Ibanez Bass Workshop SRF705 Fretless Review

Wow!

Way more than I expected. My first fretless and way easier to play than I thought. The "Mwah" is wonderful! I can hear it even without an amp! Setup and intonation were right on - "Out-of-the-box". I like the stock D'Addario® ECB81-5 Flats as well. My only very minor complaint is that I wish Ibanez made a really sharp looking finish. My fretted bass is a Spector USA NS-5XL.… read more OK, so I'm spoiled.

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HOLY MOLY!!!!!

My amazing and incredible wife surprised me with this bass on Christmas. I had been looking for a five string but had no idea she had been memorizing serial numbers lol. This bass really is incredible. The vast array of tones possible with the various pick ups and controls is almost infinite. I can get close to a P bass, J bass, PJ bass, and my hollowbody Ibanez all with… read more this bass. I won't say that I can get a true upright tone, but this bass is able to create pretty passable tones for jazz applications. It came set up nearly perfectly, with a straight neck and low action. The physical beauty of this bass is really something to behold. The carved neck joint and attention to details really sets this apart and makes it a delight to just look at and admire. The only thing that was a little bit of a bummer was the input jack. It is recessed, so I can't play my headphone amp without some sort of adapter cable. Not really that big of a deal though. I am so completely happy with this bass and I really have a hard time putting it down. Sweetwater was amazing as well, helping her with everything along the way. I'm very happy!!

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Beautiful Fretless Bass Ibanez SRF705

I bought this bass because I wanted fretless to get that upright bass feel and sound from a small, economical package. I chose this specific model of fretless based on the reviews of the sound quality and the design choices. I love the natural wood grain look with a burst, and the "black" edges and back give the bass an aggressive look. The main reason I chose this bass over other… read more fretless basses was the fact there are no visible fretboard markings on the face. Many other fretless basses I was looking at still had markers or fret lines on the face of the fretboard, which to me takes away from the visual appeal of a fretless. I would definitely recommend this bass. You won't be disappointed. Shout-out to Sweetwater for the super fast delivery. I ordered on a Friday, and it showed up on Monday.

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MUCH Better Than Expected

Overall, this bass feels and plays beautifully. It sounds better than I expected. It means that I don't have to buy the better Bartolini's. These will do just fine. Unit comes with flats on it, which is perfectly fine. Neck is solid, smooth and feels good. There will be a small learning curve on balancing out the pickups and combinations of 'pups'. Each pickup has their own volume… read more and boost/cut tone control. This bass does not come with a case or gig-bag, and I wish that I purchased one. No harm done. I just ordered one. Only complaints: - Ibanez only gives you a thick, multi-language "Electric Guitar & Bass Maintenance Manual". Contains ALL the information you don't need. What I really needed was information about the "Actual" instrument, like the knob functions and specs. You are forced to copy that information from the webpage and create your own document. Pfft! - It seemed that the "repackaging" did not instill any confidence. It relates to the expanding foam bags that get used as packing material (Box-in-a-box). In this particular instrument, there was "very-light" application of thin, under-filled bags. Basically, I would add more foam in the bags in the top and bottom for 4-sides of coverage (expanded vertical to be about 4" on 5-sides). There were small blobs in the middle, but would not have stopped the ends from getting damaged or for absorbing the shock of rough handling. Even with the minor nits, I would still strongly recommend this bass. Ergonomically and sound-wise, it makes playing fretless fun again. I can retire my heavy, early '80's Franken-G&L.

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Versatile Fretless

I already have a 5-string lined fretless Carvin, nice sound strung with high-c. But after hearing this bass live with rich "woody" tone I decided to get one. I was considering an electric upright instead, but this is more versatile. Obviously this won't produce an upright tone exactly, but with the right settings and technique it gets the job done. The extended fingerboard threw… read more off my muscle-memory intonation high on the neck at first, but it all clicks now. The brown burst finish is attractive , (but I prefer natural wood for my basses),and neck-thru construction is a must for me. The neck seems thick compared to a typical Ibanez SR, but very playable. This may be for stability of the extended fingerboard. I use it mostly with the piezo pick-up with the tone rolled down and a touch of neck pick-up, but the Barts give it a wide range of options.

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