SumOne

I'd like to try the Ibanez ergonomic headless multiscale Basses. My last few Basses have all been Jazz types so it might be an interesting diversion. And I think Source Audio might be releasing an updated version of the C4 synth pedal with more hardware controls. If that's not a ridiculous price then I'll be keen.

Donstrumental with 5x Robbie Shakespeare Basslines

Reasons I've owned multi-fx including Helix Stomp, Stomp XL, Effects, and various Zoom pedals: They seem cost-effective, sensible, convenient. Reasons I no longer own any multi-fx: Most of the best things in life don't tend to be cost-effective, sensible or convenient!

I am tempted to get a Fishman as a single 'all in one' (well, all the most important things) easily transported option for band practice - especially as it can be battery powered. I know things like Zoom multi fx also do that but having tried a few they never quite do it for me for sounds and accessibility (and don't have things like XLR out and fx loop). For various reasons Helix don't ever do it for me beyond the honeymoon period either (having owned the Stomp, Stomp XL, Effects) mostly due to workflow/accessability.

I find the whole argument of 'why get an expensive Bass' a bit like saying 'why get an expensive watch....my £30 Casio tells the time more accurately than a £10k 1960's Rolex' , or 'my £500 sofa does the same job as a £5k sofa' etc. Even if more expensive Basses aren't technically any better than cheaper ones (but generally they are) there is more to it than just 'getting the job done' for the cheapest amount - after all, we're not talking about if it's worth spending a lot on something purely practical like a shovel, a Bass is something that hangs on the wall in your house, that you're seen with on stage, that you play for 1000s of hours potentially for many years, and it holds it's value so even if there's only a marginal improvement (even just aesthetically) I'd consider it worthwhile to spend more (within what I can afford).

Possibly endoresment £ ?

Edit: Repeating myself!

I'm in two minds. I've had a Dingwall Combustion and an Ibanez SRMS805 and neither quite did it for me, partly because plucking through the strings vertically you end up getting relatively closer to the bridge on the higher strings and it's quite annoying to adjust playing style for that. But any normal scale Bass I've had has felt like the B is a bit 'separate' feeling/sounding to the other strings so I'm keen to get a Bass that solves that. Perhaps a higher-end and better setup normal scale bass will do it, or perhaps another try of multiscale.

I like the idea of multiscales, especially for a 5 string: Lower strings (especially the B) tend to sound and feel more even if they are longer than the higher strings, so in theory they solve that issue. But on the other hand it seems plenty of 34" scale 5 strings have good B strings if using the correct string guage and have a good setup and the Bass is made well, likewise for other scale lengths. So perhaps that's a better solution rather than going multiscale. Is multiscale a great development in Bass design and playability or a marketing solution to a problem that doesn't exist to sell more new Basses?

I've pretty much only ever had good experiences with BD. But that's mostly going to the shop to part-exchange Basses where twice they have given as good a deal as I could have expected with a private sale (and quite a lot more generous than any other Bass shop). Also, hassle free experience trying out Basses. And a couple of small postal things (strap and strings) have been all good. The one thing they let themselves down on is that I was almost certain I'd buy a specific MTD but when trying it there via headphones plugged into in a couple of different amps and a headphone amp I could always hear quite loud electrical interference noises that changed pitch as I moved the MTD controls. (tip: always test with headphones as well as cab, the noise wasn't noticeable out of a cab but you'd certainly notice it when recording or headphone practice). I said perhaps it's because it's battery is running low, the assistant just said 'yeah, could be' and walked off....not really giving the impression he gave half a $hit or that anyone would ever check or try to fix it (and the shop only had me and one other customer in, it wasn't busy). Given no offer of a solution I left the shop empty handed. So it's not like they insulted me or ripped me off or anything, just a bit of a shame when a small amount of extra customer service effort could've sold me a Bass.

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

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.

That's a useful review thanks, I've been eying up the Ibanez EHB range and I'll definitely try before I buy in-case of QC issues rather than chancing it with a delivery. Luckily most of those things you pointed out are minor screw tightening type things but the dead spots and fret height are more serious so I'll be sure to check for them. The balance with the bottom of the Bass sitting up is a really good observation too - it's the something that might be difficult to notice just having a fairly quick test in a shop or sitting down but long-term it's the sort of thing that gets annoying and affects playability but very rarely gets mentioned in reviews. I find there is an optimal weight for a Bass (about 3.5kg for me) where any lighter than that they can tend to slide around the leg when sitting down or bounce about/lift up when standing up and doing things like slap/pop so the good balance needs to account for more than just not having neck-dive.

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 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.

Nice, I thought it might need double-ball end strings. And yeah - that's similar to the wall hanger I have so it's handy that works. No sooner have I got a nice vintage type Bass (passive Fender Jazz V with quite a punky/road worn look) and I'm eying up the opposite end of the spectrum with modern, bright coloured, active, headless, multiscale Basses! I'm a bit gutted this year's version doesn't have the T1 pickups (it's the odd one out - they are on the EHB6 and all of the BTB multiscales) and the only colour option is brown.

I like the look and sound of that - if going modern then might as well go all in with active, multiscale, and headless! Have you found any unexpected negatives with headless? I'm guessing limited string choice is the big thing, and not being able to hang on the wall, anything else?

@paul_5 your old 00Funk has now been defaced, I'm pretty sure it's put the resale value into negative equity.

These look good but I haven't heard many Bass demos of the SY-1 (or 200). Does it do the classic funky 70/80s moog and envelope filter stuff like: Chameleon, Flashlight, Funkin for Jamaica, Sign o' the times, Atomic Dog? That's the sort of stuff I'm after (whch the FI and C4 do well), I've got no interest in synth strings, organ, bell, pad, arpegios and from the guitar demos I've heard that all seems to be a focus.

Getting funky n punky

I've noticed with my American Standard Jazz V that by only using the bridge pickup I get even tones e.g. play a chromatic scale from the B string through to the E and it's hard to hear where the string has changed, which makes me think that the issue isn't with the Bass construction. It's a different story if using only the Bridge pickup though - the B has more 'growly/overtone' sound than the more fundamental/smooth sound of the E and other strings, this continues having tried different strings (and string height and intonation) and different pickup hight and different playing style so I'm wondering if it's actually down to the Bridge pickup being too 'hot' for the B - has anyone here changed a passive Jazz V pickup and managed to get more even/smoother/more fundamental tone from it? Or perhaps adding an active preamp (e.g. John East J-Tone) helps?

Perhaps all isn't lost, if it had the correct voltage and polarity then I don't think power supply shoud damage it. Perhaps something has come loose inside and it's just by chance you've used different power supplies. And if it's still in manufacturers warrenty how are they to know you used a different power supply? I imagine some manufacturers find it easier to just replace a unit rather than mucking about trying to fix it.