Ibanez SR506 6-String

2005 Unsure of country of origin. Double octave six string. Volume, Pickup, and 3 way eq knobs. double buckers neck and bridge. Bartolini Mk-1s. Beautiful Mahogany body with Wenge/Bubinga neck. All in all the only thing i could really want would be a neck through body. Then again, it sounds like a neck through with the price and weight of a bolt-on! Short of supplying a bag full of money with the bass, it is perfect as-is.

I play prog-metal and the like. I have played jazz in the past and try to expand my tastes in music by absorbing new styles when I can. It stays right with you and is flexible enought to do anything. I currently run it through an Ampeg B2RE which is a cheapy amp, but it pushes. This runs into an ampeg 1x15 which covers all the frequencies this bass puts out. It sounds incredible on its own with a flat eq and all your settings set up on your head. Even moreso when hooked up to a POD or some other modeling pre. It has that defined chung that a twelve string will give you and at the same time can be used for punk, jazz, whatever. Di or amped, compared to the warwicks and fenders I have played before, this is the best sounding bass for the money.

I unfortunately bought this bass from a Guitar Center (yes you all can cringe) not taking into account how abused their floor instruments get. However, this baby had been on the floor for three days before I got my grubby paws on it. The setup was almost perfect when I got it and I haven't had to change it yet. The pickups really have a wide range of tones available. Combined with the EQ, I don't think there is a tone you can't replicate. There were absolutely zero flaws when I got it in terms of manufacturing. The only thing, which I am fixing today, is the volume pot has become a bit noisy. After two years of gigging and recording this is the ONLY problem and would be attributed more-so to frequent use rather than poor craftsmanship.

This bass has been gigged a decent number of times and it is solid. As long as you baby it before you rock out with it, it will return the favor. I have kept mine in a hard case the whole time I have owned it and it has kept in check. The finish is a strange kind of stained wood grain which can show nicks and deep scratches, but I believe these tell stories and are avoided, but cherished when they do happen. The strap buttons have never been tightened and probably will never need to be. The truss rod is still exactly where it needs to be and I have gigged numerous times without a backup. This category would hae got a ten, but the failed volume pot (which is probably standard wear and taer rather than acute failure seeing as the noise has slowly crept in) keeps me from giving in to my inner demons.

I have never dealt with the company at, never had a problem I couldn't fix. I did call them at their US HQ to find out who makes my wayward volume pot to find out they make it themselves. I verified the specs with the SALES guy. Keep in mind his job is to sell more product, not help people third party it. So actually, they get a nine....because they were out of this part....thats it.

I have been playing for 9 years now and have owned two fenders in the past. A squier four and an american Jazz five. Supposedly Fender is the Hallmark for musical instruments. Having played my Schecter, Fender, Peavey, Musicman and Warwick, I have come to the conclusion that they are all amazing basses, but they are all doing it wrong. If Ibanez can make a bass this good for the price that they sell it for, then someone sold their soul to the devil or something. The only outlandishly stupid request I have of this bass is that it never gets stolen, decides to run away, or dies on me. Thats it. I play exclusively Ibanez for guitar and bass. BEST INSTRUMENTS PERIOD! If you beg to differ, I will Rock Band you for the right to claim otherwise.

Most of the standard features with quality wood:
2007 Korean made 24-fret 6-string bass. Mahogany (great colour - looks very dignified!) with 5pc bubinga/wenge neck. Natural satin finish. The pictures don't do it enough justice.
SR6 Neck with rosewood finger board.
B106 bridge.
Active electronics: Bartolini MK1-6 Neck PU, Bartolini MK1-6 Bridge PU, Abalone Oval Inlay, Cosmic Black Hardware (it's more a smoky metallic grey - nice!), Bartolini MK1 3-Band EQ. Volume knob and neck/bridge pickup blend knob.
The great SR style thin body that balances REALLY well keeping in mind the solid mahogany. The neck is flat, thin and buttery smooth.
Decent tuners - hold tune reasonably well.
Got a gig bag/backback combo with some basic tools and a cable with it. For a bass at this price (compared to the other high-end basses) there's plenty of features packed into this baby - in short awesome bang for the buck!

This bass has got a great sound. It can be a bit trebly if all the controls are set flat, but nothing that can't be controlled via EQ and running through a good amp and speaker unit, this baby rocks!
I play many different styles of music starting from classical, funk, jazz and everything else upto to the realms of hard rock, thrash and modern. I even play film scores or OSTs/songs from movies on occasion (hey the working musician has to try everything).

