My first 6 string bass just ordered! [Dare I say final update anymore, when I keep raising this thread with new updates regardless... Anyway: THE BEAST NOW HAS A NAME!]

[Baloney Balderdash]

Final update (now with audio sample) :

 

 

Original post :

 

Just got my yearly revenue of streaming/playback money from my music production and it excelled all expectation, almost thought that it might had been a mistake.

I am not complaining though. 

So I decided to use most of the money on musical gear, among that a 6 string bass, which is the Ibanez SR306EB in the weathered black finish.

This is going to be my first 6 string bass, and I am really looking forward to get it.

I am going to tune it in D standard tuning though (D - G - C - F - A# - D#), as in 2 half steps bellow regular E standard 4 string bass tuning, and I've ordered strings to accommodate that too.

I'd imagine it will be very useful both for my progressive psychedlic stoner rock bass/vocal and drums duo that I have with a drummer friend of mine and for my drone/ambient solo project. 

Generally it gets really good reviews and the demos of it I have been able to find on YouTube sounds great too.

 

Looks like this (Nyatoh body, 5 piece Maple/Walnut neck, 24 medium fret Jatoba fretboard, 54mm nut, 16.5mm string spacing) :

 

Edited January 2, 2021 by Baloney Balderdash
Added an update on the estimated delivery date...

[Daz39]

Tidy!

[CamdenRob]

Looks fantastic! Ibanez do some amazing instruments these days... 

What’s the reason for tuning down a step? The A might be a bit flabby 😕

Make sure you do us an NBD thread with pics when it lands 😊

[Baloney Balderdash]

1 hour ago, CamdenRob said:

Looks fantastic! Ibanez do some amazing instruments these days... 

What’s the reason for tuning down a step? The A might be a bit flabby 😕

Make sure you do us an NBD thread with pics when it lands 😊

Think you have misunderstood something, I am tuning it to D standard tuning (D - G - C - F - A# - D#), not A standard tuning, as in 2 half steps bellow regular 4 string E standard tuning, which would be 3 half steps higher than regular 6 string B standard tuning, and there's no open A at all in D standard tuning on a 6 string bass, also I have ordered the right gauge individual strings to accommodate they will have proper tension, so no.

And the reason would be that I am mainly going to use it for more melodically based work, with no need of going as low as the low B.

Also, yeah, Ibanez makes some amazing quality instruments for the money, even my 4 and 5 string Mikro Basses are great instruments, as good as perfect fretwork and all from stock, even if belonging to Ibanez's entry budget line of instruments that would be the line just bellow the one the Ibanez SR306EB belongs to, so this ought to be a step up in terms of quality.

Will do an update once I have got it home, set up, and had a chance to try it out properly, though it'll likely not happen before towards the end of next week.

Edited December 12, 2020 by Baloney Balderdash

[CamdenRob]

Ah I see. Yes you’re quite right I misunderstood... I bet that will sound great. I really like melodic stuff on bass. Totally different timbre to guitar even if playing similar notes....

Looking forward to the NBD post!

 

[Skybone]

Wouldn't you be better tuning it to D - G - C - F - A# - D, same as a guitar tuning?

 

[Baloney Balderdash]

15 hours ago, Skybone said:

Wouldn't you be better tuning it to D - G - C - F - A# - D, same as a guitar tuning?

 

It would probably be the way to go if I was doing a lot of chordal stuff involving the low D and G string, but with how low tuned they are I figure the chordal stuff I'll do will mainly be centered around the last high 4 strings C-F-A#-D#, as I expect to use those four strings a lot as I kind of would the 4 lowest strings of a guitar (this just being 4 half steps bellow regular E standard guitar tuning), with the low D and G mainly being the "bass" area strings.

I did consider tuning the bass D-G-C-F-A-D though, exactly like a guitar tuned in D standard tuning, just an octave bellow, but after some pondering I ended up deciding that D-G-F-A#-D# would likely make most sense practically with how I was going to use the bass, so I have ordered the strings accommodating that tuning with proper tension, using the D'Addario String Tension Pro online string tension calculator app.

