Ibanez SR500 Vs SR700 – Which Is The Better Option For You?

This time, we are going to be checking out bass guitars. All our bass guitarists in the house get in here! Today, the contest is between the Ibanez SR500 vs SR700, and trust us when we say there’s a lot to uncover here.

Fender and Gibson might be the giants when it comes to the guitar industry. However, there’s also Ibanez. Ibanez started out in 1908 as a music product and sheet music distributor in a place called Nagoya, Japan.

About 12 years down the line, the company delved fully into the guitar business by importing expensive guitars made by Salvador Ibanez, a Spanish guitar maker of renown. They sold these guitars in Japan for about ten years before the company decided to pivot again.

This time, around 1930, they decided to start making their own guitars. However, they decided to retain the name of the respected Spanish guitar makers – Ibanez. The rest, they say, is history. And we’re sure by now you get the point.

Let’s get into the review of the Ibanez SR500 vs SR700.

Ibanez SR500 Vs SR700 – Comparison Overview

In too much of a hurry to read through this entire review of the Ibanez SR500 vs SR700? No worries. Here’s the TL;DR version over here.

Running this contest of the Ibanez SR500 vs SR700 was somewhat difficult and somewhat easy. How? Well, both guitars are pretty similar in most respects and finding the differences was somewhat difficult.

On the other hand, these guitars are so good, it was really a pleasure reviewing both of them.

That said, in the features and performance department, we are more than impressed by Ibanez. These guitars look to us to be more like metal basses. Moreover, Ibanez is popular for that – metal-focused basses. Nonetheless, they are still quite versatile and can pretty much work for other kinds of music genres.

Another thing that totally blew our minds was the light weight of these guitars. With a mahogany body (and figured maple top in the SR700), these guys still manage to clock in really light. We couldn’t get over that fact.

Furthermore, it’s a good thing that both guitars have the 4-, 5-, and 6-string models which leaves you spoiled for choice.

Ibanez SR500 Vs SR700 – Our Opinion On The Price/Value Ratio

For the price/value ratio, we give Ibanez a huge thumbs up. These guys are decently priced. Nevertheless, if we’re doing strictly Ibanez SR500 vs SR700, we’d have to say the SR500 is better priced. We did think that the small upgrade to the SR700 didn’t warrant such a wide price gap. The only major upgrade to the SR700 after all was the figured maple top.

One thing is sure though, you cannot play either guitar and not concur that you’re getting much more than you paid for. These guitars are good and would easily compete with guitars from bigger brands like the Fenders and the Gibsons.

Ibanez SR500 Vs SR700 – Comparison Table of Major Specs And Features

Ibanez SR500	Ibanez SR700
Double cutaway body construction	Double cutaway body construction
Mahogany body	Mahogany body
Nil	Figured maple
5-piece Jatoba/Bubinga bolt-on neck	5-piece Jatoba/Bubinga bolt-on neck
Rosewood fingerboard	Rosewood fingerboard
34 inch scale	34 inch scale
24 medium frets	24 medium frets
Accu-Cast B20 Bridge	Accu-Cast B300 Bridge
Bartolini MK-1-4 neck pickup	Bartolini MK1-4 neck pickup
Bartolini pickups MK-1-4 bridge pickup	Bartolini MK1-4 bridge pickup
12 inch fingerboard radius	12 inch fingerboard radius
1.50 inch nut width	1.50 inch nut width
4 strings (5- and 6-string models also available)	4 strings (5- and 6-string models also available)
11.02 pounds	11.02 pounds

Ibanez SR500 Vs SR700 – What Situation Is Each Best For?

First off, we will mention that the difference between both guitars is really small, mostly cosmetic, except for a couple of things.

Also, you should keep in mind that Ibanez guitars are mostly beginner guitars although they do deliver good value for money. With those in mind, let’s check out what guitarists these guitars are best suited to.

