New Ibanez Headless basses

[visog]

7 hours ago, lowregisterhead said:

That might have been true if there had been any of the basses in the country at the time... maybe they're clairvoyants!!! 🙂

Very true!

[bnt]

There’s a new EHB1505MS video from Franck Hermanny: a short slap tutorial. Sounds really clean: 

 

[maxoges]

I just got mine! I really like it. 

I had to lower the pickups and change the string height. I know the dealer and he didn't do anything to is setup wise. He knows I do my own setups.

The only thing I would change is the locking output jack.  I would rather have a regular one.

Maybe I'll change the pickups later on.  Right now I don't think it's necessary.

 

Edited April 9, 2020 by maxoges

[maxoges]

I recorded the ehb and a peavey cirrus. They sound similar I think.

 

[Kev]

Wow.  I am not using speakers with any kind of acceptable bass response, but to me that whole clip has the exact same tone.

[CameronJ]

45 minutes ago, Kev said:

Wow.  I am not using speakers with any kind of acceptable bass response, but to me that whole clip has the exact same tone.

I agree! It sounds like one bass was used for that entire track.

[maxoges]

First EHB second Cirrus .

[lemmywinks]

On 16/03/2020 at 13:25, Kev said:

I think Bartolini need to really rethink putting their name on these chinese pickups, they get slated almost universally and it must make people think it is what real barts sound like!

Yeah it's weird seeing as these are a different design to the old MkI but the first thing I thought when I pressed play on the demo was "hey that sounds like my old Cort B5!". No information on what the preamp bass/treble frequencies are either.

 

More to the point though - what are in house pickups doing on a £1.1k bass?

[Woodinblack]

1 hour ago, lemmywinks said:

More to the point though - what are in house pickups doing on a £1.1k bass?

Because it means you can get one of these for £300 off buying one of the ones with the nords.

[Lfalex v1.1]

I understand the idea of Fanned Fret or Multi-scale instruments, and I guess that the various manufacturers (Dingwall, Ibanez and RedSub to name but 3) have all done their research.

But I can't help but to think they've all gone a bit long on the scale front.

All the manufacturers seem to start at 33.25 to 34 inch scale for their G strings. Most then run to 35.5 to 36 for their B strings (on a 5-string), with Dingwall having a whopping 37 inch B

Surely string choice is reduced by this?

I'd love something with a 32-35 inch scale as a 5 string. I'd relish the sweetness of a shorter-scale G and D string coupled to a marginally longer E and B. Maybe even centered around a 34" A string for a familiar feel. I'd guess that almost every regular 5 string set would fit, giving the user a broad choice of gauges, types and materials.

Edit- looking further, the Headed ff Ibanez are using different scale lengths to the headless models.... ???

Edited April 21, 2020 by Lfalex v1.1

[fretmeister]

20 minutes ago, Lfalex v1.1 said:

I understand the idea of Fanned Fret or Multi-scale instruments, and I guess that the various manufacturers (Dingwall, Ibanez and RedSub to name but 3) have all done their research.

But I can't help but to think they've all gone a bit long on the scale front.

All the manufacturers seem to start at 33.25 to 34 inch scale for their G strings. Most then run to 35.5 to 36 for their B strings (on a 5-string), with Dingwall having a whopping 37 inch B

Surely string choice is reduced by this?

I'd love something with a 32-35 inch scale as a 5 string. I'd relish the sweetness of a shorter-scale G and D string coupled to a marginally longer E and B. Maybe even centered around a 34" A string for a familiar feel. I'd guess that almost every regular 5 string set would fit, giving the user a broad choice of gauges, types and materials.

Edit- looking further, the Headed ff Ibanez are using different scale lengths to the headless models.... ???

The Dingwall Super J and P are 35 inches with a shorter G and D.

[Kev]

Quite a dramatic fan is needed to be truly effective, as the low strings really benefit from that longer scale as much as the high strings really benefit from the shorter scale.

The Dingwall B is impressive, but excessive I feel.  The trade off against the strings available to you is a tough sell for me personally, i'd rather go that bit thicker on a 35" scale and get the same result. 

I'm moving my Ibanez FF on, but it's fan ranges from 34" to 35.5", which is perfectly long enough for the B and plays really well.  But, rather than wishing it had the dingwall B,  if anything I think I would have preferred a more dramatic fan to reduce the scale for the high strings.

