Ibanez SR605E-BKT Black Stained Burst

Chic and slim bass with P-style moderate rock sound. Plays very well and arrived perfectly set up (unlike other customer experiences). I was no longer satisfied with the "soft" sound of my Yamaha TRBX-306 as I now play in a metal band. The Ibanez fulfills the requirement, but a Marcus Miller M5 convinced me a little more. Primarily because it has a wider neck (string spacing almost like a four-string, of course, a matter of taste) and switchable pickup modes (single coil/humbucker).

I bought this bass because I was missing a 5-string in my assortment. First I had ordered the SR1305SB (Premium), but then sent it back due to a qualitative deficiency, which also exists in this model. But to that later.
First to the positive impression:
Immediately after unpacking, the low weight is immediately noticeable, in addition to the beautiful wood grain. For people with sensitive backs, this bass is absolutely recommendable. I dare even say it is lighter than the premium model. Unfortunately, I could not find any exact weight information on this.
The sound is absolutely great! Ibanez has done a great job here. The punchy sound of the ash body comes here in my opinion very well to advantage. The Nordstrand Big Break pickups, which are also installed in the Premium model, in conjunction with the active tone control, make this bass sonically an all-rounder for every genre.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with the workmanship of the body and neck. No quirks or sharp edges. There is nothing to rework or complain about here. Also the compromise between string spacing and neck thickness is fitting and balanced.
In terms of handling and playability, this bass is in absolutely no way inferior to the Premium model! However, you may have to readjust something here, which brings me to the negative aspects.
The Premium series comes with a perfectly straight neck and super adjusted string action. With the standard series, this is unfortunately not the case. Even if it is not a particularly big effort to correct neck curvature and string action, I think it would be appropriate for instruments in this price range to already be well adjusted from the factory.
My biggest negative hangup, is the nut. The bass comes standard with D'Addario® EXL165 + .130 .045/.065/.085/.105/.130 strings. In order for these strings to fit into the notches of the saddle, they are filed or reworked larger at the factory. However, the whole thing is done so sloppily that actually more than one star would have to be deducted. The result resembles a mixture as hecticness and listlessness, which leads to the fact that the notches are fringy, crooked and/or uneven and/or too deep. Too deeply filed notches are especially problematic if you, like me, prefer thinner strings. Here it can happen that you would have to install a new saddle in this context, because otherwise the strings lie on the fingerboard. This was the case with the Premium model, which is why I sent the bass back.
With my SR605 it fit with thinner strings. But I would rather call that a coincidence. In any case, more care is definitely appropriate in this regard!

Conclusion short and sweet: Despite some "defects" which one could easily fix from the factory, clear purchase recommendation !

I am really surprised by the good sound. You actually think you can hear the woods singing. Rosewood, yes that has always been a good wood. The proportion certainly seems to make up for it. Clear harmonics, fat basses, clear mids. For the price really super. The weight as always Sondgear -pleasant. Almost 1 kilo lighter than some other bass. There the back is pleased. Thank you Ibanez