Ibanez SR500

Ibanez SR700

The Ibanez SR500 is a great beginner bass guitar. We readily recommend it to any beginner bassist looking for a bass guitar in the professional-grade. The Ibanez SR500 makes a great option especially since it comes at a really affordable price. Interestingly too, this bass guitar can easily compete with some more expensive modes which is just fabulous.       This bass guitar is great for all kinds of music genres like gospel, RnB, and hard rock. However, this guitar shines its brightest when used for metal or heavy metal music. In fact, Ibanez guitars are great choices when it comes to the metal genre.       First off, the guitar comes with a thin and fast neck which makes it quite easy to get around the guitar easily and quickly too.       Furthermore, its body and fingerboard tonewood combination is also on point as it gives your sound that resonance that you’d be proud of.       The electronics and pickups from Bartolini are also pretty great. Plus, the preamp gives another reason this guitar works for the metal music genre superbly.       Overall, it’s a great beginner guitar with pro-level performance.

In reviewing the Ibanez SR500 vs SR700, we studied each of these guitars closely and we came to find that both guitars share practically the same features.       So, there isn’t much of a difference between the Ibanez SR500 and SR700, at least in practice.       One difference though is that the SR700 comes with a figured maple top whereas the SR500 does not. Maple tends to add a bit of brightness to the sound of the SR700 since it’s a bright-sounding tonewood.       The bridges too are different, however, this has very little impact on the performance you’d experience using either of the guitars.       The slim neck, just like that of the SR500 makes the guitar a great choice for guitarists with small fingers.       Lightweight, great sound, this is a guitar that feels right and plays right. It’s currently unavailable though.

What Features Do The Ibanez SR500 And SR700 Have In Common?

These two guitars have a lot in common. These are:

1. They’re both made with Mahogany as their tonewood.

2. They’re designed with a double-cutaway body construction.

3. They’re made with Jatoba/Bubinga bolt-on necks.

4. They come with rosewood fingerboards.

5. They have a 34-inch scale length with 24 medium frets and a fretboard radius of 12 inches.

6. For its electronics, this guitar is equipped with Bartolini MK1-4 pickups with a 3-Band equalizer.

7. If you prefer, you can get either of these guitars in a 5-string and 6-string variant.

Mahogany Bodies

There are many choices when it comes to the body tonewood of choice for a bass guitar. Mahogany is one of such common choices. So, what does mahogany bring to the table?

Well, in the first place, mahogany looks really attractive. It is a fine-grained wood, a feature it shares with Ash. However, its grain pattern is even more even than when you compare to Ash.

Still on its looks, mahogany comes in a reddish-brown color. This hue is a great match for a translucent finish which when polished also gives a beautiful, reddish sheen. Mahogany is simply stunning in looks when used to make guitar bodies.

As to performance, mahogany is a common choice for the big guys in the industry like Gibson. So, that’s enough to prove to you that mahogany is a great choice. It has a beautiful warm and soft tone that comes out really full. Plus, it makes your low frequencies come out really bold as it tends to emphasize your low-mid and lower range notes which is just fantastic.

Mahogany also makes your higher ends come out great and smooth. Although compared to the lower ends, you’d notice that your higher ends are somewhat subdued.

Furthermore, you can count on either of these guitars to give you a real punchy growl as well as a great sustain thanks to its mahogany body. Especially if you’re into rock or metal, either of these guitars with its mahogany body would work just great.

By the way, you want to keep in mind that mahogany is one of the heavier tonewoods available, so, it could make the guitar kinda heavy. However, we have to give it to Ibanez because it still managed to keep this guitar at an impressive 11 pounds.

Double Cutaway Body Construction

In the last feature we discussed, we mentioned that mahogany is a pretty heavy tonewood and that has not changed. We also mentioned that Ibanez did a good job keeping the weight of this guitar reasonable.

Well, they were able to achieve this through the construction method they chose for these guitars. The double cutaway construction significantly reduced the size of the guitar which significantly impacted on the size of the guitar body. This, of course, in turn, reduces the weight of the guitar.

Plus, using the double cutaway body construction, they gave the two guitars a rather convenient contour. This convenient contour makes it more comfortable for you to hold on to your guitar as you play.

In all, you shouldn’t have any real problems playing these guitars in the comfort department at least.

Jatoba/Bubinga Necks

Another feature shared by both guitars is that they both come with Jatoba/Bubinga necks. What does that mean for you?

Jatoba and Bubinga are two strong woods which are very popular among Ibanez mid-range guitars. Both woods are pretty rigid and hard which makes them quite stable and sturdy. In other words, you can rely on the durability of the necks of these guitars.

