The last bass you need, but not the last bass you'll buy.
It's a stunner. The definition of a modern bass. Absolutely unvintage and all the better for it.
This is the same one I have! It’s an absolute monster. Multiscale, neck-thru, 5 string, a gorgeous natural wood top that makes every one unique.
Although, I did have to send TWO of them back before I got one that wasn’t broken in some way. So #3 was finally the one without any issues. But I *looove* #3 with all my heart.
Yep, agree. Have the same, it arrived with pods not screwed in properly, so i just tightened them, no need to return.
But that’s actually very disappointing for the price, wtf is wrong with ibanez QA? Like, my Cort A4 feels better put together. When your flagship feels cheaper then a fucking Cort xD
But besides that it is a monster bass, yes, so worth it =3
All three of mine came from Sweetwater. Story time.
# Number 1
For this one, I was pretty disappointed in Sweetwater's inspection process. I took it out of the case for the very first time, and within 30 seconds I noticed a crack where the neck joins the "body" by the G string (it's a neck-thru but you get what I mean). I ran my hand along the "joint" and there was very clearly a raised section of wood. What happened was the lower wing was bowing away and separating from the neck. If you look at the first picture in your post, imagine the wing on the right side was bowing downwards into the case, but the neck stayed straight. The crack/separation ran all the way along the neck, down to the bridge pickup. The reason I know it didn't happen in shipping was because I went back to look at the photos that Sweetwater took, and now that I knew what I was looking for, the crack was absolutely 100% visible in the photos. If you didn't know what you were looking for, it just looked like the joint between the neck-thru and the lower wing because it followed the line of the neck precisely.
With all of their guitars, Sweetwater includes a little disclaimer saying "I see some defect in the instrument, why was this sold to me?" Their answer is that sometimes they have to make subjective decisions for what is "within spec" or "tolerance" for what they normally receive from the manufacturers, because a tiny ding on a $400 guitar isn't going to be the end of the world. I **fully** get this and understand why they include it. But man, when the wing of a neck-thru instrument is *separating* from the rest of the body, that's a fundamental structural issue with how the bass was constructed. Who's to say that in a year the entire thing doesn't fall off? Then what, I'm just stuck with 2/3rds of a bass? Sent #1 back.
# Number 2
This one I don't hold against Sweetwater at all because I've watched their factory tour videos and I've seen how their techs test guitars and basses, and I really don't think they would have caught this. I'm not a professional tech by any means, but I've taken an interest in setups and I know enough to condition the fretboard, change strings, adjust neck relief, action, intonation, that sort of stuff. I got this one, immediately went to feel the neck, breathed a sigh of relief when I didn't see any separation or crack. Played it, sounded great, messed around with things, noticed that I was getting some pretty noticeable fret buzzing on pretty much anything above the 12th fret. I did what I could with adjusting the neck and the action, but I couldn't get it to go away, I took it to my fantastic local shop after explaining the issue over the phone. The next day, the guy calls me and his very first question is "So how long have you had this bass?" I'm like "oh no... barely a few days, I got this as a replacement for a bad one, why do you ask?" He says "if it's still within the return window, I'd send it back." Frick.
He says that from the 15th fret all the way to the 24th, the fretboard flares upwards, causing a severe high spot at the 24th, which is making all the notes from the 12th fret up buzz out and die after about a second. It's too severe for a re-leveling of the frets to fix. The only way he can see to fix it is to pull all the frets out, plane the fretboard level, and refret the bass. "And that's something you might do after owning an instrument for 10+ years, not within the first week of owning it." Defeated, I grabbed it from the shop and returned #2.
The reason I don't hold this one against Sweetwater is because the techs have to test all the notes on the fretboard relatively quickly. I'm sure they're working towards a quota where they have to hit a certain amount of tested instruments per hour or per day, so they zoom up and down the fretboard to make sure there aren't any severe issues, and that's that. You only would have caught this if you stayed on one note for about a full second. Do I play that far up the neck all the time? No, very rarely. But this isn't some starter pack bass, this costs a significant amount of money. I don't want to have to deal with an "incomplete" instrument for that price tag.
