Ibanez 2022 range

[krispn]

I always liked the idea of their bass workshop in that they didn’t just have a (massive) range of basses but they also tried to bring something a little different out each year. While not always conventional it was good to see a big manufacturer (who let’s face it could afford to take the risk) try something left field. 

Edited January 5, 2022 by krispn

[Woodinblack]

4 hours ago, FDC484950 said:

 I’ve owned a fair few Ibanez basses in my time and never kept one for long, mostly because I found the electronics uninspiring and the overall package often falls a little flat 

 

Thats just taste though isn't it? I have gone through many basses, special and not, but my SRs have outlasted most of them and would probably be what I ended with when I downsized (although the EHB challenges that). I don't really need inspiring electronics, just something transparent and i find that they do that. 

 

They hardly have that many product lines, although they have many within each line. OK, in a world of fender and gibson where you basically get 2 or 3 basses in different colours it seems a lot, but it isn't really. 

 

Surprised on the comments of the 5006 though, I have a 5005, the b isn't dull (obvs no C) and its far from head heavy, maybe the other machinehead makes a difference but considering the weight of the body that is a surprise. Love the finish too, but then it is just wenge, and I love wenge so if you don't, you aren't going to like it!

[Chaddy]

I've scanned a few links but where is the colour sensible SR1100B replacement? was after something that looks like the SR600 range but "more upmarket" 

Dam them , if the SRMS805 was standard and 4 string I would of snapped their hand off.  Honestly for the money bar the headstock-less ones which feel like cardboard they are atm the best bang for buck of any manufacture 

[Woodinblack]

27 minutes ago, Chaddy said:

I've scanned a few links but where is the colour sensible SR1100B replacement? was after something that looks like the SR600 range but "more upmarket" 

 

in the SR1xxx range there are a lot of colours (and woods). What do you call colour sensible?

[FDC484950]

4 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

 

Thats just taste though isn't it? I have gone through many basses, special and not, but my SRs have outlasted most of them and would probably be what I ended with when I downsized (although the EHB challenges that). I don't really need inspiring electronics, just something transparent and i find that they do that. 

 

They hardly have that many product lines, although they have many within each line. OK, in a world of fender and gibson where you basically get 2 or 3 basses in different colours it seems a lot, but it isn't really. 

 

Surprised on the comments of the 5006 though, I have a 5005, the b isn't dull (obvs no C) and its far from head heavy, maybe the other machinehead makes a difference but considering the weight of the body that is a surprise. Love the finish too, but then it is just wenge, and I love wenge so if you don't, you aren't going to like it!

Individual tastes are based on opinion, which is what I thought the forum was about…

Yes, the SR range is a good example - and ever growing and changing list of models where it’s really only the finish and perhaps the top that changes. They’ve had a pretty long and confusing list of SR models over the years (e.g. the “new” green one which is not really different to previous models, or the W versions of late which are wider string spacings). 
They also have a propensity for gluing lots of wood together - they’re certainly not alone in this but I find some of their creations hideous.

I don’t need inspiring electronics either but across the basses I’ve owned I’ve either totally ignored the EQ as I found it unmusical, or ended up really rather disliking it. The pickups have changed as they have put mostly Aguilar or Nordstrand in most medium and high end basses in the last 5-10 years (with some still sporting Bartolini). 
I have had plenty of basses with wenge and love the wood. The finish on the SR5006 was horrible - neither oiled nor shiny, but some kind of dry finish that felt tacky on the neck and rather odd in the body. Mine weighed 5.2Kg and the neck dived for the floor immediately (as do all Ibanez SR 6 strings and many 5s because the neck usually quite dense hardwood and the body is thin and downsized).
I get that people like them, and I have no problem with that at all. Have owned quite a few and played many more, I just don’t like their basses very much, which is just as valid an opinion as yours

 

[Woodinblack]

9 minutes ago, FDC484950 said:

I have had plenty of basses with wenge and love the wood. The finish on the SR5006 was horrible - neither oiled nor shiny, but some kind of dry finish that felt tacky on the neck and rather odd in the body. Mine weighed 5.2Kg and the neck dived for the floor immediately (as do all Ibanez SR 6 strings and many 5s because the neck usually quite dense hardwood and the body is thin and downsized).