However, the small disadvantage with Jatoba and Bubinga is that they come heavy. Fortunately, Ibanez has found a way around that with that problem with their construction methods.

Of course we won’t forget to add that both woods are finished and polished really well too.

Bolt-On Necks

Still on the review of the Ibanez SR500 vs SR700, here’s another similarity both guitars share – their bolt-on necks. There are several reasons a bolt-on neck works for these guitars.

In the first place, a bolt-on neck is easy and quite inexpensive to install. So, it also means that the guitar would be less expensive as well which is great news for those on a budget.

However, bolt-on necks have other advantages besides reducing overall costs of manufacturing. Firstly, they give your guitar a brilliant and snappy attack which is one area that bolt-on necks trump other kinds of necks.

Also, bolt-on necks are pretty stable. As their name suggests, they are made by screwing on the neck to the body of the guitar. However, contrary to what their name suggests, the neck usually joins to the body using screws. This also means, by interpretation, that you can easily change out a damaged neck for a new one.

In fact, even if your neck doesn’t get damaged, just for the fun of it, or to customize your guitar, you can change out the neck. The Jatoba/Bubinga neck here is pretty cool on its own and does not need a change though.

Keep in mind that a bolt-on neck will not give you the sustain that a through neck would give you, though. This is the neck for snappy attacks.

Rosewood Fingerboards

The material of your fingerboard might not seem like such a big deal to you if you’re a newb. But for those who are already veterans in the industry, this matter is a big deal. Besides looks, the kind of material the guitar maker uses for your fingerboard would also affect the feel and tone of your guitar.

Now, usually, the choice is between maple and rosewood, and in this case, Ibanez went with a rosewood fingerboard. So, here’s what you can expect from a rosewood fingerboard.

Rosewood fingerboards generally tend to warm up and soften your sound when compared to maple. So, even if a guitar is particularly bright, a rosewood fingerboard will be able to mellow out the sound of the guitar a little bit. Maple, on the other hand, has that bite and percussiveness.

In the end, it really depends on your personal tastes. But if you do choose to go for either the Ibanez SR500 or the SR700, you’ll be getting a mellower, softer and warmer tone than a guitar with a maple fingerboard.

Another thing about rosewood is that it is a naturally oily wood. So, for this reason, it hardly ever requires any form of finishing. Once in a while though, you might want to condition the fingerboard just to keep it in tip-top condition. Luckily, it doesn’t take too much time, just a couple of minutes.

Generally, rosewood makes a great choice for certain music genres such as jazz, shred or heavy metal. The fuller, rounder, and deeper notes the wood produces makes rosewood fingerboards a great choice for such music genres.

34 Inch Scale Length – Long Scale

The 34 inch (long scale) is the most popular scale when it comes to electric bass guitars. Usually, as scale length increases, it becomes increasingly difficult to play the guitar. A long scale means that tension on the strings would tighten which, naturally, makes the guitar tougher to play.

Nonetheless, unless you’re a child or you have really small hands, a 34 inch scale length is a perfect for a 4-stringed bass guitar. Plus, with a long scale, tension is higher which means higher action, which in turn means a lower chance of a fret buzz.

In the same vein, we won’t recommend this guitar to a child under 12 because of the long scale.  The scale length requires a larger body size.

24 Medium Frets

24 is the maximum number of frets you can get on any bass guitar and here’s how that affects your experience with this guitar.

The more frets you have, the more notes you get on each string, even though you most likely wouldn’t have to play the 24^th fret. But then again, this becomes especially advantageous if you play a lot of solos.

Also, with 24 frets, you get a lot of space along the upper frets which is good news for your fingers.

12 Inch Fretboard Radii

We’re still on our review of the Ibanez SR500 vs SR700 with yet another similar feature both guitars share. This time around, we’re looking at the 12-inch fretboard radii they both share.

Now, a 12-inch fretboard radius is a flattish fretboard and a flatter fretboard is always easier to play. This is because a flatter fretboard brings down the string height, a feature that guitarists into heavy metal would really appreciate.

With a flatter fretboard and consequently a lower string height, it becomes easier to depress the strings of the guitar without so much effort. In playing a solo, therefore, it means that you’d be able to achieve large bends quite easily too.

In comparison, a rounder fretboard would make it a bit more difficult to achieve bending but it helps for playing barre chords. So, in the end, it should really depend on what you want. Like we already mentioned, with this fretboard radii, these guitars make a great choice for solos and hard metal music.

