MiahDrao
Well-Known Member
Due to a convenient Christmas bonus, I decided to finally spring for my first bass. Although I will be playing alongside 8-string tracks, I decided I didn't want to go down to E0 tuning. Playing in the same octave with the proper EQing works well enough for me. Besides, I had been using my 8-sring for bass tracks anyway, and I knew it was about time for a real bass.
Ibanez BTB675: Ordered from Zzounds. I got a blemished version since it was about $200 cheaper. I've heard a lot of horror stories about blems, and thankfully this is not one of them. Just 2 infinitesimal scratches on the left side of the body (shown in the picture). Definitely worth the money to anybody thinking about getting a blemished model.
The reason I chose this bass was for the preamp and Bartolini electronics. As I've read, it is HIGHLY adjustable, and I'm still finding new tones singing from this beauty. The body shape being super sleek is also a plus.
When I got it, the neck was super back-bowed, so the setup took a good long hour. It was shipped to me in subzero temperatures, so I guess I should expect this. Also, the bridge pickup seemed to be stuck slanted. Like, the bass side was half an inch lower than the treble. Not sure how something like that happens, but with some fiddling, it popped back into place no prob.
I'm currently tuning it to drop A to go with 8-string (drop EA). I'm getting a new set of strings for balanced tension since my low A feels like a wet noodle. I've been teaching myself slap techniques, which has been lots of fun. Not as difficult as I thought it would be, but nailing precision is the real obstacle.
Overall thoughts: The tone is excellent and very diverse. I can get all sorts of sounds due to the preamp. I'm really loving it. Playability is great. This is my first bass, so I don't have any others to compare it to. That being said, the 35" scale is nowhere near as scary as I had first thought it would be. This instrument is very comfortable. I recommend it to all.
Ibanez BTB675: Ordered from Zzounds. I got a blemished version since it was about $200 cheaper. I've heard a lot of horror stories about blems, and thankfully this is not one of them. Just 2 infinitesimal scratches on the left side of the body (shown in the picture). Definitely worth the money to anybody thinking about getting a blemished model.
The reason I chose this bass was for the preamp and Bartolini electronics. As I've read, it is HIGHLY adjustable, and I'm still finding new tones singing from this beauty. The body shape being super sleek is also a plus.
When I got it, the neck was super back-bowed, so the setup took a good long hour. It was shipped to me in subzero temperatures, so I guess I should expect this. Also, the bridge pickup seemed to be stuck slanted. Like, the bass side was half an inch lower than the treble. Not sure how something like that happens, but with some fiddling, it popped back into place no prob.
I'm currently tuning it to drop A to go with 8-string (drop EA). I'm getting a new set of strings for balanced tension since my low A feels like a wet noodle. I've been teaching myself slap techniques, which has been lots of fun. Not as difficult as I thought it would be, but nailing precision is the real obstacle.
Overall thoughts: The tone is excellent and very diverse. I can get all sorts of sounds due to the preamp. I'm really loving it. Playability is great. This is my first bass, so I don't have any others to compare it to. That being said, the 35" scale is nowhere near as scary as I had first thought it would be. This instrument is very comfortable. I recommend it to all.
