New Ibanez Headless basses

[Doctor J]

The P-bass-‘n’-flats crew aren’t going to go for a Dingwall no matter what it looks like. Rock and metal bands tend to be a little less... let’s say “precious” about the aesthetics of the instrument compared to a lot of genres where conservatism has become the uniform.

[therealting]

But the P and J players of this world are generally a fairly conservative bunch, trying to replicate their favourite Ps and Js from their favourite music periods of the past. I mean, I have a Super P, as my perfect 5 string, but it competes for attention with my two pre-CBS Fenders... which quite a few of my more traditional clients would rather me take on stage.

Whereas fanned frets and a more aggressive modern look are much more the uniform of modern metal, and Dingwall was smart to tap into that market and become identified with it. 

[stewblack]

Interesting this idea of p and j players being such an homogeneous bunch. I have gravitated to P-bass and flats only in my twilight years after a lifetime of exploring many other avenues. Even now I only own half a dozen or so. 

Also it's unlikely p and j owners are all the same given that there are so many of them. 

[Doctor J]

1 hour ago, therealting said:

But the P and J players of this world are generally a fairly conservative bunch, trying to replicate their favourite Ps and Js from their favourite music periods of the past. I mean, I have a Super P, as my perfect 5 string, but it competes for attention with my two pre-CBS Fenders... which quite a few of my more traditional clients would rather me take on stage.

Whereas fanned frets and a more aggressive modern look are much more the uniform of modern metal, and Dingwall was smart to tap into that market and become identified with it. 

I wouldn't say there is a metal uniform (outside of a black t-shirt and jeans, of course) when it comes to instruments. I think for every radical new instrument you see there will always be someone with a P or a J or a Strat or a Les Paul. Metal seems happy for the new and the old to co-exist, however, in ways that you don't see in a lot of other genres. Would Guigsy (insert alternate mainstream band bassist as applicable) have played a Dingwall? I'd say that's unlikely.

Dingwall are right to promote themselves in that market because it will work for them. Outside of metal you could argue that session guys and jazz cats might get away with them but, elsewhere, they might struggle to be accepted alongside or in place of the instruments the player's grandad's might have played. Let's not forget the recent kerfuffle over a particular Jackson guitar 😉

Edited April 23, 2020 by Doctor J

[therealting]

@Doctor J That’s fair. Metal is such a wide genre (like “rock” I guess), and I’m not familiar with the nomenclature, I was referring more to the sort of djenty, downtuned stuff where the guitarists have more than 6 strings and bassists play through Darkglass preamps or Kempers. That’s the sort of stuff that benefits most from longer scale instruments and hence fanned frets etc.

I guess how progressive the music is will have an influence on how progressive the instruments are. If the music espouses the sound, look and ethos of the 60s, then it follows that what they hang on a strap onstage will too. 

[visog]

Some nice tones from an EHB here...

 

[visog]

Skip the messing at the start but Mr Lobster does a good A/B comparison of the 1005MS and the 1505MS... comes down to whether you think woods and pick-ups make it...

 

[Woodinblack]

For me it is a pretty clear choice on that. To get the 1005ms and upgrade the pickups to nordstrands, it would take to at least the same price as the 1505ms, which considering that I still find that much better looking, makes it a no brainer for me.

[Kev]

58 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

For me it is a pretty clear choice on that. To get the 1005ms and upgrade the pickups to nordstrands, it would take to at least the same price as the 1505ms, which considering that I still find that much better looking, makes it a no brainer for me.

Unless Ibanez have changed the spec of their licensed Bart pickup, it won’t simply be a matter of upgrading to Nordstrands as they aren’t the same shape/size.

The blue bass is cool but I would much prefer the neck of the cheaper model! Roasted maple is lovely and seems like the higher end neck wood choice of the two? Interesting decision by Ibanez.

[therealting]

40 minutes ago, Kev said:

Unless Ibanez have changed the spec of their licensed Bart pickup, it won’t simply be a matter of upgrading to Nordstrands as they aren’t the same shape/size.

The blue bass is cool but I would much prefer the neck of the cheaper model! Roasted maple is lovely and seems like the higher end neck wood choice of the two? Interesting decision by Ibanez.

I was thinking the same thing about the roasted maple!

Nordstrands are available in different sizes though... unless the Bart size has been made intentionally proprietary.

