Possible the best review/demo of an instrument I've seen - showing the same riff with different settings and playing styles really left nothing to wonder about
Agreed. Can't stand it when somebody switches up a major setting and then plays something entirely different... or in general, when they mostly demo solo melodic blues/jazz noodling as opposed to a riff/groove/strummed pattern that you'd going to actually use in a song.
I am a guitar player looking to learn to play the bass. I tried the full scale basses (34 in) and liked them but I found coming from playing guitar to learning the bass that the medium scale was much more comfortable for me. Once I become good on the bass, I might get a full scale bass. Until that time.....I am going to enjoy playing this bass.
I'm a regular 6 string guitar player so bass is really out of my comfort zone. I'm in the market for a bass to lay down some basic tracks for home recording and I tried one of these at the local shop and fell in love. The shorter scale and thin neck feel very comfortable and somewhat familiar coming from a regular 6 string. Not being a dedicated bass player, I'm not looking to drop thousands of dollars on an instrument so the price point on this one is great. I was flying up and down the neck on this thing having a blast almost convincing myself I'm an actual bass player. I had the same thought with all of the other basses I tested thinking, ok, this will work for a quick recording session to get the job done and then put it away. I got to this particular bass and thought I can really see myself just jamming on it for hours for fun. This is definitely next on my purchase list.
After a month of playing, I have to thank Ivan for an excellent review that convinced me to get this guitar. All together, the SRMD200 is well built and nicely finished. It has a comfortable mezzo scale, great playability, and nice sounds. I purchased this bass (orange metallic) from Guitar Center in Falls Church, VA. We unboxed it at Guitar Center and the fret sprout was terrible.The staff at Falls Church GC were great and they refinished the fret ends perfectly. I had a bit of trouble setting up the guitar due to fret buzz above the 17th fret. Nut height was fine so I unbolted and reset the neck which did the trick. Now with minimal neck relief and bridge adjustment the action is 3/32 inch (2.5 mm) above the 12-17 frets with no more fret buzz. Adjusting the bridge for intonation was easy. The guitar feels and sounds great with a nice range of tones as Ivan smartly demonstrated with his repeated riff (great idea). The bass boost/cut, pickup volume and balancer knobs work great. The only con is the hiss noise when the treble knob is boosted. If it is kept in the middle neutral position, it is fine. It may need a new capacitor or better grounding of the pickups (any ideas?). Ibanez has no SRMD200 manual or wiring diagram available. It would be nice to have a manual since I can only assume that insertion of a cable into the guitar is what activates the battery powered two band equalizer (?). I recommend this bass guitar. Good bang for the buck.
Hi Jason! I'm glad to hear that you are enjoying your new bass! Sorry about the trouble with fret sprout :( Each country/continent has different distribution companies and they are in charge of checking all the instruments before shipping it to the dealers. Ibanez Germany does a great job with the instruments here. For the preamp, try putting a fresh battery.It might help with the hiss issue. There are manuals on the Ibanez website, but just like you mentioned, connecting a cable to the bass activates the active preamp. Make sure to unplug the bass when you are not playing :)
Sounds like you know what you're talking about, I just picked up my first bass today in orange metallic as well because I thought it looked pretty. Played it for about 2hrs on Rocksmith. For all I know everything works perfectly lol.
I tried one of these in a store last week...it was really light and comfortable, and the 32" inch scale wasn't so short as to make it hard to adjust to. I think I want one. Only concerns: the headstock joint, and the electronics were not that great
This will be perfect for my singer! She loves to play bass but is like 4'5" and only has access to a full-scale Thunderbird which is simply too big and she gets too tired after awhile. She can't even reach the end of the fretboard! I love the idea of a medium-scale bass. She needs a very heavy tone and some range as well so this perfect. Nice balance :)
Great video!! Awesome sound samples bro! I know what this bass cost, but it beats the sound of many, and I mean many $2500 basses. I heard all the differences in the tones of the pickups and preamp. Crystal clear and rockin on the deep end! I'm getting one !!!
Thank you. Very informative, and excellently demonstrated. I found a used one on eBay. It's on the way. Although, I own a very nice long scale ibanez already, I have acquired some Rotator Cuff issues. (Father Time) I believe the shorter scale will be more comfortable. Stay Safe!
