# Schecter Diamond P-Custom 5 vs. Ibanez SR-605



## WarriorOfMetal (Jun 18, 2011)

So, here's the situation: By way of a contest I'm pretty sure I'm winning at work, I expect to have some money to put toward a bass (and depending on the exact value of the prize, possibly an amp as well). I've been planning to get a Schecter Diamond P-Custom 5 for a while, but I was playing around with an Ibanez SR-605 the other night and I like that as well.

This will be my first bass, and they're fairly different from each other. The Schecter is a fairly straightforward P-bass copy, but with a 35" scale, and a humbucker in the bridge, which is splittable, giving effectively a P/J configuration. It's passive and has an alder body, maple neck, and rosewood fingerboard. There's a volume knob for each pickup, and a tone knob that has the coil split on a push/pull switch.

The Ibanez is a more modern style bass, with two Bartolini soapbar pickups (passive), with an active EQ. 34" scale, ash body, jatoba/bubinga neck, and rosewood fingerboard.

I find the Ibanez slightly easier to play, and I do like that it has the active EQ, but a straightforward passive bass, with a 35" scale length appeals to me. 

Diamond P-Custom 5 - Schecter Guitar Research
Ibanez.com | Basses | SR605


----------



## TemjinStrife (Jun 18, 2011)

They're both pretty awesome. Sorry man, can't give you more info than that 

For a "best of both worlds" combination, see if you can't check out the Schecter Stiletto Studio 5. 35" scale, Schecter neck size and wider string spacing, but with good active pickups and a solid 3-band EQ.


----------



## WarriorOfMetal (Jun 18, 2011)

We actually have a used one of those in the store. I'm not crazy about it, though.


----------



## WarriorOfMetal (Jun 18, 2011)

Oh, and if I somehow end up with enough money to also get an amp, I'm thinking GK MB210


----------



## Guitarman700 (Jun 18, 2011)

I've played that Ibby, and it plays REAL nice. Haven't tried the Schecter though.


----------



## Krucifixtion (Jun 19, 2011)

I own an SR605 and it's a very nice bass for the price. It honestly comes down to what kind of feel you prefer. The Ibanez has a much thinner body and neck. It's a faster neck, but some people might prefer a fatter neck and a little more bulk for a bass. I personally prefer the way the Ibanez sounds over the Schecter. I like the Bartonlini pickups a lot more than the EMG's. The EMG's to me don't have a lot of personality...they are kind of plain sounding. My only complaint on the Ibanez is that I wish it was a 35" scale and not 34"...but it probably doesn't make that much of a difference.


----------



## TemjinStrife (Jun 19, 2011)

If it was me, I'd go for the P myself, but that's because I already have a few two-pickup modern-sounding active lightweight fivers. Also, you could always toss an Aguilar OBP preamp in it for a little extra customization if you felt you wanted it down the line.

Regarding amps, The GK MB210 or MB212 is pretty nice, especially if you're still on that third-floor apartment.  If you do pick up an MB combo though, I'd recommend the bracing and batting mods people do on Talkbass. Really makes it a little tighter and less muddy or "congested" sounding. If you want something you could *really* gig with, I'd search for an old 700RB or 800RB with an Avatar TB153 4-ohm cab. One-person carry, and plenty for pretty much any gig short of an outdoor festival with no bass in the PA.


----------



## Krucifixtion (Jun 19, 2011)

Oops didn't realize this didn't have EMG's. I was thinking of a different Schecter bass. They are both pretty nice. The Schecter is gonna run you a little bit more though.


----------



## Krucifixtion (Jun 19, 2011)

Nevermind....the Ibby is more...I dunno what kind of shit im smoking today lol.

I'd go with the Ibby unless you really want a 35" inch scale. Try to play different basses at a music shop if you can to see what appeals to you more. The schecter is going to have that more rounded fatter feel to it like a Fender.


