Which Ibanez EHB?

[franzbassist]

49 minutes ago, bnt said:

Don't forget there's a quick preamp mod you can do to engage "+6dB Mode", if you feel you need more oomph from the preamp. Low End Lobster shows it around the 5 min mark in this video.

Does it do anything else apart from increase the input gain?

 

[alinbassplayer]

Honestly if you manage to snag a deal and not pay full price for it, then it’s worth it, i managed to get my 1505ms new for 1k, via friends and family discount at a reputable store not to be named here :), anyway if i had paid more and not via the complicated system i probs would have returned it, action was high AF, the pot covers are just cheap plastic and the truss rod access looks like it was carved with a butter knife, also the pot holes are horrendous, one is a bit crooked, but easily fixed with another washer.

I did make some changes to it, changed the balance pot to a dingwall 4 way(i don’t know why that isn’t standard in most basses nowadays), i bought some wooden pot covers from ali express, and it does not add bulk or weight and looks so much better, changed the straplock to dunlop, so i can use the same strap for this and the dinger and with a proper setup it sounds almost as food as my AB1, i play it in passive as that preamp is just way too complicated for me, it helps when you need a bit of a boost live, but otherwise, it stays pretty much in passive, the nordies sound really good, i like the bite, not as defined as the dinger but they sound good, way better than the chinese barts, you just need to add too many things in the signal chain to get those to sound good, and i don’t think it’s worth it. 
And for a premium guitar to offer that gig bag i find insulting, i managed to get a cheapo rbx copy gig bag for 60 quid and it offers great protection. That is all rant over, but if you have 1k and get one in good condition or new and with another 100 quid you can make it into a top bass with a decent bag.

[lemmywinks]

7 minutes ago, alinbassplayer said:

Honestly if you manage to snag a deal and not pay full price for it, then it’s worth it, i managed to get my 1505ms new for 1k, via friends and family discount at a reputable store not to be named here :), anyway if i had paid more and not via the complicated system i probs would have returned it, action was high AF, the pot covers are just cheap plastic and the truss rod access looks like it was carved with a butter knife, also the pot holes are horrendous, one is a bit crooked, but easily fixed with another washer.

I did make some changes to it, changed the balance pot to a dingwall 4 way(i don’t know why that isn’t standard in most basses nowadays), i bought some wooden pot covers from ali express, and it does not add bulk or weight and looks so much better, changed the straplock to dunlop, so i can use the same strap for this and the dinger and with a proper setup it sounds almost as food as my AB1, i play it in passive as that preamp is just way too complicated for me, it helps when you need a bit of a boost live, but otherwise, it stays pretty much in passive, the nordies sound really good, i like the bite, not as defined as the dinger but they sound good, way better than the chinese barts, you just need to add too many things in the signal chain to get those to sound good, and i don’t think it’s worth it. 
And for a premium guitar to offer that gig bag i find insulting, i managed to get a cheapo rbx copy gig bag for 60 quid and it offers great protection. That is all rant over, but if you have 1k and get one in good condition or new and with another 100 quid you can make it into a top bass with a decent bag.

 

 

Do you have a link for the gigbag? On the lookout for a cheaper headless 5er as backup and that looks decent.

 

I put the Guyker East clone knobs on mine, looks miles better.

[alinbassplayer]

2 hours ago, lemmywinks said:

 

 

Do you have a link for the gigbag? On the lookout for a cheaper headless 5er as backup and that looks decent.

 

I put the Guyker East clone knobs on mine, looks miles better.

I do, i got this one, when i got it, it was 60 quid though, still worth it tbh

https://www.gak.co.uk/en/shergold-sggb1-masquerader-deluxe-guitar-gig-bag/905126

[franzbassist]

So, what strings are we liking on our multiscale EHBs?  I find the standard d'Addarios are okay, but I always prefer slightly heavier A and D strings.

 

And related to the above, what brands fit the basses without having resort to super/extra long sets?

[fretmeister]

On 14/05/2023 at 21:53, franzbassist said:

Does it do anything else apart from increase the input gain?

 

 

 

There's a second plug and socket next to the gain options. If you swap that one it changes the starting curve of the EQ for a slight boost to treble and bass and a small mid cut.

Definitely improves the stock Barts a little, but still not as good as changing the barts for something worth having.

[Woodinblack]

I just put normal D'addario XLs on mine yesterday. The B string on those is just long enough by a few mm.

 

[Simon C]

There’s been a fair bit of chat on this thread, other sites and in video reviews about the different pick ups available for these basses.  I’m posting this one so people can hear what is achievable with the stock Bartolinis.  This is the EHB1000S, so the shortscale.

 

The on-board eq is active, a bit of bass boost, low mids boosted a bit, treble boost most (but not all), the way. The pick up blend is centered.

 

I’ve some compression on, but really just to clean up my playing.  I have a bit of drive on from my Spectradrive - not much, but enough to get the top end just breaking up.  The eq on the Spectradrive is set flat.  So not too much processing after the instrument, though the drive is undoubtedly contributing to the sound.

 

if you want to avoid listening to me talking, the playing starts at about 1:45.  And in case you don’t listen to me, the reason it’s not the full song is I was struggling with an RSI at the time I recorded it.

 

I’ve posted this as I think it may be a useful contribution - hopefully I don’t unintentionally send us off topic.

 

[lemmywinks]

I think a few people over on TB wired the licensed Barts in parallel to counter the baked in dark sound a little, lowers the output so might be beneficial to switch to the +6db connector as well.

[PaulThePlug]

^ Remember the Mk1 Barts are a Reverse P in a Soap Bar, not a Full Width Twin Wind 'Bucker... Junk the Pre-EQ and go Passive VBT...