I don’t remember, because the bass is no longer with me. I think there was no hum in that way, but the bridge pickup is a single coil, so it is going to eventually pick up 60 cycle hum
Great demo using the same riff throughout to compare tones. I bought this bass yesterday and I love it, but having trouble getting the kinds of tones you are showing. I think it has to do with the amp. So my question is...what amp are you running for this demo?
IvanBassist I am referring to the tones you are getting playing the same riff using the different pickup selections, bass boost, treble boost, flat EQ, etc.. Is the amp used for that the same as the one used for the intro? My problem is in getting tones where I can actually differentiate notes/half steps. Can’t seem to dial in a great sound that doesn’t make all the notes/pitches sound the same. 🤨. Your demo playing the same riff is terrific with excellent note definition along with tonal differentiation.
@@1funkybasslady Gotcha! For the intro I used an amp simulation of an Ampeg SVT with a bit of drive. The tone samples were recorded using the DI out of my Mesa Boogie WD-800 set flat without EQ :) Which amp are you using?
IvanBassist Thanks for the info. Nice amps! I play small venues, so I use a MarkBass Micro CMD 121P. I am not able to dial in a great tone with great note definition. When I try to get a warm sound I get mud, and I can’t differentiate between whole and half steps. Everything sounds like the same note. If I dial in a “brighter” tone I get better pitch differentiation, but other than for slap, I don’t prefer such a bright edgy tone. I’m thinking I need to get a different amp, but I don’t want to have to go to a humongous heavy tube amp to lug around to small venues. Actually, I don’t want to lug around a humongus amp to ANY gig! 🤪. Okay....all this said...I just watched your review of the Mesa Boogie. Fantastic review for a fantastic amp! I’m sold! Time for me to pay the Mesa Boogie shop in Hollywood! I looked at their website and will check out the Subway 800 and the lightweight Subway 1X12 cabs. Can get two of those - one for small gigs and two for larger venues. Easier to haul 1 each than a 2X12, and it provides greater flexibility as far as portability. Thanks again for all your information and great video reviews! Cheers!
You can get great tones without a huge and heavy tube amp 😁 It depends a lot how much your budget is. For a premium amp, i definitely recommend Mesa Boogie or Darkglass. Fender Rumble amps/cabs are pretty good budget amps!
Hi Jose! That depends. Some of it is personal preference, but you don’t want to get the pickups too close to the strings. Ideally, every string has the same volume
I have 3 of these, 2 orange, 1 Red. I also have 20 or so other basses mainly fenders and I only play my Mezzo's now! Super scale length @ 32" so comfortable and easy to play, great sounds as you just heard. Anyone want 20 Fenders?
Thanks Ivan. Love the 32" scale. Love the specs you give. I wish more people would follow your example. You are the best at giving all the pertinent info. If you remove the battery will this unit still play in regular passive mode or is the 9 volt battery necessary for any sounds coming out of the bass? Thanks,
Hehe. I'm thinking about getting one. I'm 6'2" and I've got 3 regular 4 strings and a regular 5 string. The mezzo just charms me in some way. Especially that green.
update... i got my mezzo a couple weeks ago. it's a small wonder. especially for transporting to a practices. sounds fantastic. typical ibanez attention to detail. so happy i got it.
Hi Ivan ! Awesome playing and demo 👍. I am 51 and play guitar since 30 years and want to try the bass....Which one is better between the short scale and mezzo scale Ibanez bass ? Thanks for your answer and help. Kind regards from France 🇫🇷
Mine sounds like it's going through a fuzz pedal, no matter what I plug into - amp, pedals, straight to a board. I've tried different batteries. Plus the paint started bubbling on the front and back.
I really like this bass but as usual, it's not available left-handed. The only company that is making quality lefty medium scale basses is Warmoth, and it's a special order item.
![Ibanez SR 650E - [DEMO]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/qeO-m8Z-ZLg/mqdefault.jpg)
![Ibanez SR 650E - [DEMO]](/img/tr.png)
Possible the best review/demo of an instrument I've seen - showing the same riff with different settings and playing styles really left nothing to wonder about
Thanks, Jeff 🙏🏽 Glad you liked it!
