find someone who can solder if you cannot do it yourself. I cringe when I hear '[i]go to a guitar tech[/i]' as that usually means $$ (€€ for youse guys). What I find is that those cables made by just one company (Monster) are particularly bad on warping the contacts on female jacks and that if you can, just bend the spring-parts back into a tighter position. I've had Monsters destroy more than one female connex in the past with their slightly oversized dimensions.

[quote name='Faithless' post='1024356' date='Nov 15 2010, 03:18 AM']And what do I do there? I think it's not that kind of thing I'm looking for..[/quote] I'm sorry that I just dropped you in that site without some info where to go and all. This site services all the whole Ibanez line and you've got to drill down to some of the places you need and can post in for the questions you have. That IS the official Ibanez site however, and the mods there are all Ibanez personnel and they answer all questions about anything Ibanez. Scroll down to Ibanez Basses>> SR (or SOUNDGEAR) Series and click on that link and roll around in that site for a while - it's very enlightening. Here's the link to the SR area::: [b]http://forum.ibanez.com/Default.aspx?g=topics&f=13[/b] This link ( [b]http://forum.ibanez.com/Default.aspx?g=im_email&u=83263[/b] ) is to Brian who is a biggie at Ibanez and he can answer a lot of questions for you about identification of your instrument. Beware that he may request that you eventually perform your inquiry in the general forum for other people to see the [b]Q&A[/b] there for their own edification too.

Go here::::: [url="http://forum.ibanez.com/Default.aspx?g=forum"]http://forum.ibanez.com/Default.aspx?g=forum[/url]