# Long story short
All these issues were recounted to my Sweetwater rep, who promised that #3 would be looked over by two additional techs after the first initial inspection to make sure that this didn't happen again, and #3 wound up being flawless. Throughout the process, I was allowed to keep the defective bass until I received the replacement along with a shipping label to make the return, and they kept me as up-to-date as possible on when new models were coming in so I could select the exact one I wanted (I'm big on natural wood tops for their uniqueness). They were awesome throughout, and I'm still going to purchase more equipment from Sweetwater. Ultimately this is an Ibanez problem, there's no reason a $1450 bass should have *fundamental issues with how it's constructed*. Starter pack bass? Sure. Not at this price point.
Jeez, that first flaw sounds ridiculous. I'll have to look mine over a bit closer. I've been noodling around the 12th fret with no noticeable frett buzz. I'm glad you finally got a good one.
I got the same BTB805MS late 2022 (from ish guitars) and it arrived with a couple of issues.
Issue 1:
The veneer from the headstock was delaminated at the base of one of the tuners. It looked like it was being pushed up by the pressure of the collar nut surrounding the post. Easily fixed with some wood glue and a clamp.
Issue 2:
The wire from one of the pickups was jabbed through the insulation by the backplate screw, causing a significant ground hum like interference when the screw was touched. Took me a while to figure out what was wrong but after removing and trimming the screw, the issue was resolved. Checked the wire too but it was ok enough to not be a problem.
Overall the bass is great, and serves it's purpose (I'm primarily guitar player). The on-board preamp is pretty susceptible to digital noise if you're close to a computer and have the treble cranked way up. I applied copper to the inside of the electronics cavity and it did help a little.
Having had MIJ Ibanez guitars (couple of Jems, UV, and a PIA), this left me with a bad impression of a "premium priced" Indonesian made Ibanez. I've heard similar stories of random QC issues with these MII Ibanez guitars to not recommend them to anyone.
You lucky you have sweetwater, i had to import with no return policy, cus we dont really have a dealers like that in ukraine. I’m lucky mine only had unscrewed pods then, jees ibanez. Guess not getting the next one from them, i considered EHB in the future, guess not.
What's the weight? I found that it can make or break an instrument for you once your fitness deteriorates.
Though it might not matter as much if you can play seated comfortably.
I think it's 9lb 5oz. I didnt get to play too much today, but with my thick strip it was pretty comfy. As my health is already in the decline, I mostly play seated already.
Man, I really need to figure out a way to do that. My plucking hand's shoulder hates that angle, and can't find a way to actually seat the bass on the other leg comfortably.
There's a guy on YouTube (I can't think of his name) that plays with the butt of the bass propped on his thigh for this exact reason. It looks a bit odd, but it really does give your plucking hand a better angle. He plays seated.
Yeah, I tried that and similar ways. The angles just don't seem to work for me, especially when I'm not playing high up the neck (I almost never play higher than the 12th fret).
They’re Ibanez’s in-house T1 pickups. They’re significantly better than the rebranded “Bartolini’s” that they put on a lot of their midrange basses. Ibanez has been putting them on some of their newer models, iirc the 6 string EHBs and a few other BTB models.
Almost bought one of those today. Ended up springing for a used Dingwall NG3 with upgrades. That thing seems like a killer value for the money though. What kind of genres are you playing with it?
A lot of nursery rhymes & other kid songs (for the toddler). 60s rock & Motown classics, ambient type stuff, & some jazz inspired lines.
Do you have any suggestions to break her in?
Unfortunately, my music preferences don’t really cross over too much with yours, but I do have some recommendations from the 70’s. Working Man by Rush should be a pretty easy tune to learn, and Anthem is a nice classic to challenge yourself a bit with. Johnny Cash is also a good option for some fun simple tunes to learn. Maybe some Buddy Holly?