 

Mine is I suppose the same dry finish which I like. But it weighs a ton so it has to imagine it being neck heavy. The only one of my 5s that was in any way head heavy was the 1605, which had a very light body compared to all the others (not sure why as the back is the same in all cases), so I put hipshots on it. the only 6 I had was the GWB36, which didn't have neck dive.

 

9 minutes ago, FDC484950 said:

I just don’t like their basses very much, which is just as valid an opinion as yours

 

Of course it is, and I never said it wasn't

[Ruarl]

Now, I'm a bit of a newcomer to Ibanez basses. But a recent attack of GAS has meant I'm looking at pages listing the EHB1506ms a lot. And I noticed that the price on Anderton's has just dropped to £1339. Just thought I'd mention that here in case anyone else is similarly afflicted...

[Chaddy]

On 05/01/2022 at 17:02, Woodinblack said:

 

in the SR1xxx range there are a lot of colours (and woods). What do you call colour sensible?

I was after a Dark Ash grain in Black , Similar to the SR500 or the SR600.  

I already own a white bass and there was only White Or Green for the SR1100B , but nothing solid colour for the upper range 

[SumOne]

I like the fact Ibanez are now going for some wider string spacing on their 5's with 18mm on a few of them (ideally I'd like 19mm but can live with 18mm). I had an SRMS805 that was 16.5mm which was too tight for me, it's a good Bass though so I still keep my eye out for new Ibanez Basses.

 

One from 2022 that caught my eye is the BTB805MS  35"- 37" multiscale, neck-thru, 3 band EQ with 3x mid freq points, T1 pickups, MR5HS mono-rail bridge, burl top, £1,059. I imagine it's reasonably light too. One reservation I have is that  there's a 35" G and slightly more than 35" D string and I guess about 36" A string, aren't they all optimal being more like 34"?.....it possibly means it has a good string length for the B & E but not optimal for the others. 

 

I like the very modern seeming idea of the Ibanez headless multiscale's but 2022 range doesn't really to bring anything new to the table so it's the 2021 EHB1505MS that I'd go for. I'd like to try one vs the BTB, the big differences being headless and that it's 33" - 35". I've never had a 34" scale Bass and thought I wish the D and G strings were a shorter though (wither for tone or erganomics) I'm not sure that's optimal either. For multiscales it seems to me like the more extreme fanning of the Dingwall  (34" - 37") is optimal.

 

So I'm not sure, I'm intreagued but I think for me Ibanez have had a good shot on the goal but have hit the post.

 

 

Edited January 18, 2022 by SumOne

[Woodinblack]

35 minutes ago, SumOne said:

I like the fact Ibanez are now going for some wider string spacing on their 5's with 18mm on a few of them (ideally I'd like 19mm but can live with 18mm). I had an SRMS805 that was 16.5mm which was too tight for me, it's a good Bass though so I still keep my eye out for new Ibanez Basses.

 

The BTBs always had much wider string spacing (and crazy long scale) for the freakishly large handed amoungst us. Also a couple of custom wide spaced string were done.

Luckily not something the do a lot.

 

35 minutes ago, SumOne said:

. I've never had a 34" scale Bass and thought I wish the D and G strings were a shorter though (wither for tone or erganomics) I'm not sure that's optimal either. For multiscales it seems to me like the more extreme fanning of the Dingwall  (34" - 37") is optimal.

 

So I'm not sure, I'm intreagued but I think for me Ibanez have had a good shot on the goal but have hit the post.

 

No, they have really made a great bass (with maybe some early production issues). I don't think that dingwall is their market, if you want something with that sort of scale dingwall is where you probably need to go for the much longer and wider necks.