This bass is so sonically versatile that it's not even funny. I'll take 1 off for the extra treble. Couple with my Sansamp RBI (great sounding pre!). You can get pretty close to a warm Fender Jazz tone (or Marcus Miller style slap tone if you like) to the brighter sounding P-bass used to record many famous rock numbers. For those enthusiasts who care (read "dare") to try, you can even get a reasonable Myung tone. I won't say you'll get the Burton growl from "(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth" without added drive and other effects in your signal chain (at least based on my setup), but then if you can play that well, you'll probably know how to set your tone by now! :)

I typically play this live through my Sansamp (blend full i.e. 100% wet) direct into the mix with no other effects (sometimes I add some extra EQ or a booster if I want that more drive in my tone than my Sansamp can provide). I occasionally add some very minute amount of delay (more as a reverb really) if I find that natural reverb is not adequate to make it sound full enough.

I've never had to deal with noise using this and I've gigged in various settings all over the place, but make sure that your equipment is grounded properly as this thing can shock you (literally!) otherwise especially if you're barefoot and not insulated! A great bass for stage AND studio.

I would have taken 1 more point off from the rating as there's ALWAYS the better set of pickups/electronics/hardware, etc, but hey for this price in a production line model that's not customized or an artist's signature line, that would be be unjust.

9 all the way if not a close 10!

The bass was set up fairly well though the B-string can be a bit floppy due as the neck scale tends to be a bit short. I'm not a bass expert so I can't comment on the pickups, but the bass plays like a beast and sounds great, which works for me since the way I judge an instrument is playability + sound. These 2 have to work for me before anything else - good looks are an added bonus and this bass is gorgeous!
The bass didn't have any flaws upon close inspection and as I said after gigging it with it for nearly 6 months now, I have no complaints whatsoever.

As I've said before, I've gigged plenty with this, and it holds up really well - unless one is careless enough to leave it in a precarious position and can afford to replace it without even a second thought after it has fallen from 6 feet and smashed into a multiple pieces or cracked! To requote the Bard: Keep your friends close to your heart, and your gear closer! :)
The hardware is great and the finish has lasted so far without any problems. I've got a great strap, and I've never had any problems so far with the buttons! As far as playability goes, I've put this thing through various temperature and humidity changes and it's held up really well so far. I can depend on this without a backup.

I've never had to deal with Ibanez so far.

I've been playing music for nearly 18 years and I play 4 instruments at a semi-pro/pro level: Piano/keyboards (am a classically trained pianist), guitar, bass and drums. I'm not a professional by definition but am a professional in the sense of the word as I do record and do my own mixing and sound engineering as a hobby.

I'm inspired by most musicians/bands out there (my definition of a musician is probably important to note since there's a lot of crap being rolled out these days that's bein misquoted as music!). I'm also occasionally inspired by people completely outside of music who have taught me and made me understand totally different aspects of looking at music and an instrument and in the ways that it can be played.
I'm a fanatic looking for the magic door that opens to the "perfect sound" mix. To give you an idea, listen to Porcupine Tree's Coma Divine (for a live album, the mix is unreal!). That's just the beginning and I can mention 100s of influences and artists that I listen to but that's not the point of this review.

If it were lost/stolen, I would be horrified and if I had the $$$, I would probably go for the SR Prestige series which I've heard very good things about as I really like the SR series instruments.

I love the playability of the bass and great sound that you can work out of it!

I compared this to a Ibanez BTB655 (I think) 5-string, Ibanez SR905 (fantastic bass - not in my budget!), Fender Deluxe Jazz V, and a ESP D-5. I wanted to try the Yamaha TRB1006 which I've heard is a great instrument in its own right but was unable to get my hands on one. The reason I chose this one was for the 6 strings and unmatched versatility, playability and balance (it was a lot lighter than the BTB!).

I wish it had the higher end electronics on the "Prestige" series and the other bells and whistles but like I said - for this price - couldn't be better!

If you're on a budget and you're looking for a bass and with great playability and a wide tonal palette (this goes to all you finicky bassists out there who need absolutely custom tone!), get this! You won't regret it!

