Ibanez SDR 1000

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Crash

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 10, 2004
Messages
85
Location
Texas
I have an on going debate with a fellow audio guy on another forum and I am trying to clear up something. I speak in regards to the Ibanez SDR 1000 and the SDR 1000 "+" which I contend were both made by Sony for Ibanez. He claims that only the "+" units were made by Sony. Any body out there have any concrete proof either way. He doesn't seem to care that I have been in my regular 1000 and saw nothing but Sony parts staring back at me.

I thought the progression of units went something like Ibanez SDR 1000, SDR 1000+, Sony MUR-201, Sony DPS R-7, etc.
 
Just in general, since I don't know anything of those specific units: you know that the brand of the used ICs won't give much proof of who actually made the actual piece of gear. Like brand X making TV-sets using CRTs from brand Y (who also happens to be a competitor). Same for ICs etc.

OK, for a better example: Yamaha made/makes samplers. Some Akai samplers have Yamaha chips. Philips stuff uses Sony chips. Sony gear uses Philips chips. etc etc.
I'm not aware of Sony using Ibanez/Maxon-chips though :wink:

End of rant :wink:
 
I can understand that. The reason I got to thinking this thing is really a Sony unit is that not only do the chips have the Sony logo, even the PCB has Sony logos on it and the MUR 201 and the SDR regular and SDR "+" all look quite related. I have to wonder if Ibanez built any of their rackmounted verbs etc. They were/are primarily a guitar manufacturer.
 
[quote author="Crash"]I can understand that. The reason I got to thinking this thing is really a Sony unit is that not only do the chips have the Sony logo, even the PCB has Sony logos on it and the MUR 201 and the SDR regular and SDR "+" all look quite related. I have to wonder if Ibanez built any of their rackmounted verbs etc. They were/are primarily a guitar manufacturer.[/quote]

'Sony' on PCB is indeed something different. Wasn't it Maxon (sp?) who did the TS-stuff ? Who knows then, Ibanez themselves the gtrs, Maxon the difficult analog pedal- & older rackmount-stuff and Sony the easy digital boxes ?

I have some old Maestro stuff that's even labeled on the outside as being done by Oberheim. Indeed it happens everywhere, so why not there as well.
And sometimes you see both, like for instance both Ibanez & Maxon selling the same thing under their own name. Same for Maestro & Oberheim BTW, like both selling a S/H-filter of identical design. The list is endless of course.

Bye,

Peter
 
[quote author="tony dB"]ask Ibanez, they're kind people.[/quote]

Now why didn't I think of that?! E-mail has been dispatched to Ibanez. Hopefully someone there will remember these units as they were from the late 80's early 90's I believe.
 
I'm pretty sure the 1000 was upgradable to the 1000+ (in fact I think mine might have been upgraded--the "+" is obviously different from the "1000"), so whoever manufactured them almost certainly manufactured throughout. Whether Sony made them, or it just used the Sony chip, I don't know.

Tom
 
Thanks for the replies everyone. I am still awaiting a return e-mail from Ibanez, though I get the feeling it isn't coming. They are going to mess around and make me pick up the phone and call someone.
 
Yes, Sony built them all.

The enhanced "+" version came out after the original, of course, and the MU-R201 is the Sony equivalent of the "+".

Fantastic units, IMO. Not much to listen to by themselves (except on electric gtr), but in the mix they blend perfectly without stepping on other effects. Bandwidth on the effect is rather limited, but they have their own version of 'smooth.' The verbs are felt without having to be so loud that they are actually heard.

I love my SDR1000+.

JC
 
That had always been my understanding as well. It is unfortunate that there is so little info out there on any of these units. I think I am going to have to pop the top on my 1000 and take some digital pics to show this guy that he is dead wrong.
 
Hey Guys,

Digging up an oldie here. :)

I've just acquired one of these guys and have a couple of questions.

I've been having a problem with it not powering up fully on some ocassions, the analog section comes up but the digital section is DOA. If I cycle the power it seems to cure it most of the time. I'm assuming the usual suspects like cold solder joints and capacitor replacement in the power supply sections. Are there any other common remedies?

Is there a manual available, or perhaps one available for downloading?

How difficult and/or how do you upgrade these guys to 1000+? I'm assuming a flashing procedure of some sort, through midi perhaps??

The reverbs seem kind of flat sounding at first blush plugged into a Strat and Princeton, but perhaps I'm missing something. What do you guys find these useful for?

Also got an SPX90 that won't power up, which I'm assuming is the caps in the switching power supply that need replacement.

It's the attack of the 80's!  :eek:

Mark
 
Sorry to be the second guy to drag this thread back up, but if any kind soul who owns that coveted "plus" version of the SDR 1000 ever feels like reading the contents of that firmware EPROM, I'm sure I wouldn't be the only one to be in your debt. I put a support query in to Ibanez a few days ago, but that unit's old enough now that I'm not really getting my hopes up.  Another post I saw suggested some sort of upgrade kit used to go out for the original SDR's. I'm guessing it was mainly the chip (originals use a D27C256-25). I'm not sure if the Sony version (MU-R201) is 100% compatible or not, as it seems to have a slight difference in the front panel memory buttons. Be warned- the chip may not be socketed, but the bottom of the PCB is fairly easy to access without full disassembly.

The upgrade supposedly adds new reverb algorithms (equivalent to the Sony?), but also adds function to the rear panel remote jack, which I had considered playing with. The original's remote implementation is for simple patch changes. A full featured, display-equipped remote showed up later, but appears to need that newer firmware.

Much Thanks!

PS- As with the previous poster, my SDR had an intermittent supply rail. In my case, the supply to the display would drop out or fail to start. It seems to have been that main 9-pin connection from the transformer, but in addition to cleaning it, I reflowed some joints in that area just in case. Solid as a rock now.
 
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