What's the deal with the Ibanez SRX basses?

[katalyzt13]

I just ran across these yesterday on accident and realized there are a LOT of these things around on the used market at what seem to be very reasonable prices. But then I ask myself, why was this whole line discontinued so quickly and why have I never heard of them.

Are they worth getting mixed up in?

How do they compare to the SR series as far as "feel"?

Do those MM style humbuckers sound okay?

Does anybody own one or have much experience with one to give the group some info on them?

 

[Treebeard]

I absolutely love them. Pickups are insane. If you're a two-band pre-amp fan, these are a must-have for the collection. Check out my de-fretted srx2ex1. They make amazing fretli. Good metal basses too if you're into that.

 

[katalyzt13]

I absolutely love them. Pickups are insane. If you're a two-band pre-amp fan, these are a must-have for the collection. Check out my de-fretted srx2ex1. They make amazing fretli. Good metal basses too if you're into that.

That's pretty awesome - how would you compare the neck to the neck of a regular Ibanez SR neck?

 

[BassNoobSuomi]

That's pretty awesome - how would you compare the neck to the neck of a regular Ibanez SR neck?

A bit thicker, not a baseball bat by any means. Vaguely similar to the ibanez ATK series.

 

[thunderstation]

I don't have one or have ever played one. But everyone I know who has loves them and I get the impression it's a very respectable bass

 

[Ken J]

Early on when I was feeling out what I liked in a bass I wanted to string an instrument BEAD. I used a SRX 300 with a set custom ordered heavey gauge strings from Just Strings. I ended up with what is known as the elusive "Best Bass For Metal". Very narley, bright and deep sounding. The dog hated it. Sold it to a kid who loved it.

 

[Treebeard]

That's pretty awesome - how would you compare the neck to the neck of a regular Ibanez SR neck?

I'd say that they are slim/fast but not as thin as the SR series. Fender jazz size IMHO. The SR series neck is too thin if you ask me.

 

[katalyzt13]

I'd say that they are slim/fast but not as thin as the SR series. Fender jazz size IMHO. The SR series neck is too thin if you ask me.

Thanks for the info...I had an SR370 years ago as my first bass when I was still primarily a guitar player, I gave it away and moved on and recently played that same exact instrument and remembered how comfortable it felt to play. I didn't like the sound, so I know I would have to try a higher end SR that has the Bartolini or Nordstrand, or possibly the SRX pickukps, after I discovered them when looking at Ibanez SR basses on Reverb, TB, and eBay.

 

[Rib 13]

I thought those were an Ibanez attempt at a G&L and when I demoed one, I was a bit surprised at how L2000-ish (in the ballpark) it was....it seems that Yamaha adopted this with the TRBX 304/305, which is an outstanding bass, especially compared to the more expensive 504/505, which the 304/305 blows away

 

[Treebeard]

Thanks for the info...I had an SR370 years ago as my first bass when I was still primarily a guitar player, I gave it away and moved on and recently played that same exact instrument and remembered how comfortable it felt to play. I didn't like the sound, so I know I would have to try a higher end SR that has the Bartolini or Nordstrand, or possibly the SRX pickukps, after I discovered them when looking at Ibanez SR basses on Reverb, TB, and eBay.

That's pretty common from what I hear as those SR necks are a smooth transition. But I'm a huge fan of the standard SRX pickups (modern sound) and the alinco (vintage tone) ones they put in the higher-end models. They're all over the innerwebz. I just wish the SRX and SR necks were interchangeable =[

 

[two fingers]

I sold am gajillion of them when they first hit.

Cons

The knobs/pots are awful. They constantly came back to the shop for coming loose. The tuners were almost as awful. The finish on the hardware was awful. Pitted quickly and easily. The sound was OK at best. If mid-range grrrrr is what you are looking for they are alright for that. Anything else and I found the pickups/preamp useless.

Pros

Felt nice. Played nice with a good setup. The cutout in the pickup was a really comfy place to put your thumb.

Just one man's opinion.

 

[tfer]

I've got an SRX500 and have a ton of experience with the SRs, including owning a Portamento.

The SRX neck is chunkier than the SR, but still quick. If you are a Fender owner, it'll be more comfortable for you than the thinner SR series. It is also VERY stable under different climates. Once it's set, I've never had to adjust it, unlike my other basses.