Bartolini MK-1-4 Pickups

Both the Ibanez SR500 and SR700 come with Bartolini MK-1-4 pickups which is another feature both guitars share. We told you at the beginning of this review of the Ibanez SR500 vs SR700 that these guitars have a lot of similarities and this is another one of them.

Alright, so the Bartolini MK-1-4… These pickups humbuckers were introduced as an upgrade to the single-coil pickups.

Single coils are known for their bite, attack, and grit and also date way back. They also tend to have this really bright, crisp tone that many people love. However, they also have a small problem – the hum.

These days though, more companies are working on the humming aspect and single-coil pickups are humming less. Nonetheless, many times when you turn up your guitar real high using a single-coil pickup, you can still hear the hum.

Enter humbucker pickups. Humbuckers are basically two single-coil pickups in one. By wiring these two units together, they cause the hum produced by the single-coil pickups to cancel out. Now, because of this reduced hum and noise cancellation, humbuckers are excellent choices for hard rock and metal players.

Humbucker pickups come with heavier and fuller sound often described as thick. However, they still lack that bite that single coils give. But then again, their fuller, darker sound is favored by most heavy rock or metal players.

Neck And Bridge Pickups

Now these Bartolini MK-1-4 pickups were custom-made for the Ibanez guitars and they also come in pairs. So, there’s one for the neck and another for bridge pretty much like most bass guitars these days.

Now, the position of your pickup determines your tone and sound to a very large extent. Bridge pickups usually give a more trebly tone and a reduced output. However, the neck pickup generally makes sound a little mellower and louder.

And yeah, this happens even if the pickups used in both positions are exactly the same. This is because strings closer to the bridge tend to be brighter than those closer to the neck.

Now, to the performance of these pickups. With double humbuckers, you can expect a lot of growl and meanness, and you get that with these pickups. They also give your bass a pretty versatile sound too.

The bigger question though is how clean the sound is. Well, it turns out the sound is actually pretty clean. We explain further in the next section.

But just before we leave this section, we have to mention that these pickups are passive pickups. So, they don’t work with batteries. Passive pickups are quite flexible since they work on all kinds of guitars. The only problem is that they don’t deliver as much power as active electronics.

They are more affordable even though we won’t recommend them for a bass guitar being that they lack the power that active pickups bring. However, they are more sensitive and also more expressive than active pickup

3-Band Equalizer Passive Electronics

Alright like we mentioned earlier, these pickups give a pretty clean sound and you can say this is thanks to the EQ on this thing.

The 3-band EQ is an active one which comes with a preamp and all. So, it helps both guitars excel in all major genres which is why we found the tone of this guitar quite versatile. Either of these guitars can give you smooth, clean tones that can work for jazz the same way they’d work for metal.

One aspect of the active circuit that’s really cool though is the mid-switch which gives you the power to switch your midrange peak. You can switch among 250 to 450 to 750 Hz. So, in essence you get to control where your attack and growl come from.

With the 250 and 450 Hz, the bass really thumps in your chest and with the 750 Hz, your guitar focuses much more on the trebly attack. This is great for cutting through a mix and being heard. But then again, it depends on your personal tastes.

If you prefer a punchy attack and enough presence around the low mids, then you might prefer the 450 Hz. This gives you plenty low mids. Nonetheless, you still get enough higher mids so you remain clear and heard in any setting.

The 750 Hz, on the other hand, can tend to get a little too shrill sometimes, especially when you crank up the treble.

5-String Models Available (SR505 and SR705)

Both the Ibanez SR500 and the SR700 have a 5-string guitar in their options. These are exciting options for skilled bassists looking to expand their range. A 4-string bass is great. However, with a 5-string bass, you get to explore all the way from the low E to the heart-stopping low B.

These thick, palpable low-end notes would be nearly impossible to achieve with a 4-string bass except you probably use an effect pedal or altered tunings. Plus, we’re sure bassists everywhere would be excited to know that 5-string bass guitars help you play beneath the keyboardist that’s heavy in the mid-low range. This way, you don’t always feel like the keyboardist is trampling over your notes.

Finally, it’s always great to have more options and a 5-string bass gives you that. Nonetheless,  a beginner might understandably have issues accessing these options just yet which is why we always recommend 4-string bass guitars to them.

