Soundgear 6-String Bass

[DrNomis_44]

Update:

Going to be picking-up the parcel that contains the new bass strings for my 6-string bass at 4pm this afternoon.


Update:


Picked-up the new strings from the post office, and got to work putting them on my 6-string bass, gave it a good going-over with regards to set-up work and I think I've got it playing the best I can get it, had to set all 6 string-saddles to the correct height-adjustments, then tune each string to pitch, then tweak the intonation for each string, then tweak the truss-rod because there was miles too much neck-relief according to Ibanez setup specs, then I checked the string intonation again, and I think I've pretty much nailed it, the action at the 12th fret is pretty low for a 6-string bass, at about 2mm for all the string, I'm getting very little fret-buzz up and down the neck.

The low B-string sounds pretty fat, nice sustain on all the strings, the 6-string bass has active bass and treble controls, plus a sweepable mid cut/boost eq, well that's what it sounds like to my ears anyway, the other controls are a master volume, and neck/bridge pickup mix.

And here it is, all ready to rock:

[Simon Barden]

I missed this as you updated an existing post rather than made a new one. I was just going to ask if you'd got the strings.

So, no issues with the replacement saddles and all the electronics work. You have a really nice bass there.

[DrNomis_44]

I missed this as you updated an existing post rather than made a new one. I was just going to ask if you'd got the strings.

So, no issues with the replacement saddles and all the electronics work. You have a really nice bass there.

Yep, had practically no issues with the replacement saddles, all I had to do was to rotate them 180 degrees and they were practically a drop-in fit, all the electronics work, all I had to do was to replace the original 9V battery clip, which was easy enough to do, the strings went straight on with no problems, the truss-rod needed some tweaking because there was too much forward-bow in the neck, a quick setup got it up and running.


I got the strings I had ordered on eBay, a set of 6 DAddario roundwound bass strings in .130 to .032 gauge, I didn't have to do any filing of the nut slots, the strings were practically a drop-in fit.


Controls are as follows.....


Master Volume (Single Gang Pot):

Self explanatory.

Pickup Blend (Single Gang Pot):

This control allows you to select the neck pickup, bridge pickup, or blend the outputs of both pickups.

Bass Control (Dual Gang Pot, Boost/Cut):

This controls how much bass is in the output of the guitar.

Treble Control (Dual Gang Pot, Boost/Cut):

This controls how much treble is in the output of the guitar.

Midrange Frequency Sweep (Dual Gang Pot):

This allows you to adjust the midrange frequency.

Midrange Boost/Cut (Dual Gang Pot):

This allows you to boost/cut the midrange frequency selected by the Midrange Frequency Sweep control.


So, the 6-string bass has a pretty comprehensive set of tone controls on it.


I have the 6 strings tuned as follows.....B, E, A, D, G, and C.


The neck is a wide and thin type, I'm guessing that the neck thickness is roughly about 25mm, but I was surprised at just how comfortable it felt despite the fact that there are 6 strings on it, fretboard radius turned out to be 16 inches, I was also surprised at how well the 6-string bass balanced, there is practically no tendency to neck-dive, strapped-on the 6-string bass feels pretty comfortable to play, and I like the bare wood finish on the body and neck.


I am very happy with my Ibanez Soundgear SR1306PM 6-string bass guitar, so it's definitely a keeper, it has a bright tone, the strings all have good sustain, I'm looking forward to playing it through my Fender Super Twin amp which I'm using as a bass amp head.

[DrNomis_44]

Update:

I bet some of you might be wondering just what a 6-string electric bass guitar, like my Ibanez Soundgear SR1306PM, sounds like?, here's a quick demo I managed to record and upload to my soundcloud account:

https://soundcloud.com/drnomis_44/6-string-bass-demo