Used Fan Fret Five String Day

Kerry Brown

Kerry Brown

Ambassador of the Great Northern Bar Jams
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I picked up a used Ibanez SRFF805 today. It has obviously been well used but the frets are good and other than wear on the finish no major bumps or scratches. It needed a setup. The neck had a back bow. I broke two B strings while tuning the guitar because the setup was so screwed up. I was trying to tune the B string an octave high. It was buzzing like crazy and didn't register on the tuner. Once I realized what was happening I adjusted the truss rod. It took two whole turns then it was decent enough to test it. He only had a guitar amp to test it with so I didn't know what the tone was like but the playability was decent. Money changed hands, it went home, and had a proper setup done. It plays great now. Tone is exactly what I was looking for. He had a four string D'Addario XL Heavy Gauge set with a D'DAddario XL Prosteel Super Long Scale B string on it. They sound pretty good so I'll keep using them for now. He threw in two extra sets. The B string is 0.145. I may switch to a 0.135. I've never played a five string or a fanned fret before so I was worried how it would play. The neck is a typical Ibanez flat skinny neck that plays a dream. Both the long scale and the fanned frets took a few minutes then it was like I'd always played it. It has a narrow neck for a five string. That probably helps. I'll know more after our next band practice but I'm already thinking about what guitar I'll sell for the one in one out rule.



I can't seem to post a picture. I've shrunk it down. How small does it have to be?
 
I’m looking forward to some pictures of this!(I’ve been getting away with some pictures around 1.2-1.3mb)
Congratulations Kerry!
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LiveeviL2000 said:
I always loved Ibanez basses.
I have an SR605E. Best investment I’ve ever made on a bass.
You are gonna have fun with that thing. It’s a beautiful beast.
Does it have active EQ?
Click to expand...
Active and passive. The midrange has a three way switch to change the center of the sweep. I can't believe the range of tones you can get out of this thing.
 
I noodled, experimented, and played through a few of our band's songs yesterday afternoon. I was worried about the five string width, longer scale, and fanned frets. The worry is gone. This bass is easier to play than my Tokai pbass and my Yamaha. The range of tones available is insane. I still have to consciously remember the E string is not the top string. My fingers still gravitate there sometimes. The B string is awesome for playing songs in E and D because you can play in the sweet spot on the neck and that low fretted root note is awesome.
 
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