However, for the experts who love the Ibanez SR500 and SR700 but wished it came in a 5-string model, they are available for purchase. They also share similar features with their 4-string models.

6-String Models Available (SR506 and SR706)

Another similarity we’d be looking at on this review of the Ibanez SR500 vs SR700 is the fact they also come with a 6 string model. This might not be a priority for many guitarists, understandably. However, for those looking to explore that bit of extra, a 6 string model might be attractive.

What does a 6-string bass guitar give that a 4 or 5-string guitar can’t give?

Now, you might want to keep in mind that though it looks more difficult, the 6-string bass isn’t exactly more difficult to play than the 4-string guitar. It will just take a bit of getting used to. And even at that, we won’t advise anyone to take up the 6-string guitar until they’ve truly mastered the 4 string guitar first.

That said, you play the 4-string and 6-string guitar the same way. In fact, with the 6-string guitar, you get to hit those higher notes without necessarily having to move so far down the fretboard. Some players actually prefer this.

Again, while the 4-string guitar is tuned EADG, the 6-string is tuned EADGBE. So, the 6-string guitar is pretty much like your regular acoustic guitar in other words, this means that you can play a 6-string like a regular 4-string bass. Plus, you’ll also be able to play your bass guitar like a regular guitar thanks to the extra strings. As you can guess, this keeps things interesting.

But here’s the challenge, the Ibanez SR500 and SR700 have a pretty narrow neck profile which means that the 6 strings would be pretty much packed closely together. So, if you’re used to a 4-string bass guitar, it might take you a bit of time to fully adapt to playing this model.

And talking about necks, that leads us to something else…

15.75 Inch Fretboard Radius

When it comes to fretboard radiuses, the higher the value of the number, the flatter the fretbaord is. So, the 6-string model comes with a flatter fingerboard than the 5- and 4-string models. Now, how does it affect your playing?

Well, most guitars these days come with a fingerboard radius between 12 inches and 16 inches. And the flatter a fingerboard is, the easier it is to bend strings. Also, the flatter a fingerboard it is, the easier it is to play lead with it.

The only disadvantage with this is that it makes playing chords a little more difficult. And since this is not a compound-radius design, you can’t achieve both styles at the same time.

Compared to the 12-inch fingerboard radius of the 4 –and 5-string models of the SR500, SR505, SR700, and SR705, there isn’t much of a difference when it comes to playability. Both the guitars perform nearly the same way.

However, it isn’t far-fetched to think that Ibanez chose a flatter fingerboard due to the increased number of strings for added convenience when bending.

Ibanez SR500 Vs SR700 – What’s Unique To Each Guitar?

Ibanez SR500 Vs SR700 – Features Unique To The Ibanez SR500

The Ibanez SR500 does not have any unique feature it doesn’t share with the SR700. Like we already mentioned, both guitars are very alike. So, without further ado, we move on to the SR700.

Ibanez SR500 Vs SR700 – Features Unique To The Ibanez SR700

The Ibanez SR700 only has one major unique feature it does not share with the Ibanez SR500 and that is its figured maple top. The top is not really something we discuss in bass guitars, many times, we just the body like we see it in the SR500. Let’s find out what this changes in the SR700.

Figured Maple Top

Now, here’s the thing about maple. Maple is a pretty dense, hard, and heavy wood. So, because of this, guitar manufacturers are not naturally inclined to include it in the guitar body. You mostly find it as the neck wood for some guitars.

However, there are cases where guitar manufacturers go for multi-wood bodies. In such cases, some manufacturers also add maple as a laminate material. Especially where the body wood gives a rather dark sound, maple can help to brighten the sound a bit.

For instance, mahogany tends to give a neutral sound on its own, lacking some level of brightness. However, when paired with a hard wood like maple, it sounds brighter. Maple (especially hard maple) has a rather bright and snappy tone with a reasonable level of sustain to it as well.

With maple, your upper mids and high frequencies articulate really clearly without leaving out the low ends as well. Plus, it also helps to accentuate the presence of your strings, enhancing the attack and brightness to give a more balanced and even tone.

Another reason maple is really great is that it separates all the individual notes in a chord. This makes your sound come out clean and clear without any form of blurring.

