Ibanez SR500E vs Rickenbacker 4003

The price point is remarkable when you look at the craftsmanship of these basses, you really get more than you paid for so to speak.

This is the all you need to know bass show here on my channel, where I run you through everything you need to know about a single piece of gear. If yo...

So Heath, the SR basses are notoriously fantastic throughout the whole range, aren't they? Very, very popular models. A lot of bass for not too bad a ...

The one modification I did do to this bass, I put a hip shot bridge on it, the original Rickenbacker bridges in my opinion, well for lack of a better ...

Or at least no longer a great deal. 4-5 years ago back when they were US$275 new they were steals, but now that they're $430 plus tax and shipping, they're no longer this amazing moneyball solution, they're at best a decent bass at a fair price. In my opinion if you've got $500 to spend on a bass I'd get a used Mexican Fender or Ibanez SR500, that's where the real value is at that price point.

But a price tag over $3000 is not justified. I can get any number of instruments that are MUCH better for much less money - Sandberg, G&L, Music Man, Sadowsky, Warwick, or any number of other manufacturers will give you much more bang for your bucks.

On the plus side, it's comfortable, nice to play, good quality for the price. The preamp offers many possibilities once you've figured out the controls, and it also has a passive mode. The pickups work well in both mode, and they have 4 wires so if you know how to solder you can add switches to get more sound options.

All right, you know what, this is the first time I've done a lot of fooling around with the mutes up and some cool tones, so don't let anyone tell you...

the main reason to get a SR500 is I believe those are the cheapest Ibanez that have those sweet bartolini pickups. I have a 500 and it's great, I think if you get a used one in good condition and give it a proper setup it will make you very happy

I've been very happy with mine and love the sound and feel of the instrument. If I have any complaints, I would say the pick-ups can be noisy and the toggle switch sometimes can produce a static noise switching back and forth between pick ups.

Ibanez is pretty lightweight. The SR series by Ibanez is a good way to go. I used to own an SR500 and it was a great bass. It’s a bass I certainly miss and if you can find a pre-owned one in good shape they tend to be priced pretty reasonably

After playing for longer than 3 hours on your feet you start to understand how heavy this bass is, though I do not find this as a downside. All in all I believe this is the perfect bass for anyone looking for something with unmatched tone.