[Lunatique]

8 hours ago, visog said:

Skip the messing at the start but Mr Lobster does a good A/B comparison of the 1005MS and the 1505MS... comes down to whether you think woods and pick-ups make it...

 

He's going to do another video where he puts fresh strings on both and do a more fair comparison. The strings on his 1005MS is about 2 months old at this point, while his 1505MS is brand new, so it wasn't a totally fair comparison.

[Woodinblack]

11 minutes ago, Lunatique said:

He's going to do another video where he puts fresh strings on both and do a more fair comparison. The strings on his 1005MS is about 2 months old at this point, while his 1505MS is brand new, so it wasn't a totally fair comparison.

the strings on my 2605 are 6 months old, they don't sound anything like that. That sounds very much the difference between the Nords and the in house barts. That recording of the 1005 pickups sounds almost exactly like the barts on the 805ms I had, and the reason I don't have any more, as getting Nords that fitted that were just over £300. 

So yes, for me, especially as I want the burl anyway, the 1005 isn't enough of a saving to make it worth it.

I do agree though that the neck is nice on the 1005, although I like wenge woods like panga panga anyway

[Woodinblack]

3 hours ago, therealting said:

Nordstrands are available in different sizes though... unless the Bart size has been made intentionally proprietary.

THere aren't standard ones that fitted in the wider Ibanez holes, but they can make you them. They cost around £300 for a set.

[Lunatique]

40 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

the strings on my 2605 are 6 months old, they don't sound anything like that. That sounds very much the difference between the Nords and the in house barts. That recording of the 1005 pickups sounds almost exactly like the barts on the 805ms I had, and the reason I don't have any more, as getting Nords that fitted that were just over £300. 

So yes, for me, especially as I want the burl anyway, the 1005 isn't enough of a saving to make it worth it.

I do agree though that the neck is nice on the 1005, although I like wenge woods like panga panga anyway

My EHB1000 will arrive in early June, and if I'm not happy with the Barts at all and adding a bit of treble and high-mids with the onboard EQ won't make it satisfactory, I'll either replace the pickups, or exchange it for an EHB1500. But I already have an EHB1505 in the Dragon Eye Burst finish, and the EHB1500 only comes with that same finish, and I don't want the two of them to be the same finish. Luckily Guitar Center has extended their return/exchange period to 180 days, so by then my EHB1505 is still eligible for an exchange, which means I could exchange it for the Pacific Blue Burst version. (My EHB1505 is a bit on the heavier side compared to everyone else's anyway and I'd want to exchange it for a lighter one. All the posts I've seen from others said theirs are exactly or just a little over 7 lbs., while mine is almost 8 lbs.)

[4000]

On 27/04/2020 at 07:17, visog said:

Some nice tones from an EHB here...

 

None of these videos are encouraging me at all. They all sound so nasal and weak to me.

[TJ Spicer]

35 minutes ago, 4000 said:

None of these videos are encouraging me at all. They all sound so nasal and weak to me.

(Hate to say this but...) The lack of solid playing/technique and tuning probably aren't helping either! 😥 

[Lunatique]

10 minutes ago, TJ Spicer said:

(Hate to say this but...) The lack of solid playing/technique and tuning probably aren't helping either! 😥 

Good thing I didn't post my crappy playing in the bass cover video I made with my EHB1505. 🤣

[visog]

Best sounding clip of them so far... Nathan's sounds cavernouse!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qE3P17uRoPI

[Woodinblack]

They do sound very deep

[4000]

Based on that example I prefer the sound of the cheaper one!

[Woodinblack]

25 minutes ago, 4000 said:

Based on that example I prefer the sound of the cheaper one!

I guess thats why they give you the choice. It makes me glad that I held out for the nord version, I wouldn't have been that happy with the barts, it would have gone the way of all my other non prestige bart'd ibanezes.

[therealting]

That’s probably also because James Ahwai is one of the best bass players in the country, absolutely world class.

[therealting]

The compression on that video is ridiculous though 

[fretmeister]

Loving the deepness.

As it happens my new Mezzo sounds that deep too - I wonder if Ibanez are going for that approach on the new models.

Still - I prefer too much deep than too little. Far easier to cut than boost.

[Kev]

Yeah Nords are a hard sell to me, they’re so brittle at the top end.  Those barts are too dark though for me, the US Classic Bass versions have much better top end.  I made that upgrade on an SRMS805 and it was night and day.