But hey, I have a .125 B fitted to a 34" bass and its one of the best B's i've heard! So it's difficult to establish what makes the biggest difference.

Edited April 21, 2020 by Kev

[Lfalex v1.1]

51 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

The Dingwall Super J and P are 35 inches with a shorter G and D.

Ah.. I read the combustion specs.

Figured they'd all be the same..

[Lfalex v1.1]

48 minutes ago, Kev said:

Quite a dramatic fan is needed to be truly effective, as the low strings really benefit from that longer scale as much as the high strings really benefit from the shorter scale.

The Dingwall B is impressive, but excessive I feel.  The trade off against the strings available to you is a tough sell for me personally, i'd rather go that bit thicker on a 35" scale and get the same result. 

I'm moving my Ibanez FF on, but it's fan ranges from 34" to 35.5", which is perfectly long enough for the B and plays really well.  But, rather than wishing it had the dingwall B,  if anything I think I would have preferred a more dramatic fan to reduce the scale for the high strings.

But hey, I have a .125 B fitted to a 34" bass and its one of the best B's i've heard! So it's difficult to establish what makes the biggest difference.

It is difficult to establish. The best sounding two low strings I have are on an NS CR5 EUB (42" scale and who knows what gauge- it's big) And the low C on my Chapman Stick (36" scale but smaller gauge than you'd think. It's a mix of design, materials/construction, string gauge and scale length. I'd hope that electronics and string choice (in terms of manufacturer, material and type) would make less of a difference.

[maxoges]

I used to have an ESP LTD B-1004se stringed BEAD. It had a 34 to 36.25 scale length. I really prefer the playability of the Ibanez EHB . 

I tried to play similar on the EHB

 

Edited April 21, 2020 by maxoges

[Lunatique]

3 hours ago, Lfalex v1.1 said:

It is difficult to establish. The best sounding two low strings I have are on an NS CR5 EUB (42" scale and who knows what gauge- it's big) And the low C on my Chapman Stick (36" scale but smaller gauge than you'd think. It's a mix of design, materials/construction, string gauge and scale length. I'd hope that electronics and string choice (in terms of manufacturer, material and type) would make less of a difference.

Fan-fret is definitely not the only way to get an articulate B-string. Listen to the Le Fay in this comparison video--it does just as well as the Dingwall, but it's "only" a 34-inch normal scale bass:

I'm one of those people who owns a Dingwall (NG-2 5-string) but won't be keeping it (it's up for sale), because I just can't get as comfortable with fan-frets as I could on normal frets, and the lack of string choices really suck. None of the strings I'd want to use are available for the Dingwall. Yes, it sounds awesome and the craftsmanship is impesccable, and it's a beauty to look at (mine's the Ducati White Matte Peal), but ultimately ergonomics and logistics win out in the end. In comparison, I can play much more smoothly and comfortably on my EHB1505, and I can put any kind of strings on it. The B-string isn't as good but I can live with that. 

[4000]

I’d pit the best of the 34” scale Seis I’ve owned/ played against anything I’ve played with fanned frets. My old headless 6 had a fabulous B. In fact I remember Bernie Goodfellow pointedly comparing one of his basses against a Dingwall and there was nothing in it whatsoever. 

[eude]

1 hour ago, Lunatique said:

Fan-fret is definitely not the only way to get an articulate B-string. Listen to the Le Fay in this comparison video--it does just as well as the Dingwall, but it's "only" a 34-inch normal scale bass:

I'm one of those people who owns a Dingwall (NG-2 5-string) but won't be keeping it (it's up for sale), because I just can't get as comfortable with fan-frets as I could on normal frets, and the lack of string choices really suck. None of the strings I'd want to use are available for the Dingwall. Yes, it sounds awesome and the craftsmanship is impesccable, and it's a beauty to look at (mine's the Ducati White Matte Peal), but ultimately ergonomics and logistics win out in the end. In comparison, I can play much more smoothly and comfortably on my EHB1505, and I can put any kind of strings on it. The B-string isn't as good but I can live with that. 

I was half way through writing something similar, but hearing it is much better proof.

A longer scale is only part of the puzzle of a good low B, it's the easy bit to get right though.