Damn changing the strings is going to be expensive, especially since I have to buy individual strings with this tuning I plan to use, and because I prefer balanced tension strings for bass (something I actually have begun doing anyway for all my basses, cause there are not many truly balanced tension string set options out there, and I prefer my string tension to be as uniform as possible. I feel for guitar it matters less, or even is desirable, but for bass I feel balanced tension makes most sense).

Also kind of wonder if I should maybe have ordered a proper looper pedal to go with it, as I think that would pair well with a 6 string bass, instead of the 49 key midi keyboard with weighted keys (so they will feel more like proper piano keys, instead of wet dough to play on) I ordered. 

Think that'll be the next musical equipment I need to order then (thinking of getting the EHX 720 Stereo Looper or perhaps the new 1440 one).

Edited December 13, 2020 by Baloney Balderdash

[binky_bass]

The 306 series have a great balance. Reckon you'll be a fully converted 6 stringist after a few hours of noodling on this! 

[Hellzero]

And starting to struggle with Russ, Marc and I when a nice sixer shows on. 🤣

[Baloney Balderdash]

Unlike my other basses I don't think I will add any visual mods to this, just keeping the nice stylish minimal matte black, though I do ponder on perhaps adding just one thing, a silver OM sign in a Lotus flower decal as the only thing, making it look something like this :

 

 

Edit!!! :

A fairly radical change in concept, but just found this Jack Skellington (from Tim Buton's animated "The Nightmare Before Christmas" movie) decal, that I think would fit absolutely perfect for this bass, so likely going to order that and transfer it to the bass, like this :

Edited December 15, 2020 by Baloney Balderdash
New better idea

[Baloney Balderdash]

An update :

So after the bass haven been stuck at the same stage of the shipping procedure for 3 days straight it finally moved on to the next step and an estimated delivery day finally is displayed as well.

So if I can trust that estimate and it doesn't get delayed further, the bass should finally be in my possession by Tuesday the 22nd next week, but I kind of fear, due to the general Christmas work pressure on the mail service coupled with the current shut down Corona situation, that it will be delayed even further, and that I won't have it before after Christmas. 

Damn, this wait is so frustrating. 

At least I hope the delayed delivery will mean that by the time the bass finally arrives I will also have received the strings I ordered for it, since they were ordered from a different shop (as Thomann doesn't sell the individual strings of the right gauges that I need for the planed tuning) and haven't arrived yet either (no tracking service on that shipment).

Edited December 18, 2020 by Baloney Balderdash

[FLoydElgar]

6 string for life

[binky_bass]

Keep the bass clean, no transfers. Looks better stock in my personal opinion. But... having said that, it is my personal opinion! If you want to add a transfer, then do it man! Make the bass the bass you want! Rock it man. 😁

[Baloney Balderdash]

6 hours ago, binky_bass said:

Keep the bass clean, no transfers. Looks better stock in my personal opinion. But... having said that, it is my personal opinion! If you want to add a transfer, then do it man! Make the bass the bass you want! Rock it man. 😁

Well, obviously I think it looks better with the decal or else I wouldn't have pondered on adding it.

But true, it does look good just as it is from stock too, in fact the best looking 6'er that Thomann had at any price, in my opinion.

All the others either where hippy sandwich style or looking like some coke OD flashback to the 80's, which for some odd reason seems like a very common thing for 6 string bass design.

Edited December 19, 2020 by Baloney Balderdash

[Baloney Balderdash]

According to the tracking service the bass has entered Denmark, my country, and is now under transportation out to the delivery depot, and the estimated delivery says 1 day left, but I still doesn't trust 100% percent that I will actually get it delivered tomorrow, Wednesday the 23th, though of course I hope so, if not I won't have it before after Christmas, Monday the 28th.

Also according to the tracking service the package is weighting 8,55 Kg (18,8 lbs), which, even with the packaging subtracted, is going to make it one hell of a heavy bass, considerably more heavy than I expected, as I read somewhere someone claiming that these basses were supposed to be really light for a 6 string bass (though that might have been from back when they got a Rosewood fretboard and a Mahogany body, as Jatoba and Naytoh respectively both are heavier types of wood).