Moreover, away from tone, a maple top is also desired for its beauty. It adds a unique look to your guitar making it stand out from say a solid-body mahogany construction.

Why Some People Prefer The Ibanez SR500 To The Ibanez SR700

A lot of people like this guitar better than the Ibanez SR700 for one reason – it’s more affordable. But of these guitars can be considered affordable, relative to what they provide. However, the Ibanez SR500 is more affordable than the Ibanez SR700, and the differences between the two aren’t enough to justify spending the extra money for most people.

Why Some People Prefer The Ibanez SR700 To The Ibanez SR500

Although it’s slightly more expensive than the Ibanez SR500, a lot of people prefer the SR700 because of its maple top. This maple top gives this guitar a more attractive look than the SR500.

The maple top on the guitar also helps the guitar produce a brighter tone with a better sustain than the SR500.

Ibanez SR500 Vs SR700

Ibanez SR500

• Not quite as bright sounding as the SR700. Beginners might not be able to tell the difference though.

Ibanez SR700

• Price gap between the SR500 and the SR700 seems a little too wide for the level of “upgrade” done to the SR700.

Ibanez SR500 Vs SR700 – Pros Common To Both Guitars

Ibanez SR500	Ibanez SR700
The Ibanez SR500 is quite affordable for the level of quality it brings.	Although more expensive than the SR500, probably thanks to the figured maple top, this guitar is also quite affordable and also gives value for money. Only problem is it’s no longer available for purchase.
Double cutaway construction makes the guitar really convenient to hold. Also, it’s fascinating how this guitar is really lightweight despite having a mahogany body. This is especially since mahogany is pretty heavy and dense wood.	Same goes for the SR700 also. It’s even more impressive for the SR700  since it comes with a figured maple top which is also pretty heavy wood.
Bolt-on neck makes the guitar stable and also enhances tone	Same goes for the SR700
Bartolini pickups, although passive, sound really good improving the overall tone of the guitar. 3-band EQ with mid-range controls are also really nice bonuses	Same applies for the SR700
Offers both the 4-string and 5-string models which give more options to more kinds of guitarists. For instance, beginners can go for the 4-string guitar while experts looking for that chest-thumping low B string can opt for the 5-string model.	Also applies to the SR700
Also available in the 6-string model	Same applies for the SR700
24 frets gives more room for players to access upper frets between 18 and 24	Also same here
Super slim and fast neck makes bending and leads quite easy.	Also applies

Ibanez SR500 Vs SR700 – Cons Common To Both Guitars

Ibanez SR500	Ibanez SR700
Not everyone might prefer the slimmer neck. Not an actual con, per se. Nonetheless, we admit that this feature might take a bit of getting used to for some guitarists who might be used to a fatter neck.	This also applies to the SR700

Check out these other articles

• Ibanez RG8 Vs Schecter Omen 8 – Which is the better option
• Ibanez SR300 Vs SR500 – An extensive comparison
• Cordoba C7 Spruce Vs Cedar – Which should you pick?
• Cordoba C7 CD/IN Acoustic Nylon String Classical Guitar – Full Review
• Ibanez SR500 Vs SR600 – An in-depth comparison
• Ibanez SR250 Vs SR300 – Which should you go for?

Ibanez SR500 Vs SR700 – General Feeling Among Customers

Ibanez SR500

Ibanez SR700

Customers are in love, we can tell you. There are just so many positive reviews coming in for the Ibanez SR500 – all three of them!       Many customers were particularly happy at the fact that they spent so little to get so much value. Try getting the Fender equivalent of this guitar and you’d know how much you’d have to spend. And the beautiful thing is that the quality from this guitar can definitely compete with guitars from the bigger brands.       Besides that, customers were also impressed by how lightweight this instrument came. In the words of one, they were able to run, walk, and jump while carrying this guitar. That’s how lightweight these guitars are.       The neck though was a point of dividing opinions. There were those who loved the neck and there were others were just “meh” about it.       Those who loved it, loved it for its fastness. The neck is like super fast. But then there were those who couldn’t care less, to be honest.       Altogether, we do think Ibanez did a very excellent making these guitars from the 4-string to the 5-string to the 6-string models. All were a hit with the market.

