Bassic_Science

Happy new member of this club! Just got my EHB1505 today. Really delighted with it so far. Love the look, it's super comfy neck, and the sound. Plus it's ridiculously light!

So just an update - NBD pending. A fellow BassChat member reached out and offered me a very nice deal on his EHB1505. Really want to say thanks to those who answered my questions and provided their input.

I've thought about that in the past. It's not an option I'm open to right now since I don't know a luthier to trust with doing it and the people I know that own a router I wouldn't trust with a cup of coffee yet alone my only bass.

This is really good feedback so far. I had a chance to play the MTD Kingston Super 5 a while back when I was still based in the UK. It's a great bass for sure. The one I tried was around 9lbs which wasn't bad at all for a 5 string. My only thing with it was that it had a lot of sizzle at the top end which I wasn't crazy about. Definitely had more a MusicMan vibe to it for sure. It's also really good to know about the EHB finishes being quite delicate. I figured they were based on the photos I have seen online and also from LowEndLobster's follow up videos he put out on his EHB1005.

Good question! It's mainly the weight of the Heir that's making me think not to go back to it. It was a great bass, but I having looked for one online it doesn't seem I am going to be able to source one easily without avoiding import VAT. Plus those EHBs are really starting to speak to me (visually and tonally). The 18mm string spacing is not too far off what I am used to. And on the other side of it, I suppose I am looking for something new and different from what I already know (not the best reason but I am wanting a change).

Btw, weight wise, how heavy is the 1265? Also watching some of these videos, I'm thinking the Barts might be worth keeping. Need to still watch the Aguilar one though. Those are pickups I've always been curious about.

Amazing thanks for the video links. I did check out the BassTheWorld video earlier but LowEndLobster is a new to me. Looks like I've got some watching and listening to do!

Hi everyone, Been a long time since I last was on here but starting to get back into playing my bass again. Unfortunately due to a chronic condition that affects my back and neck, I need to get a lighter bass if I plan to get back into the scene. My old reliable (heavily modded Squier Vintage Modified 70s jazz bass) is a bit too heavy for me, weighing nearly 5kg. I remember from my younger days that Ibanez basses were pretty well known for being lightweight, sounding pretty good, and also having a slim neck akin to a jazz bass. I haven't figured out whether I want to stick with a 4 string or go back to a 5 string (used to play an MTD Kingston Heir 5 about 10 years ago and miss that bass dearly). Historically, I played in rock, funk, and a few jam bands if that makes a difference. In terms of tone, I always liked a deep, rich, but clear sound without too much top end sparkle if that makes sense (can usually deal with this by adjusting the onboard pre-amp and my amp (TecAmp Puma 400)). After much googling and searching both here and on Talkbass, I think I limited my choices down to the following: 4-string: Ibanez SR600E Ibanez SR1300SB Ibanez SR1350B 5 String: Ibanez SR605E Ibanez SR1305SB Ibanez SR1355B Ibanez EHB1505MS What I need input on really is the quality of each (your experience - did it need a lot of work to set up, were there physical flaws, etc.), the weight, and your thoughts on the Nordstrand pickups (are they better than the Barts you typically find on Ibanez basses?). I'd like a good workhorse that I can wear for several hours without needing to feel like I will be crippled the next day. Living in Ireland means I have to get these basses via Thomann (local shops carry mostly Fender) so there's no chance for me to play before I buy. And having reached out, they were surprisingly unhelpful over email about giving out weights of these basses.

Tom bought my 3Leaf Octabvre Mk 1. Paid quickly, very friendly and even was cool with having a bit of delay sending out the pedal while I dealt with appointments. Solid guy and hope he enjoys the pedal!

Bought a Tecamp Puma 112 combo from Craig. Really a great guy to meet and chat bass amps with. He was great on delivering the amp to me on way out of Kings Lynn at the train station and would happily buy from him again!

Sold Lee my Aguilar Octamizer. Was great on communicating with me, and generally a pleasure to talk to. Transaction went smoothly and would happily sell to him again (maybe even buy from him if I ever have spare money!)

So picked up the EB cobalts 0.045-0.105 set and slapped them on yesterday...holy hell are these things bright! Tension is pretty good, a little firm at first but they are breaking in nicely. To me these are very different sounding than the TIs, but in a good way. The TIs are great for a bright mellow sound, these EB cobalts are a more bright aggressive sounding flat (if that makes sense). They have more a roundwound like sound and quality to them. So far I am a fan. Hoping to report back in a few months time with an update. Thanks everyone for the advice!