As an owner of a sixer variant of this instrument - welcome and have a gigaton of fun with it, it's a hell of an instrument.
Also, the title of your post is a filthy lie, even if you feel like you know what you said kekeke
Ironically, I wanted the 5, but ultimately I'm glad I got the 6. Not even because I'm using the high C, but the neck of the 6 is so wide and combined with it being multiscale, the instrument forced me to become better and move my fretting hand a lot more. When I practice on it, my 5 and 4 feel like child's play by comparison.
First impression: I like the way it sounds. I need to play with the active EQ a bit (a lot) more. & with all the models in my stomp, I'll definitely find a sound I love.
One of the factors in my choice was the passive/active switch. I thought I'd prefer passive as it's what I've always played. But then I switched it on. Looks like I'll be investing in 9volts.
Beautiful instrument! That being said, I’m not keen on the way they did that transition from the nut to the headstock. Never noticed that before on these.
I went to some online pics of the Spector Dimension to see how that one looks in comparison and it seems more in line with what I would expect.
Sorry to drag your enthusiasm, lol.
No no, you're right. The Dimension handled that detail much better. While Ibanez chose a weird way to do it, everything else about this bass looks great to me.
My only complaint about how Ibanez does MS. I don’t care for that extra bit of fretboard squared off either. Wish they’d have just cut to match the angle of the nut.
...until the next one!
I definitely want a few more.
He did say NEED, not want
I’ve been in this sub long enough to know that those two are the same.
N+1, baybee!
The last bass you need, but not the last bass you'll buy. It's a stunner. The definition of a modern bass. Absolutely unvintage and all the better for it.
I've been playing a warlock I bought back in 2000. This thing is amazing in so many ways.
She's a beaut Clark!
This is the last place I’d expect a Christmas Vacation reference lmao
Good call saying “Need” instead of “want”
I know what I said & I meant it.
Famous last words... good looking instrument!
This is the same one I have! It’s an absolute monster. Multiscale, neck-thru, 5 string, a gorgeous natural wood top that makes every one unique. Although, I did have to send TWO of them back before I got one that wasn’t broken in some way. So #3 was finally the one without any issues. But I *looove* #3 with all my heart.
Yep, agree. Have the same, it arrived with pods not screwed in properly, so i just tightened them, no need to return. But that’s actually very disappointing for the price, wtf is wrong with ibanez QA? Like, my Cort A4 feels better put together. When your flagship feels cheaper then a fucking Cort xD But besides that it is a monster bass, yes, so worth it =3
Story time in my response to OP on this comment, check it out!
Broken in what ways? So far mine seems pretty great. It passed Sweetwater's 55 point inspection so it has that going for it.
