Ibanez BTB675

[Batfastard]

I played a BTB675 today and found that whislst the neck felt really good the tension of the strings was so low the the bas just felt off. [url="http://www.ibanez.co.jp/products/eb_page11.php?area_id=3&data_id=73&color=CL01&year=2011&cat_id=2&series_id=472"]http://www.ibanez.co.jp/products/eb_page11.php?area_id=3&data_id=73&color=CL01&year=2011&cat_id=2&series_id=472[/url]. Is it usual for these to have a such a low tension wwhen they are brand new?

[visog]

[i]The spec says it's a 35" scale which should add tension? Perhaps it's been strung with a very light gauge strings? (String tension is a bit of a black art and part of the feel of any instrument. I've played some Fenders (34") scale with strings so taught I could barely fret them.) As the 675 is clearly not a traditional bass and aimed at a boutique bass jazz/funk/progressive audience, it probably does have light strings as standard.[/i]

[i]P.S. lowest tension ever in my experience was an Alembic Stanley (short scale) with light strings in the Bass Gallery 18 months or so ago! [/i]

[chrismuzz]

Sometimes the strings supplied with basses are pretty flimsy, I bet a new set will make the whole experience totally different!

[Ed_S]

I used to have a pair of BTBs (405QM and 406QM) and the tension was always fine with sets of (30),40,60,75,95,125 D'addario EXL NPS, which aren't exactly massive. Both came out of the box with much heavier sets of Elixirs on them originally, but not being able to stand coated strings I got rid of them rapidly, so I couldn't tell you how they felt tension-wise.

[Batfastard]

Cheers for the replies. The strings on it were a low gauge and on the Ibanez website it says they are elixirs. I have also just noticed that it has medium frets which I have never played on before so that probably added to 'off' feeling I had about it.

[Vanderveen]

I owned one, and the tension was okay for me back then!
Granted, it was my first real bass, so I didn't have as much knowledge and stuff to compare it to.