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NBD - Ibanez SR500


Frank Blank
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19 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Good man. I'm actually also really interested in how you're incorporating a sixers into your live material - any clips of you playing live?

No, just a couple of pub gigs so far, and a social club tonight. Probably won't be any videos until the Grateful Dudes play their halloween party in Leicester at the beginning of November. 

But basically, I just play the same stuff I've always played, but find I'm using it as a five string with the blues bands, not for the below open E notes, but for the ease of being able to play across the board at the 5th or 7th fret most of the time. 

When I'm playing at home, I am learning more Grateful Dead songs, and they tend to have more bass in the upper register, but I won't be playing with the band again until late October when we have a pre-party rehearsal.

I'm not using the chordal and melodic potential of the six, as its not needed in the music I play (not that I would be able to play it anyway!), but rather just as an easier way of playing what I play already without the effort (and risk of missing on a dark stage) a lot of up and down the neck work.

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37 minutes ago, stevie said:

Al, do you think the Nords are an unpgrade on the Barts, or just a different flavour?

Hi Stevie - for me the Nords on the SR Premium are a definite upgrade on the Barts on the SR Standard range; it's for me the key 'step-up' in going from the Standard to the Premium range and for which we are paying the extra (the others being single string bridge pieces, and perhaps a more premium 'finish'). 

Ibby use bespoke Barts in their Prestige series which are also an upgrade from the Standard series Barts (and @Woodinblack has been very happy with his Prestige if I remember correctly), but you're starting to get into serious money with the Prestige range; my SR Premiums seem to deliver everything I'm looking for in a bass and have held their own with the German Warwick and Sandberg TM4 basses I've had (and both since moved on).

Edited by Al Krow
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My first ibby was actually a presitge SR1000, which has barts, and I didn't feel much either way about them, they did the job, but the bass I had before was pretty rubbish and it was around the time I started playing again after my 30-40s gap. Then I got all the others. I had a 505 which I liked buy the pickups were ok, but a bit nondescript.

The prestige pickups were excellent, the nord singles, so when I got the 5005 I was initially a little disappointed with both them being barts, which looked like the others and they were so vastly different from each other. However, having played them live I realised they were not like your grandmothers barts, these had real bite to them and the difference gave you a huge tonal range. So I don't know what they are but they are very different from the normal range. They say 'custom' on the web page.

The other day we were playing and it was the first time we were going to do Higher Ground so I thought maybe it would be easier on a 4 string (which I rarely play), just because of the slapping. Turns out the barts in the sr1000 which sound very polite and non descript at home actually really cut through live very well.

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5 hours ago, stevie said:

Al, do you think the Nords are an unpgrade on the Barts, or just a different flavour?

In my experience the Nords and the Bart's are just different flavours. Both are fantastic quality pickups but to sum them up in a sweeping generalisation I'd say that the Bart's are very clean, clear and precise whereas the Nords generally have a more traditional sound with a bit more character and personality. 

I'd say that neither is better than the other, they just have their own tonal traits. If you like a more clinical and controlled sound then the Bart's are the obvious choice. If you want a more traditional sound then go for the Nords. 

Personaly I'd take the Hausells in my Sandberg TT over both of the Nords and the Barts anyday xD

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2 hours ago, Osiris said:

In my experience the Nords and the Bart's are just different flavours. Both are fantastic quality pickups but to sum them up in a sweeping generalisation I'd say that the Bart's are very clean, clear and precise whereas the Nords generally have a more traditional sound with a bit more character and personality. 

Personaly I'd take the Hausells in my Sandberg TT over both of the Nords and the Barts anyday xD

I find the barts are a lot cleaner, in most things (and obviously the vary), but the barts in the prestiges have more growl, like the Nords in the premiums.

I have Hausells in my Maruszczyk and have not really been overly impressed with them. They are ok, but a little characterless.

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2 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

I have Hausells in my Maruszczyk and have not really been overly impressed with them. They are ok, but a little characterless.

Interesting! Mine have tons of character, like a traditional single coil but somehow bigger sounding. The neck single coil has an almost Precision like tone with a real low mid kick that gives the bass authority in a busy mix. My favourite pickups by miles! 

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6 minutes ago, Osiris said:

Interesting! Mine have tons of character, like a traditional single coil but somehow bigger sounding. 

They sound ok but they haven't got the bite of the nord big singles, or somehow the depth of the neck pickup of the bart 5005. I have a P at the front and a twin jazz type at the back and there isn't much variation really. As I say, they are ok, but if I was to come across some nords that fitted I would certainly put them in there without a second thought, but they are not so bad that I have gone out and got some (the nords I have spare are soapbars that would fit the ibanez, so they wouldn't go in the Maruszczyk).

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On 26/08/2018 at 17:30, Frank Blank said:

Yes, I have a feeling I’ll be working my way up the Ibanez ladder!

 

On 26/08/2018 at 14:58, stevie said:

Interesting stuff, thanks all. Looks like a move to a Premium model might be on the cards. I'll be watching the For Sale section with interest.

Gents - avoid checking this ad!

Not my preferred 'finish' but I know some folk will absolutely love it. And if it's all working perfectly then it looks good value to me as an introduction to the wonderful world of Ibby SR Premiums.

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On 25/08/2018 at 05:26, songofthewind said:

Anybody know what strings the SR500 comes with? The strings on mine (2 position minds switch so must be a couple of years old) are very nice and slippery .

I’ve got a Yamaha BBG II fretless incoming. Excited!

Possibly elixirs

https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/ibanez-offers-elixirs-1

They used to point out “elixir equipped”in catalogs

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11 hours ago, songofthewind said:

I thought it might be Elixirs, but I have read that they get fuzzy when they get worn. I have been playing the crap out of this thing, and the strings remain slick and shiny. D’addarios mebbe?

More than likely Elixirs, I have them on all my basses.  They've never got fuzzy.

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  • 1 month later...
On 31/08/2018 at 09:54, songofthewind said:

Thanks for that. I will check when I  get home, see what colour silks and ball ends. In an6 case, they’re good!

I thought I read somewhere they were Elixers , but the balls are red, black blue gold so maybe D'Addario. Just been NBD'd with a SR500 -  these round came off the same day for TI flats. These are still 'sticky' so need a bit more playing in.

Interesting comment on their website about the Bartolini Mk1 "Like traditional single coil but without the hum". They are actually P type pickups under that cover, but reversed compared to a P - treble side nearer the neck.

I think I preferred the P/J pickups on the cheaper SR200, which this replaced, but I'm still fiddling with the pots. The price drop of the SR200 was one reason I upgraded

songofthewind - if you need a spare set of rounds, you can have the ones I took off, never been played. They will go back on if you don't twist them. Nice slots in the bridge unlike BBOTs.

 

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