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Ibanez KTS Titanium neck rods.


ebenezer
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I think they "dropped" the KTS rods from the Premium 1300/5/6 and 1400/5 in 2018. (2017 models in these model number series' had them.)

The  2018 models....  1820/5 and 2600/5 have them fitted. The new Aguilar PUP 2019 models 2400/5 has them. (Taking this info from the catalogue, not the web page.)

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I just looked back through the catalogues, and I was wrong, all the premiums have them. however i noticed if you look in the EU pages they mention them and on the US pages they don't. So I think they are still there, but just aren't mentioned any more.

Ibanezes website is a bit of a mess for historic things. i tried finding about my 1605 on there, and there is no record of them ever making one. Luckily the rest of the internet remembers, so that has the KTS rods too.

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2 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

Ibanezes website is a bit of a mess for historic things. i tried finding about my 1605 on there, and there is no record of them ever making one.

Need to look a little harder on the Ibanez site. ;) EDIT: I need glasses. I read 1205, not 1605. LOL. I'll have another look.

1200_specs.jpg

Edited by clivem
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19 minutes ago, clivem said:

Was that the one with the burl top, that was a "special limited edition", so may not have been in the main catalogue?

Maybe. It was on the normal sites at the time (2013?) but it could have been limited as I know the SR5 was, also burl. Maybe they couldn't get enough burl, it is probably easier to get the normal woods they do.

It does have the titanium bars in it anyway.

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Which begs the questions;

What difference do they make? And is it really noticable?

I know modern Ibanez designs favour slender necks, but I've never had any issues with what I assume to be the steel/alloy items in my SRX 700 or EDB 605. Nor any other bass I've owned, for that matter.

*Except the Vigier. It doesn't have a truss rod.

Edit.. KTS do Ti bridge saddles, too..

Edited by Lfalex v1.1
More info...
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19 hours ago, Lfalex v1.1 said:

What difference do they make? And is it really noticable? 

Couple of thoughts...... Rather than one piece necks, I think all the SR's have laminated, ("hippie sandwich" LOL), which makes 'em stronger, IMHO.

Sometimes it's just luck of the draw. I don't own any Premiums any more with the KTS rods, just a few of mid-series without the KTS rods. Both of my 500's are as stable as stable can be. One requires a 1/8 turn truss-rod tweak, once a year. The other neck is so stiff, it barely needs a truss-rod, which isn't really engaged, just snugged-up to stop it rattling. You can re-string that with high-tension flats, when it had previously had very low tension round core DR's on it, and measure the relief, and it won't have moved. However..... Luck of the draw...... Back in 2016, I bought a B-Stock SR600, which had the same wenge/bubinga laminate neck as the 500's. When I opened the box on it, I couldn't figure out why it was being sold as B-stock. Not a mark on it. Needed a setup for sure, which I did. However, it soon became apparent. The neck was a rubber band. The slightest temperature or humidity change and the neck would either banana forward or back bow, in either case making it completely unplayable without re-adjusting the truss rod. (I suspect this was the reason the original customer had returned it and it was now being sold as B-stock, I think.) Who knows. Maybe one of the pieces of wood in that neck was weak, had a flaw in it, or it just was young wood, or hadn't been dried properly.

To my way of thinking, the rods are more important and come into play more with a one piece neck. With a laminated neck, less so or not at all.

There is an argument for having the rods, whether graphite, titanium, steel, that I've heard. Wives tale.... Maybe. Apparently it lessons the chances of dead-spots. I don't have an opinion on that either way. I had a Fender neck with a dead spot. Never owned an Ibby with a dead spot, KTS rods or not.

Edited by clivem
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2 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

So you think my 15 piece neck didn’t need titanium? :)

LOL. I think it would have been OK without! That's sooooo crazy. 15 slices of wood!!!! Someone will pop up in a minute and tell you..... You're not hearing the sound of wood. All that glue holding those 15 slices of wood together. THAT BASS SOUNDS LIKE GLUE!!!! People freak out when they buy a Mex Fender and the body is made of more than 2 pieces. A 15 piece neck..... You must be mad, mate! That's plywood, that is. Fancy plywood!;)

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1 hour ago, clivem said:

LOL. I think it would have been OK without! That's sooooo crazy. 15 slices of wood!!!! Someone will pop up in a minute and tell you..... You're not hearing the sound of wood. All that glue holding those 15 slices of wood together. THAT BASS SOUNDS LIKE GLUE!!!! People freak out when they buy a Mex Fender and the body is made of more than 2 pieces. A 15 piece neck..... You must be mad, mate! That's plywood, that is. Fancy plywood!;)

It is fancy plywood, but it looks damn perdy..

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On 18/02/2019 at 08:28, Woodinblack said:

I thought it was just the prestige and a couple of models of the premiums that had them (my new 2605 has them)?

I didn't think it was ever standard on the premium models.

KTS rods have always been standard on the whole Premium line, inclusive of the electric guitars

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On 18/02/2019 at 14:24, Woodinblack said:

I just looked back through the catalogues, and I was wrong, all the premiums have them. however i noticed if you look in the EU pages they mention them and on the US pages they don't. So I think they are still there, but just aren't mentioned any more.

Ibanezes website is a bit of a mess for historic things. i tried finding about my 1605 on there, and there is no record of them ever making one. Luckily the rest of the internet remembers, so that has the KTS rods too.

Any Spot run models Ibanez do seem to get the spec etc on their website for a year at most, then the URL’s to said webpages just disappear and they remove them. Strange.

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