NOBD - Meet "Mr. Growley"

[Baloney Balderdash]

Quite recently rediscovered my 5 string Ibanez GSRM25 Mikro Bass, with a just 28.6" scale length, made in Indonesia at the Cort factory January 2019, which I have strung with Elixir Nanoweb guitar strings as well, of the gauges .080 - .062 - .046 - .036 - .026, and tuned to G standard tuning, that is 3 half steps above the upper 5 strings of a 6 string bass in regular B standard tuning.

 

Never really played it much, cause I didn't like the tone that the 2 stock J pickups gave me, trying to wire them both in series, directly to the output jack socket, to remedy it, which did help some, but still it didn't sound quite right.

 

That is until I discovered that the neck pickup was faulty, having a really weak magnetic field towards the the lower thicker string side, which messed with the tone.

 

So I disconnected the neck pickup, and instead wired the bridge pickup directly to the output jack socket, and now the bass actually sounds pretty awesome, really resonant and clear, with exceptional sustain.

 

In fact it has become my new preferred instrument of choice.

 

And it's a quite growly beast, whereas my 4 string Mikro Bass (tuned in A# standard tuning, and equipped with a reverse orientation EMG Geezer P neck/middle pickup), which has otherwise up until now been my preferred instrument of choice,  is more of a snappy beast.

 

The fact that the pickup is a single coil pickup also makes it really sensible and responsive to playing dynamics, not only in terms of volume, but also as far as goes character and tone, but it is surprisingly quiet for being a single coil, and a budget model even, not sure how Ibanez managed this, but apparently they did start using shielded wiring, that is wiring where the ground runs as a braided shield all along the independently insulated hot wire, which might explain it.

 

Though I do still ponder on maybe swapping that stock bridge J pickup for a Gemini Pickups Mountain Lightning J bridge pickup at some point : https://www.geminipickups.co.uk/bass/jazz-bass/mountain-lightning

 

It also had perfectly leveled frets right from factory (current action on low E string is just below 2mm at 22nd fret with minimal neck relief, without any fret buzz whatsoever, and could easily go even lower without any issues if I wished). 

 

Here it is, Poplar body, Maple neck, with a Jatoba fretboard, 16.5mm string spacing at bridge, named "Mr. Growley  - The Noodlemancer" :

 

Ponder on replacing the ugly bridge with black mono rail bridge pieces, milled from solid brass. 

 

 

Edited April 10 by Baloney Balderdash

[Baloney Balderdash]

On 09/02/2024 at 11:28, Baloney Balderdash said:

In fact it has become my new preferred instrument of choice.

 

 "Mr. Growley  - The Noodlemancer" :

 

Well, that was a relatively short love affair, just feel much more at home with the 4 strings and narrower neck of my 4 string Mirko Bass "Dud Bottomfeeder", which is tuned to A# standard tuning, as in 1 half step above the 4 upper string of a six string bass in regular B standard tuning.

 

Also while I loved the amazing sustain of "Mr. Growley - The Noodlemancer" it also made it a bit hard to tame in terms of muting, and also it just sounds a bit too polite for my taste compared to the reverse P pickup of the 4 string, so I am back on "Dud Bottomfeeder", and the 5 string will probably only be used when specifically called for in the future.

 

Dud Bottomfeeder :

Edited February 23 by Baloney Balderdash

[SurroundedByManatees]

That picture of the Mikro must be the most posted picture here on BC, it's everywhere!😄

[Baloney Balderdash]

24 minutes ago, SurroundedByManatees said:

That picture of the Mikro must be the most posted picture here on BC, it's everywhere!😄

I do try my best. 

 

I might have been a little too eager with sharing it, though some of the excessive exposure can be explained by the fact that it is by far my favorite bass, and that I seldom play anything else.

 

[Baloney Balderdash]

Well, back again on "Mr. Growley - The Noodlemancer", and think there's a chance I'll stay this time, and that it actually just might become my new preferred main instrument of choice.

 

Really getting a hang of the extra range both above and a bit beneath my 4 string Mikro.

 

Of course I can still play everything I did on my 4 string, but it does kind adjure and lend it self to a somewhat different way of playing, and I am starting to get used to this, jamming my way to something more worthwhile than the random disjointed noodling that seemed to come out of my fingers to start with when playing it.

 

For one both the tone, the extended upper range, as well as the fact that it got one extra string, lend it self really well to incorporating chord work.

 

And I really appreciate that you relatively easily can span over 3 octaves on the fretboard vertically.

 

I have also gotten used to the tone, which I actually really love now, despite the fact that it is just the cheap stock bridge J pickup. 

 

Though as I mentioned in my OP I still kind of plan to swap the pickup out at some point.

 

And if this really does become my new preferred instrument of choice I might eventually swap out the ugly big chunk of a BBOT bridge out with individual mono rail bridge pieces, milled from solid brass, as well.

 

Edited March 21 by Baloney Balderdash

[TRBboy]

I was only looking at these Mikro 5 strings yesterday! I appreciate you've tuned yours differently, but do they actually work in standard tuning? Where do you find a string set the right length? Very cool things though!

[Baloney Balderdash]

7 hours ago, TRBboy said:

I was only looking at these Mikro 5 strings yesterday! I appreciate you've tuned yours differently, but do they actually work in standard tuning? Where do you find a string set the right length? Very cool things though!

I have never personally used it with a low B strings, but I do know that Ibanez does make a string set specifically for this bass, I wouldn't recommend it though, the 4 string set, as far as I concern at least, sucks.

 

Otherwise there is always Newtone, who will make just about any string at any length you desire, and for quite reasonable prices too: https://newtonestrings.com/shop/custom-bass-string-configurator/

 

And I can attest that Newtone strings are genuinely great.

 

I have previously had these basses tuned to regular E standard tuning though, and for that I have had just used regular strings cut to size, with the E string slightly unraveled at the tuning peg end to fit into it, and I have never had an issue with it, as long as you make an abrupt 90 degree bend bellow the cutting point, before you cut (that is for hex core roundwound strings, wouldn not advice cutting flatwound strings to size).

 

As I already stated for the current higher than regular tunings I use individually ordered Elixir Nanoweb guitar strings, which got the perfect length, and fits perfectly, as long as you thread the strings through the cut off ball ends of old bass strings, to prevent the guitar string size ball ends of the guitar strings falling though the bridge mounting holes.

 

Also this string tension calculator might be of help to you, just mind that compared with longer scale length basses the shorter scale length, and thereby active string span, of the Mirko will make the string stiffer/less flexible relative to gauge and tension, so you would want strings with less tension than you would for a regular 34" scale length bass: https://wahiduddin.net/calc/calc_guitar_tension_from_size.htm

 

Personally I prefer to use the same tension balanced set as I use for my 34" bass (nickel-plated roundwound hex steel core strings of the gauges: .095 - .075 - .055 - .040, for regular 4 string bass E standard tuning) , and instead acknowledge that the shorter scale makes it an all together different instrument, adhering to the lower tension of the strings (compared to the same strings on a 34" scale bass) by fretting and plucking lighter, and that way avoid the otherwise thuddy dead tone you otherwise get from a short scale bass when you instead try to compensate for the lower tension of the strings by using thicker gauge strings (since, as said, relatively to tension and gauge strings will be stiffer/less flexible on the shorter scale compared to a longer scale length/string span).

 

Edited March 22 by Baloney Balderdash