So I don’t see that custom Stingray on Reverb any more but it’s still on TalkBass and price has been reduced to $2,000 in case anyone (@T_dub?) is interested. I’m off to check out the ATK300.
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No, not in any position to buy a $2000 bass. Not sure I would even pay that much for a bass unless I get to status where $2000 is pocket change.
Yeah, I love the bass, it is probably the best looking bass I have ever seen, but I doubt I would like it better then what I have now, less the coolness factor.
Good luck with the ATK. Hope it’s in great condition and you like it.
If not, at least you can wrap your fretting hand around a chunkier neck then what you are used to, and it will give you a better idea as to what you would be comfortable to buy, or not buy, when you can’t play it first.
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He sold it just as I was about to head in the car to check it out and purchase it. Had I known he had someone else looking at it I would have scheduled a meet up sooner and/or paid more than $250. Grrr.
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Yeah, thats kind of shitty of him not to tell you somebody else was coming by also. You could have drove faster, ran some stop lights, etc…
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Yeah, thats a cool bass. It is a Sterling Ray34. I have one almost identical, but it is more brown then red on the edges, and it has a Maple fretboard.
TBH, I like the red around the edges better, but I prefer the maple neck.
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Looking at a used Ibanez SR400 from a motivated seller, but I don’t know much about them so I was hoping to get some help here.
Do you guys like the SR400? I couldn’t find this exact model anywhere else to compare but a similar model new is $530 usd but it seems to have different electronics (5 knobs to 4). Would this be a good deal if it could be had for $325 usd?
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Ibanez basses tend to have multiple models with the same number but different suffixes. In this case I think you’re looking at the (older) SR400 vs the (newer) SR400e/SR400EQM.
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That one would be the SR400QM. At least that is what mine was, looking just like it. Explain below.
I had that bass. I paid $280 for it and sold it for $325 or $359.
That is an older model, around 2010, but it is a fine bass.
It looks amazing. I just decided after alot of playing on GSR, SR900 and SR400 that the body shape and neck didn’t suit me best.
It is a super thin, contoured body, and for most I bet it is super comfortable.
The neck is thin, narrow, and fast. I loved playing on them when I was first starting out, made playing much easier, but have since found that I like a fuller body and thicker neck (not wider).
One thing that kind of turned me off the basses was they felt flimsy next to all the other basses I had / was playing. Mostly my Ray4, Ray34 and ESP LTD B4-E. The LTD is a neck thru, very solid construction, and the Ray4’s are as solid as they come.
I just felt if I put a little pressure on the neck, forward, or backward (if holding the bass like you are playing, and push forward on the neck from behind it, and then pull on the neck towards you) that I could see the strings getting closer and further away with the pressure being applied.
If that makes any sense.
I know they are great basses, I enjoy them, and many swear by them, it just turned out they were not going to be my GO TO 24 fret, thin / narrow / fast neck with 2 soap bar pick ups. My LTD takes that slot.
And my actual GO TO is my RAy4.
That looks a little expensive to me, but it would depend on the amp that comes with it.
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Also, factor in the case. That is a nice case, could be worth $60 to $100. The amp is ok, not what I would want, but if you don’t already have one, that could be a plus. IDK, you decide that.
I would rate the bass $300 a good buy. If you think the amp and case are worth $190 to you, then yeah, it’s a good deal.
Or if you just really like the color (I love it) and are willing to pay a little more for it, then by all means, it is a good bass.
And also, come to think of it, Mine had a Maple fretboard, so it is possible the year is different. Mine was 2010, this could be newer or older, possibly the same.
The fact it has 4 knobs it is for sure not the current models, they have 5.
This one has the same pre-amp options, it is a 3 band, but one of those 4 knobs is a stacked knob.
I am pretty sure it is
Volume
Pick up blend
Mids
Bass / Treble stacked
I could be wrong, its been a while, but I think that is the config.
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The amp is a Rumble 15, but I already have a Rumble 40. But that’s 490 Canadian pesos so I can probably get it in that $325-$360 USD (at least, I assume it was USD) range you mentioned.
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Yeah, the case and bass are worth that in US dollars, so you can just sell the Rumble for $30-$40 and get a little money back
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I have an SR400, but it’s way different than the ad… Black hardware, P/J pickups, blue body… I don’t recall what I paid for it (used from Guitar Center, probably over 10 years ago) but it couldn’t have been more than $200 since it was my first bass… (no case or amp of course)
IMO, it’s a fine bass, but I prefer my ESP Ltd. The ad may be a better bass than mine tho.
With the case and amp, I’d say $300 is likely fair for it. And if you like it, then what’s another $25…
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@howard @T_dub @skydvr thanks for the input. I’ve decided I’m going to let it go. It does look great, and the one video I found on it sounded good too, but just doesn’t quite get me excited like it should.
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I would bet it was the same everything but pick ups and possibly pre-amp.
I had both a SR300 and SR400QM, both from about 2010.
They were IDENTICAL in every way except
the SR300 was Roadster Orange, like the color that is on the GSR Mikro and GSR 5 string. It had a Rosewood (or similar colored) fretboard.
The SR400QM was that same finish, the Cherry Burst / orange as yhe bass in question has, and it was Quilted Maple top (the QM in the last part of the model number). It also had a light maple fretboard.
Those two basses, my SR300 and SR400, aside from some different looks, they were the same bass.
I think the only upgrade was the Quilted Maple, so I don’t quite get why it was not just SR300 QM instead of 400QM?
Actually, there may be one last difference, but I am not 100% certain (although, I could verify thru old posts with pictures of my basses)
Now I am thinking that the SR300, in Roadster Orange, may have had a different color headstock
And the SR400QM had matching headstock.
Not sure tho, I think all the SR have similar pattern head as body, and the GSR have the black head.
So, may or may not be a factor.
Thats not a bad choice, You shouldn’t ever buy a bass because you think you need another one and you just take any old bass that looks half good and is a good brand.
Take a look at the ESP LTD BMODEL basses, like B104, B4-E, B1004, Betc…
The D’s are cool too, and the F’s are really cool if you like a metal looking bass.
I think they play better then the Ibanez SR line. But that is my opinion, and I have the nicer Neck Thru body that looks like this, and its hard to argue with a bass that looks like this.
And new they are only about $600. If you find them used, expect to pay about $400 for this one. For the other bolt on models (which are very good) you can pay between $200 and $350 about.
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Why are the LTD series so inexpensive?
They seem to have solid electronics (mine does, all Aguilar pickups), great designs, good electronics/tone/hardware.
Are they just not as desirable?
To me these seem like a hidden gem of the bass world for the price.
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Great question, I actually have my eyes on those too for my next bass.
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Same thing with their guitars. They’re really good for the money.
My husband has a beautiful EC400 goldtop that just absolutely screams. We did put some hand-made humbuckers in it at one point, but it was his workhorse before that. Great guitar.
Only thing I can think of is that on the back of its headstock there’s a little “made in Korea” stamp.
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The Gretsch hollowbody I just got yesterday is made in Korea.
I cannot find a thing wrong with it.
Fit and finish are exceptional.
Maybe just a victim of bass/guitarist purist/elitist snobbery.
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