NBD: Ibanez EHB Fanfret medium/short scale

[fretmeister]

Quick update.

 

Have done 2 rehearsals now. Once with the Mark Bass and once with the Tech21. The T21 seems to suit it better.

 

I’ve swapped strings to DR Pure Blues and I really like them. A fuller less twangy sound than the Prosteels.

 

It is one of the comfiest easy to play basses I’ve ever tried. It’s a real joy to rip all over the neck. Very pleased.

 

Pickups. I thought I would be happy with them. But when used in anger in the wall of noise of a big band they are a bit crap. Flubby at the bottom and the mids are wrong to cut through all the brass and reeds.

 

To get the sound I really wanted was beyond both the amp and the bass controls and I needed to use my EQ-200.

Then I got it sound very much like the demos I’ve heard of the Aguilar DCB pickups. The EQ-200 allowed me to sort the lower mids, cut a little at 800hz, boost a little at 1.6 to 6khz and stop the low flub with a tiny 30hz cut.  I think I’m going to spend the money on the Aguilars. The bass itself is very much worthy of that expenditure.

 

Changing pickups is something I’ve done on most instruments so I kind of expected it as I’m really picky about them.

 

It’s just a lovely bass to play. No wrist pain ever, and at only 7lb even my surgery addled body has no complaints.

 

I might even get another one for flatwounds!

[ern500evo]

Saw Skindred in Bristol on Friday night and Daniel Pugsley was using a multi scale 5er. Very cool looking bass!

[fretmeister]

On 10/10/2021 at 20:05, ern500evo said:

Saw Skindred in Bristol on Friday night and Daniel Pugsley was using a multi scale 5er. Very cool looking bass!

 

I love that band. Got to be a candidate for the most fun live band in the world a the moment.

[fretmeister]

Right - I am loving the bass, the way it plays, feels etc etc.... but not the pickups without using my EQ-200 to sort it out.

 

So I've ordered a set of the Aguilar DCB pickups.

 

Hopefully arrive in a few days and I'll get them fitted next week.

[ern500evo]

1 hour ago, fretmeister said:

 

I love that band. Got to be a candidate for the most fun live band in the world a the moment.

Agree! They were fantastic live, such a fun band. Benji Webbe is a great frontman 

[fretmeister]

Aguilars have arrived and the bass is now with a luthier to get them fitted - and at the same time I'm having the neck side dots replaced with bright white ones.

The pretend luminay ones that ibby use are stinky poo.

They only glow for 30 seconds even when charged with a UV light for an entire minute for a SINGLE DOT, and they are invisible against the neck when not charged. I suppose the roasted maple is one of those annoying in-between colours for choosing black or white dots, but I've gone with white.

 

I don't usually look at the neck at all, but while I'm still getting completely familiar with the fan frets it will be a good thing.

 

Hopefully get it back next week.

 

 

Then I'll decide if I'm going to swap the preamp or not. Or even remove it. The DCB demos where they have been fitted to a similar Ibanez seem to sound best when in passive mode so I might be able to just leave it in passive and not worry about it at all. 

[fretmeister]

Aguilars installed and the crap side dots replaced.

 

Big improvement all round.

 

 

[SumOne]

On 05/09/2021 at 22:35, Woodinblack said:

Ere we go then.

 

Probably too much detail but better than not enough!

 

1) Remove the socket from the bass with the 2 screws.

 

 

2) pull the socket out from the bass. Not much cable spare so this is about as far as you can get it

 

 

3) Undo the T7 torx bolt holding the case (and one of the legs) on. Really sorry about the state of my skin above my nail, just got out of the bath

 

 

4) With this undone you can push the black bit in the middle out of the metal holder, although as there is not much spare cable it is easier to put the metal bit back in the body. Don't worry about the little red disk, it doesn't seem to want to come out.

 

 

5) Lift the red bit out of the channel. In that channel is the spring, which you can then take out. I can't show that because my spring isn't there. It is in a box somewhere in case I ever need to put it back in, although if I ever do, I will never be able to find the right box again, but I kid myself that I can.

 

6) Put the red bit back in the channel, ensuring that the top of it is in line with the top of the socket, it will line up below and above, but those aren't the right places. Push the metal sleeve back over the black internal part.

 

 

 

7) In the process of doing this, almost certainly one of the little legs will have come out of the socket. Just push it back in the obvious space where it goes, so it lines up with where the screw goes in, and put the screw back in

 

8 ) then put it back in the body, do the screws up, check everything still works, and not the wonder of being able to put a jack plug in and take it out without having to use two hands!

 

 

Nice one, I just got an EHB 1005MS and this is the first thing I'll be changing.  And fitting better side dots is a good move (although I'll probably go the cheap method of stickers for the time being). The other minor thing I'll do it put a bit of tipex on the lower parts of the stacked knobs as it's difficult to see where they are set.

 

.....all minor things that are cheap/free to do. Overall I'm very impressed with the Bass. Early days to say this but I think it's my favorite Bass I've owned (my Bass history being:  Squier Jazz, MIM Jazz, Ibanez SRMS 805, Dingwall Combustion, Sandberg TM5 SL, Lakland 55-02, USA Jazz). 

 

The stock Bartolini pickups seem good to me but perhaps after more time I'll notice shortcomings. I saw the LowEndLobster video where he recommended swopping for them for Aguilar's but I couldn't hear a huge amount of difference for £300.  Aguilars seemed perhaps a bit more defined and punchy - is that the difference you noticed? 

Edited March 25, 2022 by SumOne

[fretmeister]

Far better clarity for me with the DCB. I thought the stock ones were quite dull and ill-defined.

 

The two circuit plug mods definitely help. Basically - have a look at the board. There's 2 plugs in sockets, and 2 empty sockets. Just unplug and plug in again in the next one along. You'll need a small screwdriver to lever open the plug grabbers. Only takes about 5 minutes to do.

 

One of them changes the flat EQ position. Gentle scoop in the wooly bit and a sweeter presence / treble. The other gives a 6db boost when the eq circuit is on.

The first one is worth doing all the time. The second, if you don't mind the active signal strength being quite a bit hotter than passive mode.

 

I did both after I already had the DCBs and it added another improvement to my ears. But try the plug swap before spending money. You may like it enough that way. You can always put it back again.

[6feet7]

New side dots added.

I've tried moving both plugs on the circuitboard but get such an increase in volume going from passive to active (I’ve tried one, the other and combinations of both) that I’m sticking with the settings it came with.

Edited March 28, 2022 by 6feet7