Agreed. Can't stand it when somebody switches up a major setting and then plays something entirely different... or in general, when they mostly demo solo melodic blues/jazz noodling as opposed to a riff/groove/strummed pattern that you'd going to actually use in a song.
agree 100% that this is an outstanding review...a very thorough and explicit demo, not to mention excellent playing and feel
I just bought this bass. This has some serious thump! Neck feels great, smooth and easy to play. EQ works great.
I really like this bass!
Congratulations!! Glad to hear you’re enjoying the bass!
I am a guitar player looking to learn to play the bass. I tried the full scale basses (34 in) and liked them but I found coming from playing guitar to learning the bass that the medium scale was much more comfortable for me. Once I become good on the bass, I might get a full scale bass. Until that time.....I am going to enjoy playing this bass.
I’ve had this bass for almost a year and the low E just snapped off. How on earth do you change strings on thsi thing!? Lol, thanks if anyone responds
Excellent video! Using the same riff to demo the different pickup/eq configurations was very helpful.
Bruce Piland Thanks for watching! I’m glad you found it helpful :)!
FINGER
both 2:23
neck 2:50
bridge 3:16
SLAP
both 5:02
neck 5:23
This is great - using the same riff for the different styles and pickup configs is the best way to compare them. Thank you!
Thanks, Robert! I’m glad that you liked it!
I have this bass and it’s very good
Cool instrument :)
This might be the best instrument demonstrations I’ve seen on RUclips. Thanks so much!
Thanks for watching and for the kind words!
I'm a regular 6 string guitar player so bass is really out of my comfort zone. I'm in the market for a bass to lay down some basic tracks for home recording and I tried one of these at the local shop and fell in love. The shorter scale and thin neck feel very comfortable and somewhat familiar coming from a regular 6 string. Not being a dedicated bass player, I'm not looking to drop thousands of dollars on an instrument so the price point on this one is great. I was flying up and down the neck on this thing having a blast almost convincing myself I'm an actual bass player. I had the same thought with all of the other basses I tested thinking, ok, this will work for a quick recording session to get the job done and then put it away. I got to this particular bass and thought I can really see myself just jamming on it for hours for fun. This is definitely next on my purchase list.
Glad you liked it! It’s definitely a fun bass to play!
great bass.i just bought one.and i love it
Yeah! Congratulations 🎉
Nice sounding bass great tone. I was playing one last week. Think I am buying it this week!!
Great bass!
Great demo, Ivan.....thanks. easy to get an idea of the range of tones from this bass.
I’m glad you liked it, Claude! Thanks for watching! 🙌🏽
After a month of playing, I have to thank Ivan for an excellent review that convinced me to get this guitar. All together, the SRMD200 is well built and nicely finished. It has a comfortable mezzo scale, great playability, and nice sounds. I purchased this bass (orange metallic) from Guitar Center in Falls Church, VA. We unboxed it at Guitar Center and the fret sprout was terrible.The staff at Falls Church GC were great and they refinished the fret ends perfectly. I had a bit of trouble setting up the guitar due to fret buzz above the 17th fret. Nut height was fine so I unbolted and reset the neck which did the trick. Now with minimal neck relief and bridge adjustment the action is 3/32 inch (2.5 mm) above the 12-17 frets with no more fret buzz. Adjusting the bridge for intonation was easy. The guitar feels and sounds great with a nice range of tones as Ivan smartly demonstrated with his repeated riff (great idea). The bass boost/cut, pickup volume and balancer knobs work great. The only con is the hiss noise when the treble knob is boosted. If it is kept in the middle neutral position, it is fine. It may need a new capacitor or better grounding of the pickups (any ideas?). Ibanez has no SRMD200 manual or wiring diagram available. It would be nice to have a manual since I can only assume that insertion of a cable into the guitar is what activates the battery powered two band equalizer (?). I recommend this bass guitar. Good bang for the buck.
Hi Jason! I'm glad to hear that you are enjoying your new bass!
Sorry about the trouble with fret sprout :(
Each country/continent has different distribution companies and they are in charge of checking all the instruments before shipping it to the dealers. Ibanez Germany does a great job with the instruments here.