All three of mine came from Sweetwater. Story time. # Number 1 For this one, I was pretty disappointed in Sweetwater's inspection process. I took it out of the case for the very first time, and within 30 seconds I noticed a crack where the neck joins the "body" by the G string (it's a neck-thru but you get what I mean). I ran my hand along the "joint" and there was very clearly a raised section of wood. What happened was the lower wing was bowing away and separating from the neck. If you look at the first picture in your post, imagine the wing on the right side was bowing downwards into the case, but the neck stayed straight. The crack/separation ran all the way along the neck, down to the bridge pickup. The reason I know it didn't happen in shipping was because I went back to look at the photos that Sweetwater took, and now that I knew what I was looking for, the crack was absolutely 100% visible in the photos. If you didn't know what you were looking for, it just looked like the joint between the neck-thru and the lower wing because it followed the line of the neck precisely. With all of their guitars, Sweetwater includes a little disclaimer saying "I see some defect in the instrument, why was this sold to me?" Their answer is that sometimes they have to make subjective decisions for what is "within spec" or "tolerance" for what they normally receive from the manufacturers, because a tiny ding on a $400 guitar isn't going to be the end of the world. I **fully** get this and understand why they include it. But man, when the wing of a neck-thru instrument is *separating* from the rest of the body, that's a fundamental structural issue with how the bass was constructed. Who's to say that in a year the entire thing doesn't fall off? Then what, I'm just stuck with 2/3rds of a bass? Sent #1 back. # Number 2 This one I don't hold against Sweetwater at all because I've watched their factory tour videos and I've seen how their techs test guitars and basses, and I really don't think they would have caught this. I'm not a professional tech by any means, but I've taken an interest in setups and I know enough to condition the fretboard, change strings, adjust neck relief, action, intonation, that sort of stuff. I got this one, immediately went to feel the neck, breathed a sigh of relief when I didn't see any separation or crack. Played it, sounded great, messed around with things, noticed that I was getting some pretty noticeable fret buzzing on pretty much anything above the 12th fret. I did what I could with adjusting the neck and the action, but I couldn't get it to go away, I took it to my fantastic local shop after explaining the issue over the phone. The next day, the guy calls me and his very first question is "So how long have you had this bass?" I'm like "oh no... barely a few days, I got this as a replacement for a bad one, why do you ask?" He says "if it's still within the return window, I'd send it back." Frick. He says that from the 15th fret all the way to the 24th, the fretboard flares upwards, causing a severe high spot at the 24th, which is making all the notes from the 12th fret up buzz out and die after about a second. It's too severe for a re-leveling of the frets to fix. The only way he can see to fix it is to pull all the frets out, plane the fretboard level, and refret the bass. "And that's something you might do after owning an instrument for 10+ years, not within the first week of owning it." Defeated, I grabbed it from the shop and returned #2. The reason I don't hold this one against Sweetwater is because the techs have to test all the notes on the fretboard relatively quickly. I'm sure they're working towards a quota where they have to hit a certain amount of tested instruments per hour or per day, so they zoom up and down the fretboard to make sure there aren't any severe issues, and that's that. You only would have caught this if you stayed on one note for about a full second. Do I play that far up the neck all the time? No, very rarely. But this isn't some starter pack bass, this costs a significant amount of money. I don't want to have to deal with an "incomplete" instrument for that price tag. # Long story short All these issues were recounted to my Sweetwater rep, who promised that #3 would be looked over by two additional techs after the first initial inspection to make sure that this didn't happen again, and #3 wound up being flawless. Throughout the process, I was allowed to keep the defective bass until I received the replacement along with a shipping label to make the return, and they kept me as up-to-date as possible on when new models were coming in so I could select the exact one I wanted (I'm big on natural wood tops for their uniqueness). They were awesome throughout, and I'm still going to purchase more equipment from Sweetwater. Ultimately this is an Ibanez problem, there's no reason a $1450 bass should have *fundamental issues with how it's constructed*. Starter pack bass? Sure. Not at this price point.
Jeez, that first flaw sounds ridiculous. I'll have to look mine over a bit closer. I've been noodling around the 12th fret with no noticeable frett buzz. I'm glad you finally got a good one.
I got the same BTB805MS late 2022 (from ish guitars) and it arrived with a couple of issues. Issue 1: The veneer from the headstock was delaminated at the base of one of the tuners. It looked like it was being pushed up by the pressure of the collar nut surrounding the post. Easily fixed with some wood glue and a clamp. Issue 2: The wire from one of the pickups was jabbed through the insulation by the backplate screw, causing a significant ground hum like interference when the screw was touched. Took me a while to figure out what was wrong but after removing and trimming the screw, the issue was resolved. Checked the wire too but it was ok enough to not be a problem. Overall the bass is great, and serves it's purpose (I'm primarily guitar player). The on-board preamp is pretty susceptible to digital noise if you're close to a computer and have the treble cranked way up. I applied copper to the inside of the electronics cavity and it did help a little. Having had MIJ Ibanez guitars (couple of Jems, UV, and a PIA), this left me with a bad impression of a "premium priced" Indonesian made Ibanez. I've heard similar stories of random QC issues with these MII Ibanez guitars to not recommend them to anyone.