----------



## WarriorOfMetal (Jun 19, 2011)

Krucifixtion said:


> Nevermind....the Ibby is more...I dunno what kind of shit im smoking today lol.
> 
> I'd go with the Ibby unless you really want a 35" inch scale. Try to play different basses at a music shop if you can to see what appeals to you more. The schecter is going to have that more rounded fatter feel to it like a Fender.



I've played both...I work at Daddy's in Boston lol. Josh, I'll look into that Aguilar thing...guessing it's some sort of active preamp that would be installed in the bass?


----------



## TemjinStrife (Jun 19, 2011)

Yeah. There are any number of preamps you could add, some more transparent than others. Glockenklang, Aguilar, and Audere are the high-end ones I hear being bandied about all the time; EMG's got a few decent ones too.


----------



## WarriorOfMetal (Jun 21, 2011)

I played the 605 and PC5 again today a couple times, and I keep going back and forth between which one sounds better. Really undecided here.


----------



## TemjinStrife (Jun 21, 2011)

WarriorOfMetal said:


> I played the 605 and PC5 again today a couple times, and I keep going back and forth between which one sounds better. Really undecided here.



Very different basses in terms of both sound and feel, which is what makes it so hard! I love both, although I think I'd get more mileage out of the P.


----------



## Hemi-Powered Drone (Jun 22, 2011)

The P seems like it'd be a little more vesatile with the dual jazz pickup, with coil tap, and the P-bass pickup. 

Plus, in my opinion, they look cooler than the SRs.


----------



## robotsatemygma (Jun 24, 2011)

I personally would go with the Schecter or a straight up Fender. When I started playing bass in high school, I started on a P, went to Ibanez, took a long break, grabbed a jazz and haven't looked back. There's a reason there's a hundred companies copying Fender's designs. 

Ibanez basses have slimmer profiles all around, 35" scale is nice, but really not necessary unless you're dropping that B down to F or some shit. They also have narrower string spacing, which can be a bitch when it comes to pickups. But with Bart's you're pretty much committed to it's pickup size if you want to replace them. The narrower string spacing sucks if you slap, but it's nice if you have small hands. 

There's 3 tones that bassists love and try to emulate if they don't have it; precision, jazz, and stingray. That Schecter is going to give you both a precision thump and a jazz growl. The Ibanez is going to give you the stingray. 

Good luck on winning the bet, and hopefully you win enough to grab an amp!


----------



## WarriorOfMetal (Jun 24, 2011)

robotsatemygma said:


> I personally would go with the Schecter or a straight up Fender. When I started playing bass in high school, I started on a P, went to Ibanez, took a long break, grabbed a jazz and haven't looked back. There's a reason there's a hundred companies copying Fender's designs.
> 
> Ibanez basses have slimmer profiles all around, 35" scale is nice, but really not necessary unless you're dropping that B down to F or some shit. They also have narrower string spacing, which can be a bitch when it comes to pickups. But with Bart's you're pretty much committed to it's pickup size if you want to replace them. The narrower string spacing sucks if you slap, but it's nice if you have small hands.
> 
> ...



The Schecter sounds absolutely badass with the bridge pickup split, and both volumes and the tone on full...so basically a P/J setup. I've decided that's what I'm going for...now it's mainly just a thing of picking the color. I'm between white and blue, but I haven't seen the blue in person.

Also, it's a sales contest, not a bet. The winners were determined a couple months or so ago, and will be announced tomorrow night. I'm expecting to win one of 3 prizes from a particular brand, and it's something I don't really need, so I'll sell that back to the company and use the money to get the bass. The amp will depend on which of the 3 I get.


----------



## WarriorOfMetal (Jun 25, 2011)

Man....totally thought I had that in the bag. Didn't win that contest


----------



## Klaptrap (Dec 28, 2013)

hahaha well this was a huge fail


----------



## JoshuaVonFlash (Dec 28, 2013)

Klaptrap said:


> hahaha well this was a huge fail


 And this was a MEGA Necro Bump.


----------

