NBD - Ibanez PNB14E

[lemmywinks]

Ordered this as convenient house practice bass and for quiet jams along with the recommended cheapo gigbag from Thomann.

 

There was an offer of a b stock example for £15 off  (£174, just over £190 total including gigbag) so I bought that thinking it would just be the odd sign of light player wear. Hmmm...

 

Well it arrived today, just dumped in the porch area of my work with no doorbell or knock so not a great start, DHL was the courier btw.

 

Unboxed it - looks sweet, feels very stiff and boxy but that's to be expected from a small bodied acoustic at this price. Sounds unexpectedly loud, very prominent midrange which isn't unpleasant and again is something I expected, overall a decent sounding instrument that seems immediately usable. The low E sounds very full, nothing particularly deep but it's definitely "there" with a good amount of low mids.

 

However - serious buzz on the G string particularly after the 6th fret. Playing with a very light touch is fine but anything more than that and it's game over really. Neck is straight but on closer inspection the fret job on the treble side seems quite poor with sprout in the centre and some improperly seated frets up the neck, the issues seem to mainly be with the fingerboard binding and presumably poorly cut slots. Fret ends also feel very intrusive and tbh this doesn't feel like a very well finished instrument.

 

This is further compounded on closer inspection when I see lots of small finish flaws such as sloppy stain over the binding, rough plastic on the heel cap etc. The wiring is also rattling around inside as the adhesive cable clip has failed  Tbh this is the first cheap bass I've had finishing issues with in a long time, you kinda expect near perfection at every price point these days and I'm a bit surprised it not only left the factory like that but also passed return inspection at Thomann. Nothing major cosmetically but lots of little things.

 

Bit gutted as I originally wanted the more expensive fretless Artcore version which is no longer for sale, I did buy this one half expecting to defret at some point but tbh will probably send it back. Shame as it's a cool little thing, very disappointing from Ibanez and Thomann though.

 

Also the gigbag recommended by Thomann on the listing for the bass is noticeably too big, looks like a standard dreadnought bag, would have been nice of they found a concert or mini jumbo bag that is a better fit. Suppose it was cheap though and seems more than adequate for the price.

[Martin E]

Sorry to hear your problems with this instrument. I have one myself bought a couple of years ago which is excellent. No consolation I know but I am sure you must have a duff one. It does rather knock your trust in a brand when this happens. I bought a G&L Tribute last year which was awful but not representative of the vast majority of instruments I'm sure.

 

An excellent bass for noodling on the sofa. I bought mine to get my hand working after a Dupuytrens operation and it did the job. Always good to have an acoustic handy to use and these are great. I like the feel of the nylon cored strings which have some bounce like an upright. It also sounds good amplified. Mine came with another bridge insert which you could modify to adjust the action and a spare bridge pin which I thought was good.

 

Cheers

 

Martin

[lemmywinks]

1 minute ago, Martin E said:

Sorry to hear your problems with this instrument. I have one myself bought a couple of years ago which is excellent. No consolation I know but I am sure you must have a duff one. It does rather knock your trust in a brand when this happens. I bought a G&L Tribute last year which was awful but not representative of the vast majority of instruments I'm sure.

 

An excellent bass for noodling on the sofa. I bought mine to get my hand working after a Dupuytrens operation and it did the job. Always good to have an acoustic handy to use and these are great. I like the feel of the nylon cored strings which have some bounce like an upright. It also sounds good amplified. Mine came with another bridge insert which you could modify to adjust the action and a spare bridge pin which I thought was good.

 

Cheers

 

Martin

 

Got a reply from Thomann and it's going back, I had to do a video on it first though. I got a fret rocker on it last night and there were a few high fret ends on the treble side, I think the issue with mine is the poorly done binding as it seems to be impeding the frets being seated properly as they all seem to be wanting to distance themselves from the binding!. The bass side is fine but he actual levelling and crowning looks like it was done in 10 minutes too so tapping the offending frets down still leaves it. Also noticed mine has a rough patch on the upper contour of the neck around the 9th fret which is really noticeable every time you put your thumb there.

 

 

I think I'll probably just get a straight refund as Thomann seem to have another one that has been returned which I don't really want, they promised anything being sent out would be thoroughly checked but this one has put me off a bit as it should have already been through that process. I love the idea and it's such a fun instrument to play, very addictive and I love the feel of it so hopefully I can get a good one.

 

Eyeing up the more expensive one ATM which I really shouldn't be doing!

[Matt P]

this is a real shame, it looks like a great little bass,

 

out of interest what is the more expensive version you are looking at, i've not seen any that were this super short scale (24.75"?)

 

For a gig bag you might do well with one for a classical 1/2 size or 3/4 size, i've got a couple of small body 6 string acoustics and they both have 1/2 size classical gigbags that are a nice snug fit.

it might be worth taking some measurements before you send this one back so you can find a better fitting gigbag if you buy another

 

matt

[lemmywinks]

19 minutes ago, Matt P said:

this is a real shame, it looks like a great little bass,

 

out of interest what is the more expensive version you are looking at, i've not seen any that were this super short scale (24.75"?)

 

For a gig bag you might do well with one for a classical 1/2 size or 3/4 size, i've got a couple of small body 6 string acoustics and they both have 1/2 size classical gigbags that are a nice snug fit.

it might be worth taking some measurements before you send this one back so you can find a better fitting gigbag if you buy another

 

matt

 

This is the better one:

https://www.gak.co.uk/en/ibanez-avnb1e-bv-artwood-vintage-parlour-bass-brown-violin-semi-gloss/914749?gclid=CjwKCAiAlfqOBhAeEiwAYi43F-0K2Ex9b83cSNzjuJbiRwV0ZJvlu95E2A3q2Hpm7NY2uL3qL7woQBoC-nEQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

It's out of production but a few places have a few, unfortunately the fretless version isn't in stock anywhere which is a shame as it sounds great here:

 

There's a few super short acoustic basses available, the Taylor Mini and Cordoba Mini II are 22"-23" I think.

 

In terms of size the one I have is regular guitar scale, next to my full size classical it's pretty much exactly the same length and width only with narrower shoulders as it's a parlour shape. Dimensions are 985mm (L) x 360mm (W) x 106mm (D) with the body length being 490mm if anybody is interested.

[lemmywinks]

So I sent the PNB14E and accompanying gigbag back for a refund as it's essentially a Deko instrument dressed up as B stock, Thomann were great but DHL much less so - the first drop off point refused to take the box and the second couldn't get the scanner to work on the label so had to book it for collection. Anyway I noticed one of the discontinued Artwood AVNB1E models on eBay in pretty much new condition and won it for £290 + shipping. Probably paid over the odds but it did come with a nice Hartwood gigbag which fits perfectly and is slightly rigid, think it's this one going off measurements if anybody is after one - no guarantees like as there's no product code or label!:

https://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/Hartwood-3-4-Size-Acoustic-Guitar-Gig-Bag/2RUH

 

Is summary it's miles better than the PNB14E, doesn't have that mid spike so not quite as much volume but as a result it sounds very even and the build feels superior, much less boxy and feels like a more expensive acoustic. Fit and finish is obviously better than the PNB14E, fretwork is spot on and the frets themselves are much smaller, overall it seems like this has had a lot more time spent on it with no flaws or rough spots.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 19, 2022 by lemmywinks