Korean-made, 5-piece wenge/ovangkol neck, bolt-on to a solid 1-piece mahogany body. Features the Bartolini MK-1 pickups and preamp. The bridge is the Accu-cast, and it's quite a nice bridge. Has two truss rods, which is a big plus for a production model bass. The Bart MK-1 system is boring and by-the-books with treble,mid,bass controls. The battery compartment requires a screwdriver to open, which isn't the end of the world, but is annoying.

The sound is very similar to other basses with the MK-1 pickups. Corts, Ibanez BTBs, and the Lakland 55-01 are some examples. The body construction is great and provides a very responsive tone, with a lot of the nuances of your playing getting through. Its got a great midrange presence but not a lot of fundamental. It can get deep, but is very articulate. The sound is complex and textured. The bridge pickup solo'd sounds thin and terrible, though, given it's position. The neck pickup can get some nice "woof" out of it, similar to a P-bass. The preamp is a little too enthusiastic and the adjustments are best left to slight turns of the knobs. I've had trouble getting to the front of the mix with my SansAmp BDDI-> GK 700RB combo, but I just upgraded to a Roland stack, and it's got a much better tube emulation on it. I wouldn't recommend playing this through a low-end solid-state amp, as it could sound tinny and thin.

This is a shining example of how Korean basses are fast approaching American quality. The neck pocket is completely flush to the neck, which is wonderfully finished. No sharp fret edges, nice and flat, and dual truss rods allow fine tuning. There was one raised fret that I was able to fix myself, but aside from that, I have no complaints on this. This bass was ready to go right out of the box.

I used this in a metal band, and it took the rigours of a summer of stage shows with no problem. I have dropped it several times, and it even stays in tune. The tuners are great, I don't even have to tune it more then once a week here in NE Ohio where the temperature is different every hour. The finish seems fine, and has resisted several spilled beers. I have only adjusted the truss rods once since owning it and that was the initial setup. The neck is solid as a rock, and I am very very impressed by it.

N/A. I bought it from Guitar Center and have never had a problem with it, so I couldn't tell you how Ibanez customer support is.

I've been playing 10 years. I own lots of other gear. This bass has been nothing but a positive experience for me. It was my first 6-string and I don't have any plans of letting it go. I am very satisfied overall with the bass and I'd recommend it to anyone, as it is an absolute value for the price. The people who claim it plays as well as any high-end bass are not kidding, it feels incredibly well made and sounds even across the spectrum.

I am 52 years old and have been playing bass since age 12. I have played or owned major high end basses for 40 years. I am a current bassist for a band that plays jazz, funk, r & B, pop, and cover. I purchased it as a backup for one of my tobias basses. Now this is the main bass I perform with and the guys on the band love the sound including our sound engineer who plays bass. Several guys on the band are bassists and they are all amazed at the sound of this product. After reading some of these reviews, I am curious to know if some of the people are actually musicians or just looking to complain about something. Your tastes for bass may differ, but authenic bassists regardless of style of music would admit for $600 this a a great piece of work. I own several high end basses the costs $2000.00 and up and the SR506 sounds and plays just as good or better than some. If you don't like this bass it's not the end of the world, but, allow others to play one and see if it fits their taste and not yours. Some people complain about any and everything!

Every features are listed below.
Made in Korea

Pretty good sound. With flat EQ too. Equipped with Elixir strings, which I used for months, and they just didn't get tired. The PUs register only the notes I play, except if I play near my computer. I tried with several amps, but no noises were picked.
This bass suits all the styles I play. I use mostly with GT6B. Amazing...

The action was a bit high. For luck tools came also with the instrument ;-) Now, I can play hammered notes with ease and accents.
Both the fit and the finish are well done.

I think the tuners are a little bit weak.
I changed the strap buttons immediately, I never want to let it fall...
I never adjusted the rod. I have no backup. If I had, it would be an other SR506.

Never dealt with them.

I play for a lot of years, but I played only 2 times another basses at this quality level. They were Warwick FNA and Peavey Cirrus.
If it were stolen I would buy again. And again. And again.
I just love the shape of the body, the colors, the materials, the sound.

Made in Korea in 2004 i think, 6 string, 5 piece neck...all the specs can be found in the Ibanez site. Plenty of goodies on this baby if you asked me.

When I first plugged it in, I was amazed at the clarity of the sound. Every little movement I make and the pickups register it. I can make it sound like Michael Manring's warm fretless tone to Victor Wooten's hard clear slap tone. The eq on this is pretty good. Only little problem I faced was there's the electrical buzz when I play near my computer. I had to cut the treble so that the buzz would disappear. I plug it into a Boss GEB-7 and into a Ibanez SW35. Nice and solid amp if you asked me.