Not really an issue for me though, just quite surprised.

Still haven't got the strings I ordered from another shop, to accommodate the fact that I will be tuning it in D standard tuning (as in 3 half steps above regular 6 string bass B standard tuning or 2 half steps bellow regular 4 string bass E standard tuning), either, so if I get the bass already tomorrow I hope the strings will arrive as well (as I said in a previous reply there is no tracking service on that shipment).

Also I think I've finally settled for what visual mods I am going to do on the bass, which are black chikenhead knobs for the balance and volume controls, and applying a different Jack Skellington (a character from Tim Buton's stop motion animated "The Nightmare Before Christmas" movie) decal than the one I pondered on in a previous reply, which will make it look something like this PhotoShopped image :

Edited December 22, 2020 by Baloney Balderdash

[horrorshowbass]

Its not that heavy!

I have an SR600 and my SR306EB was a tad heavier than that. Probably the most streamlined 6er out there (apart from more expensive ibbys)

[Baloney Balderdash]

Just got the package in the door! 

When I am done smoking this cigarette it's time to unwrap it!

Yayh!!!!

[binky_bass]

The Jack Frost decal I get, it looks well enough placed and suits the bass especially if you're a Tim Burton fan, but why the chicken-head knobs? They look quite clunky and to my eye cheapens the overall look of the bass. Absolutely just my personal opinion, but just curious as to why you're adding them. White knobs might look cool and compliment the Jack Frost decal. 

[moley6knipe]

The bass player in one of my lad’s school bands uses the 5 string version of this. Sounds great. Love a good Ibby

[Baloney Balderdash]

4 hours ago, binky_bass said:

The Jack Frost decal I get, it looks well enough placed and suits the bass especially if you're a Tim Burton fan, but why the chicken-head knobs? They look quite clunky and to my eye cheapens the overall look of the bass. Absolutely just my personal opinion, but just curious as to why you're adding them. White knobs might look cool and compliment the Jack Frost decal. 

Jack Skellington, not Jack Frost. 

And I might end up not adding the chickenhead knobs anyway, though I love chickenhead knobs.

Think they give off sort of a 50's/60's electronics vibe that I really like.

I am not one that really is attracted to stuff that look too streamlined and neat, I prefer soul and personality, and I think we might not share the same taste.

The Jack Skellington decal though I will apply for certain.

 

-*--*-

Also I've set up the bass, just with the stock strings and in regular 6 string bass B standard tuning, and it was possible to get the string action just as low as I prefer it,  which is about 2mm at 12th fret for the bottom string and about 1,5mm at 12th fret for the top string, with a quite minimal neck relief, just the way I like it, without any fret buzz, so that bodes well.

Unfortunately though the strings I ordered, to accommodate the D standard tuning (as in 3 half steps above regular 6 string bass B standard tuning or 2 half steps bellow regular 4 string bass E standard tuning) that I plan to use for this bass, has not arrived yet.

As it is now the bass feels really awkward for me to play, but hopefully the slightly thinner gauge strings I've ordered and spending some more time playing it will change that.

Even if I am a tall 6"4' guy unfortunately my hands are fairly small in comparison, and my pinky in particular is quite short compared to the rest of my fingers, so 12th fret is about as far as I can still reach to fret the bottom string with my pinky with my thumb still placed behind the neck, though I kind of expect that not really exposing a big issue, as I won't likely ever need to play the bottom string above 12th fret anyway, and that if it turns out that I do will still be able to fret it with my other fingers. 

Edited December 23, 2020 by Baloney Balderdash

[horrorshowbass]

I'm still discovering the joy of six. It's a big neck for sure but good fun

[Baloney Balderdash]

This is how it looks shot with my fairly old digital camera, and with the best I was able to edit it in PhotoShop, though it still looks better IRL :

Edited December 23, 2020 by Baloney Balderdash

[binky_bass]

Looks like a fine beast sir! I'm sure you shall enjoy it!

[horrorshowbass]

Here's some lad playing it in his freezing garage😉

 

 

Edited December 23, 2020 by horrorshowbass

[Chris2112]

There is always plenty of fun to be had with six string basses! Enjoy it!