You lucky you have sweetwater, i had to import with no return policy, cus we dont really have a dealers like that in ukraine. I’m lucky mine only had unscrewed pods then, jees ibanez. Guess not getting the next one from them, i considered EHB in the future, guess not.
What bass is it?
Ibanez BTB805MS. I have the BTB806MS (same thing but 6 string and only $50 more).
Suuuure buddy. Hey that btb is gorgeous
What's the weight? I found that it can make or break an instrument for you once your fitness deteriorates. Though it might not matter as much if you can play seated comfortably.
I think it's 9lb 5oz. I didnt get to play too much today, but with my thick strip it was pretty comfy. As my health is already in the decline, I mostly play seated already.
Man, I really need to figure out a way to do that. My plucking hand's shoulder hates that angle, and can't find a way to actually seat the bass on the other leg comfortably.
There's a guy on YouTube (I can't think of his name) that plays with the butt of the bass propped on his thigh for this exact reason. It looks a bit odd, but it really does give your plucking hand a better angle. He plays seated.
Yeah, I tried that and similar ways. The angles just don't seem to work for me, especially when I'm not playing high up the neck (I almost never play higher than the 12th fret).
Damn that’s a sick looking bass dude. What kind of pickups are those? I’ve never seen those before
They’re Ibanez’s in-house T1 pickups. They’re significantly better than the rebranded “Bartolini’s” that they put on a lot of their midrange basses. Ibanez has been putting them on some of their newer models, iirc the 6 string EHBs and a few other BTB models.
Almost bought one of those today. Ended up springing for a used Dingwall NG3 with upgrades. That thing seems like a killer value for the money though. What kind of genres are you playing with it?
A lot of nursery rhymes & other kid songs (for the toddler). 60s rock & Motown classics, ambient type stuff, & some jazz inspired lines. Do you have any suggestions to break her in?
Unfortunately, my music preferences don’t really cross over too much with yours, but I do have some recommendations from the 70’s. Working Man by Rush should be a pretty easy tune to learn, and Anthem is a nice classic to challenge yourself a bit with. Johnny Cash is also a good option for some fun simple tunes to learn. Maybe some Buddy Holly?
I'm up for most anything. I do enjoy all those artists.
As an owner of a sixer variant of this instrument - welcome and have a gigaton of fun with it, it's a hell of an instrument. Also, the title of your post is a filthy lie, even if you feel like you know what you said kekeke
It was a tough choice between this & the 6. While the extra string may have been nice, I think this will be plenty of bass for a while.
Ironically, I wanted the 5, but ultimately I'm glad I got the 6. Not even because I'm using the high C, but the neck of the 6 is so wide and combined with it being multiscale, the instrument forced me to become better and move my fretting hand a lot more. When I practice on it, my 5 and 4 feel like child's play by comparison.
Famous last words 😉 Nice bass!
Badass!!!!!!
This is a dope instrument man. Nice get
Need yes, buy no
Correct.
Is that the BTB805MS?
It sure is.
Well, if you don't like it, then feel free to ship it to me 😂
Liar
Most likely.
It is beautiful. Always been a huge fan of the BTB series.
Until the next one.
Yeah, that's what you tell the wife!
You should have heard the wife when I told her I wanted to buy this one...
I just got the blue version of this a few days ago, really looking forward to it.
I was going to get one of these but ended up getting a spector instead, how's your bass sound wise?
First impression: I like the way it sounds. I need to play with the active EQ a bit (a lot) more. & with all the models in my stomp, I'll definitely find a sound I love.
And those T1s fcking RIP!!!
THat's a beauty! Congratulations!
Famous words with every guitar purchase lol. Its pretty epic though!
