Ibanez AGB205

[Blackbird88]

I was doing a little searching for information/reviews on the Ibanez AGB200 4 string, and then I spotted the AGB205 on the Ibanez website. I'm intrigued, it has a 30.3" scale and to my knowledge, with a few expensive exceptions short scale 5 stringers tend to have a pretty muddy B string, so I'm wondering whether it even has a low B or if its strung with a high C. There's nothing on Ibanez website (or anywhere else for that matter) that states one way or the other, so I'd assume its a B, but to get clarity on that short a scale you'd need some serious string tension, therefore thicker strings right? In which case they'd be hard to get hold of I'd guess, 125-135 being standard B string gauge.

There seem to be a few places selling them to order but no one online has them in stock as far as I can tell. Has anyone seen, played, owned or even heard anything regarding this bass? I'd consider ordering one to end my curiosity, but if its a high C it'll be pretty useless for me (I rarely use my G string).

Link to Ibanez page:
http://www.ibanez.co.jp/products/u_eb_page13.php?data_id=221&color=CL01&year=2013&cat_id=2&series_id=117

[bokaj151]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUZHsSLenFA

the low B sounds ok good

[Count Bassy]

I like the look of that, and only £430 (which seems pretty good for a half decent short scale 5 string).

[bigsmokebass]

Tried and never got on with the 4 string but this looks and sounds nice so I'm sure many people will dig this.

Just not for me

BSB

[Guy L]

The AGB-205 comes strung low B,E,A,D,G and the stock strings are D'Addario NIckelplated Round Wounds LONG Scale XLB series - an EXL230 set plus a single XLB145. The reason long scale strings are used is that there is a distance of rather more than four inches from the bridge saddles to the tailpiece. I calculated the actual tensions from the D'Addario charts adjusting for a 30.3" scale rather than a 34" scale and they are (in lbf) :-

XLB 145 33.0
XLB 110 36.6
XLB 090 43.2
XLB 075 51.3
XLB 055 50.0

Certainly the low B didn't feel obviously flabby but I didn't really spend any time with it. I wanted to change the tuning to E,A,D,G,high B (guitarist influence!) and so I replaced the strings with D'Addario Long Scale Chrome Flatwounds - CB110,CB085,CB065,CB045,CB032 which gives pretty even tensions across the strings.

The fact that this instrument requires long scale strings is a big bonus as there are plenty to choose from. I also have a 28.6" scale Ibanez MIkro and there is only one D'Addario set of chrome flatwounds available for that which is the ECB81S set - 100,080,065,045 - and the 100 is definitely on the light side.