Honestly I am very surprised. I play a Conklin and the reason for trying out the Ibanez is the massive weight of the Conklin. The Conklin rep told me going from a Conklin to a Ibanez is like driving a BMW and trading it in for a Nissan. #1 I bought it online which for me was a iffy thing to do. When I got it, the setup was terrible..... I was shocked at the poor setup and immediately took it to a guitar tech to be setup and honestly what I got back was a bass that blows on my Conklin. Action almost as good as the Conklin.... A noticeably thinner neck!! I'm all about playability of the guitar and all things considered the SR 605 blows on my Conklin. So much so my Conklin is up for sale. The SR 605 is clean, warm and very tight. You can play an open low B and actually hear it rather then just be slapped by a low frequency. I love the Ash Body, its not lacquered so it breathes. The only difference between a 605, 705 or the 800 series is the wood the bodies made from and perhaps the bridge. The 605 was a steal for what I paid for it. I would highly recommend this bass to anyone beginner to Pro

Sound
the sound is warm and tight, for my style the bass is as solid as I have ever played

Features
I love the MK1s, and I especially like the MID cut/boost

Ease of Use
How easy is it to get great sound..... just plug it in. It sounds like it belongs with my rack. Learning curve was about 2 minutes… read more and playability.... outstanding

Quality
seems like it is made well, but time will tell on this

Value
compared with higher priced/higher end basses..... it was a steal

Manufacturer Support
I have dealt with Hoshino before and my experience with them was fine

The Wow Factor
I rate it a 4 because of the outstanding sound

Musical Background:
30+yrs play bass, guitar and keyboards

Musical Style:
Rock read less