Found Ibanez SR506 for $350 - good price?

juggahnaught

juggahnaught

Feb 11, 2018
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#1
Hey, all. Been a while since I've been here - had an old account under the name "lunchmeat317" that I've forgotten the password for. I wanted your expertise, though!

I've found an Ibanez SR506 (mahogany finish) at my local pawn shop, for $350. It seems as though it's been set up quite well; the action is very low and it seems as though the fit and finish is good. It has intonation issues as the 24th fret and needs new strings, but that I can deal with on my own. (One of the owners said he's a luthier - guessing he did the setup.)

This bass didn't seem to have an active/passive switch. The pickup covers are also unmarked. From my research, it seems as though these basses have had different pickup configurations over the years. I didn't see a serial number on the bass (guessing it's inside the electronics covers).

My initial reaction was "whoa, this is a decent deal" but I'd like to check myself before diving in on this. Based on the lack of a active/passive switch, what year might this bass be and is it a good price?

Thank you!
 
#4
@Maxdusty - it's got five knobs total; volume and blend, and a three-band EQ. Electronics were dead silent, too, something I can't say about my current six-string. I'll have to test it through the Markbass with its tweeter.

@IronSpatula I think it may have had a bubinga neck, but I'm pretty bad at identifying wood that isn't maple or rosewood. :P Back of the neck was dark brown with two reddish stripes. Neck profile was kind of a flattish C shape, in my opinion. Research shows they used to use wenge but have switched to jabota? I thought the bass felt fairly light, but my other bass is a monster so I might be biased.
 
#5
Looking around a little more, I think that this is actually one of the newer basses, but I'm not yet sure. However, I've resolved to hit the pawn shop in the morning before work to see if I can haggle on the price a bit. I'm not sure how long they've had the bass (although the price suggests that it's a recent acquisition) but I think there's an opportunity for both the seller and the buyer in this case.
 
#7
Went back this morning and grabbed a picture - this is the only marking.

Looks like this is an early 2005 model from Cort, based on the serial code.
 

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#8
juggahnaught said:
Went back this morning and grabbed a picture - this is the only marking.
Click to expand...
2005...
The pic here is of a 2006, but it should look similar.
SOLD - Ibanez SR506 2006 model with gig bag

Being a pawn shop, most of the ones I've been to where I live, the ticketed price is not the lowest they're willing to go, you can probably get the price down a bit. Usually if you're willing to pay cash (rather than by card) they're more open to giving more of a discount. Say, aren't most ATM withdrawals limited to $300 per day, plus you've got to pay for pizza delivery too.
Also being close to Valentines Day, you can say you're getting it for your significant other, worth a shot. :)
 
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#9
Hah, yeah - that was my plan! Walk in with $280 in twenties, offer that right away. If they balk, rummage around in my wallet for the four crumpled five-dollar bills I'd stashed there to bring it to $300. If they couldn't do that, I'd just wait it out. (I don't really NEED another bass, I've just got a pretty bad case of GAS and I'm trying to relieve the pressure!)
 
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#11
Got it for $285! I've attached a picture of it, sitting next to my other bass. I feel good about the purchase....I feel it was a good price, but the reaction to it leaves me with a bit of a pit in my stomach....I walked in, offered a price in cash, and they took it immediately. I feel as though it was a good deal for both parties, but I guess I can't help but wonder if I somehow screwed up royally without even realizing it. I guess that's just part of it, though!

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#12
juggahnaught said:
Hah, yeah - that was my plan! Walk in with $280 in twenties, offer that right away. If they balk, rummage around in my wallet for the four crumpled five-dollar bills I'd stashed there to bring it to $300. If they couldn't do that, I'd just wait it out. (I don't really NEED another bass, I've just got a pretty bad case of GAS and I'm trying to relieve the pressure!)
Click to expand...
My most recent bass was a pawn shop buy - I went to one about a 45 minute drive from me two weeks ago, saw a Squier VM Fretless listed at $220- I really wasn't in the market for a bass but was curious about the bass and if the price was enticing enough, who knows right? had it down to $170 + tax but it still wasn't enough to make it a must buy purchase for me. So I walked away, and started regretting it when I got home as when I checked prices online for used ones, I couldn't find one for anywhere near that price. Jump ahead one week later, I took out $170 on the off-chance the bass was still there (tbh, I didn't think it would be, the bass was in perfect condition, hardly used). Lo and behold it was still there, feigned a dis-interested look, picked up other basses then centered on the fretless. Got the same deal again, but this time I said I only had $170 cash in my wallet (which was true), if they could include the tax for that price, I would buy it then and there. It worked.
 
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#13
juggahnaught said:
Got it for $285! I've attached a picture of it, sitting next to my other bass. I feel good about the purchase....I feel it was a good price, but the reaction to it leaves me with a bit of a pit in my stomach....I walked in, offered a price in cash, and they took it immediately. I feel as though it was a good deal for both parties, but I guess I can't help but wonder if I somehow screwed up royally without even realizing it. I guess that's just part of it, though!

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That's part of buying from a pawn shop...they'll usually accept a reasonable offer (usually even lower than the what they go for used elsewhere on CL or used at GC) as long as it moves the bass out of the store, and is at least more than what they paid for it. They're not really in the music instrument business after all.
A quick google and you'll find you did pretty darn good on that. Looks to be in very good condition too. So Congrats on your new bass!
Just out of curiosity though, why $285, why not $280? Good job, you knocked $65 off the price.
 
#14
Ha! It sounded better to my ears, honestly - more like a final price and less of an invitation to haggle. Felt as though that was the price I wanted to pay and if they wouldn't have taken it, I'd have left my information and let them contact me if they couldn't move it.

Thanks for all the great advice, everyone! Feeling pretty good after passing some of that bad GAS, but now I've got to splurge on strings, a strap, and a case/gig bag for this guy. It's a hard-knock life. :D
 
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#15
juggahnaught said:
Got it for $285! I've attached a picture of it, sitting next to my other bass. I feel good about the purchase....I feel it was a good price, but the reaction to it leaves me with a bit of a pit in my stomach....I walked in, offered a price in cash, and they took it immediately. I feel as though it was a good deal for both parties, but I guess I can't help but wonder if I somehow screwed up royally without even realizing it. I guess that's just part of it, though!

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Click to expand...

No, you did NOT screw up! My used SR506 cost me a little over $200 BUT it needed a new set of tuners which put the price about in your range and that was a killer deal! These are killer basses. Thin fast super comfy neck. Amazing tone. 24 frets like I like in a 6 string. Look at the used prices on EBAY. These things go used for at least a couple hundred more than we paid and they are worth it even at that level. Yeah, I need another 6 string bass like a hole in the head too, but these are keepers for both of us! Happy NBD! :)
 
#17
I found a 2016 SR506 at a pawn shop on eBay for $299 that was in excellent shape and I snapped it up 2 weeks ago. I bought the SR506 to replace a recently sold 2007 Cirrus 6 USA. Even though the Cirrus was a higher quality bass, the SR506 is awesome with respect to playability, tone, and versatility! Well worth the money and one of the best basses that I have ever played!
 
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#18
bottomzone said:
I found a 2016 SR506 at a pawn shop on eBay for $299 that was in excellent shape and I snapped it up 2 weeks ago. I bought the SR506 to replace a recently sold 2007 Cirrus 6 USA. Even though the Cirrus was a higher quality bass, the SR506 is awesome with respect to playability, tone, and versatility! Well worth the money and one of the best basses that I have ever played!
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That’s an excellent score for a great workhorse bass. Bummer about the Cirrus, but the SR506 should be able to cover all the same gigs.
 
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