Ibanez Bass Workshop SRMS805 Multi-scale 5-string Bass Guitar - Tropical Seafloor Reviews
Built with a poplar-burl-topped okoume body that provides it with fast attack, bright tonality, and a tight low end, the Ibanez Bass Workshop SRMS805 is ready for serious work at every gig. A 5-piece jatoba/walnut neck makes a fine tonal complement while supplying excellent comfort and stability. The SRMS805's multi-scale fingerboard offers optimal tension and playability. Experience superior intonation and vibration transference, thanks to a Mono-rail VS bridge. A duo of Bartolini BH2 dual-coil pickups yields incredible depth and clarity, a 3-band EQ allows for further sonic sculpting, and a 3-way midrange switch rounds out the SRMS805's controls. To top it all off, the Bass Workshop SRMS805 features black matte hardware for a sleek, eye-catching look.
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Highest Rated Reviews
Looks and play's amazing
Straight out of the box, the intonation and action were set perfectly. Plays so smooth that the the transition from a single scale to a multi scale wasn't even noticeable.
Not Bad
I had a chance to play one of these at another store, and it wasn't as terrible an experience as I thought it might be. This is the first time I've actually tried one of Ibanez's multi-scale SRs. Being a big fan of the series, this SRMS805 felt right at home.
Even after only a few minutes, the frets felt more natural than I thought. With my shorter fingers, getting into the weird places you don't normally play is a little awkward; not too many play in the upper register on a low B but I was able to dip in around the 15th fret without straining too much. That might be in part because I am more at home on the 1206E and have to stretch to do those digital gymnastics anyway, but I digress.
The Bartolinis sound, well, like modern Bartolinis. Nothing spectacular. Comparing to the Norstrand Big Stacks on my own Ibanez, the sound is a little warmer, and a little flatter, to my ears. Playing on an old Hartke combo probably didn't help much, but the controls at least scoop and cut pretty much the way my Premium does.
As far as the looks go, I've never been a huge fan of high gloss finishes when it comes to luthier lookalikes. The effect is pretty stunning up close, but from a distance it just looks like a lot of glare hiding the burl top. I still prefer the low luster, natural look and feel of my 1206E and this feels like it wants to slide right off my lap. That's about the only issue I've ever had with the SR series: the lower-end models all have this same issue, and it's disappointing to feel it in a mid-range botique looking instrument.
Fit and finish were otherwise great, a testament to the quality we're seeing overseas these days. Thirty years ago something like this would have looked and felt like a much cheaper instrument, but I think Ibanez has a lot riding on the quality of the midrange basses these days. So the quality control, as important as it is to the industry, is commanding from this line of guitars.
I just wish the designers had put a bit more thought into the end of the fretboard past the nut: they can be forgiven for sheepishly chopping it off straight across instead of blending it in better with the headstock thanks to the fact that there's still enough real estate on the B-side to keep it from coming apart. Just try not to look, that's all. Similar minor gripe is with the individual bridges and how the B-string bridge comes right to the edge of the bass. Looking at these factors, you can tell that these multiscales are definitely just adapted versions of their stock SR design, not designed around the diagonals. Hopefully in the future, a custom shop BTB might take care of this.
Overall, it's a great middle ground for anyone who wants to try multiscale bass: the only real compromises center around the foundation of the classic SoundGear design. It's a solid bass, don't get me wrong, but it feels like Ibanez shoehorned the multiscale craze into an average solidbody. And that's okay, because I don't think it will disappoint anyone. But I don't think it will impress too many either, so I expect to see many of these for sale on the used market in about ten years. If you don't mind the glossy finish, and the price isn't too high for an experiment, I say go for it. Your mileage may vary anyway. We're all different anyway, especially we bass players.