The action was pretty ok and the intonation was done at the shop I got it from. Pickups' height is ok. As for me, I've got rather small hands so resting on the pickups for finger picking style is just right for me. Came with Elixir strings...really sweet. The wood is just gorgeous, the neck feels nice and thin but still gotta get used to the width of the neck...but the more I play it, it's getting easier to handle the wide neck. Weight distribution is quite comfortable. I've added a nice thick leather strap with dunlop strap locks.

This bass feels really solid although it doesn't have that heavy Warwick feel to it, but then again at the price I paid for, a Warwick is like 3 times the price. The input jack seems a little tough to plug in sometimes.

Never dealt with them.

I'm actually a guitarist with background in piano. I've recently picked up bass and I'm loving it. Saw this 6 string and fell in love with it. I've never even tried it in the shop. I just pointed in the catalogue and ordered it. Never regretted that decision. I play mostly rock, metal, prog, new age and it fits my style. Got really inspired watching John Myung play as well as Victor Wooten. This is my first bass guitar and it's ambitious to get a 6 string as a first but as I said, I simply love it. The eq works wonders and i can really make it sound extremely bright or like a thunderous horde. I would definitely buy it again if it was stolen or lost, although I'll be extremely sad.

Bought in February of '04. Same features as everyone elses. Purchased without a case. The bass was packed well in a carton. It included a useless manual, an Allen wrench for the bridge & truss rods and a cable that I immediately threw away.

As much as nearly everyone says this is a versatile and good sounding bass, I can't agree. I just cannot play this bass with the EQ flat. I end up rolling off nearly all the treble to play with a pick and cut the treble half-way when playing fingerstyle. I don't think the EQ frequency for the treble is well voiced (EQ center seems way too high). The mid control is a monster. Like the treble control, I never boost the mids. Flat is very a "honky" sound that cuts through. Not very attractive, but it gets you heard FOH. I usually completely cut the mids on the bass to send a somewhat flat sound to my amp. If I want a mid-cut slap sound I end up cutting more mids at the amp. The bass control is the only part of the preamp that I ever boost. Full on it'll shake the house through the PA. Through my amp full bass boost can clip my preamp and/or compressor. Boosting the bass a little slightly makes up for a very floppy and uninspiring B string. (Yes, I've tried a taper wound B with futile results.)

I think the bass sounds OK unplugged - so first I'll probably end up changing the preamp. If that doesn't work, then maybe the pickups. I've tried different strings, too.

I do like the P-bass sound I get when I roll off some treble, roll off the mids 1/2 way, leave the bass flat and pan to mostly the neck pickup.

This bass does have the capability to have many sounds, though I don't find many very useful.

The C string is bright and sounds very comparable to the G & D. Good tone for chords.

I usually play hard and find that I must use quite a bit of discression to avoid keeping my strings from clicking against the pickups. I've somewhat raised the action and lowered my pickups, but I just can't dig in like I do on other basses. I feel that a good instrument should reward dynamic play and this one doesn't.

For comparison's sake I've tried this bass with my SM-400 (Hartke 4x10 and/or hand made 1x15 with EV Pro-line and also my old Peavey 2x15), Trace V-type (same cabs), an original Redhead (solo & with the 1x15) and a Fender 15w practice amp. I sometimes use a Digitech envelope filter and a Boss bass synth pedal. I also frequently use a Trace dual compressor pedal.

Purchased from AMS. New set-up was good. Raised the B right away, but rest of action was great. This category is everything one would expect from a $600 bass.

Have used this bass weekly for nearly 2 years of weekly rehearsals and about 6-10 gigs a year. Seems fine live.

I changed the strap buttons to Schaller strap locks the day I bought it, so I can't really answer that question. I would consider it very usable without a backup.

The tuners are not good. They have tightening screws in the ends of the keys, but still don't hold well. String or neck bends really pull it out of whack. Playing slap & pop also pulls it out of tune. Same for aggressive pick playing. The finish on the tuners has gone from smokey chrome to splotchy black. (Yes, I do clean it regularly and wipe body oil off it after I play.)

The bridge has sharp edges. The bridge springs were rusty and corroded after only using it for a year. I do like the quick-change bridge.

