Fraserwill

Sorry dude I have a guitar but I'm mainly a bassist so couldn't use another. Cheers.

Yes it is mate. I thought about checking back here just yesterday. Was going to bump.

Don't think these are common based on my eBay searches etc. You get a lot of sr800 or sr500 etc. but they are all a lot more recent and not built in Japan.

So finally having a clear out now and this baby has been with me over 25 years! However, it's sitting in the cupboard now as I've moved to 5 string. This really is a great bass. I basically learnt a lot of my technique on this, it was my first proper bass (having been via Fender Katana (I know!), Westone Concorde etc.). It (and a Billy Shehan video, yes VIDEO) inspired me to get into tapping, harmonics, slap etc. I went to Denmark Street with a pocket full of cash I'd saved up from part time jobs while at uni and never looked back. The low impedance pickups on these are ace. Neck is lovely and despite being painted its not sticky and plays really well and has no dings or scratches. Neck is straight and still reacts to truss adjustment. I've been over the fretboard and filed down a couple of buzzes but no major issues to report. Fretboard is basically mint and I've oiled it over the years. Basswood body I believe. Weight is 3.7kg (with the strap on). Condition is very good for its age. I've tried to picture the damage but there really isn't a lot. Mainly the end of the head stock (cos of small practice rooms!) and a couple of dings on the body but no real cracks, scratches or buckle rash on the back. Slight hazy wear where thumb reasts and under G string due to popping but not a lot and may even polish out as its quite faint. The original preamp just blew up one day (it only seemed to be a couple of capacitors anyway). No sound as such and crackles so I swapped it out for a Belcat (I think it was called) which now has two volumes instead of the usual volume and blend, bass and treble. Not to everyones taste but can be changed if need be. The pickups will do the job whatever the pre and you still get that classic SR tone. I've pictured the pre but there is no name or serial on it. I swapped the knobs a while ago but I still have the originals and will supply. Also comes in genuine Ibanez gig bag with ruck-sack straps. Will definitely be sad to see this go but it deservers to be played! Will post or meet within reasonable distance. Will add postage price soon, I have a box so price will be the standard for that size so you can check the cost. Thanks for looking!

Well it's subjective of course. The new pre is very clean, quiet and precise (should be as it was £125!). The frequencies are better in my opinion I always found the bass a bit boomy and rolled it off a lot of the time. Passive mode is nice you can get other sounds almost p-bass etc. It plays really nicely too.

NOW SOLD. Here for sale is my beautiful Ibanez BTB455QM. This has been a great bass over the years I much prefer the shape, string spacing and sound over the SR5 I had before. Mahogany body with orange flame maple quilted top, 35" scale rosewood fretboard, lovely neck and not really that many marks on it for its age. Apart from the one shown on the lower horn you have to hold it in a certain light to see any marks. There are a couple of dings on the fret board too but they are under the strings so they don't notice. Currently strung with the Sandbergs I took off my new TM5 as I prefer pro steels. So they are new but I find the low B a little dead. Sold with a Will and Tom case which is very protective. There are not many cases this bass will fit due to the extended upper horn but this one is great and has quite a big pocket for cables and even pedals will fit in there. So I also spent some time working on it as I'm a tinkerer. Here's a complete list. Swapped out pre-amp for Glockenklang 3 band EQ (£125 from bass direct). Wired in 18v mode for more headroom. Electronics were going off and pots crackling etc. Not easy to get the right values as spares and they crackled too. So decided to plump for a new pre. Now its perfect! The pre also has the volume as a pull to go to passive mode and makes the treble a tome control instead. Something I also have on my new sandberg which is cool. Completely sanded and tung oiled the neck. This was a bold move! However, when I got it it had some dings and it always annoyed me. Researching finishes I went for tung because its like an oil that sets rather than a varnish. When it wears you just add some more with a rag, let it dry and polish. So now its lovely and smooth. Not factory finish as such but really nice and of course easily maintainable. Fret work. I bought a fret levelling tool and file and went all over the fret board to get rid of all the buzzes. Its pretty low now as you can see in the pics, some may want to raise it especially for styles like slap. Oiled the fretboard with teak oil to get it nice and dark and glossy. The black plastic parts including pickups were looking tired so I matted them all down with a sanding block. The truss rod cover was the only plastic that was the black and white sandwhich kind which I though looked cheap so I matted it and painted the edges which looks much nicer. Couple of the knobs were replaced. Even bought a set of white washers for the tuners because one of them had broker and fallen out. Oh yeah, one of the pots used to be the stacked mid so I have the lower half of that knob too which I'll supply. So give me a shout and ask questions. I'm in Brighton so can meet within reasonable distance but will also post if need be. I'll get a price soon and update. PS, I've even provided a pic of me playing it at a beer festival so you can see how cool I looked!

Oh man that's nice. Stingray 5 is on my shortlist of 4 to try. But I would need to try as I've never played one. So I guess what with lockdown I'll have to wait and see if it's still available in a couple of weeks. I'm only in Brighton so not too far. Good luck.

Ah that looks a beaut! Shame I'm all the way down in Brighton. Need to get somewhere to try a California maybe pmtonline in Portsmouth ball all depends on lockdown and could be a while. Never played one and it's a good wedge of cash so need to try one first. What does the darkglass bring to the show? Is only one of the the high and low mid setups? Does it still have passive mode?

Hi, is the bass still for sale? I'm in brighton so would be looking to post. Would you be open to sensible offers? Thanks, Fraser.

Ok mate thanks for that, I can now see small marks where you said. RE pickup wear, I tend to put my thumb on the top of the neck end pickup and have worn it down over the years. Also you may find it scratched by plectrums sometimes. No biggy. I've got my eye on a few basses right now so I'll watch your post for updates and get back to you ASAP if I decide anything. Cheers.

Mate this is a thing of beauty. I'm still playing a SR500 4 string I got in the early 90s! I'm seriously interested, can you elaborate on the damage? Any closer pics of dings or are they too small to show up? What about fret and pickup wear etc? Cheers.