Think I'm going to need another bass to find all these strings a home but that's a battle for another day!

Ah ha! We meet again! Thanks for the nice write up on the Cobalts. @lee650, @ped and @CameronJ, cheers for the help. So far it seems that Cobalts might be a good solution to my dilemma. @pete.young never tried Elixirs before funny enough. Don't know how I missed those. Will try to find some sample recordings. @Lozz196 Thomman have their own branded strings? Are there any recordings with them? I'd be really curious to know what they sound like since I never had access to them when I was a budding young bassist in the US.

Thanks for the offer, but unfortunately I'm near the border of Cambridgeshire and Essex. The TI's are 0.043-0.053-0.070-0.100. Honestly love the TI flats but just missing that little bit of extra bite that I'm hearing more in the EB cobalts. If the string tension is not too bad on the 40-95 set, might worth the jump to just try them out. Just my preference has always been slightly thicker strings but I got used to TI flats so whose to say that 40-95 won't grow on me. And as for Rotosounds, was doing a bit more research to see if I can find actual values for the string tension (the answer is no so far, same with EB cobalts). But what everyone seems to say is Rotosounds, nice to play, but high tension, bit more old school sound.

Thanks for sharing this! Saw this post earlier and was listening to it. I like what I hear so far, but I'd be a bit more curious to know about the tension of the strings, especially the 0.45-0.100 set or 0.45-0.105 set. Are they pretty flexible like the TI's?

My fellow low end enthusiasts, I call upon your collective wisdom to help me with my dilemma regarding strings. I've been playing my lovely Squier VM 70's Jazz since 2005 which has undergone a lot of modifications to the point where only the body and neck are still original - the electronics, tuners, bridge all being replaced over time to make the beast into what it is today. Now, enough about the bass itself and onto the real issue. Strings. Yes, strings. Another one of those threads. My issue is that I've got hands that sweat like a deluge when I play and they kill roundwounds fast. Like ridiculously fast. As in I once put on a new set of Ernie Ball Slinky's, and they were dead after 2 hours of a band practice fast. So began my search for decent roundwounds that I could get good amount of life from. I've tried every brand I could get my hands on, from Rotosound, Ernie Balls, D'Addario, GHS, all the way to Dunlops. You name it, I've probably played the coated, non-coated, stainless steel, and nickel version of it. Ended up settling on D'Addario Nickels for a good while since they were the best bang for buck at the time. After my stint in the gigging scene of my youth, I discovered flatwounds, specifically TI Jazz Flats, and that changed the game. I had a string that could last a good long while and sounded better with time. But then the email came in, you know the one. The one titled: We need a bass player! And soon, before you know it, you're knee deep in it, and trying to find new excuses to tell your partner to justify buying gear that you may need (but in reality you really don't!). I soon realised that my TI flats were not up to snuff for the sound we needed. The band plays a lot of rock covers from Jefferson Airplane, the Who, Oasis, Steriophonics, Foo Fighters, the Pixies, (really a lot of '90s, to early '00s with the occasional '60s, '70s, '80s song thrown in the mix). They were ok for a time but they just lacked that edge you get from roundwounds. So I went back to my tried and true roundwounds of D'Addario Nickels (0.45 - 0.65 - 0.85 - 0.105). And then the string killing hand sweat came back and has effectively killed them in a reasonable amount of time. So after showing my partner the cost of a new set of strings and explaining the issue in painstaking detail till her eyes glazed over, she asked the question after regaining consciousness of why not find a brighter flatwound that will last you a while? So here I am, seeking your wisdom on some brighter flats. I've tried chromes, found them a bit stiff and definitely a higher tension that my nickels and TI flats. I hear everyone lately ranting about the new Ernie Ball Cobalts. But what about Rotosound Jazz Bass 77s? How are the tension on these two sets? What do they sound like a bit more settled in (in other words, after a few months of play, maybe even a year onward)? Is there another more modern sounding flat I am unaware of that is worth a look? Help me Basschat, you're not my only hope but hopefully you'll give it a try! PS. Apologies about this long winded story which probably could have been summed up in less than 3 sentences. But if you made it this far, then good on you!

The Aguilar is really sensitive to how you play. I remember having similar tracking issues starting out with it and thought maybe it was defective. I contacted Aguilar support and they explained that technique is everything for that pedal to track properly. So on the plus side, it definitely can force you to start correcting bad habits in your technique. The advice to place it after a compressor is really good as well since it will keep the signal to the octamizer more consistent.