NotAsGoodAsJaco

To anyone who knows...

What is it about these custom shop basses that makes them so expensive? (How much are they new!?)

Is there a discernible difference from a USA made stock model?

GLWTS Jack.

Short video using my ibanez BTB 1825. I'm playing straight into logic using the SSL2 interface.

this bass is up for sale in the "for sale" part of basschat.

thanks for watching...

Those are much better pictures. Great looking bass! Yeah I'd love the 36" scale...

This bass has so many things that interest me! 36" scale! I played my friend's Shuker bass of that scale and it felt great to me.

i wish there was some way to try this bass but I'm in London. It looks like quite a sturdy bass and as it has walnut in it, I am going to ask the most tire-kicking question of, "how much does it weigh"? Oh and is that a rosewood neck?

it doesn't say in the ad whether you're open to trades but I have an Ibanez BTB 1825 Premium up forsake on here for £1200...

does/did Overwater make its own pick ups? Are they similar in sound to any you can think of? 

Hmmm...

Ha! Yes we do silly things sometimes. Two years ago I bought my dream bass, a Ken Smith Black Tiger for £3500. Last year I had to sell it as the 18mm string spacing was killing my right hand! I was so sad to sell it as it sounded amazing.

I hope you sell the NE2. I have the NE1 and it is great...

the NE2s are pretty expensive though! 

Good luck.

mike

Hi Larko

am I right in thinking that the bass is only 1 month old?!

what is it about the bass that makes you want to sell?

good luck

mike

I don't know the weight exactly but will find out tomorrow. 

It's light though. Not a heavy bass at all.

Up for sale, my Ibanez BTB 1825. Excellent condition/as new.

Comes with original custom fit Ibanez Case.

35" scale bass with 19mm string spacing and a 47mm nut width.

Bought new from Thomann in Nov 2019. Dot markers added by pro luthier.

Low action, flat neck with  good feel. Just not the tone for me - I bought this bass without ever playing one.

Prefer a local (London and surrounding areas) but will post within UK. UKsales only

I believe these basses are discontinued.

Spec from Ibanez...

• Neck type BTB59pc Panga Panga/Purpleheart/Maple w/Graphite reinforcement rods neck-through
• Top/back/body - Walnut top, Ash wing body
• Fretboard - Bound Panga Panga Abalone off-set dot inlay
• Frets - Medium Stainless Steel frets Premium fret edge treatment
• Bridge - MR5 bridge (19mm string spacing)
• Neck pickup - Aguilar® DCB neck pickupPassive
• Bridge pickup - Aguilar® DCB bridge pickupPassive
• Equaliser - Ibanez Custom Electronics 3-band EQ
• Hardware color - Gold

• Width 47mm NUT
• Radius 400

18 hours ago, Al Krow said:

Ok possibly a ridiculous thought: but could you not replace the bridge on a Smith with another high end bridge that allows 19 mm string spacing? And, of course, get a decent luthier to fit it!

Or is it the case that the Smith neck width is not designed to cope with anything more than 18mm, in which case the plan would be scuppered! 

Al I think that the latter is the case. Smith make a 19mm option but it may come with a wider neck - I've definitely seen the term "wider neck" in their blurb somewhere...

On 20/06/2020 at 10:31, akabane said:

@NotAsGoodAsJaco wow, you must have had one of the few Smiths to actually have the 19mm spacing! So on the hunt for a Smith 18mm now?  

I have to admit, I do love my 6ers in 18 and 19 mm. My previous beast (a Yamaha TRB JP2, which I do regret selling and will buy again at some point, had its own unique character) was 19mm (AND 35 in scale!) and I never felt it to be a hindrance. I never thought I had to go down to 18mm, and as a matter of fact, I was prioritising 19mm spacings over 18mm when I was looking for my Smith.

However, I decided I wanted to give a slightly narrower spacing a try and ended up going for the Smith's default 18mm, and it still feels really good. I do feel I would start to get cramped if I kept going down lower towards 17mm or less though.

Something to note though, I did pretty much jump from an upright bass straight to a 6 electric, almost bypassing the 4 completely - so I never really got accustomed to a 'slim' fretboard. I like my instruments to feel like hard beasts to tame! 😎

Sorry no, it was because of the 18mm spacing on my smith that I got rid of it! I would absolutely love a 19mm Smith and I would buy one instantly! Even though I really struggled with it, I still regret getting rid of it as I miss the tone so much!

Hi there. I think you are much better to get a second hand NE2. I spoke to a bass shop in London and he agreed with me that these basses are overpriced from Yamaha. Sometimes here in the UK, they are over £3000 which I think is ridiculous.

Sometimes these basses will go for around £1650 and I even alomost bought one for £1100!

Anyway, good luck in you search.

mike

On 19/06/2020 at 08:44, ped said:

Why did you? 😂

I struggled with the string spacing. I like it very wide (19mm) and I just found it difficult to play. I was gutted as it was the best quality bass I've ever owned and the tone was KILLER! Wish I'd kept it for a bit longer...

i think I'd buy it back from the guy I sold it to but he loves it

I think I might start a thread called, "Why the f**k did I sell my Ken Smith?!"

