The Ibanez SR505A: Modern 5-String Versatility Meets Iconic Ergonomic Comfort

For decades, the Ibanez Soundgear (SR) series has served as the definitive modern alternative for bassists seeking an instrument that favors sleek playability, lightweight comfort, and massive tonal flexibility. The Ibanez SR505A 5-string electric bass continues this proud legacy, refined with structural upgrades and sophisticated electronics engineered to answer the needs of today's working musicians.

The physical profile of the SR505A is instantly recognizable. Built around a beautifully sculpted okoume body, it delivers an incredibly balanced and clear tonal foundation. The wood's natural voice provides a slightly bright character, ensuring that the low B-string remains punchy, defined, and articulate rather than muddy or lost in a heavy mix. Its lightweight, contoured double-cutaway design fits perfectly against the body, dramatically minimizing shoulder strain during long stage sets or marathon recording sessions while opening up uninhibited physical access to all 24 frets.

Bolted to the body is a high-performance 5-piece roasted maple and walnut neck. The roasting process heat-treats the wood to seal out moisture, exponentially increasing its stability, durability, and resistance to sudden temperature or humidity changes. Paired with a warm, mid-focused rosewood fingerboard and precision medium frets, this neck provides a lightning-fast, ultra-comfortable surface for intricate fingerstyle runs, aggressive slapping, or heavy pick work.

Sonically, the SR505A is a powerhouse. It is equipped with dual Bartolini BH2 passive pickups configured in a dual-coil layout with extended blade pole pieces. This ensures an exceptionally wide magnetic field and flawless string-to-string balance, yielding a tight low-end, punchy midrange, and smooth highs. The electronics are driven by an active Ibanez Custom Electronics 3-band EQ, complete with a 3-way mid-frequency selector switch (250Hz, 450Hz, and 700Hz) for laser-focused tone sculpting. An integrated EQ bypass switch lets you instantly drop into a purely passive mode, repurposing the treble knob as a global passive master tone control. Anchored by the highly adjustable MR5S bridge, which allows you to customize string spacing by +/- 1.5mm, the SR505A represents a masterclass in modern, multi-genre precision.

Product Specifications

• Number of Strings: 5

• Left-/Right-handed: Right-handed (Left-handed version available as SR505AL)

• Body Type: Solidbody Electric Bass

• Body Shape: Soundgear (SR) Standard

• Body Material: Okoume

• Body Finish: Satin Polyurethane / Low Gloss

• Color: Mahogany Brown Burst Low Gloss

• Neck Material: 5-piece Roasted Maple / Walnut

• Neck Shape: SR5

• Neck Joint: Bolt-on (All-Access Neck Joint)

• Neck Finish: Satin Polyurethane

• Scale Length: 34" (864 mm)

• Fingerboard Material: Rosewood

• Fingerboard Radius: 12" (305 mmR)

• Fingerboard Inlay: Abalone Oval Dots

• Number of Frets: 24

• Fret Size: Medium

• Nut Width: 1.77" (45 mm)

• Nut Material: Black PPS Plastic

• Bridge/Tailpiece: MR5S Mono-rail Bridge (16.5mm standard string spacing, adjustable +/- 1.5mm)

• Tuners: Ibanez Die-cast Machine Heads

• Neck Pickup: Bartolini BH2 Neck Pickup (Passive)

• Bridge Pickup: Bartolini BH2 Bridge Pickup (Passive)

• Electronics: Active Ibanez Custom Electronics 3-band EQ

• Controls: * 1 x Master Volume

  • 1 x Pickup Balancer

  • 1 x Treble Boost/Cut (Functions as a global passive tone control when EQ is bypassed)

  • 1 x Mid Boost/Cut

  • 1 x Bass Boost/Cut

  • 2-Way EQ Bypass Mini-Toggle Switch (Passive/Active)

  • 3-Way Mid-Frequency Mini-Toggle Switch (250Hz / 450Hz / 700Hz)

• Factory String Gauge: D'Addario EXL165 + .130 (.045, .065, .085, .105, .130)

• Factory Tuning: 1G, 2D, 3A, 4E, 5B (Standard B Tuning)

• Hardware Finish: Black

• Included Accessories: Hex wrench

• Recommended Case: Ibanez MB300C (Sold separately)