I've tweaked the truss rods seasonally. So far neck warpage not an issue.

N/A

I've been playing electric bass for 16 years. Besides my amps, cabs & effects listed above I also have an '81 G&L L2000e and an early '70s Jazz with MEC pickups. I purchased this bass to play cover tunes that needed the low B. Thought buying a six would be fun to practice chords, Primus licks and bop solos, etc. Actually that's the reason I won't sell it when I go to buy a better five string.

The quality of Korean instruments in general is a lot better than when I started playing. I find the construction of the Ibanez to be rather good in particular. In retrospect I would have rather paid another $150 for better tuners, a better bridge and different electronics.

It would have been nice to test-drive this bass more before buying. I tried it out at a Guitar Center then purchased it from AMS. I found that testing an instrument at a store doesn't really give you a good feel for its capabilities (or lack thereof).

If it were lost, stolen or found in my fireplace I would buy something different. The best part of the bass is the good sounding upper strings (unamplified). Worst? A combination of the hardware, electronics and floppy B. (Maybe it needs a strings-through-body bridge?)

For around the same price I think I'd be better off with the Schecter 6 string. I chose this bass because it was an affordable six string. I should have chosen the best 5 or 6 available at my price point instead of looking for a six. My next extended range bass will have a 35" scale, though. Even better electronics can't fix a floppy B string.

In conclusion, good bass - bad appointments. (Or "I like the neck and body - now replace everything else.") I understand that a beginning/step-up bass isn't going to have the best hardware or electronics. I was expecting that. But if it won't even stay in tune, why bother selling it?

Made in 2005 in Korea. The other reviews have summed up the features pretty well. For made in Korea, this bass is a steal!

Bartolini, need I say more. In my opinion they make some of the best bass pickups on the market. You can get virtually any tone out of this thing you want.

Came from the factory quite perfect, I needed to do no adjustments.

A bass player I've worked with has had two of them for four years, no problem so far.

N/A, haven't needed to use it

This bass is perfect for what I do. I own a recording studio in MD, www.innersanctumpro.com, I picked this up as my main studio bass. I have 5 years of bass playing in a church even though I'm a drummer of 10 years. What I love about this bass is that it's far above all the other 6-strings I've owned. They all worked but this fits me perfect. The neck is thin, smooth, and fast. Never played a fretted bass this awesome for this price. Bartolini, need I say more? If you're looking to switch to 6-string or are looking for a nicer 6-string bass, this is a must pick up item.

This is a 2004/2005? model, Korean made, with 24 frets, and it's a 6-stringer. The body is solid mahogany, with bass, mid, treble, blend/pan, and volume controls. The pickups are two Bartolini MK-1 humbuckers, with a Bartlini active preamp. The neck is a 5-piece wenge/bubinga, a rosewood fingerboard with abalone oval inlays, and two trussrods. The entire instrument is tung-oiled, and has a contemporary body style. The bridge is a top-load style, with the "quick-change" bottom slots. The tuners are probably Gotoh. The neck is an assymetrical style, getting pretty thin and flat towards the higher frets, with the instrument scale being 34" No tools included-oh well, I have a ton anyway.

I haven't found a sound that this thing CAN'T do. I try to play every style I can, and this thing is wonderfully easy to make a fitting tone. I'm currently in a Journey tribute, called Escape, as well as a soon-to-be-named outfit, which does cover/original hard rock and metal, as well as some progressive material. My rig consists of an SWR Bass 750 head, powering two custom Flite cabinets-one with a 12", and 5" speaker, with horn, and a bigger 15", with a 5" speaker, and no horn. I use a Boss Bass EQ and Bass Chorus pedal. This bass is not noisy-it's great. Suprisingly, for how cheaply my guitarist got this bass new, it sounds sweet-really. It's primarily a darker/warmer sound, because of the mahogany body, with the high-mids to highs being a bit tamer than the rest of the instrument's sound range. But, the damn nice active eq and LOUD pickups remedy this, so just a nice full tone is right there at your disposal. The 3-band system can give me a lot of nice variety. Plus, it's sick how nice and huge the harmonics are, when the bridge pickup is soloed-again, for this price-huh?!?!?!?!? I really think this bass is just as good for the studio, as it is on stage. I'm not getting paid here, and I dig this thing's sound. My guitarist has even told me that I am one SERIOUSLY picky s.o.b., so there ya go!