[SumOne]

5 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

 

The BTBs always had much wider string spacing (and crazy long scale) for the freakishly large handed amoungst us. Also a couple of custom wide spaced string were done.

Luckily not something the do a lot.

 

 

No, they have really made a great bass (with maybe some early production issues). I don't think that dingwall is their market, if you want something with that sort of scale dingwall is where you probably need to go for the much longer and wider necks.

 

I'll give them a try some time, they do look good. On paper it seems like the EHB1505MS are string lengths that I'd want for the B (35"), E (approx 34.5"), A (approx 34"), but I''ve never had a 34" scale bass and  thought 'I wish the D and G strings were a bit shorter' either in terms of erganomics for the width between frets or in order to change the tone or tension (likewise regarding the BTB805MS, I've never had a 35" scale Bass and thought 'I wish the A and D strings were longer'). I should give them a go though - perhaps these are things I should have been wishing for!

[Woodinblack]

5 minutes ago, SumOne said:

I'll give them a try some time, they do look good. On paper it seems like the EHB1505MS are string lengths that I'd want for the B (35"), E (approx 34.5"), A (approx 34"), but I''ve never had a 34" scale bass and  thought 'I wish the D and G strings were a bit shorter' either in terms of erganomics for the width between frets or in order to change the tone or tension (likewise regarding the BTB805MS, I've never had a 35" scale Bass and thought 'I wish the A and D strings were longer'). I should give them a go though - perhaps these are things I should have been wishing for!

 

I must admit I have never had a bass and wished the strings were longer. But then the only reason I wished they were shorter was playing, I wouldn't naturally get a bass that has a 35" scale, and am gravitating to shorter scales anyway.

The BTB looks nice, but I have always liked the look of them, but the scale and spacing always made them non viable for me. The EHB has a pretty wide spacing for me but at least it is adjustable so I can get it down to 17mm so not so bad.

 

Honestly though, it isnt the string length or spacing that makes the EHB1505, its just very nice to play, has a great neck, weighs nothing and sounds really great.

[Chaddy]

Hmm, the 16.5mm spacing on the 5 string's put me off them  the 19mm is perfect! if only..... ( and not multi scale )  

[SumOne]

17 minutes ago, Chaddy said:

Hmm, the 16.5mm spacing on the 5 string's put me off them  the 19mm is perfect! if only..... ( and not multi scale )  

 

They seem to have moved away from the tight string spacing a bit, which for me is a good thing. I think it's just the SR series with 16.5mm spacing now. 

 

They have BTB and TMB series 5 strings with 19mm spacing that are not multiscale.

Also the EHB have non multiscale versions with 18mm spacing. 

[Woodinblack]

2 minutes ago, SumOne said:

They seem to have moved away from the tight string spacing a bit, which for me is a good thing. I think it's just the SR series with 16.5mm spacing now. 

 

It was always just the SR range with the proper string spacing. The defaults in other ranges was always more (apart from customs such as the cross overs).

 

Just the SR range became the most popular.

 

2 minutes ago, SumOne said:

They have BTB and TMB series 5 strings with 19mm spacing that are not multiscale.

Also the EHB have non multiscale versions with 18mm spacing. 

 

The EHB non multiscale 4 strings are 19mm, the 5 strings are 18mm (although both have adjustment by 1/2 mm)

 

[Pauld]

I think the tmb 5 strings are 18mm spacing. My tmb35 is anyway.

[SumOne]

8 minutes ago, Pauld said:

I think the tmb 5 strings are 18mm spacing. My tmb35 is anyway.

 

Yeah - my mistake, the TMB 4 strings are 19mm, the 5 string is 18mm. 

[Chaddy]

22 hours ago, SumOne said:

 

They seem to have moved away from the tight string spacing a bit, which for me is a good thing. I think it's just the SR series with 16.5mm spacing now. 

 

They have BTB and TMB series 5 strings with 19mm spacing that are not multiscale.

Also the EHB have non multiscale versions with 18mm spacing. 