Again, Ibanez scores highly with this guitar as it got lots of praise from customers. The sound and tone along with the pickups and EQ scored huge points with its users.       Also, many customers found that the guitar came really balanced and slim which made it comfy to hold. Vs the Ibanez SR500, the SR700 definitely comes slightly heavier, nonetheless it still felt quite comfortable to most customers who bought it.       Lastly, many customers were of the opinion that this guitar is more than decently priced for all the value and features you get when you use it.       In fact, a particular customer who buys and sells basses was so impressed, they decided they weren’t going to ever get rid of this one. In their words, “this one is in my permanent collection.”

Ibanez SR500 Vs SR700 – Our Verdict

Here’s our final word on this Ibanez SR500 vs SR700 contest.

Ibanez SR500

Ibanez SR700

The Ibanez SR500 is definitely worth checking out if you’re in the market for a professional-sounding bass guitar for a small price. And there are several models to pick from.   You can go with the 4-string model, if you’re a beginner or if that’s just your preference. Get the Ibanez SR500 Soundgear 4-String Electric Bass Guitar   Or if you prefer, you could get the 5-string model for a slightly higher price here. Get the Ibanez SR505 5-String Electric Bass Guitar   Lastly, you also have the choice to go for the 6-string model. Get the Ibanez SR506BM 6-String Electric Bass Guitar

The Ibanez SR700 comes with an upgraded tone and sound thanks to its figured maple top. This figured maple top lends a bit of brightness to the tone of this guitar than what you have on the SR500 guitars. Check out its 4-string model, the Ibanez SR700, here. If you’re more interested in the 5-string model, then check the Ibanez SR705 here. Lastly, the 6-string model is currently discontinued. However, you might still be able to get a used one in good quality. You can get that here.

Ibanez SR500 Vs SR700 – Frequently Asked Questions

How do you pronounce Ibanez guitars?

Ibanez is one of the leading guitar brands in the world today. Despite its popularity, it is usually mispronounced by many people. Some people choose to pronounce it as if it were a Spanish name but it’s not. It’s a Japanese name. In fact, Ibanez is spelt “aibanizu” in its native Japanese. To properly pronounce Ibanez, you need to put an emphasis on the “I” and pronounce the word as Ai-buh-nez. 

How can you tell a fake Ibanez?

There are a few things you can look out for to spot fake Ibanez guitars. Check the gem graphic on the headstock. It should be clear and crisp. The serial number should also be clear and crisp. If you observe any shoddy graphic work on the guitar, then it is a fake. 

The best preventive measure against fake Ibanez guitars is to buy from authorised dealers. Also, here’s a pro tip, any Ibanez guitar that is incredibly cheap is definitely fake. 

Is Ibanez only for metal?

Ibanez guitars are excellent for playing metal and although some people will suggest that they are no good for any other music genres, this is not true. Ibanez guitars are also suitable for rock, pop, grunge, amongst others. The association that Ibanez has with metal music has led to the perception that it is not ideal for anything else but this is only misleading. 

How good are Ibanez acoustic guitars?

Ibanez acoustic guitars are very good pieces. They produce a bright and clear sound that is not very loud, thanks to its slim body frame. Some of the best Ibanez acoustic guitars include the Ibanez AVC9CEOPN Grand Concert Acoustic-electric, Ibanez V-series, Talman Series, dreadnought acoustic guitar, amongst others. Ibanez acoustic guitars rank amongst the top acoustic guitar brands in the world. 

Are Ibanez guitars good for blues?

Ibanez guitars are mostly associated with metal music, probably because they became famous during the period when Metal Music was the thing. However, Ibanez guitars can be used for other music genres including blues. It all depends on the skill and knowledge of the guitarist. The Ibanez Artstar series is specifically made for jazz and blues guitarists. They are excellent guitars for any blues fan, producing the gentle clean tones of a hollow body guitar, or the full blown blues-rock freak outs – whichever one you prefer. 

Are American made guitars better?

When it comes to countries that manufacture guitars, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Mexico and China have produced some of the best guitars over the years. However, guitars made in the USA have a reputation of being the best quality. 

The perception that American made guitars are better than others might be subjective. Not every single guitar made in the USA is a world beater. However, you have to consider that the USA has a history of building incredible guitars from Fender to Gibson. Many of the greatest luthiers in the world reside in the USA and this speaks to the quality of American-made guitars.