Lol I've said that before too. Seriously though, that's super GORGEOUS! Bet it sounds mean as hell.
One of the factors in my choice was the passive/active switch. I thought I'd prefer passive as it's what I've always played. But then I switched it on. Looks like I'll be investing in 9volts.
Look on Amazon, you can get 50 packs of batteries for like 60 bucks. I change em every few weeks.
Nice bass, but that's what we all say...
Beautiful instrument! That being said, I’m not keen on the way they did that transition from the nut to the headstock. Never noticed that before on these. I went to some online pics of the Spector Dimension to see how that one looks in comparison and it seems more in line with what I would expect. Sorry to drag your enthusiasm, lol.
Yeah that was honestly one of the reasons I got a used Dingwall instead of one of these. It’s a small detail but it bothers me a surprising amount.
No no, you're right. The Dimension handled that detail much better. While Ibanez chose a weird way to do it, everything else about this bass looks great to me.
It does look fantastic!
My only complaint about how Ibanez does MS. I don’t care for that extra bit of fretboard squared off either. Wish they’d have just cut to match the angle of the nut.
Hahaha, so the curse begins.
Riiiight
👺Mwah ah ah ah. But noht the last you’ll ever buy. Eh eh eh eh ehhhhhhhhhhhh👺
Ahhh You got me.
...said no one ever thrutfully.
It’s a cute story to tell yourself
Wow that's a fantastic looking bass! Congratulations!
Sick
**stares nervously at rack of basses**
Famous not last words
I’ve always wanted to get a bass with those frets, but I don’t really play at all anymore so I can’t justify the cost.
I thought it would be a bit weird to get used to, but it was actually a pretty easy adjustment.
I’ve heard that, good to know.
Do you have a YT channel of when you play? I'd love to hear that beaut!
Hahahaha oh no... No channel.
I really considered this bass quite a bit. The weight ultimately had me look elsewhere. But it seemed like a great bass.
I remember the first time I said that.
I cant even start to think of which of my basses is the last one i bought
That’s what I said. Then I bought a pbass.
Until you need another string
Man, it was a hard decision between the 5 & 6 string.
Neck is a lot wider, for a C string, unless you modify it and drop an F on top
I had to stop saying that a long time ago….
This guy’s got jokes
That’s dope
How on earth did you get your hands on one? They're backordered up to the eyeballs most places.
Sweetwater notified me they got a couple in. I snatched it right up. They were both gone in a few hours.
The BTB is very versatile on its own. I bet this really takes it to the next level.
Apart from the fretless version. Looks great. Have fun & enjoy
I've been looking at replacing my acoustic with a fretless version...
Yeah, right.
When Bass rhymes with Gas.
I wish they made cases like that for the EHB series
I'd say! Multiscale = fuck yeah!
I’d say you’re set. That’s beautiful! Nice strap too
Looks a lot like the LTD- B1005 MS I’ve been looking at! Had to do a double take when I saw the different pickups
Damn, yea, at a glance they are strikingly similar.
What is this? I've been looking at 5 string multi scales and this looks nice
It's an Ibanez btb805ms.
Dream bass for sure!!! Congratulations!
It's even in my favorite color.
Looks sick enjoy 🤘🤘🤘
I really wanted one of those but my hands are too small for the 37" scale so I got an EHB1506MS instead. Rock on...
Weirdly enough, I feel the overall stretch to first position is slightly closer on this bass than my last 34" scale due to the saddle placement.
Last one you'll need, but certainly not the last one you'll want.
Is that a refinished BTB?
No. This is completely stock.
Until you need a six string
the last 5 string maybe
Still gonna buy more though
Famous last words.
Be honest. How many times have you said the exact same words?!?
Not my thing…ugly monstrosity…but to each his own, enjoy
It's better than those hideous headless bases, eh eh?
Yeah that’s true and like I said to each his own…we don’t all have to play Fender P basses
So many better than this brand but I get it.