I’ve been looking at getting a new bass. I’ve got a Squire Affinity Jazz that I like, but I just feel like getting something a bit more upmarket. The 870 is from 2018 but is still new. The specs look very similar to the 2020 500E but wondering why a 2 year old bass hasn’t been sold. Anyone played or own either of these that can put their spin on why you’d choose one over the other please. The 870 is slightly cheaper than the 500E.
Other’s that I also like are the Yamaha TRBX 604 (about 20% cheaper than Ibanez) or the Schechter Riot 4 (about 50% more expensive). Big price differences so may not be much of a comparison.
It’s not unusual for dealer stock to be 1-2 years old. They will usually have sales to clear them out but i bought a 2018 bass new this year, for example.
All of those are great basses. I own a TRBX604 and am happy to answer questions if you have any.
I’m a huge fan of Yamaha, having used their products for years, and so there was some bias here. But my first bass I purchased was a TRBX304, which sold me on the TRBX line. It’s the best feeling and sounding line of basses for what I like that I found.
I also have a lot of time playing older model Yamaha BB’s, so of course I considered a BB2/4/734. And that would have been a fine choice too.
I also considered Ibanez (I absolutely love the basses with humbuckers in the SR line) and Warwick. I ended up getting a Warwick Rockbass later as well as my second bass, and there’s no comparison for me between it and the 604.
The biggest reason I upgraded to the 604 from the 304 was it had two features I really wanted - a 3-band EQ and an active/passive switch. And really the electronics - pups and preamp - remain one of my favorite things about the bass. It’s just really high quality. As are the Ibanez’s you are looking at.
Another thing I love about it (and a quality Ibanez basses share) is how light it is. It weighs in at 3.8kg total. I love that.
But really the thing I love most about it is its neck. It’s got this magical thin, fast, and strong neck that I just love.
If you like slap this bass is perfect for it. Very bright sounding bass already, it slaps well
I don’t currently use an amp but it was fine with the Rumble 25.
It is overall very similar to the SR line basses in the same pricerange. You won’t go wrong with either.
Thanks for the very in depth response, much appreciated. I know from some of the guitars I’ve played, the feel of the neck plays a huge part so great to know about the neck.
The hard part is going to be trying to pick something with limited, if any chance to try before buying.
I have an SR500E, but it’s my first bass and I only started in August, so unfortunately can’t really compare it to anything else. I really love it and have no complaints so far - it looks, feels and sounds great.
Looking at the specs I don’t really see any difference between the two - exact same materials, dimensions, pickups, eq, etc. The only difference is that the 870 doesn’t have the eq bypass switch.
Thanks @akos, only just started to read up about the active/passive switch. Certainly sounds useful. Wish the 500E had a colour option similar to the 870.