Edited October 13, 2023 by PaulThePlug

[lemmywinks]

13 hours ago, PaulThePlug said:

^ Remember the Mk1 Barts are a Reverse P in a Soap Bar, not a Full Width Twin Wind 'Bucker... Junk the Pre-EQ and go Passive VBT...

 

The BH2 in the EHB 100x series are regular humbuckers aren't they?

 

I didn't mind the MKI wired passive as they were attached to the MKI preamp which was pretty bad, the 3EMP3LD in the EHB series is generally well regarded though.

Edited October 13, 2023 by lemmywinks

[lemmywinks]

Apparently this is the BH2 wiring colour scheme according to TB:

Neck side coil: green - gnd, white - hot
Bridge side coil: black - gnd, red - hot.
Bare wire is ground.

 

Source: https://www.talkbass.com/threads/bartolini-bh2-and-ibanez-bass.1401884/page-4

 

Might save some money for people who aren't happy with the BH2 pickups.

[Woodinblack]

28 minutes ago, lemmywinks said:

 the 3EMP3LD in the EHB series is generally well regarded though.

 

Ibanez to come up with some punchy and memorable names don't they?

 

 

[Simon C]

53 minutes ago, lemmywinks said:

 

The BH2 in the EHB 100x series are regular humbuckers aren't they?

 

I didn't mind the MKI wired passive as they were attached to the MKI preamp which was pretty bad, the 3EMP3LD in the EHB series is generally well regarded though.

I think the pick ups are BH2s not MK1s.  I assumed they are humbuckers, but I'm not sure where I got the info from.  This link says they are BH2s:

https://www.ibanez.com/eu/products/detail/ehb1000s_1p_02.html

[Simon C]

14 hours ago, PaulThePlug said:

^ Remember the Mk1 Barts are a Reverse P in a Soap Bar, not a Full Width Twin Wind 'Bucker... Junk the Pre-EQ and go Passive VBT...

I think the EHB1000S sounds pretty uninspiring in passive mode.  To my ear using the active EQ improves the sound considerably, to the extent that I'd say it sounds good and makes me want to play the instrument. 

 

However, if between us we have moved the argument from "Which pick-ups should I install in place of the dark/ dull / woolly (insert your own adjective) Barts?" to "Does the bass sound best in passive or active" then I think we've probably done the bank balance of fellow players a favour  🙂 .

Edited October 13, 2023 by Simon C

[lemmywinks]

1 hour ago, Simon C said:

I think the pick ups are BH2s not MK1s.  I assumed they are humbuckers, but I'm not sure where I got the info from.  This link says they are BH2s:

https://www.ibanez.com/eu/products/detail/ehb1000s_1p_02.html

 

Yeah the BH2 are used across the SR, BTB and EHB range, Cort are only using the Mk series on their own brand basses.

[crazycloud]

On 14/10/2023 at 03:44, lemmywinks said:

Yeah the BH2 are used across the SR, BTB and EHB range

I wish Ibanez would just start making basses with EMG dimensioned pickups to allow a greater selection of aftermarket - hell, they could even have the BH2s in EMG40/45 and I'd be happy.

Imagine what their guitar sales would be like if they used an unusual dimensioned pickup.

[Woodinblack]

3 hours ago, crazycloud said:

I wish Ibanez would just start making basses with EMG dimensioned pickups to allow a greater selection of aftermarket

 

Or maybe EMG could make an ibanez sized pickup.

[lemmywinks]

1 hour ago, crazycloud said:

I wish Ibanez would just start making basses with EMG dimensioned pickups to allow a greater selection of aftermarket - hell, they could even have the BH2s in EMG40/45 and I'd be happy.

Imagine what their guitar sales would be like if they used an unusual dimensioned pickup.

 

I'm ok with the P2/P4 sizing for regular 5er and MS respectively as you can get Barts (proper ones), Aguilar or Nords in there which is a decent choice, all expensive though.

 

Would EMG dimensions cater for multiscale 5ers?

[SumOne]

There are some new EHB colours (new to me anyway) https://www.ibanez.com/usa/products/model/ehb/

 

 

 

Edited January 17 by SumOne

[bnt]

There’s also a new EHB1505SMS, upgraded version of the short-scale. I like the colour on this one:

[visog]

On 13/10/2023 at 16:20, Simon C said:

I think the EHB1000S sounds pretty uninspiring in passive mode. 

I think it sounds ok, good with new strings but I do take your point - there's a lot you can do with the active circuit. That said, the passive mode is a lifesaver (battery-saver) for me as I spend loads of time noodling on my DAW when I'm using the bass.

 

Edit: Yes, the new finishes look great... I've got the Chad Valley 'My First Guitar - silver sparkle' finish which is the worst in the range but I don't care, my EHiBby is my 'lighter than air' beater and it's great.

Edited January 19 by visog

[crazycloud]

On 18/01/2024 at 09:23, bnt said:

There’s also a new EHB1505SMS, upgraded version of the short-scale. I like the colour on this one:

If that was a 6, I'd have been selling off some of the kids for medical experimentation to fund one.

[thebassist]

32 minutes ago, crazycloud said:

If that was a 6, I'd have been selling off some of the kids for medical experimentation to fund one.

Not too far off @crazycloud? I say get selling 😂

 

[crazycloud]

On 20/01/2024 at 16:36, thebassist said:

Not too far off @crazycloud? I say get selling 😂

 

It would match my BTB846v nicely, aesthetically at least. I was just hoping (unreasonably considering the likely market) for a SS to tune E-E as the SRC6MS doesn't interest me.