The action when the bass was bought was pretty damned good. I'm not sure if it was doctored/set up by Guitar Center, but the pickups were at a good height, but I raised them. The neck was perfectly flat, and still is that way. A bass is bound to have SOME flaws in this budget price range, as some of the frets had some filing grooves, causing a bad buzz here and there-oh well, I'll wait to get them all redone, eventually. The only other flaw was that the fretends weren't really rounded down, and can snag you, but they don't interfere with my technique. The weather can shrink the fingerboard, causing the frets the stick out, as well, so that could be it-doesn't bother me, though. Everything else was great-the tung oil finish is exactly durable, but easily caused dents add character, in my opinion, and are fixable with steam treatment. But, you're going to constantly get these marks with this finish, so why bother-I don't care. I figure, the more marks there are, the more it shows how much you play. This is a working musician's bass, anyway, right?

I think this bass can withstand live gigs, unless it's used as a club to ward off drunks/a**holes, as well. The hardware will last-pretty solid, if ya ask me. Read the last category, as for what I said about the finish durability. The strap buttons haven't been a problem. It's a dependable instrument, as I haven't even had to touch the trussrods ONCE, even sitting in a cold and dry basement, then to a warm apartment, and studio, as well as putting HEAVY E and B strings on. Pretty cool, eh? I don't play without a backup, ever, so this bass wouldn't be alone on stage.

I've never dealt with Hoshino/Ibanez, and I'm not sure what the warranty is on it. I doubt I'll need to inquire about anything.

I've been playing for almost 10 years, as of this Christmas. This is actually my guitarist's bass, as he likes to buy instruments for himself, to record on his own. He's not getting another, but I'm probably going to do so. I love the light weight, as it's such a feather for a 6-string, the construction is great, as is the solid sound. I don't really care for the finish, but for the price paid-who gives a crap, ya know? Believe it or not, I've actually compared this bass to ones costing 4 times as much, yes, 4 times, and this thing wastes them in the value department. My main bass is a Warwick Thumb 6 Bolt-on, and nothing can touch how mean that thing sounds, but this Ibanez is a damn good backup. True, the tight string spacing might not be for slappers/ones with big hands, but it's awesome for fast fingerstyle, and fits me like a glove. A satin finish would be a plus on this bass. I really recommend at least trying this 6-string, simply because of the huge bang-for-the-buck factor on this one. I love this little guy! I REPEAT, I AM NOT GETTING PAID BY ANYONE FOR THIS REVIEW.

Ibanez made in Korea, but you would never have known at first glance. 24 frets adds two more octaves as compared to a four string. Maple body with natural wood finish and rosewood fretboard look amazing together. Volume, 3-band eq, and pickup selector, complimented with Bartaloni Mk-1's provide a full range of sound for any style of playing. Which great if your playing a show or just experimenting in the studio.

Sound is amazing, the Bartaloni active pickups give it an incredible range of sound. I play hard rock and low end is really felt when I'm playing with two loud guitarists. The harmonics on this thing last incredibly long, way longer than my passive Jazz. It has never made sounds that I didn't cause (like playing with a cell phone in your pocket), the signal interferes with the active electronics. It always stops when i put the cell phone away, so thats what leads me to beleive that. Other than that the sound is fantastic.

The action was just right for my taste. You can pop, slap, and strum without the string hitting the higher frets. The finish is what attracted me to it in the first place, the reddish natural wood finish. What I didn't like was the weight distribution. I didn't notice it as much when I was playing it in the store, but when I put the strap on and stood up, i found that the neck weighs it down a bit. The mahogany wood is on the light side and the body doesn't have enough weight to compensate for the heavy neck. As a result it tends to slide down a bit and you need your hand on the neck to keep it up. I thought of strapping a brick to the end of my strap but just decided to change my playing posture instead.

Everything about it seems pretty solid. I've played several shows and rehearsed with it plenty of times and everything is in great working order. I haven't banged it around or anything (who would want to) so i dont exactly know how much damage it could take.

I haven't needed to call tech support thus far.

I have been playing for 5 years now, and its my second bass. I have been contemplating of buying a new one for some time, so I've played others, but this is no comparison to anything else in that price class. It is the only 6-string bass I;ve played that i found comfortable and easy to play. I've played a 6-string Tobias and it didn't have the same feel to it. This one felt smoother than any other. The only flaw in it is the weight distribution, if you get over that, this will be your new best friend.