For the preamp, try putting a fresh battery.It might help with the hiss issue. There are manuals on the Ibanez website, but just like you mentioned, connecting a cable to the bass activates the active preamp. Make sure to unplug the bass when you are not playing :)
Sounds like you know what you're talking about, I just picked up my first bass today in orange metallic as well because I thought it looked pretty. Played it for about 2hrs on Rocksmith. For all I know everything works perfectly lol.
Happy that you’re enjoying the new bass!
Have this bass and really like it!!
Good stuff, right?
@@IvanBassist Yeah all things considered, especially what you're getting for the price. I'm extremely happy! 😁
Just ordered one in red. Sounds great. Think I'm gonna love the 32" scale
Hope you enjoy the bass!
This was plain phenomenal demo. Must've took a lot of time too. Thank you so much!
Thanks for watching!
Great sound, great review.
Thanks for watching! :)
I tried one of these in a store last week...it was really light and comfortable, and the 32" inch scale wasn't so short as to make it hard to adjust to. I think I want one. Only concerns: the headstock joint, and the electronics were not that great
Yeah, i’m not a big fan of the preamp either, bit it is definitely comfortable!
@@IvanBassist The electronics can be bypassed or replaced, so at that price point, it's pretty practical. They have a five string version now...
J Rosner yeah. I got to try the 5 string. Stay tuned for a demo of that one ;)
@@IvanBassist staying tuned...
@@jrosner6123 Check out the latest vid :D
Yes!
jon wil yes!! 🤘🏽
Ok now I’m finally getting this for my birthday
Awesome!! 🤘🏽
Perfect Demo !!
Thanks for watching!
SUCH a great review. Thank you!
Thanks for watching, Romi :) Glad it was helpful!
Perfect review ty
Thanks for watching!
that sounds huge and the colour just wow :)
Yeah! Massive tone :) Thank you, AJ!
Great reviews and demos!
Thanks, Tim!
Awesome demo, Ivan. That Ibanez bass sounded pretty cool. \m/
Thanks, Alex!
This will be perfect for my singer! She loves to play bass but is like 4'5" and only has access to a full-scale Thunderbird which is simply too big and she gets too tired after awhile. She can't even reach the end of the fretboard! I love the idea of a medium-scale bass. She needs a very heavy tone and some range as well so this perfect. Nice balance :)
A short scale bass would also be an option. Those pack a lot of punch and a warm low end
Thanks for the control knob demo.
Outside the box Happy to help!
Great video!! Awesome sound samples bro! I know what this bass cost, but it beats the sound of many, and I mean many $2500 basses. I heard all the differences in the tones of the pickups and preamp. Crystal clear and rockin on the deep end! I'm getting one !!!
Awesome 😎!
Thank you. Very informative, and excellently demonstrated.
I found a used one on eBay. It's on the way.
Although, I own a very nice long scale ibanez already, I have acquired some Rotator Cuff issues. (Father Time)
I believe the shorter scale will be more comfortable.
Stay Safe!
Congratulations, Jason! I hope that injury heals soon. Stay safe, too 🙌🏽
@@IvanBassist
Thank you My Brother!🙏
Thx so much for this video :)
Thanks for watching! Glad you liked it!
Great review!
Thanks!
What riff did you play at the beginning?
All the riffs for the demos are written by me :)
Cool man, it sounds like a professional bass line.
The White Eyed Deadra Thanks! I appreciate it :)
I have this bass, this is incredible 😘😍🤩
Happy to hear you’re enjoying it!
can you still use this bass without 9v battery?
I dont think so, because there’s no passive/active switch
Nice review! Thanks for sharing. How is “hum” noise ?
Thanks! Do you mean if the bridge pickup hums?
@@IvanBassist yes! when you take your hands off the strings..
I don’t remember, because the bass is no longer with me. I think there was no hum in that way, but the bridge pickup is a single coil, so it is going to eventually pick up 60 cycle hum
Great demo using the same riff throughout to compare tones. I bought this bass yesterday and I love it, but having trouble getting the kinds of tones you are showing. I think it has to do with the amp. So my question is...what amp are you running for this demo?
Congrats on the new bass! Do you mean during the intro or while playing the same riff? :)
IvanBassist I am referring to the tones you are getting playing the same riff using the different pickup selections, bass boost, treble boost, flat EQ, etc.. Is the amp used for that the same as the one used for the intro? My problem is in getting tones where I can actually differentiate notes/half steps. Can’t seem to dial in a great sound that doesn’t make all the notes/pitches sound the same. 🤨. Your demo playing the same riff is terrific with excellent note definition along with tonal differentiation.
