I recently got a chance to test an Ibanez SR300 bass guitar out at a jam session I was invited to. Normally I would bring my own instruments but on this occasion I had planned on sitting back and listening to the other musicians do their thing. While I was hanging out I noticed the sr300 sitting over in one of the corners. I decided to go and have a look at it since I was starting to get the itch to play.
You normally don’t just grab someone else’s instrument and just start playing without asking but I was sure whoever owned it wouldn’t mind as I was pretty well known around the studio. This particular model was an Ibanez sr300 dx. This is part of the soundgear series and has some interesting features such as 24 frets, a bolt-on neck and active pickups with what they call a “PHAT” bass boost.
I initially played it unplugged just to get a feel for it and the action. After only a few minutes of this I was really getting a good groove out of it and I needed more…
There was a 5 watt amp sitting right beside the Ibanez when I first picked it up so I decided to plug in. My first impression was “this sounds great”. That onboard bass boost was simply amazing. In standard tuning there didn’t seem to be any noticeable fret buzz and the action on it was definitely low enough for. I had a little experience with slap style and this Ibanez bass guitar seemed to be able to handle it and sound perfect.
Now, the next test would be to tune down a note and see how the action would be. Right around the 12th fret I started to get some buzz on the low strings. Nothing major but was definitely there. I’m sure with some slight adjustment to the truss rod and bridge this could be fixed. I am a big fan of drop-tuning and down-tuning so I would for sure need to make that problem go away.
Everything else about the Ibanez sr300 was great. I’m told that this particular model of bass was made in Japan and it was pretty obvious by the quality of all the finishes. It was equipped with a B100 bridge which is on a few of the higher end models as well. The neck was made of maple with a rosewood fingerboard and the body was made of agathis. The agathis is nice and light and has a deep, warm tone for beautiful lows. The maple neck did bring out some crisp highs and was very impressive. When the owner told me she paid less than $300 I was shocked. This bass is fantastic for that low of a price and is great for someone just entering the scene. This is another one of Ibanez’ great guitar instruments.
I was invited into the jam session to play the sr300, so I did for the rest of the evening. It was a really fun little bass to play and I’m looking forward to doing it again.
Well, there’s your Ibanez sr300 review. It wasn’t planned, it just kinda happened. But that’s usually when you find some great information. Just another great instrument from Ibanez guitars.