I play 31.5" basses with low B's and the B is playable and extremely musical. Is it as tight as a Dingwall 37" low B? Of course not. Would anyone really notice in a band context? I highly doubt it. Only the real scrutiny of isolation would allow you to compare the two, and I would argue that some would prefer the sound of a shorter B, the massive piano string sound isn't for everyone.

Eude

[eude]

7 minutes ago, 4000 said:

I’d pit the best of the 34” scale Seis I’ve owned/ played against anything I’ve played with fanned frets. My old headless 6 had a fabulous B. In fact I remember Bernie Goodfellow pointedly comparing one of his basses against a Dingwall and there was nothing in it whatsoever. 

I don't doubt that!

[therealting]

7 hours ago, Lfalex v1.1 said:

But I can't help but to think they've all gone a bit long on the scale front.

All the manufacturers seem to start at 33.25 to 34 inch scale for their G strings. Most then run to 35.5 to 36 for their B strings (on a 5-string), with Dingwall having a whopping 37 inch B

 

I'd love something with a 32-35 inch scale as a 5 string. I'd relish the sweetness of a shorter-scale G and D string coupled to a marginally longer E and B. Maybe even centered around a 34" A string for a familiar feel. I'd guess that almost every regular 5 string set would fit, giving the user a broad choice of gauges, types and materials.

I agree, obviously.

[Lfalex v1.1]

On further viewing of the Dingwall site, it appears that only the Super P and Super J would fit my scale length preference. And they aren't cheap!

I wonder why the "cheaper" models only come in 34-37 inch scale?

And there seems to be a lot of emphasis around on their being a Hard Rock/Metal instrument, which I find odd.

[bnt]

I think that the number of players who would want a Dingwall P- or J- is smaller than the market for their more modern designs. You have to be really wedded to that look, it seems to me. Lee Sklar was known for his Frankenstein bass (P-body, J-Neck), but now it's 37" B-string all the way with his signature Dingwall.

[therealting]

8 hours ago, Lfalex v1.1 said:

On further viewing of the Dingwall site, it appears that only the Super P and Super J would fit my scale length preference. And they aren't cheap!

I wonder why the "cheaper" models only come in 34-37 inch scale?

And there seems to be a lot of emphasis around on their being a Hard Rock/Metal instrument, which I find odd.

Because their biggest market is for dropped and low tunings, hence the 37” scale for low F# etc.

Overseas model Super-scale instruments are in the plans, but Dingwalls are actually quite a small company and they have a long list of projects they are looking at. 

[Kev]

11 hours ago, Lfalex v1.1 said:

And there seems to be a lot of emphasis around on their being a Hard Rock/Metal instrument, which I find odd.

Out of interest, why do you find that odd?  Drop tuned music, where you need that additional scale length, it's an obvious target market and it's worked, the Nolly Getgood signature has become the P bass of the progressive metal and metalcore genres.

[Lfalex v1.1]

5 hours ago, therealting said:

Because their biggest market is for dropped and low tunings, hence the 37” scale for low F# etc.

Overseas model Super-scale instruments are in the plans, but Dingwalls are actually quite a small company and they have a long list of projects they are looking at. 

 

2 hours ago, Kev said:

Out of interest, why do you find that odd?  Drop tuned music, where you need that additional scale length, it's an obvious target market and it's worked, the Nolly Getgood signature has become the P bass of the progressive metal and metalcore genres.

(Personally) If I were making an instrument that turned to low F#, it'd be a six or a seven, tuned F#, B, E, A, D, G, C (lose the high C for a six). But the sourcing and cost of the strings! Ouch. What gauge does one use for low F#?

I find it slightly odd from a marketing point of view. I'm sure they're perfectly competent all-round instruments, but they seem to have "gone with the flow" around the emphasis on (prog)Rock/metal(core). On the face of it, that's fine, but there's the potential of alienating certain segments of the bass-playing community. Consider pointy Jacksons/Charvels and similar BC Rich basses. Great in a thrash band. Probably great for most music, but most players wouldn't consider one.

If it's a larger chunk of the market they're after, then a demonstrable improvement upon (or at least credible alternative to) the Fender P, J and PJ is a good way to start. That's why I'm surprised at the Super P and Super J not having cheaper brethren. The most traditional offering, the super PJ4 (32-34.25 inch scale) might well be lovely, but bass direct have it listed at £3250..

Dingwall also now have competition from these headless Ibanez models. They may also have limited appeal, but Ibanez make a broad selection of other models.