The pickups are great, but their output is considerably hotter than anything that I've found with Ibanez. Mine has Barts. If I'm using it live with other basses, I have presets in my pedals that attenuate the output, otherwise it's easily 5 or 6 DB louder.

The active controls are simple, with a master volume, treble, bass and pan - I haven't had any problems with them at all.

The neck finish is gloss, that my hands don't like, but 30 seconds with .0000 grade steel wool fixed that, and is now a matte finish.

The hardware is solid (IMO) but tarnished FAST. I brought it back once using polish, but I'm not that picky anymore. The tarnish now looks like an antique finish, and I'm cool with that.

I've strung it using all manner of rounds, flats and tapes, and never had a problem with setting it up, or intonating it.

There were some rumours of the bridge ripping itself apart from string tension in the late 90s, but that must have been fixed, because mine has never had a problem, and I've used flats, tuned up a 4th.

 

[Mechayoshi]

My local GC has TWO for 150. Worth it? I played one and it was nice.

 

[Treebeard]

My local GC has TWO for 150. Worth it? I played one and it was nice.

Buy both!

 

[Johnny Crab]

+1 to the "Buy both".
Got a white SRXEX2(looks like a bass with a white tuxedo on). Had to play with it off and on for a bit b/c some bonehead had super heavy telephone cables for strings on it....not good on a somewhat thin neck. Put the light gauge set used here on it and it took the neck a couple of weeks to "get to normal". The reach is a little different than most of my other basses but, as said above, the controls + neck feel + comfy pickup thumb rest make it that much better.

PS: These work GREAT in a room that has muddy acoustics. We've been in a house band deal for 2 years and the SR went for a test and worked very well because you are able to do so much with the tone controls on the bass. They also respond nicely to playing harder toward the bridge for a really cutting tone.

 

[Wild_Cat]

Good basses. I have a SRX725 back at my mom's place and it's a pleasure to play. The neck is chunkier than an Ibanez SR's (it has more of a C shape) and the string spacing is wider, but it still plays very nicely.

Sounds good, too -- here, have a sample:

I recorded this a couple weeks after buying it, so I was still getting used to it (don't expect shredding, this is straightforward rock fingerstyle).

That said, even though the pickups are nice, the built-in EQ is mediocre. It'd be far better with a 3-band (Aguilar, Audere, whatever), as the pickups aren't especially mid-heavy. Anything to bring the instrument forward in the mix has to be done on your amp or pedals.

Oh, and the inlay on the 725's neck is gorgeous.

 

[katalyzt13]

I sold am gajillion of them when they first hit.

Cons

The knobs/pots are awful. They constantly came back to the shop for coming loose. The tuners were almost as awful. The finish on the hardware was awful. Pitted quickly and easily. The sound was OK at best. If mid-range grrrrr is what you are looking for they are alright for that. Anything else and I found the pickups/preamp useless.

Pros

Felt nice. Played nice with a good setup. The cutout in the pickup was a really comfy place to put your thumb.

Just one man's opinion.

Thanks! That is really useful! People usually either just talk about how awesome something is (and are specific), or else they dislike it but don't qualify why - This gives me some specific things to think about.

 

[Wild_Cat]

Oh, yeah, as an addendum to my last post, note that the SRX725 has different (read: better) pickups from the rest of the line. The design is the same, but the pickups in the 725 have Alnico magnets whereas lower-end ones have ceramic.

And all in all, given the choice of any ~$700 Ibanez (which the 725 cost me), I'd rather buy a SR505. It's a better instrument on pretty much every metric that I care about: better preamp, better aesthetics, lighter, faster neck.

The reason I got the SRX instead is that I already had a higher-end SR (4005), which would have made the SR505 completely redundant.

 

[lug]

Have an SRX505.....Great pups and hardware....preamp is a bit too "touchy". Have never had any problems with it at all.

 

[ERIC31]

This is my SRX2EX2 and I love it! The pickups give a good growl which is perfect for my times playing punk/rock/metal. (Anything with distorted guitars. It feels good, not too heavy and looks way cool. I'd love a 5 string in the SRX line. If you find a good deal, grab it! You'll be,glad you did. The star graphics were added by me. I like to personalize my basses.