But the SR is a nicer non-horny shape  & not a 90's jazz player range with fake plants and dam polo neck jumpers on.  ( and their all 5ers...  )

 

[visog]

The Andertons Bass gents have a nice review of the range here:

 

[horrorshowbass]

1 hour ago, visog said:

The Andertons Bass gents have a nice review of the range here:

 

Awesome thanks man

[Kev]

Those new pickups sounded the best of the lot there for me, I like that BTB.

[visog]

On 20/03/2022 at 20:46, Kev said:

Those new pickups sounded the best of the lot there for me, I like that BTB.

The sixer? Yes me too. Hope the 17mm string spacing is not too tight. Hoping to have a go at the imminent Bass (and now, electric and acoustic guitar) Show.

[SumOne]

FOrdered yesterday - arrived in less than 24hrs with free delivery from Andertons:

 

 

First impressions are - I'm impressed! 

 

As expected:

• Its comfortable to play.
• Easy access to all frets.
• Good even tones across all strings - I haven't found any noticable dead spots.
• It sounds good with a lot of differnt tones available.

 

Things I'm unexpectedly impressed with:

 

• At 3.3kg it's even lighter than I thought it would be (why don't they make a bigger deal about that?), and being headless it's still well balanced. 
• The mid freq point is sweepable (I thought it was 3 set points). This is  a great feature that opens up lots of different tones.
• Very nice fingerboard and inlays - better than they look in photos. 

 

Minor things I'm not so impressed with are:

• The sweepable mid and Bass stacked knobs aren't clear where they are set so will need a bit of tippex.
• The backplate isn't flush with the back.
• Razor sharp sting ends - will need covering.
• Active/Passive are different volumes, this is often the case in Basses where you can switch but I've had some (Lakland) where they can be set the same which I like (perhaps there is an internal trim pot though).   Edit - my mistake, Passive/Active are equal volumes so all good.

 

None of those are deal breakers that affect the sound or playability though so I think it's a keeper. 

 

One thing that might turn into a bigger deal is that the slanted back, apparently it's to "allow the bass to rest slightly closer to the player’s body for better control and a more ergonomic feel." but I'm just finding it means that the bottom of the bass is raised up a at a slight angle - which is less comfortable for fretting as you need to bend your wrist further around. Hopefully that's something I get used to though. 

Edited March 25, 2022 by SumOne

[Woodinblack]

40 minutes ago, SumOne said:

Active/Passive are different volumes, this is often the case in Basses where you can switch but I've had some (Lakland) where they can be set the same which I like (perhaps there is an internal trim pot though).

 

That is very odd, mine are exactly the same volume, ie, the only way you can tell which is active or passive is by changing one of the knobs that dont work in passive (e, bass or mid). Maybe there is some load on your amp? There is no internal trim pot, they are set to be unity gain with the knobs centred. I would consider that a fault.

There is a 6dB gain thing that you can use, but I like mine the same.

 

I notice now I look that my back panel is lower than the wood around it but I guess I have never noticed as I have a 1505, which is dark blue so it doesn't show, obviously in the much brighter 1005 it shows a lot more.

 

As for the knobs, well, I am one of the people with the John East knobs so they show just fine!

 

[SumOne]

9 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

 

That is very odd, mine are exactly the same volume, ie, the only way you can tell which is active or passive is by changing one of the knobs that dont work in passive (e, bass or mid). Maybe there is some load on your amp? There is no internal trim pot, they are set to be unity gain with the knobs centred. I would consider that a fault.

There is a 6dB gain thing that you can use, but I like mine the same.

 

I notice now I look that my back panel is lower than the wood around it but I guess I have never noticed as I have a 1505, which is dark blue so it doesn't show, obviously in the much brighter 1005 it shows a lot more.

 

As for the knobs, well, I am one of the people with the John East knobs so they show just fine!

 

 

Ah, my mistake. They are the same with all EQ at noon - I must have had some of the EQ boosted (possibly that Bass one which is difficult to see where it's set)