I have a BBNE1 and it's great. I don't know too much about the 605. Obviously it is a lot cheaper than the NE1.

are the pickups single coil or humbuckers? I think on the NE2 they look like these but are humbucking.

im in north London and could meet up with within social distance regs...

3 minutes ago, binky_bass said:

That being said the last TRBJP2 that sold on here went for £1400 so price can be very subjective as to how quickly a seller wants to sell and how soft the market is.

Oh I see. I thought these basses were around the 2k mark.

Just to let you know I recently saw a BBNE2 for sale on here for £1475? It was a very cheap deal but I just thought you should know how cheap these basses can go for so as not to undervalue your bass if you're considering a straight swap. Good luck.

Another for Laurence Dixon. He's far from you but if it's a fairly quick job, he may be able to turn it around in one day while you wait.

parking is right outside the shop and it's at south London prices (£2.70) per hour? He is very close to herne  hill station so if you can park and ride, that might work. Great guy though. Very knowledgeable and helpful too.

All good advice. 

Relax the right hand as much as possible. I'm a pro player on double bass and I never practice for more than an hour on the day of a gig because as sure as anything I'll (wrongly) play two or three times as hard as I do in practice. I'm working on endurance, playing in a more relaxed manner and breathing. Bananas!? Sounds good, I'll check that out on the next "three banana" gig!

On 25/12/2019 at 10:28, Jezyorkshire said:

The quote I got demanded that any instrument be not visible in a vehicle if left unattended, almost impossible!

I think that they mean, as long as the bass is covered by a hard/soft case? I hope so, as I have insurance with Allianz. Been pretty good, no excess but expensive and covers unattended vehicles (but I believe the vehicle must be broken into and not left unlocked by accident).

On 10/01/2020 at 13:50, Duckyincarnate said:

So, you are learning a new instrument and you are learning a new genre. Why not separate these things for a little while? Start the new band using bass guitar, and aim to phase it out and replace it with the DB/EUB by say, July. Each rehearsal, you can play a tune or two on the EUB, gradually increasing its use.

 

In the meantime, your big challenge is to get the left hand together on double bass. This is not easy - you are building finger routine and muscle strength, honing your intonation and developing a consistent relationship to the instrument. Simandl is a great method. Explore it with a teacher in regular lessons, and if at all possible, using a bow. This is the quickest way - with the bow, there is no hiding, it's like a spotlight on your intonation and the shape of your left hand. Any imperfections are mercilessly exposed, and it will force you to adapt and perfect your left hand technique. IME, the hard way is ultimately the quickest and most effective. 

 

The Latin Bass Book by Oskar Stagnaro is a great resource for learning about Afro-Cuban and Brazilian bass playing. 

All of the above is great advice...simandl, using the bow and developing left hand. I would add triads! Play major, minor, diminshed and augmented triads just over the first five "frets" (from low E to C on the G string -fifth "fret"). It's a practice regime I got from Gary Willis and it is pretty mind blowing. If you want to know more about it, feel free to send me a message. Or just check it out.

Good idea from above to introduce the double bass gradually and if you're using an EUB, you won't be short of volume and feedback won't be an issue.

the Latin bass book by oscar stagnaro  is the best Latin book I've ever seen. I use it inside and out - sometimes I just put a metronome on or a drum groove and play any Latin tune as swing, it's great for reading! 

Anyway, good luck.

mike

That's exactly right and that's why it's so difficult to understand. I'm going to remove both the E and B string to measure the distance between the two bridge saddles as they should be 19mm. The older string that came fitted with the bass was a slightly narrower B so may not have been as noticeable. It's a real freak out though...

Your annotated diagram was really helpful and i sent it to my luthier.

The E string saddle seems parallel to the A string. I can see what you mean about the screw at the front of the (B) saddle can be loose or may have even been drilled incorrectly?

The "gap" you've highlighted in yellow is exactly what i noticed as not being flush but i thought that was deliberate as i think the the G string might look like it does the same?

Your help is v much appreciated.

Thanks. That's a great answer. The bass is brand new and everything is very tight but i will have a look at screws etc. Thanks so much for taking the time to reply. When i looked at official ibanez pictures,  it does seem as though the B string bridge is not straight and is therefore deliberate. What do you think?

Mike

Can anybody help!?

Recently bought a new ibanez btb 1825. Just changed the strings to Elixir nanoweb long scale with extra long B string as it is a 35" scale bass and the regular long scale B is too short.

Since changing strings there is now a noticeable difference between the B and the E string in terms of string spacing. It is narrower than the 19mm it should be. I know that as these two are the thickest strings, the distance between their edges will be smaller but their middle to middle distance should still be 19mm. It wasn't a problem with the strings that were supplied with the bass.

Also the btb has five individual bridges and the B string bridge seems slightly squint- this may be deliberate as im sure these basses and computer manufactured. I'll try and attach two photos- one of the B bridge and one of the B and E distance.  Any help gratefully received!