@@1funkybasslady Gotcha! For the intro I used an amp simulation of an Ampeg SVT with a bit of drive. The tone samples were recorded using the DI out of my Mesa Boogie WD-800 set flat without EQ :)
Which amp are you using?
IvanBassist Thanks for the info. Nice amps! I play small venues, so I use a MarkBass Micro CMD 121P. I am not able to dial in a great tone with great note definition. When I try to get a warm sound I get mud, and I can’t differentiate between whole and half steps. Everything sounds like the same note. If I dial in a “brighter” tone I get better pitch differentiation, but other than for slap, I don’t prefer such a bright edgy tone. I’m thinking I need to get a different amp, but I don’t want to have to go to a humongous heavy tube amp to lug around to small venues. Actually, I don’t want to lug around a humongus amp to ANY gig! 🤪. Okay....all this said...I just watched your review of the Mesa Boogie. Fantastic review for a fantastic amp! I’m sold! Time for me to pay the Mesa Boogie shop in Hollywood! I looked at their website and will check out the Subway 800 and the lightweight Subway 1X12 cabs. Can get two of those - one for small gigs and two for larger venues. Easier to haul 1 each than a 2X12, and it provides greater flexibility as far as portability. Thanks again for all your information and great video reviews! Cheers!
You can get great tones without a huge and heavy tube amp 😁 It depends a lot how much your budget is. For a premium amp, i definitely recommend Mesa Boogie or Darkglass. Fender Rumble amps/cabs are pretty good budget amps!
Hello! what is the correct heitgh of the pickups? Thanks!
Hi Jose! That depends. Some of it is personal preference, but you don’t want to get the pickups too close to the strings.
Ideally, every string has the same volume
@@IvanBassist ok thanks!
I have 3 of these, 2 orange, 1 Red. I also have 20 or so other basses mainly fenders and I only play my Mezzo's now! Super scale length @ 32" so comfortable and easy to play, great sounds as you just heard. Anyone want 20 Fenders?
Thanks Ivan. Love the 32" scale. Love the specs you give. I wish more people would follow your example. You are the best at giving all the pertinent info. If you remove the battery will this unit still play in regular passive mode or is the 9 volt battery necessary for any sounds coming out of the bass? Thanks,
Thanks for the kind words!
I believe this one only works with a battery.
nice review :)
Thanks!
I’m thinking about buying this exact bass as my first bass guitar ever! Do you recommend it?
It is a great bass! Depending on how old/tall you are, a full long scale bass might be a better option though
Hehe. I'm thinking about getting one. I'm 6'2" and I've got 3 regular 4 strings and a regular 5 string. The mezzo just charms me in some way. Especially that green.
@@tranerecks It's a cool bass :)
update... i got my mezzo a couple weeks ago. it's a small wonder. especially for transporting to a practices. sounds fantastic. typical ibanez attention to detail. so happy i got it.
tranerecks congratulations!!
If i wanted to purchase this bass, would the seymour duncan pickups fit in without issue?
That shouldn’t be a problem. They’re standard P and J sizes
Hi Ivan ! Awesome playing and demo 👍. I am 51 and play guitar since 30 years and want to try the bass....Which one is better between the short scale and mezzo scale Ibanez bass ? Thanks for your answer and help. Kind regards from France 🇫🇷
Hi Belo! Do you mean the Talman short scale an this SR Mezzo?
@@IvanBassist , this mezzo or the shortest Mikro bass scales ? I am 1.82m size
@@belo1971 I prefer the Mikro because its passive.
If you want to have EQ on the bass, grab this one :)
Mine sounds like it's going through a fuzz pedal, no matter what I plug into - amp, pedals, straight to a board. I've tried different batteries. Plus the paint started bubbling on the front and back.
Have a tech take a look at the preamp module
you should make a size comparison video! 🤓
I’ll see what i can do!
Is a battery required to play it, or only for the eq?
You need a battery
I really like this bass but as usual, it's not available left-handed. The only company that is making quality lefty medium scale basses is Warmoth, and it's a special order item.
Sorry to hear that! :(